OK so I've been meaning to ask this for over a month now, but procrastination gets the better of me each time. I'm fairly new to webcomics in general & am starting to adjust to the scenerio. But I want to know how do you guys execute your web comics from start to finish. By this i mean what method do you follow in creating chapters for your webcomics. I'm looking forward to opinions of well experienced artists as well as novices like myslf.

Maybe we could pick up some really good points from each other that would help everyone improve their workflow.Mine is a B/W comic so the workflow is faily simply, but I'm always astonmished to see webcomics like Luck Dawg, The Carriers etc to name a few.

So to start of heres how I go about the whole thing:

Step 1: Thumbnailing ( depending on the story size I decide the pages & start drawing rough thumbs)

Step 2: Transition from Thumbnailing to rough image.

Step 3: Cleaning up the line art & organizing layer(if necessary) to create the final page.

Step 4: Repeat Steps 1-3 for all the remaining pages

Step 5: Shade each & every page using layers.

Step 6: Creating voice bubbles & Dialogue.

It usually takes me a month & a half to prepare a 52 page comic. So now it's your turn. If you'd like to share, that is? ;)

Let's see:

I first do story boarding. I just put multiple, tiny pages on a piece of paper outlining how the story will go, placements, panels, dialog, etc.

After that, I draw out very VERY simple sketches of how the pages will be on the computer (usually in a very light colour, like blue on a low opacity) on a sizable page (2700 X 4000 pixels).

I then do a more detailed sketch over the quick one in a darker colour (depending on the detail of the sketches, I might have to sketch over that one, too).

Before I get to the lineart, I make any corrections to the page, like anatomy (mostly anatomy) placement, referencing, etc.

LINEART! I draw over all of the sketches once I think the page looks to be in good shape (over the sketches with low opacity).

After lineart, I go to flat colours. I use the lasso tool to make colouring easier. All of the colours are separated on various layers to keep me from making any mistakes.

Shading/highlighting depends on my mood. I might shade once I've filled in a specific part of the page, or I save it afterwards everything is coloured. Lately, I've gone for more detailed colouring with two extra colours for shades and extra highlighting (but not to the point that everything looks like it's made of plastic).

Also depending on my mood, I might do backgrounds before or after I colour/shade in the characters/foreground, but I usually save it for later. This is the part that takes the longest to do since I try to have decent backgrounds (also character cameos) that actually look like they have depth and ambiance (I may or may not succeed, I still suck at backgrounds).

After all of it, I do lighting, textures and if needed, filters.

Once the page looks nice and coloured and everything seems to be in order, I set out to doing the dialog. Placement, sizing, fonts, font art, etc.

When the dialog looks to be in good shape, I make all of the speech bubbles. It's pretty easy.

Then once the page looks to be nice and crisp and shiny, I save, then I flatten all the layers, resize it to something a little smaller, use the sharpen filter, then resize again.

Save for updating!

Depending on the complexity of the page, it could take me only 8 hours to make one, to taking 12 hours just to do the colouring. It's time consuming, but I love it!

Mine depends on what comic I am doing, whether I am working from a detailed script or just a rough plan.

I am very much about one page at a time though.

I plan roughly how I want to do each panel in my head then I go straight for the A4 paper and start sketching what will become the pencils. I rarely do roughs or thumbnails. Once I am half done I start inking and that gets scanned at 300 dpi.

I alter the brightness and contrast with Gimp to clean it up before vectorising it, I then take the vectorised image and colour it (usually in photoshop although I have been leaning back towards gimp of late) tidy the panels etc.

Then comes the lettering and so on. lettering I always do with gimp, it is far easier than with photoshop, for sound effects though I sometimes use photoshop.

I am not a perfectionist and it shows, freegurts art looks exceptionally clean and the colouring is far better than I could manage... ever.

As for the 3D comics, I read the script and build everything I need for a few pages, import the characters and start posing.
With underbelly, which isn't scripted I work on a panel to panel basis, making from 2-10 pages worth in one hit then making the pages from there. With others I plan for the pages, all in my head mind, I see no need to thumbnail it. If I'm ever in doubt I will render two or three versions of a panel and decide when building the pages.

Once the panels are ready I use gimp to cut and paste and scale them onto the page.
I then take it to photoshop and do some postwork. Gimp doesn't have the features I need for that, or if it does I haven't worked out how to use them.

after that it is much the same as hand drawn stuff.

~Script (whole chapter/scene)
~Rescript (sections)
~Re-rescript (individual page)
~~~(pause)~~~
~Thumbnail (tweaking script)
~Draft (tweaking thumbnail)
~Redraft
~~~(pause)~~~
~Draw outlines in pencil
~Shade page (fill in hatching/crosshatching) with pencil
~Scan
~~~(pause)~~~
~Change opacity, erase text and re-add as font
~Cleanup picture, remove smudges, draw new digital outlines where needed (This is the LOOOOONGEST step)
~~~(pause)~~~
~Add flat color
~Add shadows/highlights and digital textures as applicable
~Create atmospheric effects (night filters, rain, shadows, etc.)

~Upload, ideally one or two weeks in prior to live date.

Here's an example of my process .

1. Generally I start off by browsing through the comments and selecting one or two commands, and occasionally throw in a couple plot-advancement things as necessary. Then I script those and the stuff that will appear in the text box.

2. Then I check my toolsheet (a really big picture with all my backgrounds, various character poses, items, etc. on it) and make sure I have all the necessary components. If not, I draw and color new ones, which takes varying amounts of time depending on what it is. Backgrounds usually take the longest, it's sort of a science to make a background the characters don't get lost in.

3. After adding the necessaries to the toolsheet, I fire up Paint.NET and do a lot of cut-n-pasting, typing, and making adjustments to the 20-something different layers (each with different things of varying importance). Usually this doesn't take very long, thus why I tend to update in bursts.

4. After adjusting and tweaking, I save the picture and upload it! Easy as that.

Although right now I need to get a new tablet/get mine fixed, I haven't updated in forever and feel sort of guilty.

Can't say I'm too fancy about my methods for Arachnid Goddess. If anything, it's monotonous.

1. Spend some time daydreaming about how I want to approach the page. What's going on, what do I want to convey? Play some music throughout the entire process beginning here or by step 2.

2. Draw the page, taking into account space for text to be added. I use only a fine tip pen. If I make a mistake, I keep going and draw stitch lines over the errors. Sometimes the end page looks like it was slashed with barbed wire. Other times I'll include a little arrow pointing at some small error I think I might miss later. If the entire page is too crummy for even me, I just start all over again on the back side of the sheet, get a new one, or try again tomorrow when I'm more in the zone.

3. Wrestle with my PIA scanner (changes settings on me sometimes). Scan in custom mode, which is a variation of b/w. Save file as PNG to desktop. Title it as 'AG###proto'.

4. Boot up my old old old copy of Photoshop Elements, taking into account any new fonts I want must be installed prior to doing so. Open file and crop out dead end spaces. Sometimes I'll begin erasing my numerous error lines, however. I always start in Indexed Color, regardless of what I'm doing later.

5. Fix broken lines so I can do color fills. I keep it Index color still because of the easier use of blacks, greys, and whites. This process usually involves me zooming in and visually scanning minutia lines for tiny breaks.

6. If coloring, go to RGB Color. Must also do this when going to text, but that's the last step. Chern doesn't know squat about layers and adding in text too much later often makes the page more grainy/pixelated. Everything has to be done in succession.

7. If I'm done coloring, I may use some airbrushing or blur to give a sense of movement or tension to something.

8. Fit the page to a 670 width. There's a little scrolling down, but nothing lateral.

9. Add text, using appropriate fonts and colors, taking into consideration the pre-existing images (I don't bother with balloons and the like). I try to maximize my space a bit since I'm verbose and more a writer than an artist.

10. If satisfied, read over text aloud, checking for the feel of the words and make edits. This isn't always perfect, but eh. It's usually time for work now or about 2-3am.

11. Save for web as AG###x.jpg. Upload file, think about a name for the update page, maybe a quip for the comments. Go offline.

As a loose description:

1. Written crap. This could be in the form of narrative text or just a list of general ideas of what happens when.
2. Thumbnails. Thumbnail process is:
(a) Work out the panel layout.
(b) Work out the speech bubble placement.
(c) In separate notebook, write the speech for the page in question. This tends to go through no less than four revisions because I suck (from original written crap, to present script, to written text on penciled page, to final typed text).
(d) Sketch panel content.
3. Rough pencils. I erase a lot.
4. Inks. This is generally weeks after I've done the pencils since I sketch pages very far in advance (buffers, yay!) so I've had time to realize and fix any mistakes I've made with my pencils.
5. Flats. God this part is tedious.
6. Shadows. Par for the course.
7. Any miscellaneous effects. Rare, and usually in the form of lighting.
Final. Text. Always last, I don't know why, it just kind of weirds me out having an incomplete page with legible text written in. Like being forever frozen saying the same thing

Clearly this is a unique technique and not boring and obvious at all! :)

1. Script
Entire script is usually written in rough format, because I get ideas faster than I draw. Script will be continuously edited as I get more/better ideas.

2. No thumbnails
I draw pages 1 at a time, so later pages can always change because I get new screenplay ideas as I draw.

3. Make the blank panels
I don't use thumbnails. I mentally picture what the page looks like, then I make the blank panels.

4. Draw in the text bubbles
I mentally picture where the text goes, and I draw in the blank text bubbles.

5. Fill the page with lineart
According to my mental image, which has been cemented by the blank panels and bubbles. I don't do stick figure planning or whatever.

6. Do the CG on computer

7. Fill the text into the bubbles on computer

Haha, be shocked at my "haphazard" way of working, then take a look at my elaborate pages and accuse me of lying. :-]

Depends on the comic I'm drawing and how much detail has to be put into the page, but generally, this is the way I do it:

1. Rough script
If I'm doing comics for myself, my script will just include the main plot points, some descriptions and the most important dialogues. Some dialogues are influenced by page layout, so I don't have a script that's a 100% set in stone.

2. Layout brainstorming
Usually, I just do the layout before my mind's eye. If there's a lot of detail to put in, or the story-telling is complicated, I'll do actual thumbnails to get the layout right.

3. Pencils
This includes the layout stage in some way, because in most cases, this is the first time I actually see it on a page (see 2 above). But in most cases, the layout I've figured out beforehand works, so it's sort of integrated into the rough pencils. I do more or less tight pencils directly on top of the rough ones. Again, depends on whether it's necessary for the inking (- pencilling is a way to get information on the page which is used during inking. Some information, such as textures, don't have to be in the pencils themselves - I just need the info to be clear for myself).

4. Inks
Depending on whether I'll color or shade the pages, my inks will be more or less tight. I tend to use more heavy blacks if the end result is going to be in b/w anyway.

5. Optional: Coloring or gray-shading
Scanned pages get the photoshop treatment.

6. Lettering
Lettering in photoshop. I don't insert text bubbles in this stage though; these are already present in my layout, pencil & ink stages.

It can depend on the comic, but this is my usual method:

1. Rough Plotline- Just typing up the main plotline of the comic in a nutshell, with a few minor details. It usually ends up about a page or two long.

2. Scripting- Scripting every single page of the comic, based on the plotline document I created. My scripts look something like this:


1. 1st panel shows the planet Zanvadas from a distance. ‘Zanvadas’ 2nd panel shows a village from a distance. ‘A thriving and prosperous planet in the Jarikas Galaxy.’ 3rd panel shows Zanvadians in the village, doing whatever it is they do. ‘The Zanvadians are a peaceful race, who do their best to keep the galaxy free from war.’ 4th panel shows Varin walking along with a bag full of letters. ‘But this is the unlikely hero of our story.’

2. 1st panel shows Varin walking again. 2nd panel shows him hop over a fence into someone’s front garden. 3rd panel shows him ring the bell (an actual bell!) that is hanging by the door. 4th panel shows him stood by the door, waiting.

I never start a comic without finishing the entire script first.

3. Sketching the page- Drawing out the actual page. I do sometimes thumbnail it first, but not always.

4. Inking- Once the page is sketched out, I ink it. Simple really lol

5. Colouring- I then scan the page, and colour it in Photoshop. I put down all the flat colours first, then shade the characters, then shade the backgrounds.

6. Words, speech bubbles, and sound effects- Finally, I add in all the speech bubbles, page numbers, sound effects, and any other text.



I think that's everything!

Damn, Abt_Nihil is just as maverick as me! You're stealing my thunder!

mlai
Damn, Abt_Nihil is just as maverick as me! You're stealing my thunder!

Heh, I was actually considering quoting your own post and just adding some comments, since we seem to do things pretty similarly ^_^

Interesting topic! :D

#1 - Plot planning/script - Done several pages/chapters in advance. I just think about how many pages I want in a chapter, and page-by-page I write down a short explanation on what will go on the page. I never write anything in too much detail and it's not "set in stone"; I frequently deviate from what I scribble down if I later think of a better idea.

#2 - Paneling - I draw out the panels on the page in my sketchbook, keeping in mind what the characters are going to do and say. I do think several pages in advance too, and write notes on what I want to draw in each panel.

#3 - Pencils - I erase the notes and sketch out each panel on the page. I never do thumbnails or several drafts. Just sketch it out and erase a lot xD. I may sketch out 2-5 pages at a time.

#4 - Inks - I ink the page by hand, then erase the pencil underneath it. I like the look that hand-inking gives :D. I usually ink only one page at a time, but on occasion 2 or 3.

#5 - Scan - I scan the page into my computer and open it up in Photoshop (either CS3 for PC or CS4 on my Macbook)

#6 - Cleanup & Speech bubbles - I clean the page up and make the lines look neater and also redraw the panel lines. Then, I add in the speech bubbles along with the dialogue.

#7 - Shading - I shade the page in greyscale (I use a mouse to do my pages, not a tablet). This may take awhile, and I usually do one page at a time.

#8 - Effects & Finalizing - I may add some extra "effects" or little details here and there (like shwoosh lines or something), check back and look for glaring mistakes, then I save and I'm finished. :D

#9 - Upload page - I post the page, sit back, wait for comments xD. This is the best part about working on a page :D.

1-First of all I sketch on paper with pencils the whole chapter or just a few scenes. Don't really do scripts, more just an overall Idea in my head and go with the flow.
2- Ink the sketches with a roller ball ink pen
3- Scan and clean up a bit with photoshop
4- Vectorize the line art for a cleaner look
5- Flats, shadows, backgrounds and all that with photoshop
6- Text first in spanish, then in english, also with photoshop
and that's all viola!

I have to say I had a totally different interpretation of that subject line. I was expecting a much different (and stranger) bunch of posts, haha. :]

Ok I'm glad I started this topic cause theres some really cool ideas & I guess at times alot of workflow is basically the same. As for me I do all my art digitally but starting the next issue I do plan on sketching on paper first if i have enough time.

mlai: I absolutely love your comics & I'm extremely amazed that you do paneling before setting up the scene. I'm not sure if i'd ever get an idea of panel layout which is probably my weakest point. You however do an Awesome job with every issue so I should get to learn more by studying your comics page layout. :)

Nicotine: Once again I'm baffled at how you guys can do paneling without thumbnailing & do such a great job. Just checked iout your comic. As for shading I use the same method with alot of my illustrations. Shading(especially_ cell shading in greyscale is very convenient.

Abt_Nihil & Hunchdebunch: Looks like our workflows match the most. :D

skool: Now that you mention it I get what you mean...my bad. :D

I was going to make some firing squad jokes but meh.

I thought people would typically have a similar style to mine and almost it is but its cool to see which comics on DD use which process.

As for me, my pen comics have no planning\sketching stage so they're the easiest quickest ones to do.
1. Draw
2. Scan\Clean
3. Add text
4. Upload

For my other handdrawn comics
1. Sketch out story in notebook (typically many chapters in advance or to completion)
2. Draw on paper & edit
3. Ink
4. Scan\clean
5. Tone or color
6. Add text
7. Upload

Digital comics are the same except sketching is done on the computer obviously but it is rarely done at all. Then obviousy no scanning. Most of them are also colored. I think only two are toned.

1. I sketch out a loose framework for the strip in pencil. I put a bit more detail into the spots that I think will be more difficult to draw. I also put more detail into the stuff that is built off references.

2. I go over the pencil sketches with a pen. Once that's through, I erase all the pencil lines.

3. I spot heavy blacks on the areas that require them. I then color the page with markers. I tend to fill in the backgrounds first and then work my way towards the smaller stuff. Most of the time I do the greytones last.

4. I then scan the page into the computer. Word balloons and dialogue are applied through Windows Paint and Adobe Illustrator. I also darken the scan and apply a "smart blur" and "poster edge" filter to the art.

I used to write a script for my page before I went to work on it. However, I found myself deviating from it pretty heavily once I got to the finishing stages. At this point I just sort of wing it as I go along. I tend to have a vague sense of what's going to be said on the page as I'm drawing it, but I often add a line here or there at the last minute.

Often, the off-the-cuff stuff ends up being the most popular aspect of the page. So, I've learned to trust my instincts.

JazylH
Nicotine: Once again I'm baffled at how you guys can do paneling without thumbnailing & do such a great job. Just checked iout your comic. As for shading I use the same method with alot of my illustrations. Shading(especially_ cell shading in greyscale is very convenient.

Thanks! I just try to make the process easiest for myself. It's interesting to see that some people do several versions of the same page before the final product @_@, I just don't the patience to though. xD

Step 1. Open myself up to divine inspiration.

Step 2. Create breathtakingly amazing art.

Step 3. Profit.





...I wish it worked that way. :(

I fail to see why any artist working alone would want to draw the art first, and then add in the word balloons. You spend more time overall, and you cover up your own art.

I subscribe to the Japanese mangaka way: Draw the balloons, then draw the art around it. That way you save time not drawing stuff you'll cover up, and you consider the word balloons as part of your panel/page composition.

Simple you factor in roughly where it will go as you layout the page but there is no point drawing speech balloons if you add them digitally. It does affect the level of detail I put into the area the speech bubble goes.

Genejoke
Simple you factor in roughly where it will go as you layout the page but there is no point drawing speech balloons if you add them digitally. It does affect the level of detail I put into the area the speech bubble goes.

Right...when I draw a page, I plan how much the characters are going to say and how big my speech bubbles will need to be. I draw by hand and add the bubbles digitally. I'm a bit sneaky though; where a lot of my speech bubbles are, I didn't draw a thing in that space xD. I lightly draw in the speech bubbles during the penciling, and draw around them, so no time wasted. :D

You know it is practically impossible to do that in a photo comic even with complete story boarding. Story boarding doesn't often survive the view through the lens.

I always end up stuffing the bubbles into whatever dead space just happens to be there. This is also why a lot of photocomics have their dialogue scrolled across the bottom like subtitles.

I draw balloons into my original pages only out of habit. Originally, I didn't plan to upload stuff and I drew it only to amuse my friends, so I continue to keep everything on paper even effects that I later remove and make more digital effects for.

I replace the drawn balloons with digital ones, but they aren't always the same size or shape because the font doesn't match my messy handwriting. So, I often have to try to fill in empty space (where the balloon was) after the fact. It's kinda irritating sometimes. It would be easier to leave out the balloons altogether and add them only digitally (which is what I do with any other project), but tradition dictates I have everything on paper.

Wow! I rarely know exactly what my characters are going to say before I've finished the page so speech bubble space is pointless. My dialogue is improvised... and it shows -_-

To flesh out the writing part...

As I do several comics it does vary from comic to comic and I am not the sole writer on some which obviously makes a big difference.

Malefic is written by Jabberwockyjones based upon my rough outlines and plot suggestions. That makes it sound more my work that it really is though. 98% of the dialogue and pacing is his work. Malefic is one of the most tightly scripted comics I do.

Underbelly doesn't have a script, I run scene to scene with a rough plot in mind, the dialogue I do last straight onto the page. I do plan the scenes and story fairly well before I start work but only in my head.

The hero factor is scripted tightly and sent to the artist and then when i get the pages I tweak the dialogue quite heavily.

I have an as yet unnamed project which is being scripted very tightly, I have 25 pages done fully and another twenty in draft form.

With the malefic tales stories I script quite loosely, just enough to tell the story.

My current process for Negligence:

-If I somehow come up with the basic idea for a story arc or one-shot, I write it in a notebook for safekeeping later on. Sometimes I go back to it, sometimes I'll combine one idea with another, and sometimes I ax the idea altogether.

-When I decide to use one of these ideas, first I'll draw a very, very rough sketch for each strip and plan rough dialogue for the characters. The final product usually has a few minimal changes to both layout and dialogue choices, but not that many. Basically, I script very loosely for Negligence. Usually, I'm a bit tighter than this.

-After that's all done, then I start drawing the actual strips. I draw everything from this point digitally, starting with sketch lines, then ink lines. The layer I use for the sketch lines is erased once all the ink lines are drawn. Sometimes, after this is done, I'll make a layer for color, but I don't do that often.

-I will draw all the strips first before I put in any dialogue balloons. Since there are usually about 10-15 (sometimes up to 20) strips per story arc, that means I finish all of them before I put any words in. I try to draw at least 2 strips a day, but this latest story I'm working on has been only one a day because of me working on a separate animation project.

-Once all the word balloons are in place, I save all the original files on a separate hard drive. Once these are all saved, I reduce the size of the files still on the desktop so that they fit on the site and are readable.

-From there, I upload them onto the site. Because I work months in advance, I make sure to change the date that they go live.

-Once all of this is done, I take a break from the comic for a week or two, then get right back into working on a new story.

Basically, this is my job.

Seems that there are two general approaches: plan then make, or, plan while making. =P

My process:
- Write down a rough chapter synopsis.
- Translate the writing to page thumbnails and assign dialogue to the panels, mostly so I don't put too much text on one panel.
- Start the page itself by creating the panel borders.
- Rough sketch of the characters and scenes.
- Inking/shading.
- Scan in.
- Color and final shading. (When I get a chance to. Sadly, had to go back to greyscale. College takes up a lot of time...)
- Text and bubbles.
- Upload.

I try to leave space for the bubbles, but my bubbles are a little opaque. So I try to leave things like trees and buildings in the spaces the bubbles will go.

1. Write a rough script
2. Roughly sketch out panel and character positions.
3. Draw panels.
4. Draw in characters and foreground in a new layer.
5. Draw background.
6. Add dialogue and speech bubbles.
7. Worry that my comic's quality is in decline.