I Dare You - A Mini-Comic Process Post

Finishing up my submission for the Art & Story 2011 Mini-Comics Dump Truck I thought I would post a bit of the process behind how I create a mini-comic. 

I wrote the script for this more casually than I normally do write. That's the fun of a mini-comic...the story is shorter and in this case the dialogue minimal. All I required to direct the art was an outline of bullet-points which I jotted on a small scrap of paper...and I could begin penciling.

I knew my finished mini would be roughly 4.25" x 5.5". I used the proportion wheel (shown above) to dictate how big my penciled pages could be. I ended up penciling all my pages at 6" x 7.5" allowing 2 pages per 11" x 14" sheet of strathmore bristol.

After pencils and inks were done I scanned all my pages as 450dpi tiffs into Adobe Photoshop where I could clean-up the art and add shading. I print all my mini-comics out on a small, HP laser printer...printing pages on one side and then re-feeding the sheets so the other side can be printed with other pages. So, Photoshop is also where I layout my printing template so once pages are printed and assembled the story is properly collated.

Since I am very visual person the best way to properly layout my Photoshop template is to make small mock-up. This maquette is tiny! It shows page numbers (the T stands for Transparency...which a couple of pages in this mini are printed on vellum), what pages go together and the direction those pages should face on the template. 

Here's a sample of what my template looks like in Photoshop. The template is a 300dpi, 8.5" x 11" PSD file...allowing 2 comics from one printing.

Once my sheets were printed I was able to concentrate on my covers! For this mini I utilized two processes...I screen-printed the title and letterpressed a design.

Above shows the covers already screen-printed and trimmed for the letterpress. I have a small, table-top, clam press that makes small-run letterpressing a breeze! Here is my artwork transferred to a magnesium block (via services like Owosso Graphics), clamped into the 6" x 9" bed and ready for embossing.

Set up for assembly!

Edges trimmed to a clean 4" x 5" mini-comic with a heavy-duty, manual paper cutter.

And Voila! Copies of my newest mini-comic: I Dare You - 28 pages, Black & White

The second book to my comic series The Ghosts of Pineville is now finished! FINISHED! If you’re interested in pre-ordering a copy…I have a bunch of Pre-Order Packs now available that come with all kinds of little extras! Thanks!

Preview video for The Ghosts of Pineville - Book 2

The Ghosts of Pineville - Book 2 Preview from Cricket Press on Vimeo.

This is the preview for Book 2 of the series - Eye of the Death Mongrel - being published June 2011, Make Like A Tree Comics

Art and story by Sara L. Turner. ©2011

For more info please visit: ghostsofpineville.com

Music Credits-

"Tea Merchants"

Rachel's

from the album "systems/layers"

Copyright 2003 Quarterstick Records, BMI 

Share the Love

Hey! There's a SHARE THE LOVE contest at the Illustrated Section. If you like (or love ;) ) Ghosts of Pineville Book One...please mosey on over and let people know. You could win a super prize...and all the gratitude I have to offer!

Prepping the book for print.

Oh my gosh! I've finished Book 2! It is all penciled, inked, halftoned & lettered...even the fun, extra pages! All 86 pages. Now it is going through a second round of proofing. What I mean is after reading through for grammar and spelling mistakes I've handed it off to a trusted source for another couple reads. Believe me...IT IS SO EASY to miss those little things. When my first book went to print...I not only proofed it but gave the comic to 2 others. Still...after I had the tangible book in my hand...I found 2 more mistakes (which are now corrected). I'm trying to learn, be patient and diligent with the proofing stage. I'm just WAY excited to see the book in print!

This proofing process is working a little differently than in the past. Before I would print out each page to hand to whoever was helping me edit. It would take a lot of time...and a lot of paper. But now...we are truly living in the future! I laid out the book out in InDesign, created a PDF, (a process I would do anyway in this day of digital downloads) added the book to my iPad and gave that to my editors. Now, I highly trust the people who help me proof so I have no problem handing over my iPad for a few days. But you should always have trust in your proofers, right?

After a couple weeks of reading and re-reading the book I will be taking it to Ka-Blam to be printed. Ka-Blam is a Print On Demand service that allows us authors to print books without investing a ton of money in a ton of books. And they do a fabulous job! They've printed many jobs for me! The Ghosts of Pineville series is printed 6" x 9" and though this is considered a custom size for Ka-Blam...they have always printed perfectly.

Excited! 

So, while I patiently proof The Ghosts of Pineville - Book 2 I will start penciling pages on the mini comic I'm creating for the Art & Story Mini Comics Dump Truck! These will be my 2 major comics projects for 2011.

Gah! Celebrate! I've finished inking all my pages...

...now I have to halftone and letter this last batch of pages...and then proof the book...perhaps get a few friends to also proof the book...and...wow...it will be ready to print!!! 82 pages, yo!

Last minute revisions

I've managed to make excellent progress on the book. I now have up to page 79 penciled and inked. Now the story has always been 80 pages. The draft has told me this from the start. But as I crept closer and closer to the very last page it became clear it needed something....else.

It needed a better ending.

I've taken a few days to think about it. How could the story's theme and the character's growth be better summed up? Well, I think I've come up with it and I'm super pleased. It's such a perfect note (the one I've known, in the back of my mind, is the cornerstone of this entire series)...I can't believe I had to struggle so hard to see it clearly. But these are the things you learn along the way, i suppose.

The story for Book Two is now 2 pages longer than originally planned. 2 pages made the difference (to me). So, I'm excited to jump right in and start with what will be the last pages of the book! wow.