How do you structure your work?

[miseryhunting]

By this, I don't mean if you upload in episodic pages or whole chapters, but rather how do you organize your pages or tumbnails? Do you have a storyboard or just combine all your tumbnails in a notebook or use Manga Studio's feature?
(example from the internet :/)
I find it difficult to structure my work and I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions? I tried Manga Studio but I'm not really competent in using the program.

[joannekwan]

Seriously though, I never really thumbnail more than 3 pages at a time. I work on each update as I go. Here's how I work normally.

1. Pull up script.
2. Open 1– 3 blank pages in photoshop depending on length of the episode I'm working on.
3. Lay down dialogue/text.
4. Sketch preliminary layer. I suppose that would be my thumb-nailing stage. Since that's where I plan the composition of the panels.
5. Sketch a more refined sketch.
6. Line work/ink.
7. Color/tone.

The script is my most important planning tool.

[zoonland]

1. I do some sort of brainstorming and from that I write some sort of summary with the most important events for the story. In the meantime, I am already thinking about the panels and how they would look.
2. I start detailing everything through storyboard and dialogues (I do both together).
3. I divide the storyboard into panels (in the storyboard I draw all the pieces of the panels... I don't know the translation in english, frames maybe?)
4. I draw the lineart
5. I scan the pages
6. I color the pages
7. I put the lettering.

I do everything by hand except for the points 5-6-7 and the dialogues because I wrote them on a Word document (so I can copy/paste when I'm lettering... laziness at its best )
I think it's quicker than using a program, in my opinion it takes more time. Then, it depends on how you are used to work.
Of course if you do everything digitally you would be faster and more comfortable doing everything with computer.

By the way, I always use a storyboard. Makes everything faster when you have to finalize your work.

[alaingrey]

Thumbnailing is my favorite part of working! Not to product place, but I got some inexpensive paper that helps the process a lot from Canson. it has pages with lines next to them to help and plan pages. It's got room for four pages a sheet, and has 25 pages in the book, so that's 100 thumbnails made easy!

^^ The lines and the pages with measurement. it's a little cringey because it defines what a thumbnail is on every page but it's worth the being condescended to by a paper :"D

Then you can see all your pages and it makes it easier to make choices about scenes. Wow I'm just such a fan of paper : D It's also easier for me than boarding digitally because digital programs are so confusing.... I could never thumbnail on Manga Studio it's too hard just to do it and that uses up too much brainpower. If this paper isn't available, it would be easy enough to make a similar layout on photoshop and print it out for yourself : )

[KreativeConfusion]

I do a lot of doodles and scribbles in my sketchbook for what I have in mind. Sometimes I thumb nail just to let a scene play out and see how it goes, otherwise I just draw as I go.

I don't have EX so I never bothered with that feature, I never saw the point in it, unless you were planning to print it and wanted to see how a double page spread would look.

[demthorshie]

Other than scribbling page layout, I don't really work on the comic in phases. I usually start off by creating the frames on the page and usually just begin the line work from there in Manga Studio. Once I finish up with the line art, I color each panel in Photoshop. Not really a lot to it :3.

[Tanisha]

I have no proper structure other than just sketching the pages out before hand and having a small synopsis f the chapter script in the corner <-< I also use Manga Studio EX 4 =v=b

[heterodont]

I just sketch out the thumbnails in my sketchbook, as well as some phrases so my memory can be jogged once I get around to writing the speech bubbles...

[Starfestival]

Everything is in my head, I just get some printer paper draw then scan it. Draw over that then color everything then boom. Done.

[UzukiCheverie]

I script my pages first, with the general ideas of each panel corresponding to each scene, and then I sketch it out when I get to that point. I use Excel for it, like so:

Page number column, followed by panel descriptions, followed by dialogue per line of panel (with each row being its own panel). The only time I really find myself re-doing sketch pages is either when I'm going back to old sketches I did in advance a while ago and want to improve them (I had to redo the sketch pages for Chapter 16 for ex, because they were trash enough that I couldn't even draw lineart from it lol and the process is usually pretty streamlined, it was that bad), or I come up with a better way to panel something after sitting on it for a while (again, usually with pages that I made in advance and later returned to when the time came to actually draw them).

[kkitty]

Step 1: Write the text in the program
Step 2: Make black boxes for the panels
Step 3: Draw the panels

Scripts just take away the excitement of bullshitting everything in one go like an irresponsible person does, such as myself

[UrMom]

Define 'organization'.

When it comes to the "storyboarding" process, I don't have much of a structure, what I need is all in my head. Although I do put my ideas to paper for the most part, and the writing process looks like this.

I don't write it down to read it later, which is why it's mostly incomprehensible chicken scratch, but the act of writing it makes the ideas more solid in my brain. Half of what gets written down is never used, but doing it helps me decide whether I want to go that direction or not.

Then I go to thumbnailing, which looks like this.

I'll thumbnail on any piece of paper I can get my hands on, and use it till I have no room left, my "strictly for writing" notepads shown above are also not safe from me drawing thumbnails all over them; and the papers are scattered all over my room since I can't bring myself to throw them out.
After I get a layout I like, I draw the page up on my bristol board, or as canson likes to call it "comic manga illustration paper" (It's obviously freaken bristol board, but I guess that's what the cool kids call it now a days). Then I post and slowly begin working on the next page.

Needless to say, I am not the person to go to for storyboarding advise, or storytelling advise in general. Heheh

[agentfink]

I am always thinking of scenes/moments I would like to have. Some are way down the line though, but it helps to have those in mind when we work on the script.

My husband and I sit and discuss what should be in the issue. Once we have that worked out, we then plan the actions per page. He then works on the script. Then get it and I draw the whole thing.

But the script can change or we think of a better way to present something. We have gotten better. This is our first story attempt, so there was a lot of back and forth. And lots of changes.

Even when we think we got something, sometimes we find that we need to adjust the story, which then affects the page layouts, even the order of pages. We are still adjusting the script to the end very end though... because there is always a better way of saying something without hand holding too much...

Below is a sample from the first script/layout and where we ended up.

---

the final is the same story beats, but presented in a different way.

[miseryhunting]

Wow, you guys work so differently!:D Initially, I was asking about the visual organisation on your pages and ,generally, storyboarding your chapters, but seeing your whole process is actually better and far more interesting! I think I was presumptuous in thinking everyone is a visual creator (I vaguely plan my main story, but I choose the direction I move it based on the previous page, this is why I need good storyboard so I can actually organize my story) .

[Sanz]

this is all after the entire story is written in narrative format, thought out and edited. without this i wouldn't even know where to start...it's an extra step, but works for me.

First I write the script with minor keys on what i want to put for imagery my memory is awful and I have adhd lol it's a must for me to write a script or i lose track of whats happening or get off the main story :

second, I take the script and do thumbnails of the layouts for some reason this works best for me on paper I don't get detailed at all just use marks for the characters and notable lines from the script:

third, I choose a layout and make it in clip studio linking each panel up with what happens in the script by number...basically so i don't forget. also since this is mostly for print I use Ka-blams template for margins:

after that I sketch out the page according to the script and thumbnail. ink and tone and apply bubbles.

THEN I save 3 VERSIONS 1: for tapastic which is low res. 2: in clip studio format so I can edit it if need be. 3: tiff files for Print.

Ive tried alot of ways to stay organized and this way I just sort of came up with and works great for me. if other peoples methods don't work for you. try different ones out and maybe you'll come up with you own perfect method of organization.

[AnnaLandin]

I thumbnail an entire chapter in one go: it gives me a better overview of the pacing, and it's nice to have a plan.

I start with a basic outline ("Masahiro discovers there's something creepy about this temple, and whoops - demon!"), which I then turn into a stream-of-consciousness babble-y description of the event ("So, this strong wind starts blowing which is strange because hey, we're INDOORS, and then Masahiro grabs his sword just as a giant creepy demon descends from the darkness of the rafters and attacks him"), and then break THAT down into page-by-page descriptions ("Page 1: Masahiro notices the creeping darkness gathering. Page 2: a strong wind whips through the temple. Page 3: The demon appears! Page 4: stand-off with creepy staring", etc.).

And then I do thumbnails based off of the page-by-page description, on paper, armed with tea and patience and absolutely no internet-access (I get distracted), and they look like this:

... and yes, that barely legible chicken-scratch beneath each of the pages are written notes to myself describing what's in each panel (in case it takes a while before I do full-size sketches and I forget what these hieroglyphs are supposed to be) - and also the very first draft of the dialogue. Before this, no dialogue. And at this point, the first draft for the leftmost page literally says "blah blah blah takes time. I will pray for you so you can leave while you wait" which is the gist of what ended up in the comic, but certainly not word for word the final result.

I then open up Manga Studio 4EX, and do a multi-page document with all the pages in the chapter. For chapter five, it looked like this:
Still very rough, but now with some actual, readable dialogue, and panels and everything. Once I'm happy with it (and at least somewhat happy with the dialogue: dialogue can be tweaked), I export the pages as .PSD and open them in Manga Studio 5 to do all the finishing work - clean sketches, ink, colour, etc.

... The reason I don't use Manga Studio 5 for all the things is a.) I like the panelling and speechbubble tools of MS4 better, and b.) I don't have the EX-version of MS5, so I can't use the Story-function.

[YuliaCandylun]

1-open text file, write plot, script
2- lil draft in the sketch book
3- come to paper, pen-ink
4- screen toning, scanning retouching a little in ph

hm, pretty short.

[Kura]

Exactly like the example in the opening post =P (Might be hard to tell cause the tumbnail is so small but that's the layout for chapter 9 of my comic No Future)

It used to be a lot more involved and complicated that this, but over the years of webcomicing I've been trying to simply things as well as tey and to condense my steps into as few programs/devices as possible to try and save time. (Thumbnailing/layout used to be all drawn out on paper)

I have the script to start off with, then I try to do the storyboard/layout in CSP/MS with basic shapes for characters and objects after the first attempt I'll export the files and attempt to read the chapter. If the text isn't flowing right or is a little iffy to read, I rework or expand on the page. That's why the layout is vague shapes, so I can erase and redraw without worry, also because it's digital there's not actual restriction to how many pages a chapter can be other than my own "I wanna try and keep it within ___ amount." So I can afford to have a few more or less pages then initially planned in the first attempt at layout.

It was a bit to get used to doing layout in the program but I got used to it after a while.

After that it's the usual drawing steps you take to get a page up and ready for release.

[CaptainUfo]

I don't even use Manga Studio, I make all the pages of Captain Ufo in Photoshop.
I have the script opened in Word and I do a quick sketch of the layout of the panels;
- Then I open the file with the page template and set the panels
- put the dialogues in mostly to figure out the encumbrance (it's just temporary, thoug. Most of the times I end up moving and/or reshaping the balloons while I draw)
- Sketch everything
- Since I work digitally, there's no clear distinction between pencil cleanups and inks. Sometimes, if the panel is complex, I go throught the cleanup before the inks, some other times I ink directly on the rough pencils.
- Flat colors
- Shades
- Lights
- Other effects (reflections on glass, lasers, stars, whatever).
- Release and be overjoyed when 8 people look at it.

[R.n.P]

Mine is completely hand drawn so I dont have trouble structuring mine
THE LAST SAMURAI