Who knew writing a blog could be both spiritual and therapeutic? It’s almost like prayer journaling, except I’m sharing it with strangers. It’s entirely possible I may deeply regret this down the road, but, then again, it may turn out to be one of the better decisions of my life.
After writing my last blog post, “Self-Professed” Writer & Illustrator, I decided to go a little deeper and share the steps I take to create a comic character.
STEP 1- THE SKETCH
In order to demonstrate this, I decided to create a new character. So, I pulled out a notebook and started sketching. I knew that I wanted to create a teenage boy. I quickly drew a rough draft of the face. Then I took a picture of it and imported it into Photoshop.
STEP 2 - QUICK EDIT IN PHOTOSHOP
In Photoshop I cut out the face and imported the sketch into Illustrator where I traced it out.
STEP 3 - ROUGH SKETCH
Next, I erased the original drawing, leaving only the rough sketch. I know, it’s not very impressive, but it’s a starting point.
STEP 4 - TWEAKS AND TRANSFORMATION
From there, I reshaped the chin and jawbone. Once that was adjusted I moved onto the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, ears and nose. Everything needed major tweaking. This was done using the freehand pencil tool as well as the direct selection tool, which allows me to adjust lines.
Once the facial features were modified I reshaped the hair and added color, which is a trial and error process. Lastly, I added shading, which is incredibly challenging to me. Trying to figure out where the light could be coming from and how it would land on the face and neck does not come naturally to me. So, I googled “shading comic characters.” Then I chose and followed a pattern. Next, I went back and tweaked the eyes and mouth. To add just a bit more drama and personality, I drew the hooded sweatshirt around the character’s neck.
SURPRISE!
The finished drawing is always a surprise to me. Who is this character? I stared at it and smiled. I’m satisfied. I don’t know who he is just yet, but I’m sure I’ll find a place for him in one of the comics. Stayed tuned, in an upcoming post I’m going to share with you how many of my characters actually look like someone in my life. This was not done on purpose. As I said before, my finished drawings are always a surprise to me.
FOR HIS GLORY!
Like I mentioned in the “Self-Professed” Writer and Illustrator blog, I’m not trying to win writing or drawing awards. These illustrations are created to bring God’s Word to life through the stories He gives me. I strive for excellence, but am satisfied that only He is truly excellent. May all that I do, be for His glory!
