shithub: thrice_great_hermes

ref: 31f3d45b284ee9d7b9372d88fab70305aa9af2d7
dir: /troff/0230.ms/

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start with a blank sheet of paper.  common sizes include: 5.5" x 8.5",
8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14", and the venerable 11" x 17", though sizes at
the larger end of the spectrum can be expensive.  a fully realized
comic book may be created for around five dollars if the artist isn't
picky about materials.
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next, the page must be laid out in pencil.  some clever artists skip
this step, and work directly on the page in ink, but for our purposes
roughing out the page with any non\-permanent graphite lead will do.
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at this stage the lettering of word balloons, captions, and sound
effects (onomatopoeia) is added in ink, whether from a pre\-written
script, or, less frequently, improvised by the artist.  performing the
permanent lettering immediately after the pencils are turned in also
allows for any last minute adjustments to the artwork to be decided
upon before it is committed to its final form in the next step.
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finally, the page's linework is tightened up by tracing it in black
ink.  most artists tend to prefer india ink, but any form of black
line (including, it should be noted, thick, dark pencil markings) is
acceptable, so long as the result is reproducible by mechanical means.
modern production techniques, often involving computers, are more
forgiving on this point.
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color is optional.  a typical self\-financed, self\-published comic may
find color reproduction to be prohibitively expensive.
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at the end of the project the artist will find he has created a comic
book story of however many lovingly, painstakingly assembled pages
comprise his completed graphic narrative.  the satisfaction of
crafting a tale well told is found by most artists sufficient to quell
the pangs of loneliness typically suffered by those who exhibit a
sensitive nature, including some of the most celebrated practitioners
of cartoon art in the modern era.
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drawing comics makes you crazy, but if you follow these steps, we
guarantee you'll hardly even notice.