5

So, you want to know how it's done, eh? Well here's a simple step by step walk through of how I put the comic together for those of you who are curious.

I start every page of the comic with a rough storyboard, usually drawn month ahead of time. At this stage I figure out the page layout and blocking of the characters without having to worry about scraping good images or wasting expensive paper. I also block out dialogue along with the image to get a rough idea of how much information I can fit on a page. This text is usually only a draft and the exact wording often changes by the time I get around to adding it to the finished page.

From the storyboard I draw what will eventually be the finished page. I don't use any fancy materials, only a regular Bic mechanical pencil (I like their erasers) and a Strathmore sketchpad (I prefer working on a textured surface and the paper is forgiving of multiple erasings).

Next I ink the image. I use Staedtler pigment liners, 01s for the outlines and 005s for details like eyes and mouths. Then after scanning it into the computer I clean it up in photoshop, removing any dust and scratches and cleaning up lines I might have botched in inking (I have a jumpy hand sometimes) I also add the border for the panels.

The next course of action is the basic colour. I usually start with the characters since they each have a set palette for hair, eyes, skin etc. If the scene takes place at night or in extreme lighting circumstances ie. the sunset at the end of part two, I colour the characters on a separate layer and adjust the brightness and colour to suit the background after everything has been shaded.

Finally I shade the scene, add any sort of special effect, light rays, fire, skies etc. and add the text, which is drawn on a separate page and saved on it's own layer in case I want to change it later.

Give or take a few steps, that's how it's done. An average page, no effects or complicated scenery takes a good three hours to colour and shade, not counting the time is takes to clean up the image. Complicated pages can take much longer, especially scenes with fire or light shafts with are made on multiple layers with transparency. The first page in a scene always takes the longest due to figuring out the right colours to use. Sometimes the colours I have in my head don't work when I put them down on the page.

Disclaimer & Special Thanks

Schwarz Kreuz is the original work and property of Rhiannon McCullough ©2003/2008