So you think you want to draw comics?

If you even have a vague itch to draw some comics, I say you should do it! Here’s the thing, though, it’s not like other kinds of drawing in an ineffable way. Every artist who draws comics says this. The page just feels different once you start dividing it up into panels. It’s an exciting feeling, like you’re doing something really different but familiar all at once, but it won’t be as easy as you might think.

The only way you’ll know what it really feels like is by doing it and, within a few pages, things will make sense to you about the page that you didn’t know you didn’t understand before. At least, that’s how it felt for me. While the best way to understand it is to do it, there’s some good stuff you can find on-line to give you a little bit of a sense for what you’re getting into. For example, around the time I drew my first few pages of comics, I joined Jessica Abel’s Art-Babe-Army and rocked out to her DIY page.

She’s got a lot of good tips and info on this page, but the best part is: “A Drawing Process.” (Go here and click on it) If you look at the images at the top and bottom of this post, they are just two of 14 images she gives, showing you how she moves from a script, to sketches, to blue pencils and all the way through to the final, xerox-ready product. Dig it.