64 replies to this topic

[Taipu1]

If you look in the comic forum, you'll see I'm not a comic maker. But I'm working on it.

I use a strange and confusing combination of MS paint (For recolouring sprites), MS powerpoint (arranging sprites on a background) and GIMP (stringing together the GIF).

[Kakaru]

I used to do comics back in 2008. I used Paint for them. It's hard to post comics on here since you can't post every time you have a new comic up and you have to rely on others to make posts to keep it alive.

I believe you're mistaken.
From the Comics Forum Rules And Guidelines:

Do not double-post if you have no new material. Double posting serves no purpose but bumping the topic and counts as spam. However, you may double post if you are announcing a major update such as a new comic, or a significant preview. This is the only exception!

Anyways. For the comic I'm currently doing, I do a couple rough drafts with characters, environments, dialogue and panel layout on a half piece of paper. Once I'm happy with it, I take a full piece of paper and outline all the frames and trace them in where I want them, then trace rough skeletons of the characters and objects, flesh them out, then erase and redraw everything to clean up. I then scan it, write the dialogue separately and splice it in, increase light and and contrast, edit out unwanted specks, add a disclaimer, and upload it. (Everything outside of the computer is done with a pencil and an eraser.)

As far as story, I generally try to have an overarching continuity for the entire series, have separate arcs for each chapter, and sub-stories within the individual pages. It's never worked the way I wanted it to though, so mostly I just make it up as I go.

Edited by Kakaru, Jan 23 2012 - 08:05 PM.

[Brickeens]

I've drawn a few comics using the good old pen and paper.

[Mesonak]

I've made few comics, only two of which I'm satisfied with, and haven't established myself as a comic maker in the public eye; learning how to produce and be effective at producing comics on a regular basis requires a significant time investment, time which I do not have enough of to invest, although I would dedicate myself to it if situations were different. But as it stands, I don't have enough free time.

In the few comics I have made, however, I preferred using a combination of MS Paint and Gimp to create my desired effects, text, sprite placement, and whatnot. It's something I hope I have the time to pick back up one day.

-Mesonak

Edited by Mesonak, Jan 26 2012 - 03:28 PM.

[Tenebrae Invictus]

I've hand drawn some non-Bionicle comics in the past, but most and my most recent works have been with sprites in Microsoft Paint and GIMP.

[Kahi]

I do some hand-drawn stuff from time to time, but I'm usually doing sprite comics. For me, its Photoshop, Photoshop, Photoshop. I resize my sprites on canvas, position them on canvas, and then add effects on canvas. Its how I roll, I guess.

[Srakii~Pktaaim]

Glad to see that this is flourishing somewhat. Anyway, next, what programs have you tried to use, but found them falling short in some way, and in what way did they fall short?
Personally, I have tried to use GIMP and Paint.NET, but in both cases, there is no obvious transparent selection feature, like there is in MS Paint.

--
CV

[Tahu Nuva 3.0]

Haven't made any in quite some time, but I used MS Paint, and some of them were picture-based comics, so gimp for photos.

[King Joe]

I've tried GIMP, but I really liked the way you could select and move things in Paint.net, so I stuck with that.

[Fantasia]

I have never posted any comics. However, I have had a few tries at making them.

From my experience and what I've seen in other comics, using a combination of MS Paint and GIMP can result in great-looking comics. Use MS Paint for simple things like recoloring sprites, and use GIMP for special effects.

[Sumiki]

When I do, pen and paper.

[Srakii~Pktaaim]

Since the Comics Contest is going on now, anyone planning on entering, and if so, in what format?

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Edited by Captain Viridian, Feb 15 2012 - 11:54 AM.

[Spink]

I've never made any comics, mostly because my artistic abilities are so unreliable and can be incredibly inconsistent, but if I were to make comics I'd do them hand drawn (maybe with some edits through photoshop? Depends if I could figure out how to improve it or not). I wouldn't know what sorts of stories to do for them, though... I'd imagine I'd start with something simple, and maybe develop it as I go on.

I might make some in the future, if I can improve my drawn art a bit more, though I have no idea if I'd post them or not. (Be it BZP, or anywhere -- I guess that depends how confident I'd feel in them, lol).

[Srakii~Pktaaim]

Well fail, I didn't enter the comics contest, but there's always next time.
Anyway, I've been looking over the entries to the Comics Contest, and I'm surprised at the small number of sprite-based comics. If you make both sprite-based and hand-drawn/vectored/modeled/etc. comics, why do you choose one over the other, if you do?

[Makaru]

I subcontract a talented artist to make the stories I want to tell only to have him ignore AAAAALLLL my suggestions.

Edited by Philophobia, Mar 09 2012 - 04:46 PM.

[Gerlicky]

My first comic series was a photo comic, so I used a number of cameras, pieces from my BIONICLE collection, and Paint just for text bubbles and stuff. I wasn't really into making graphical masterpieces at the time (and I'm still not really), so any "special effects" came out looking simplistic, horrible, or a combination of the two. In addition, the photos were HUGE files, and even back then I had a tendency to make long comics, so uploading them was a nightmare. I'd kind of like to go back to that genre to see what I can do with them today and how I can actually improve them.

Nowadays, I don't feel like downloading GIMP and Photoshop confuses me, so I use Paint for everything- sprites, backgrounds, special effects, the whole song and dance. For some comic series I really try to go all-out with the graphics, but for the one I'm working on now I put very little effort into graphics and more into the dialogue and "story". I sort of find that the higher the graphical quality I use, the more difficult it is to apply more special effects, which is why I've had one comic series in production for years but haven't really released it at this point.

As far as story goes, I always seem to keep a humorous tone in things, since I don't think I'm too great at writing more serious works. For SpoofQuest!, I've always wanted to avoid having a direct storyline and mention previous comics, but I think I'm kind of failing at that. I don't think I really have a straight story to plot out for the series, so usually whatever idea comes into my head first will generally be the next comic to be released.

[Cederak]

I haven't done anything like a BZP comic in over five years, but I used to use MS Paint - poorly I might add. Suffice to say, I'm a far better writer than Paint artist.

-Ced

[Predator - Jungle Hunter]

I just use Paint (Windows one)

[Kopekemaster]

I just wish I had the ability to make comics.

[Ultimate Sybre]

Me? I just think something up and put it together on Paint.

[Axilus Prime]

A variety of sprite kits, with MSPaint. For spritesheets, I don't bother unless there's a premade one I can just recolor. I instead make poses as I go along, as I need them, and record any pose I make in the spritesheet for re-use. I simply copy paste into the panel, edit in some tweaks such as a head partially buried in the ground, effects, etc, then add text on top. (The only downside to this is the text occasionally requires tilting of your screen to read when it gets inside the characters.)

[Soran]

For comics, I use a program called Paintbrush (Since I use my Macbook), to normally hold my spritesheets/spritekits/the likes. Although for comics I actually use gimp. To quote someone who posted earlier, "with my mad photoshoop Gimp skillz". If the comics involve hand drawn things then I normally hold them in gimp and use that as sprite sheets like my comical retreat comics. It really depends on the style I'm working with. But for the graphics and actual comics, I use gimp... Like a boss (I have photoshop but I suck at it.)

~Soran

[Srakii~Pktaaim]

For comics, I use a program called Paintbrush (Since I use my Macbook), to normally hold my spritesheets/spritekits/the likes. Although for comics I actually use gimp. To quote someone who posted earlier, "with my mad photoshoop Gimp skillz". If the comics involve hand drawn things then I normally hold them in gimp and use that as sprite sheets like my comical retreat comics. It really depends on the style I'm working with. But for the graphics and actual comics, I use gimp... Like a boss (I have photoshop but I suck at it.)

~Soran

I've used Paintbrush before. Great program.

A variety of sprite kits, with MSPaint. For spritesheets, I don't bother unless there's a premade one I can just recolor. I instead make poses as I go along, as I need them, and record any pose I make in the spritesheet for re-use. I simply copy paste into the panel, edit in some tweaks such as a head partially buried in the ground, effects, etc, then add text on top. (The only downside to this is the text occasionally requires tilting of your screen to read when it gets inside the characters.)

Yeah, I make custom Chimoru poses as they're needed.
I've discovered that if you only have one character talking in each frame, it's a lot less cluttered, and it's easier to understand the order in which they're talking.

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[Loganto The Bo-Matoran]

I use paint.net and use multiple layers to make my comics.
Step 1: I grab a section of my rooms and drag it to a pre-sized template I use.
Step 2: I open my sprite kit(s) and make a new layer on my template.
Step 3: I get the aproprate body pose for the image. Then put it in the new layer.
Step 4: I make ANOTHER layer for the head. and I copy the head from my kit and place it on the body.
Step 5: I make 2 new layers and write text in the last layer.
Step 6: I make a speech bubble in the layer below my text layer.
Step 7: I put the layers together and show it to the public.

[HAZMAT]

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