Making Web-Comics

[kirbsys]

So how exactly is this done with Inkscape? I have several questions:

First, what document do you use for an average sized page?

Secondly, how do you do speech bubbles? Mine always come out with part of the outwards point extending slightly into the bubble.

Third, I've hear that there is a lot of copy&paste that goes on, do you basically make a template of each character and add poses whenever you need a new one?

Thanks for any help,
Kirbsys

[boomwolf]

1-everyone has his own. try A4. that way tou can print it if you get as popular as OoTS.

2-this is very basic mate, do not even start before you can do that. this is much more basic then characters.

3-You kina have to if you want to be able to go constantly and without making unwanted changed. you'll need a template of all common faces/bodys/hairstyles/weapons. and ANOTHER template for main characters.

[Ichneumon]

Answers are bolded within the quote:


So how exactly is this done with Inkscape? I have several questions:

First, what document do you use for an average sized page? Ehm, not sure what you mean. I use just the standard A4 paper size

Secondly, how do you do speech bubbles? Mine always come out with part of the outwards point extending slightly into the bubble. I don't use speech bubbles,

Third, I've hear that there is a lot of copy&paste that goes on, do you basically make a template of each character and add poses whenever you need a new one? I use templates.

Thanks for any help,
Your welcome,
Kirbsys

[[Insert Neat Username Here]]

So how exactly is this done with Inkscape? I have several questions:

First, what document do you use for an average sized page?

Secondly, how do you do speech bubbles? Mine always come out with part of the outwards point extending slightly into the bubble.

Third, I've hear that there is a lot of copy&paste that goes on, do you basically make a template of each character and add poses whenever you need a new one?

Thanks for any help,
Kirbsys

1: It depends on your comic.
2: I have difficulty with this too. Just call the extending pointers part of your style and move on.
3: Yes. This is why art upgrades tend to occur all at once instead of over time like in hand-drawn comics.

[kirbsys]

Cool, thanks every one.

[kirbsys]

Right, so I'm working on character concepts for an OOTS-style Starwars comic, so far as I know there isn't one yet. But how on Earth does one draw a Battle-droid (early style ones, not the Supers)? I've tried, but the proportions come out all wrong. I've tried making the head's thin but the same length, but it doesn't work. I've tried making the head a bit thicker. Doesn't work. I've tried making round heads. Meh. Any suggestions, or better yet, examples?

[Szilard]

Think of them like skinny skeletons.

[Lyinginbedmon]

Think of them like skinny skeletons.

Isn't that an oxymoron? :smallconfused:

@V It does contradict itself, skeletons have no skin :smalltongue:

[Szilard]

No, Its more like redundent, an oxymoron is if something contradicts itself.

[kirbsys]

Think of them like skinny skeletons.

Have we ever seen a skeleton without their clothes on? The only one I can think of is Xykon and hes always been clothed.

[Szilard]

The best I could do in five minutes.
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd233/SzilardG/B-1.png

[Bryn]

Some alternative answers...



First, what document do you use for an average sized page?
I make my comic panels in a seperate document, which used to be 400x300 pixels but has now been reduced to 300 by 220 pixels. I have pages which are two panels across, and I leave a ten pixel gap between them. So, for me, the page would be 610px wide.

I follow the same principle for the height of the page, depending on the number of panels. Thus, if I was making a 6 panel comic (the usual size), it would be three rows of pannels, thus 660 pixels, and then two 10 pixel gaps between them, so 20 pixels, resulting in a total of 680 pixels. I then add the height of the title bar, containing the name of the comic, the logo, etc., which is now 130 pixels, resulting in an image that is 810 pixels high total.

Therefore, the size of my page varies depending on the number of panels, but is always 610 by x px.


Secondly, how do you do speech bubbles? Mine always come out with part of the outwards point extending slightly into the bubble.
In this regard, the Path tools are your friend. Specifically, the 'Union' option. Make a speech bubble, and make a tail, then select both and go Path>>Union. This will merge the two into one speech bubble object. Make sure everything is where you want it before you do this.


Third, I've hear that there is a lot of copy&paste that goes on, do you basically make a template of each character and add poses whenever you need a new one?
In my case, yes. I have a seperate file with the characters in neutral poses, and I copy them into the comic. I then edit their pose and facial expression as appropriate. Often, I also need to redo the shading, although if I can find an example of the character in a previous comic who is already shaded correctly then I will probably use that instead of going to the effort of reshading.

In addition, I create a background for a comic or series of comics, without any characters in it. This is also duplicated between each panels. Usually, I will re-save the .svg file of a panel and then edit it to create the next panel. Each panel has its own .svg file.


As for the battle droid, having the chest taper and using a reference image to draw the head should help convey that these are battle droids. Indeed, a reference image is always your friend, whatever you draw. Making the limbs angular rather than curved might help convey its robotic nature, and if you replace its hands and feet with battledroid hands and feet it should also show the nature of the droid.

[Maulrus]

Sorry, I'm going to hijack this topic for a moment:

What do you do with .svg files? Where can I upload them, or export them, or whatever?

[Lyinginbedmon]

Press Cntrl + E. It should bring up the Export box which will produce a .png file.

[Maulrus]

Yeah, I just figured that out. Thanks.

I've always preferred JPGs, when possible. But is there any advantage to keeping it in .png? Or can I convert it?

[Lyinginbedmon]

Jpegs blur the image to get the same quality, makes lines and things go really wonky, and block colouring goes very smudgy.

[The_Chilli_God]

Jpegs blur the image to get the same quality, makes lines and things go really wonky, and block colouring goes very smudgy. If it doesn't do that (Like, if you set up your export options really nicely), then chances are the file size of the .jpeg will be about twice as high as it would be in .png.
Either way, lose.

[Maulrus]

Okay, thanks.

[Bryn]

.jpegs also don't support any transparency, so you'd have to match the background of the jpeg to the background of the site if you wanted it to match. There are no such problems with .pngs.

[Maulrus]

I have a question about posing. How should I position legs if I want somebody in the foreground walking from the background? I can't get it quite right.

[masamonkey]

I have a question about posing. How should I position legs if I want somebody in the foreground walking from the background? I can't get it quite right.

That actually does take a little work...no matter what you do, it won't ever look right; it's one of those things that looks goofy done realistically and unrealistic if done stylistically. Easiest thing to do is set one foot 'back' from the other, or rather higher on the page and then curve the bent leg back towards the heel of that foot. The foreward leg should be straight. _|)_ <just move the curved left foot up higher and that's an easy way to do it, though you may wantt the foot coming down to meet the ground.