Templates/panels/structure/sheets when you create comics

[Lensing]

Do you use templates, character sheets open all the time,
always the same panel size?
I´m thinking about artists like Jack Kirby who would just sit down
and start drawing and other artists who for example always use
exactly the same panel size or they have their character sheets
alway open.

For me it makes drawing easier when I have some references always
open like the proportions of the figures I´m drawing. In the comic I´m working
on it´s a head proportion. I try to draw the characters from memory because
I don´t want to have the character sheets open all the time.
I´m asking because I´m thinking about using the same panel size all the time
and I think that would make the work process easier for me.

It would be great if you can share some details of your work process, especially
the panel size.

This is the proportion guide I always have open when I draw, it´s really simple
but it helps me when I work to measure the proportions

[Aeneas1]

When I draw scenery, I use photographs I find on the internet. Or try to.

[GingerLoge]

About character sheets: I open them only when I'm drawing some side character I don't show often, to keep their face proportions conspicuos. The only referente I keep open all the time is the one with mc's hand tattoos. For height reference I use 3D models of the various characters, to keep the same ratio between them (when drawing from memory, I sometimes draw a character a bit smaller or taller; 3D models help me avoid that).

About panels: I'm not sure why you keep them the same size? It depends of what kind of comic I'm making, perhaps, (manga inspired), but I try to use panels size/shape to guide the reader's eyes. So, small/medium/large panels create a sort of pace; I keep in mind that on a page I can put more or less 6 panels, but I actively avoid to give them all 1/6 of the space.
The program I use, Clip Studio, has panel templates, but I usually never use them without modify them in some way.
This is just how I work, tho. I'm curious to read about other people's method!

[Lensing]

That was not my question
This is not about using reference or not

[Lensing]

Thanks a lot for the information.
The panel size is maybe something specific for me, I always like some elements to be measured and even.
I´m avoiding to write something about ocd because I don´t know if I have that and I don´t want to use those
terms but I have the tendency to measure a lot and trying to make things even

[IndigoShirtProd]

I draw my comic in page format and the drawing program I use has a comic template that I use for each page. The template comes with rulers and bleed space. I decide the panel layouts through sketching thumbnails in a sketchbook before going digital. I don't typically keep panel sizes the same. I have an action comic and if all the panels looked the same it wouldn't be very interesting to look at. I don't usually keep character reference sheets open, I can draw my characters pretty consistently from memory. The only time I need references for characters is for outfit or style changes.

[GingerLoge]

I'm very chaotic when drawing, and often the result is a complete mess! XD I've learned to measure things like gutters and bleed margins, but I still hate when I have to draw things exactly. I'm saying this meaning that I admire you for keeping things even and measurable.

[Chaz]

https://tapas.io/series/Apple-and-Grape

I use a standard 2x3 panel structure.

[Lensing]

Thanks for the information, yeah that makes sense in an action comic

[Lensing]

I´m trying to break this by putting chaos on purpose, like drawing the panel borders by hand and make them a bit scribbly.
That works somehow.
This is an example of panels I could live with, it´s not my work, the panels have a different size but it looks tidy and with
a system. The artist uses the panels like that on 8 panel pages too, one panel bigger, the other one smaller but alway
in the same ratio

[GingerLoge]

I like this example a lot: the artist makes the characters break the panel borders, and the camera changes the distance from the characters in every panel. This adds a lot of movement, so this page doesn't need panels in different shape/dimension! this style works perfectly

[TheLemmaLlama]

My panels are all the same size because dynamic panel structure is hard and I'd rather have one less thing to worry about so I can focus on every other aspect of creating a comic XD

I don't have character sheets though. My designs are pretty simple.

As for proportion templates and stuff, I feel like I can eyeball those things decently these days ...

Also, my computer is a potato and thus I'd rather have as few things open as possible :'D

[Lensing]

"one less thing to worry about" that´s what I´m thinking too.
I´m thinking about having 5 different panels which I always use.
Like in this example which is not my art. Establishing panel is big, the other panels
look dynamic but the artist uses very similiar panel sizes on every page

[kitschensyngk]

I use Inkscape, an open-source vector graphics program similar to Adobe Illustrator, to make my comics.

When I start a new comic page, I open a template file I saved in advance where I have panel layouts, body proportion guides, and chapter page numbers. I also have eye pairs of my characters saved so I don't have to redraw them every time.

I've also drawn 4-koma formats for certain pages (four vertical panels) and I have a template saved for that too.

[Lensing]

That sounds great and a good way to make your work easier, thank you for the information.
It also makes me not feel alone with the preparation work / thoughts I put into my projects

[darthmongoose]

For Errant's panels, I use the standard Clip Studio frame for an A5 print comic to work out the safety zone, trim and bleed. I have a custom panel cutter tool for the gutters, because I like to have comparatively narrow borders between panels going horisontally compared to vertically. Of course, the space between panels going vertical is increased on the web version of the comic. The print version you can see my template much more clearly:

I don't tend to use model sheets because I draw Errant in my "default" personal style and plus I'm in Clip Studio EX where it's pretty easy to jump back to previous pages to check details when working in comic mode. My character designs tend to be drawn very roughly like:

The main thing I'm usually looking for is just the general overall balance and shape of the design and how the colours look together. I'd probably only draw a really tight turnaround of a character if I was collaborating with one or more other artists on a project.

One template I DO use religiously though is the palette!

Clip Studio has this REALLY USEFUL feature called "sub view" up in the same part of the UI to the Navigator, where you can put a reference image and even have the default cursor change to the colour sampler tool when mousing over it, which saves tons of time. I just drop my palette in there and don't need to switch tools when colouring.

[Lensing]

Wow, thanks for the answer, especially the part with the palettes and the custom panel gutter tool is interesting to know

[rumpenstiltzkin]

The only template I have is a bleed/trim frame so always keep the most important art inside that, other than that i just go for it and hope for the best
I print screen previous images of my characters to have as reference so i keep details the same, like, did they have their bracelet on the right or left side, and things like that but I havent made any detailed model sheets, and i made color palettes for each character in procreate so always easy to reach

[system]

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