Cartoonist Notes
How I Make My Comics (Part 2) - From blog post 3/19/2014
Coloring: I could probably improve my coloring. I use a great shareware free software program called Inkscape - a poor mans adobe illustrator. I have to admit I am still learning the best way to use it. Oh yes, I should mention that I have a scanner that I scan my black and white comic into. I turn the file into a bmp. so I can play with it on Inkscape, crop it, etc. Once I open it up in Inkscape I do a bitmap trace so I can take out the background coloration left on the picture scan of the comic (the natural varied color of the white paper would not allow a color fill in between the lines).
Once it is all done, I save the file as a png. and post it to this website and also my tumblr site. I usually post it up on reddit's comics page and tweet it out from my dudesbee account to share it with the world.
I am still learning the "hows" of making a comic and working on my style. I have never had any formal art training so I kind of just learn by doing.
I should also mention that I have a new toy. It is an "artograph" light table. Basically you can put a pencilled page or picture on it, turn on the light and then put a piece of paper that you are going to draw on over it. The picture underneath shines right through and you can trace the picture or ink the pencil drawing. I have been inking directly over my pencil drawing, then taking the pencil lines out electronically but I will start experimenting using the light table for a clean ink. I have also used it for a comic. For the lighthouse keeper moth comic, I had a photo of the San Diego lighthouse that I traced as the background.
I usually look at images on the web as inspiration and then free hand the backgrounds but I wanted to use the light table. I don't think I would trace all my comics. You would have to have the exact perfect picture to fit the comic the way you would want it to turn out in your mind. Still I am not ruling it out. If it helps make a better comic, why not.
So anyway, that is where I am at in my comics journey. I have always loved comics and am still learning. I hope my Dudesbee comics can help brighten someone's life.
How I Make My Comics (Part 2) - From blog post 3/19/2014
Coloring: I could probably improve my coloring. I use a great shareware free software program called Inkscape - a poor mans adobe illustrator. I have to admit I am still learning the best way to use it. Oh yes, I should mention that I have a scanner that I scan my black and white comic into. I turn the file into a bmp. so I can play with it on Inkscape, crop it, etc. Once I open it up in Inkscape I do a bitmap trace so I can take out the background coloration left on the picture scan of the comic (the natural varied color of the white paper would not allow a color fill in between the lines).
Once it is all done, I save the file as a png. and post it to this website and also my tumblr site. I usually post it up on reddit's comics page and tweet it out from my dudesbee account to share it with the world.
I am still learning the "hows" of making a comic and working on my style. I have never had any formal art training so I kind of just learn by doing.
I should also mention that I have a new toy. It is an "artograph" light table. Basically you can put a pencilled page or picture on it, turn on the light and then put a piece of paper that you are going to draw on over it. The picture underneath shines right through and you can trace the picture or ink the pencil drawing. I have been inking directly over my pencil drawing, then taking the pencil lines out electronically but I will start experimenting using the light table for a clean ink. I have also used it for a comic. For the lighthouse keeper moth comic, I had a photo of the San Diego lighthouse that I traced as the background.
I usually look at images on the web as inspiration and then free hand the backgrounds but I wanted to use the light table. I don't think I would trace all my comics. You would have to have the exact perfect picture to fit the comic the way you would want it to turn out in your mind. Still I am not ruling it out. If it helps make a better comic, why not.
So anyway, that is where I am at in my comics journey. I have always loved comics and am still learning. I hope my Dudesbee comics can help brighten someone's life.
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