Step 3: Pencils
With a completed script we now have a sense of the overall story and how this is going to be broken down for the graphic novel.
It is time to dust off the pens and pencils and start fleshing things out (although for this stage we are working with digital pens and paper!).
For each page from the script I start out with a rough outline of the panels and characters to see what works in terms of composition - at this stage we are working really loosely and speed is key. In a few pen strokes, we can see quickly what does and doesn’t work on the page!
Once we have a rough composition we can set out the panels more rigidly. For the drawing, I am using a piece of software called Clip Studio. This lets us break down our artwork into layers and set pages out for comics.
With our layout in place, we can then get down to our pencils (still digitally at this stage). This takes the form of initially broad panels and character sketches; capturing shapes, gestures and movement to frame the dialogue and action taking place. Once more the aim here is to be loose and fast but provide a solid base for the inking!
Et voila - now we have pencilled the whole story the next step is rolling up our sleeves and doing our inks with (traditional) pen and paper.