A lot of comic book creators have gone digital with their craft, working in programs like Photoshop or Manga Studio 5 to produce their artwork on the computer. Our own dear Tom is a digital disciple himself. He draws and inks and colors directly on his Surface Pro 2 with the same dexterity he has with regular pen and paper.
Me? Not so much.
One of my ulterior motives with THE SWITCH was to use the opportunity for some on-the-job digital training. I've got some basic Photoshopping skill (mostly timesaving artwork stuff that Tom has taught me how to do) but this graphic novel is a really good opportunity to acquire some new skills at my own speed. Without an editor breathing down my neck, I can relax a bit more and experiment and expand my base.
So if anyone wants to learn along with me, here's the stuff I'm going to be playing with.
First of all, I picked up the DC Comics guides to digital art (by Freddie Williams III) and coloring/lettering (by Mark Chiarello and Todd Klein). I also grabbed Comicraft's guide to digital lettering and Hi-Fi Color For Comics (by Brian Miller). Those are four guys right there that know their shit. Brian Miller/Hi-Fi even backed The Switch so damn straight I'm using his book!
There are also tons of tutorial videos available online but in general, I prefer being able to reference a book at my own speed as I go along. I often can't keep up with videos; it's pretty well known that I'm a slow-witted buffoon.
As far as software goes, I've been using Photoshop 7 for a bunch of years now but I'm debating upgrading to Photoshop CC because it's so modern and sexy. I just installed Adobe Illustrator CC yesterday for lettering and I've had Clip Studio Paint/Manga Studio 5 on my Surface Pro for a while. It's as powerful a program as Photoshop but specifically tailored towards comic book production. I've dabbled with it from time to time and have been having fun digging in a little deeper.
There's a lot of overlap between those three programs. Stuff you can do with one can be done with the other two but while I'm jumping into the deep end anyway, why not?
I can't afford a Wacom, my kids need to eat and go to college someday but a couple of months ago, optimistic that The Switch campaign would be successful, I picked up a Wacom alternative called a Yiynova (about a third of the price of a Wacom). I'll be honest; it was a pain in the ass getting the thing to work with Windows 10, I needed professional help to get everything running smoothly together. But now that it's all streamlined, I like it quite a bit. The larger screen helps me with a macro-view of the page in progress and I'm working on developing the same line control on glass that I have on paper. At the moment, I'm definitely not professional-level but it's just a matter of time, practice and acquiring the same comfort and dexterity.
As far as the actual Switch goes, I'm currently revising and locking down pages 11-20 of the script as Tom finishes up the art on the first 10. At which point, I'll bust out my books on lettering and start figuring out how to do this stuff for realz.
Talk so you soon!
Keith
Keith
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