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How to Illustrate a Comic Book Script

Comic books rely on text and graphics to deliver their entertainment. Sometimes a writer is also the illustrator of the comic book, but very often the words are written by one person and the illustrations are done by another, based upon the text delivered by the writer in the form of a comic book script.

An illustrator needs to be able to look at the script delivered by a writer and turn those words into panel illustrations. Writers and illustrators need to have good communication skills in order to produce a cohesive comic book. Learn how to read a comic book script and turn the text of the script into illustrations that will help tell the story.

Things You'll Need

  • Pencils Quill Pen Black Ink Eraser Comic Book Script Storyboard
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Instructions

    • 1

      Understand a comic book script delivered by the writer. The script will tell you how many panels there will be and what will be happening in each panel. The writer will describe the action in present tense and include as many details as he can. The writer's aim is to tell a strong story while giving you, the illustrator, the details you need to bring the story to life with illustrations.

    • 2

      Focus on the main elements in each description given by the writer. An example: Panel one - we see a quiet, dark street under a moonlit sky. A manhole cover is raised, and green eyes peer from the darkness beneath it. This suggests a drawing of a city street and the moon, but the focus should be on the eyes peering out from beneath the raised manhole cover. This is the element of the text description that moves the story forward.

    • 3

      Work with the writer. You want to maintain his original vision while adding your own style. If you have a better idea for an illustration than the text suggests, sit down with the writer, and work it out. Comic book creation is a highly collaborative process.

    • 4

      Ink the illustration using a quill pen with a head size of 513 and black ink. When you ink an illustration, the objective is to go over the illustration to bring the image off the page. You want to create depth and shadow. Inking is almost like tracing the image, but you're adding dimension to the artwork before the final layout is sent to the printer for coloring. Inking is often done by someone other than the original illustrator.

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