Picking up where I left off previously...
Once I've written a month of strips I can begin the drawing which I do on 1/2 sheets of
heavy 17 x 11 smooth Bristol paper. I have a template that I use with a light table to pencil the borders and the lettering.
Once I've written a month of strips I can begin the drawing which I do on 1/2 sheets of
heavy 17 x 11 smooth Bristol paper. I have a template that I use with a light table to pencil the borders and the lettering.
------------------------------------ Side note: the light table is actually my first drawing board - one I bought at Montgomery Ward way back in 1978 when I was 20. In the early 1990's I sawed out the middle of it and screwed a light box onto the back of it that I had gotten from a newspaper I had worked for. The plexiglass is held in place by, what else - duct tape. The drawing board is pretty beat up having endured 40 years of daily use and more than a few moves. It's definitely a relic. ------------------------------------- |
This is the border/lettering template Bristol ready for penciling.
I hold the Bristol in place with post-its which I reuse to cover pencilled areas to prevent smudging the art when I ink the lettering. I'm an avid recycler -I reuse Post-its 'til there's no stick'um left.
I hold the Bristol in place with post-its which I reuse to cover pencilled areas to prevent smudging the art when I ink the lettering. I'm an avid recycler -I reuse Post-its 'til there's no stick'um left.
Part of an upcoming strip ready to be inked.
As you can see my lettering is a bit shaky. I have benign essential tremor that is increasing with age and also arthritis is creeping in which makes holding pens difficult for any length of time. I still letter all my original art, but in the files I send to King Features for publication I remove my lettering and replace it with a font in Photoshop. I'm also compensating in other ways, such as ruling lines now where I used to freehand everything including the borders. Ya do what'cha gotta do to get the job done!
In the next post we'll get to the inking. That'll be after the 25th - I can't give away that punchline before King publishes it!
-MM
As you can see my lettering is a bit shaky. I have benign essential tremor that is increasing with age and also arthritis is creeping in which makes holding pens difficult for any length of time. I still letter all my original art, but in the files I send to King Features for publication I remove my lettering and replace it with a font in Photoshop. I'm also compensating in other ways, such as ruling lines now where I used to freehand everything including the borders. Ya do what'cha gotta do to get the job done!
In the next post we'll get to the inking. That'll be after the 25th - I can't give away that punchline before King publishes it!
-MM