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Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels?
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I recently started making comics and my storytelling ability is still developing, so I don't have any advice, however there is an incredible book that I've found ridiculously helpful, and I think that you would benefit from. Scott McCloud Making Comics
Wrote this comment before I read through the comments, and then just copy pasted down here instead...
I like your drawing style, and the story is intriguing. It's a little hard to follow in some spots, partially because of the lettering, and partially because some panels don't flow easily. I HIGHLY recommend checking out Making Comics by Scott McCloud.
A good thing to do is read scripts from published authors, there are a bunch here: https://www.comicsexperience.com/scripts/
There are also a couple books that explore what makes comics unique as an art form, which I think could be useful.
I think what’s probably going to help you out the most is just reading more comics, honestly.
You should check out a book on this topic. "Making comics" by Scott McCloud is a good starting place for how to structure these things:
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Comics-Storytelling-Secrets-Graphic/dp/0060780940/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=making+comics&qid=1618952504&sr=8-1
Oh I've got tons, I hope you don't mind lol 👀
It's very easy to look at the story you want to tell, to look at the level of work you'd like to put out, and the level of your work where it currently is, and come to the conclusion that you "need to practice more before you can start." The problem with this mindset is that as your artwork improves, so does your standard for the work you'd like to put out, so it becomes a horrible cycle of "I'll start when I'm better."
So don't do that; it's OK (and even expected) for your earlier pages to be clumsily-executed compared to your later pages, since every panel of your comic will be practice to improve your artwork. My first comic from back in 2006 was like this-- I had no experience making narrative artwork going in and my draftsmanship was <em>extremely</em> clumsy. 4 years and roughly 650 pages later, my pacing, draftsmanship, and storytelling had improved as a direct result of working on my comic almost daily.
I'd say that if you were to do any pre-production work, focus on story. You don't have to plan out every single little detail (and I'd argue you shouldn't) but knowing the overarching macro story and what key story beats you need to hit will inform you of decisions to make in the earlier narrative stages of your comic. I like to have a rough outline for everything first, and then make a more detailed script for each chapter of the story as I progress. I try to abstain from going too far in the future, though-- right now I've got all of the prologue drawn (they haven't all been published yet) and I'm drawing chapter 1 while Bob and I hash out chapter 2 in script form. There are important story beats much later that we haven't even written out except as a bullet point because things might change halfway through the story. This isn't a system that works for everyone (my first comic was literally just "eeehhh I think this sounds cool so it'll happen next") but it's what has been working for us.
When you're drawing your comic, you will find that there are about a million different things you'll need to draw that you hadn't previously anticipated, and you only know how to draw a fraction of those things. This does not speak to the level of competence you have as an artist-- this is a thing that literally every artist has struggled with, and will continue to struggle with throughout their careers. When you need to draw these new things you've never drawn before, don't be intimidated. You can do it, and trying to cheat it by putting the object just out of frame or behind someone's back will be noticeable to your readers, and it'll ruin their immersion. It's better to draw a really clumsy castle than it is to never try. The internet is bursting with all sorts of reference material at your fingertips, and it will all be useful when you try to draw new and unfamiliar things.
If you want to learn more about making comics in a format that's extremely digestible and you don't mind spending a little bit of money, I'd recommend reading <em>Making Comics</em> by Scott McCloud. I cannot overstate how invaluable this book has been in my years of making comics. I was given a copy in 2006 when I first started making comics, and I still refer back to it as a "bible" of sorts when I need a little extra guidance on how to utilize effective storytelling in my work. Plus even if you don't like reading book-books, this one's REALLY easy to read because it's a comic in and of itself.
Anyway I hope that wasn't too much of an information dump; if you need anything else let me know :)
The art is in service of the story, but the art is also vital in a visual story medium like comics. This has less to do with flashy drawings than with graphic storytelling, a sometimes overlooked but drastically important aspect of comics art*.*
Comics have this in common with film, another visual storytelling medium. Study comics (and movies) with this in mind. Look for things like establishing shots, long shots, medium shots and closeups, and take note of when and how they are used for both dramatic effect and for clarity. You can confuse the reader if you don't convey the spatial relationship of your characters to one another and to their environment and keep that relationship consistent.
A simple drawing style with clear and consistent storytelling is going to present a story much more effectively and powerfully than a dazzling art style that doesn't work in service of the story.
Scott McCloud's Making Comics is a good resource for this.
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Comics-Storytelling-Secrets-Graphic/dp/0060780940
https://lithub.com/what-scott-mccloud-taught-us-about-internet-storytelling/
Take one Making Comics by Scott McCloud and call me in the morning.
This website is based off of Scott McCloud's facial expression explanation from his book Making Comics and seems to be what you are looking for. It doesn't give you the words, but it can help you visualize your character's emotions and give your own spin to describing them. I hope this helps!
A little bit of everything actually.
Youtube channels such as Sycra's, Kienan Lafferty's, Alphonso Dunn's, and Robert Marzullo's are invaluable to artists. Then there are books like Making Comics by Scott McCloud, Perspective for Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea, Anatomy for Artists by Sarah Simblet, Fashion Illustration by Anna Kiper, Fashion Design Workshop by Stephanie Corfee, and Drawing from the Right Side of Your Brain. I'll note that a few of those (the two fashion ones) are of my own choice as I really liked them and they fit with the style I'm aiming for, never the less, most of those books are all rather well liked and useful for the art of drawing. Even the Making Comics by Scott McCloud is highly useful even if you have no intention of making comics!
With all of those said though : what really matters is drawing and not comparing yourself to other artists. That's one of the biggest and worst downfalls a beginner can make is to compare themselves to someone they really like. It won't aid you. It will discourage you.
So--take up a pencil, a pen, whatever your comfortable with (I use a School G-Pen and a Tachikawa dip pen) and start drawing mate!
Not free, per se, but these books are excellent resources on the craft of telling a story visually:
Protip: Anyone who uses a wall of text in a comic doesn't have the faintest idea how sequential art works.
The author should read this
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