Enhance your Comics with Basic Lettering (Video Tutorial)
Comics are all about drawing words and writing art (think about it), but not every comic needs lettering or bubbles. In fact, there are many amazing silent comics out there that tell a story without ever using a thought bubble (more about this at the bottom of this post).
However, including lettering and balloons in comics are very common. These inclusions can sometimes even enhance your comics.
You may ask,
“What if I have really bad handwriting?” or “What if I draw better than I letter?”
My hands have never been very steady, so my hand lettering may seem terrible to some people. Actually, I seriously got an award in 8th grade for “most-likely-to-get-their-handwriting-mistaken-for-a-five-year-old’s (they hand out awards for anything…).
I have to say, though, that my handwriting is unique to me and my art style. It matches and it creates personality (in my opinion). I believe that as long as you make the conscious effort to slow down and make it legible, you’re golden!
“Nah, I really would prefer to just hire someone to do it for me. My handwriting is really bad.”
DIY hand-lettering isn’t the only option. You can get basic lettering and bubbles done yourself on the computer!
Enough talk! How do we do this?
Below is a tutorial and response by Tom Hart, founder of the Sequential Artists Workshop and instructor, when asked for help on DIY lettering from student Helen Baxter-Southworth in SAW’s Six-Month Graphic Novel Intensive.
Helen writes:
“Dilemma: I lost control when I handed the paneling and lettering off to someone who spoke a tech-speak I didn’t understand or to whom I was unable to convey my vision and for how several conversations were meant to be portrayed.
I believe a simpler more child-like lettering and panel style work better. I’m willing to do the lettering and paneling myself.”
Tom Hart replies:
“Helen, I revised a few of your pages per what I was hearing about wanting to hand off the lettering and production to a collaborator, or to learn how to finesse some of the lettering issues.
As I mention in your [previous] post, your pages are fine. They are working fine! There is plenty to learn and finesse, but that's ok. We can help.
Here's one of your pages, below,
Again, you've done the important work of drawing lively characters, story and pacing, and left room for lettering.
Here is the version with lettering that you were unhappy with, as I understand it.
It's fine, though perhaps a little cold.
Here are two revisions I made. The first adds a friendlier font, with no boxes. And the second adds a few loose boxes, and some color to test out.
I'm partial to that last example. Both of these were done quickly on a laptop computer. Feel free to chime in or ask questions.Here is a sample page from your new book:
First of all, again, this is FINE. There is nothing wrong with it! It is lively, and clear.
And yes, if there are principles you want to learn, about composition or something, I can direct you to some resources, for sure.
I made a couple revisions, again only focusing on lettering. As you can see from the note, on the top, I only replaced the letters and left your balloons. On the bottom, I replaced a balloon and the lettering both. Middle panel.
I think the friendly (and consistent) font helps, but it runs the risk of being too cold. (The last panel, "who is that girl?" for instance, would lose a lot with this font treatment, I think...)”
-Tom Hart
As you can see, you don’t have to hand off your work to be lettered by someone else. You can always go this route for a variety of reasons unique to you, but lettering and creating balloons yourself should not feel like a lost cause just because you may not like your handwriting or because you feel like it may be too difficult to do it technologically.
Tom Hart even states this:
“It's pretty easy. It's really up to you how much you want to learn about tech. I know I am getting too old to care about some of this! Everything, nearly everything I do I learned 20 years ago and I'm not interested in doing much else! So, it's up to you if you want to learn it or hire it out, but it is easy.”
Still feeling lost on how to make this happen on your computer?
Check out this video tutorial by Tom Hart!
What’s a “Silent Comic?”
If you’re new to the idea of “silent comics” and would like to learn more, there are some wonderful silent comics covered in Comics Flow Working Group and SAW’s Year-Long Program.
Want to learn more about lettering for comics and comic creation in general? Check out SAW’s Year-Long Intensive Program or SAW's Online Courses.
Come say “hi” anytime and see what we’re all up to on SAW's Mighty Network!
Cheers,
Karlo (Karr)