Internal Rules For Your Comic

[Spinester]

I came across a great article in which GI Joe artist Larry Hama outlined his ten rules for drawing a comic page:
http://www.comicsbeat.com/larry-hamas-10-rules-for-drawing-a-comic-book-page/

My current gag strip Peppermint Helmet only has 1 rule. There are no rules. I will switch styles, fonts, orientation and whatever else at the drop of a hat, depending on the needs of the joke. I am, however, planning a longform comic and these rules got me thinking.

Did you set up any internal rules for your comic? A limit to the number of panels per page? A certain color palette? Different color speech bubbles per character? Lemme here 'em!

[scythe]

I can't say that I agree with all of those. Seems a bit strict to me, but then I'm sure if you've got problems with static, monotone panels, setting out guidelines might be a good idea.

For me, I stick to 1 color palettes per scene. It sets the mood and gives a good indication when the change happens. I also try my best to minimize panels. If you can say it in one panel, don't stretch it out to two. And I try to limit a page to 10 panels, which is already a lot, I know. Although, with the vertical format, that doesn't really matter.

Other than that, keep the speech bubbles and inkwork consistent and you can't really go wrong. Having a rule to say, don't have people standing around seems arbitrarily constrictive to me. I get what he means, but what if that's exactly what the scene dictates?

[alakotila]

Hmm I am always suspicious of articles that try to push rules. Sure, there are techniques and tricks of the trade and we can and should learn them -- if only to break them later! (When the need arises, of course.) But yeah, you should make some 'rules' for your comic for the sake of consistency.

There are some set-up things I do for my comic.

• I use a specific font in the same size for dialogue
• SFX are usually hand-drawn, or warped text
• Each page is the same size, I use the same brush size, pages are same DPI
• Each page goes through the same resizing and filtering process, same treatment

My other random rules:

• For my comic I like each page to have its own balance. Visually the page looks balanced, though if that gets in the way of panel flow that is sometimes sacrificed
• I also vary panel layouts -- a panel layout that happens on a page won't be repeated in the next two to three pages
• My comic is monochromatic, and I slightly tint it depending on location, either a bit warm or a bit cool
• Most things don't get shaded. Some are subtly shaded, especially in extreme light
• I vary the camera distance. Close-ups to full-body. It helps add interest
• I do try to limit chapters to about 30 pages, but it's not strict. A chapter will be as long as it needs to be
• My comic is tone-heavy, so there are a lot of panels with limited or no background
• I set the scene for each scene change, and I remind the viewer of that scene every other page or so through more detailed background. I might draw trees in the background for many panels, while a few pages will get the full forest, beach, etc
• No real panel restrictions. I think that six panels is probably the most I would fit on a page
• I have a panel pattern I use that signals the scene is changing

There are probably more, I just can't list them all. Sure my art changed. Spidersilk is three years old! That may not have stayed constant, but the filters, any treatments, text size, etc -- that is constant.

I suppose the list link you posted is just a general guideline. But the blank-stare expression no-no on that rule? hah whatever. Sometimes blank stares are necessary. Do what suits your story, whether it is "General Hospital" or "Lawrence of Arabia," or what have you.

Ah, comics. So wonderful.

[noctuidae]

I more or less agree with most of the rules in that article, but it all depends on what you're trying to accomplish in your work. My professor, too, said we had to learn the rules before we could get to breaking them.

Some things I try to keep in mind (though how well i keep to them depends on how much i care that week):

• crosshatching should be the main method of shading (though recently I've caved in and started using brush shading too...)
• keep characters' expressions subdued or slightly tired, even when strange events happen, to keep to the offbeat tone/logic of the story. in times where strong emotion needs to be shown, focus on the characters' body language and surroundings rather than their faces.
• keep panels small -- this is partly because I have a tiny 11-inch screen and partly from being influenced by the humble layout of Renee French's The Ticking.
• as much as possible, avoid writing sound effects ("creak", "slam", etc). use visual cues instead. (this one still needs to be tested more, though. nothing particularly loud has happened in the comic yet...)
• weirdness above all else.

although these are just particular to my current comic, because it's supposed to be a little strange and emotionally-distanced. if i were writing another story with a different tone then i probably wouldn't have these same rules.

[AnnaLandin]

That's an interesting list - and while I agree with most of it, one of the rules probably should have been "it's okay to break the rules if you do it purposefully and well." Like, the no-blank-stares rule - sometimes, the story/character/situation CALLS for a blank stare, and you shouldn't avoid drawing it just because it's against the rules, and so on.

My own rules...

1.) One consistent colour-scheme per scene. Don't switch mid-scene, unless there has been a story-internal shift in lighting or something - like, if a house suddenly catches fire, your colour-scheme should change to fit the new situation. But other than that, leave it alone.

2.) The 180-degree rule. Keep in mind how you place your "camera"; if the scene begins with Character A on the left side, looking to the right towards Character B, you shouldn't suddenly switch unless the characters move. You shouldn't have panel 1 be Character A looking to the right at Character B, and then panel 3 be Character A looking to the left at Character B, unless Character A has walked past Character B and is now physically on the other side. If you just switch the direction people are facing in panels any old how, it'll look like they're turning around all the time - or, alternatively, like your "camera" is spinning in a circle around them. It gets confusing.

3.) Keep the action flowing from left to right within panels as much as possible. I've read a ton of manga, which is obviously read right-to-left, so this is one I struggle with and have to remind myself of; if the page is meant to be read left-to-right, the action should flow left-to-right as well. Unless there is a point to doing it the opposite way - or if you're doing one of those big panels where you draw someone moving across a panel, indicating the passage of time by drawing them in several places. There's a specific technical term for that kind of panel, but I can remember it now. I want to say "split panel", but I could be wrong.

4.) Pay attention to the placement of speech bubbles/word balloons. Not only should you make sure that the tails of said balloons point to the person who is speaking the words - or thinking the thoughts - you should also make sure that a.) the tails don't cross each other if at all possible, b.) they don't cover up parts of the character's faces, if possible (unless intentional), and c.) it's clear in which order you're supposed to read them.

5.) Vary the number of panels, and fit the number of panels to what you're drawing. A few big panels are good for slow moments, where you establish the setting and atmosphere. Splash pages should be reserved for dramatic climaxes in action, for showing a brand new environment (or a new perspective on an old one), or to convey a sense of huge size. Lots of small panels on a page results in a faster reading-tempo, and so work better with high-paced scenes - like action-sequences.

6.) Speaking of panels, it's not just the size that's important; it's the shape and the layout. Always, always keep reading-order in mind. If someone gets confused as to which panel follows which, you haven't done a good enough job.

7.) Keep font-size consistent. Different sizes is okay if you want to indicate someone whispering or shouting, but don't vary the size without purpose.

.... which all sounds rather dry and technical, but then, I did actually major in comics and visual storytelling in college, so the nitty-gritty bits of crafting a page kind of got stuck.

If you're after a good run-through of how and why comics work the way the do, Scott McCloud's books on the subject are excellent - Understanding Comics and Making Comics. They don't have everything, but they have most things, and certainly enough things to get you started.

[Drezz]

1) Limit your fonts and sizes - 1 for dialogue, 2-3 for sound effects. Keep your dialogue at one size, raised voices at another consistent size, and your sound effects the same. Unless you're really exaggerating the noise, don't make your text too big - it needs t work in tandem with your artwork, so don't be overpowering or verbose.

2) Plan your panel flow before drawing. Make sure the reader's eye goes in the right direction and is easily led from panel to panel. Also, tie in your dialogue, because the word bubbles can also be directors of eye traffic.

3) Create your backgrounds first, then your foregrounds - which means characters are always drawn LAST. You'll think about and establish position better. It's always better to determine where a character is going to appear before drawing than drawing first and having to back-track and figure out a scene visually later.

4) Differentiation between characters - make sure that if the characters are ever in silhouette, it is easy to discern who is who. Also, stories are more enjoyable when there is a visual difference between all characters.

[jazylh]

@AnnaLandin andin: Completely agree on all points. Especially point number three. I often tend to miss that but it's a great suggestion which I'll implement hence forth.