how to draw a graphic novel

While the majority of books I see on Lulu are traditional novels and nonfiction books, at that place is a strong contingent of comic book creators besides. These artistic storytellers bring vivid tales to life with their art and dialog. And while I've talked in the past nigh creating comic books to cocky-publish, there is a distinct lack of information about graphic novels.

Which is a shame because graphic novels are my favorite form a comic volume can have. And just like the balance of the book manufacture, graphic novels have been increasingly popular during the last two years.

If you've got a story idea and desire to make a graphic novel, I'm bringing you the best practices and tips you need to get started correct!

What Is A Graphic Novel?

A graphic novel is more than than just a long-class comic book. Comics serialize stories, commonly about people with superpowers. And it's mutual for a series of comics—called a 'run'—to be bundled into a graphic novel.

Merely graphic novels are better thought of every bit a novel using the comic book format.  That means the book's pages utilize panels like a comic book. The fundamental divergence is that a graphic novel likewise has a articulate novel structure, while a single comic volume issue might non. So fifty-fifty a comic book run presented as a graphic novel will demand to include a get-go, middle, and end merely similar a novel.

Otherwise, graphic novels follow the same basic format as a comic. The pages volition employ panels to tell a visual story. The vast bulk of the text will be dialog using speech bubbles associated with the characters in your panels.

The History Of Graphic Novels

The graphic novel form is a contempo one. Well-nigh will identify Will Eisner'south A Contract with God, and Other Tenement Stories, published in 1978, equally the primeval graphic novel. During the post-obit decade, three authors would release books that helped define graphic novels and solidify the form equally a legitimate, unique way to tell stories.

Start, there was Maus by Art Spiegelman, which was written and sold as a serialized comic. The term graphic novel was applied because the story (which follows a son interviewing his male parent about life in a concentration camp during World War two) doesn't fit the traditional 'comic book' definition—no superheroes. It was a memoir written in comic class.

Later in the 1980s, Frank Miller'southward The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's Watchmen (both also originally sold every bit serials) would exist released as full-length graphic novels. These two books would blend the traditional thought of comics (superheroes, epic battles, good vs. evil, etc.) and the depth and narrative of novels. This entry in Britannica explains how these 3 works helped differentiate comic books and graphic novels:

The defining attribute of each was a formal control of the medium—which is to say, a highly sophisticated degree of control over the use of panel transitions, layout, and so on to accomplish certain narrative effects—coupled with artistic innovation and a literary quality in which the authors announced their individual manner.

• 

• 

• 

Images from Bookshop.org

(An aside; if yous like comics and oasis't read these three books, delight do so. You can thank me later.)

How To Write A Graphic Novel

I want to have some time to look at how to pattern and make a graphic novel, but before we do let's chop-chop look at what goes into writing the graphic novel. Even though your book will exist dominated past images on every page, the writing even so comes kickoff.

Before we swoop likewise deep into this, I also want to recommend reading this article almost creating comic books. It's more than than a shameless plug for my other content; I reference a lot of writing and blueprint all-time practices for comic books that hold truthful for graphic novels.

Back? Adept, let's carry on.

ane. Ideation

Maybe a little obvious, but start with your concept or thought and form the outline of a story with it. Here's a simple form I like to use when I have a story idea:

ii. Synopsis

Some writers might skip this. But for a book told primarily through imagery, y'all'll need a good sense of the story'due south structure. Make a list of all your characters and give each a description (it can be brief for secondary characters). Then I suggest a synopsis that defines each scene/location and briefly what happens at that place. Something like this might be enough:

Scene ane – Dumbo Jungle – Airplane crashes and the few survivors venture away from the wreck

Scene 2 – An office on a military base – Two characters contend about sending a team to search for survivors

Scene three – Jungle again – The survivors fight a giant ophidian

It tin can be very simplistic, just you tin already see how my story is developing (okay, Scene 3 is absurd, only yet). Having a solid synopsis will brand the adjacent step a lot easier.

Aside About Roles

Creating a beautiful graphic novel means pairing a lively script with images that pop off the page. For a lot of creators, that means collaborating. You might exist a stellar storyteller, but not much of an artist? Or you might beloved creating unique and vivid characters, but not much for writing dialog.

Both roles are equally important. Then, if you are just a writer or only an creative person, now is the fourth dimension to observe a partner. You've got a synopsis that lays out the story. Use information technology to pitch your story to writers or artists who can help y'all bring that story to life.

Rent A Pro

Browse Lulu's collection of professional designers,
editors, and marketers to aid you publish like a pro!

three. Script

Have your characters and your synopsis and utilize them to guide your scriptwriting. Focus on dialog and add scene descriptions and action every bit needed. Don't spend also much time overthinking the scenes though—this dialog is certainly not the concluding typhoon.

Once you have a script, edit it. Expect for professional editors who specialize in scripts or comics. Find friends who read a lot of comics or graphic novels. Become the script equally cleaned up and clear as y'all can.

How To Make A Graphic Novel

You've got your polished script—now it'due south time to start storyboarding! I really similar doing storyboards with paper and pencil, but there are plenty of skillful digital options too. What'south important is to get your script (and actions/directions) mapped out in the 'panel' format.

The organization of the panels will play a vital role in the flow of your story. Consider these two panels and how yous might read the page:

Nigh readers will start upper left and work left to right. Simply with panels, that might not always be logical. Here's how I would organize my story menstruation with this layout:

This organization is adequately piece of cake to follow. The panels begin in the upper left and motility down so right (in A) and left to right then downwardly (in B). For a comic book, yous might utilize a simple layout like this for the majority of your book.

But a graphic novel needs to maintain a compelling narrative while presenting the story through images also. Information technology's not uncommon to encounter more than complex panel designs similar these in graphic novels:

The logic of how you lot read the panels may non be immediately obvious here. But these are very useful designs; Orientation C might be used for a tense moment of back and along dialog, while Orientation D is i I would absolutely use for the lead-up or outset of a fight scene.

Mapping The Story

Creating a storyboard might seem like a lot of work. Only it'southward integral in the process. Without a clear storyboard to ascertain the sequence and menses of your story, you (or your creative person) will struggle to create the designs for the finished volume.

If you're artistic, you might sketch the action/characters in each panel. It'south also reasonable to just use text (from your script!) and scene direction. Here's an example:

Very elementary—probably far simpler than a real graphic novel. Simply you get the idea. You demand to map out your pages, artwork, and dialog carefully and completely before yous brainstorm the design of your graphic novel.

Building Your Book

With your script applied to your storyboard, you've likely got a TON of crude pages. This is the skeleton of your graphic novel! Now you need to describe and design the pages. This is where you might work with an artist to aid bring your work to life (if yous're not artistically inclined).

If you are doing your ain designs, software similar Adobe InDesign or Affinity Publisher is great for putting the pages together. Just these are page layout tools then yous would need to fix all the images in Photoshop or some other image editing tool. You lot could too utilize software like Clip Studio, a program designed specifically for grapheme modeling and comic book layouts.

Yous'll want to think carefully most the color space you select in your design software. What looks good on the screen may not await good in print.

Layering is another important cistron that isn't noticeable on-screen but can impact your print run. All the blueprint tools you'll use to build your graphic novel will work by layering elements onto a blank 'sheet.' Once you're ready to brand a PDF for printing, you'll need to flatten everything into a unmarried layer.

I highly recommend downloading our Book Cosmos Guide. We go into fifty-fifty more exacting detail most book specifications to optimize your printing. And this is a graphic novel, so you want it to look stunning, correct?

What Makes A Great Graphic Novel?

A subjective question, of course. Merely one of the defining factors that split up a comic volume from a graphic novel is the narrative bulldoze and 'novel-similar' structure. That means an increased accent on character development, pacing, and plotting.

Simply more than than that, it's nigh utilizing the comic style while telling a story that might otherwise authorize as a novel. Comicbooks, in the traditional sense, are very much episodes. That'due south why the stories are serialized—the creators tell a longer story through a series of short editions.

Your graphic novel will be a consummate story from embrace to cover. Here are a few examples from the Lulu Bookstore to help yous go those artistic juices flowing:

Twilight Monk

Contains over lx Illustrations by the Writer. Information technology is a desperate fourth dimension in the land of Speria. Rumors of villages destroyed by Dark Creatures echo across the land. The downtrodden surivors plow to the remnants of Moonken warriors at Crescent Island, only their pacifist ways do not permit them to arbitrate.

Immortal Dark Art Volume

In social club to help raise money for the first arc of Immortal Dark to get illustrated, we put together a 50+ page digital art book full of data near the manga and dope artwork from all of the artists we have collaborated with so far during the creation of this project!

House of Gods

It has been well known that the gods of many dissimilar pantheons shared in conflict. As a result, many of these deities perish in combat. One of them, the Norse God of Mischief Loki, breathes his final breath. Suddenly, he wakes up reincarnated by a mysterious entity equally a petty girl living in mod Japan.

Telling Your Story With A Graphic Novel

I've been a lifelong comic and graphic novel fan. So it makes me exceedingly happy to see the format condign more and more popular. As we get comfy digitally making art, the graphic part of graphic novels becomes more accessible. The upshot is a booming industry that shows no signs of letting up.

There's never been a better fourth dimension to show off your storytelling and creative skills by turning your next story into a graphic novel.

Source: https://blog.lulu.com/how-to-make-a-graphic-novel/

Posted by: burtonegary1949.blogspot.com

Share this post