Understanding Comics and Cartoons: Creation & Design

Understanding Comics and Cartoons

Cartoons are simple drawings that are often humorous, sometimes satirical, and can be informative. A comic book is a small book or magazine that focuses on pictures to tell a story, rather than just words. If the picture is funny, we are usually talking about a cartoon. If there are multiple pictures with a more realistic style, we are referring to a comic strip or a comic book.

When we have a single image, it is used for recognition and information, like the non-verbal cartoon signs for “walk” and “don’t walk.”

Newspapers frequently feature jokes and stories presented as “comic strips” (a series of drawings).

There is a key difference between cartoon illustration and animated cartoons. Animated cartoons are used to create the illusion of movement, while a cartoon illustration provides visual understanding or complements text in a book or magazine.

Crafting Your Comic Book Cover

Most comic book covers feature bright colors and bold lettering. The primary goal is to introduce your new heroes as effectively as possible. Begin by developing compelling stories and distinct personalities. When sketching your characters, ensure they are simple enough to be redrawn in various poses.

Steps for Creating a Dynamic Comic Cover

1. Start with hook-letters that grab attention.
2. In the second stage, sketch your characters in different poses using a pencil.
3. Go over your pencil drawings with a felt-tip pen or black ink. (This is the inking stage).
4. Coloring stage: Build your color structure. Shading with black adds realism; using the same color or a darker shade without proper technique can make the character appear flat.
5. Imagine a special light source at the top of your cover. Create a light ball to assist with the shading process.
6. Create depth and perspective through dynamic movement.
7. Always remember that comic covers use special quality paper. This paper is typically heavier and brighter, so carefully consider your color choices before starting your comic cover project.

The Three-Image Comic Strip

Most newspapers include at least one comic page featuring several different types of comics. While some comics are presented in a single-image cartoon style, the majority are structured as a three-image narrative or a humorous sequence of events.

A comic strip can be amusing, adventurous, or sarcastic. Despite this, most comic strips feature simple and uncomplicated stories.

Three frames allow the artist to set up the situation in the first frame, develop the idea in the second, and deliver the story’s meaning or resolution in the third.

Similar to a film or movie, images can be drawn as a close-up, middle-distance, or distant scene.