Comic Artist Tips & Tricks

[King White]

Thanks very much everyone! Lot's of great info here to look over.

[Ghost]

Here are some good places to get your comics printed:

Asian Printers:
Print Ninja
Midas Printing
TriVision
Regent Printing

North American Printers:
Quebecor
Brenner printing
Lebonfon (contact: Patrick Jodoin)

Print On Demand:
RA Comics
Ka-Blam
Lulu
Createspace

Its worth noting that the Asian printers have a much much lower price than anything found in NA. But remember to account for the price for shipping potentially crates full of comics on a ship or plane over the ocean. Also remember to account for the time it will take to get here.. might not be good if you need a quick printing for a convention or something.

For something quick and simple I would go with the Print on Demand companies. They will usually (digitally) print quantities as low as 1-10 issues or as high as 1,000 or more. Though if you plan on printing that many it may be better to look into an offset printer. Around 1,000 issues is when offset printing usually becomes more reasonably priced per issue. Offset generally looks better for comics, though digital is getting better and better every day.

For offset printing, again I suggest the Asian companies or the North American companies listed. Most if not all Marvel, DC, Image, etc comics are or were printed using these companies. Also consider first getting a price quote from a local printer. Because if you are able to pick them up yourself you would cut out the shipping cost and would be able to get your proofs more quickly. Though smaller companies usually are more expensive, its worth checking out at least.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

Thanks very much everyone! Lot's of great info here to look over.

Agreed. Thanks Ghost

[TroubleWithTrebles]

That is a fantastically helpful post!

Do you have the specs on the prepress file types needed by the Asian companies, which might be different to lulu or KaBlam? Some places are fine with flattened lmz tiffs in a zip folder while others want InDesign files.

For my own tips/tricks, suggestion: sometimes a look you want cannot be achieved by digital means, and can only be achieved by traditional methods. Particularly true of inking and painted work. Some people can make a wacom yield work like Bolland, but more often than not, most applications can't achieve looks like Sinnott and Layton and Williams and Giordano and Palmer and Pini and Doran and Frazetta and Bisley and Fabry and Gogos, and for these, physical tools and methods are required. Besides, after all the previous digital advice on this thread vs the paucity of traditional advice, more digi would be superfluous.

I'll start with paints: when people paint on paper, or bristol, they forget that brushes intended for canvas can work just as well on paper or bristol. Many folk get frustrated when they use watercolour and acrylic brushes on paper, when the effect they wanted could have been achieved with a filbert brush rather than a round or a sable flat...

ManThing, light acrylic wash with Fabry spatter, followed by semi opaques, finishing with opaques. No digi. Less than 9" x 7" original size on standard 1 ply poster paper. The filberts made all the difference.

[Ghost]

That is a fantastically helpful post!

Do you have the specs on the prepress file types needed by the Asian companies, which might be different to lulu or KaBlam? Some places are fine with flattened lmz tiffs in a zip folder while others want InDesign files.

For my own tips/tricks, suggestion: sometimes a look you want cannot be achieved by digital means, and can only be achieved by traditional methods. Particularly true of inking and painted work. Some people can make a wacom yield work like Bolland, but more often than not, most applications can't achieve looks like Sinnott and Layton and Williams and Giordano and Palmer and Pini and Doran and Frazetta and Bisley and Fabry and Gogos, and for these, physical tools and methods are required. Besides, after all the previous digital advice on this thread vs the paucity of traditional advice, more digi would be superfluous.

I'll start with paints: when people paint on paper, or bristol, they forget that brushes intended for canvas can work just as well on paper or bristol. Many folk get frustrated when they use watercolour and acrylic brushes on paper, when the effect they wanted could have been achieved with a filbert brush rather than a round or a sable flat...

ManThing, light acrylic wash with Fabry spatter, followed by semi opaques, finishing with opaques. No digi. Less than 9" x 7" original size on standard 1 ply poster paper. The filberts made all the difference.

Thanks, Im glad you find it helpful.

As far as file types for the Asian printers, the only way to know for sure is to contact the companys comics representative (if they have one) and ask what specific file types they accept.

I would say as a general rule to save the comics in at least 2 file types. One file in its native format (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Manga Studio, etc) for easy editing and as a backup, and the other file as a high quality press-ready Pdf to be printed. Some printers will prefer Tiffs instead, and some digital printers prefer RGB instead of CMYK files. So it doesnt hurt to ask them what would be optimal as things can vary drastically from printer to printer.

Also maybe ask if they have a limit on file size. InDesign files can be printed fine usually but sometimes programs have minds of their own and things can go wrong lol. Especially if InDesign on their computers have some crazy settings that yours doesnt, something might get changed when they open it to print. Plus, packaged files are usually larger than a paginated Pdf, and you never know if they have cruddy old computers.

[Ghost]

For my own tips/tricks, suggestion: sometimes a look you want cannot be achieved by digital means, and can only be achieved by traditional methods. Particularly true of inking and painted work. Some people can make a wacom yield work like Bolland, but more often than not, most applications can't achieve looks like Sinnott and Layton and Williams and Giordano and Palmer and Pini and Doran and Frazetta and Bisley and Fabry and Gogos, and for these, physical tools and methods are required. Besides, after all the previous digital advice on this thread vs the paucity of traditional advice, more digi would be superfluous.

I'll start with paints: when people paint on paper, or bristol, they forget that brushes intended for canvas can work just as well on paper or bristol. Many folk get frustrated when they use watercolour and acrylic brushes on paper, when the effect they wanted could have been achieved with a filbert brush rather than a round or a sable flat...

ManThing, light acrylic wash with Fabry spatter, followed by semi opaques, finishing with opaques. No digi. Less than 9" x 7" original size on standard 1 ply poster paper. The filberts made all the difference.

Also thanks for the advice. Its no secret that many digital artists (including me) will try to find ways to make some paintings look more like they were done traditionally. Textures and blending for example can be hard to replicate properly. Especially without the tactility of brush bristles or a pencil lead on paper.

Do you know of anywhere online that is good for learning watercoloring basics? I have a few tubes of Winsor & Newton pigments and tons of brushes and bristol left over from art school. Barely ever used them.

[CrazyOldHermit]

Hooray for more traditional talk.

I'm pretty close to buying a small selection of Dr Ph Martins paints. Only problem is I can't choose which ones to get!

[TroubleWithTrebles]

Ghost: although I haven't checked their site in a year, Windsor & Newton had very good tutorial vids and links. Having been hired for some watercolour stuff back in the day, I can already tell you 2 tips:

1. Using watercolor mediums like ox gall and gum arabic as directed make a world of difference

2. A lot of what makes watercolor in comics "look right" is scrubbing/rubbing out color you have already laid down, gently. This is most easy on Arches rough watercolor paper. Not so easy on Bristol as the pigment tends to stain into the bristol fibers more, but Canson smooth is great stuff. In fact the best stuff I ever used was Marvel board from over 10 years ago.

CrazyOldHermit:

Dr Ph Martins paints come in Hydrus, Radiant and Bombay (Bombay is advertised as waterproof; it isn't entirely). The colours in the sets are not exactly the same but some are replicated. I have used the Radiant dyes from the 90s, and the modern Bombay and the Hydrus.

If you want to use controlled opaque paint over the underlying colors, I would go for Bombay. If you just want one set of paints for the whole process I advise Hydrus.

For both of you, remember to experiment with working the color into wet or moist paper as well for blending and misty effects.

[TroubleWithTrebles]

Inking: in a digital age, some traditional physical tools used untraditionally yield a great result for both pdf comix and print comics.

For fluid water media: a cheapo cosmetic blush blender brush is basically a far less expensive mop brush.

Example: some of Tim Bradstreet's best work was done on Denril, often used by architects.

Some of the tightest and cleanest [published 4 pay] lines I ever made were with a brush, but not an artstore brush: it was a 00 long round from a hobby store designed to paint model planes.

Bristol and waterproof ink only became mandatory in comics because of the need to passed between many hands and possibly 2 buildings (publishing editorial and pre press). Now you can work on and with anything you csn keep dry and flat for scanning/dslr.

[TroubleWithTrebles]

When working with acrylics on paper or bristol, best to gesso your substrate with a 1/2 gesso 1/2 water admixture. 2 Coats, let dry 24 hrs if you can.

[CrazyOldHermit]

Dr Ph Martins paints come in Hydrus, Radiant and Bombay (Bombay is advertised as waterproof; it isn't entirely). The colours in the sets are not exactly the same but some are replicated. I have used the Radiant dyes from the 90s, and the modern Bombay and the Hydrus.

If you want to use controlled opaque paint over the underlying colors, I would go for Bombay. If you just want one set of paints for the whole process I advise Hydrus.

For both of you, remember to experiment with working the color into wet or moist paper as well for blending and misty effects.

Yeah I've been going back and forth between the three. I think I'll commit to Hydrus and get the complete set, but I have a feeling I'll wind up with a selection of Radiants and a few Bombays as well. I don't want to make full paintings, I just want to color my lineart by hand.

[TroubleWithTrebles]

Yeah I've been going back and forth between the three. I think I'll commit to Hydrus and get the complete set, but I have a feeling I'll wind up with a selection of Radiants and a few Bombays as well. I don't want to make full paintings, I just want to color my lineart by hand.

Ohhhhh I commend you highly and doff my hat. I cannot encourage you strongly enough, as so many shorts and 24 page issues looked so much better for that (including some of my own work for the paying folks).

For coloring work I would forego and forget the Bombay; they are superfluous and unnecessary. One of my colorists laid down a base of Dr Martin's Radiant then adjusted with Berol Prismacolor xylene based markers (for details). These were done on blueline copies though (xylene dissolves the toner from copy machines).

[CrazyOldHermit]

Ohhhhh I commend you highly and doff my hat. I cannot encourage you strongly enough, as so many shorts and 24 page issues looked so much better for that (including some of my own work for the paying folks).

For coloring work I would forego and forget the Bombay; they are superfluous and unnecessary. One of my colorists laid down a base of Dr Martin's Radiant then adjusted with Berol Prismacolor xylene based markers (for details). These were done on blueline copies though (xylene dissolves the toner from copy machines).

Hand colored comics are something I wish were more common in the industry. I particularly resent that the rise of cheap digital printing also marked the rise of computer coloring and the opportunity to have the colorist's hand painted guides being directly reproduced was totally passed over.

The only Bombay on my list is sepia because I want to try and use it to nail values in an underpainting and use the Radiant or Hydrus to color it for a desaturated and tinted look. I also want to try the black and white to experiment with. But you say they aren't totally waterproof?

The Bombay also happen to be the cheapest inks (I can get them for $3 an ounce while Hydrus is $6.29 and Radiant is $11 for the same amount) and I figured for bold flat colors they are the best value. But the allure of the Radiant and Hydrus is too strong. The problem is choosing what colors to start with. Hydrus is easier since it's standard watercolor pigment and I know a little about putting a palette together but Radiant is tricky because there are so damn many and the differences between a lot of them seems neglible.

[TroubleWithTrebles]

Hand colored comics are something I wish were more common in the industry. I particularly resent that the rise of cheap digital printing also marked the rise of computer coloring and the opportunity to have the colorist's hand painted guides being directly reproduced was totally passed over.

The only Bombay on my list is sepia because I want to try and use it to nail values in an underpainting and use the Radiant or Hydrus to color it for a desaturated and tinted look. I also want to try the black and white to experiment with. But you say they aren't totally waterproof?

The Bombay also happen to be the cheapest inks (I can get them for $3 an ounce while Hydrus is $6.29 and Radiant is $11 for the same amount) and I figured for bold flat colors they are the best value. But the allure of the Radiant and Hydrus is too strong. The problem is choosing what colors to start with. Hydrus is easier since it's standard watercolor pigment and I know a little about putting a palette together but Radiant is tricky because there are so damn many and the differences between a lot of them seems neglible.

Very good points/concerns. My set didn't have the sepia and I didn't try the Bombay for coloring purposes; I'd used them with some vigorous overpainting, so I bet you should be okay them, especially at such a good price. The black and white weren't as "strong" as rotring acrylic inks (which I've also used/loved), but the Bombay black/white had good tinting ability.

At a garage sale I once bought bottles of the old Radiant Dyes in the classic thumbsize dropper bottles, and loved the sepia. I personally would by a single small bottle of the sepia, but fluid paints and inks always run the risk of companies "changing the recipe to cut costs" like Higgins.

And ditto your other observations . To this day, no digital color has approached the quality and class of PCR's The Singing Citadel and The Red Dog.

Are you into gouache? Fun to chat about the rampant differences between brands...

[CrazyOldHermit]

Very good points/concerns. My set didn't have the sepia and I didn't try the Bombay for coloring purposes; I'd used them with some vigorous overpainting, so I bet you should be okay them, especially at such a good price. The black and white weren't as "strong" as rotring acrylic inks (which I've also used/loved), but the Bombay black/white had good tinting ability.

At a garage sale I once bought bottles of the old Radiant Dyes in the classic thumbsize dropper bottles, and loved the sepia. I personally would by a single small bottle of the sepia, but fluid paints and inks always run the risk of companies "changing the recipe to cut costs" like Higgins.

And ditto your other observations . To this day, no digital color has approached the quality and class of PCR's The Singing Citadel and The Red Dog.

Are you into gouache? Fun to chat about the rampant differences between brands...

It's difficult to uncover the history of the brand (there is surprisingly little documentation out there for an 80 year old company) but I have never seen a single complaint about them changing a formula like I have for other brands. I have heard that the Radiants will bleed into each other if you allow them to touch on the surface. Is that true?

I'm not into gouache, I'm barely into color as it is. I have a set of watercolor pencils and thats it.