Cartooning
For Christmas we received a copy of Manga Studio 4 Debut. This excited me because I have a drawing tablet for my PC and I’m an amateur (very amateur) cartoonist. This is the beginner version of the product, not the professional (named Manga Studio 4 Ex), which suits me just well because I am far, far, far from a professional cartoonist.
I do have a web comit (My Life as a Cartoon Character) that I try to update three times a week. For the month of January I’ve been completing my comics the “old” way, by pen and paper and scanner. Today I decided to take the plunge and dive right into Manga Studio. I haven’t had a chance to read the documentation yet, but I decided to not let that hold me back: the best way to learn is by doing and since I’m not really any good anyway, no one will notice if I mess up.
So my first ever Manga Studio produced cartoon was put online today, entitled Brave New World. Some thoughts:
- I like how this looks over what I was doing with pen and paper. Even if I make no other changes, I think the look has improved.
- I need to learn how to use the tablet effectively. It is different than drawing on paper.
- Still working on lettering.
- Working on balloons, too.
Even the beginner version of Manga Studio has options in it I never thought of myself. It has a huge array of pre-defined word balloons which I hope to be able to utilise, and a large number of background patterns as well. Gradients, different ink types, lettering, and even the ability to use different panels are all available. I can see why any serious cartoonist would be happy with this. I’m just thrilled!
My workflow has always been simple, and can easily be followed in Manga Studio. First, there is a “sketching” function, which is the equivalent of working in pencil. With it I can sketch, draw, make rough outlines, erase, start over, etc, all as if I was working in pencil. “Inking” can be performed by switching to the “draw” function: the sketches from the first step are visible, and I’m able to “ink” over them in a “permanent” marker. There are a variety of “pen tips” to choose from and I ultimately settled on the default. A quick use of the Text tool puts words in, and word balloons can either be inserted automatically, or a custom balloon template can be chosen. For now I’m using the default with pleasing results.
I’m sure serious cartoonists have a better workflow than me (and truth be told, I do plan out my strips to put them into four panels beforehand) and I’m sure (I hope) I’ll end up being able to use some of the more advanced functions and produce an actually good looking comic strip.