Comics for Beginners

How to Write & Draw Comics

Tutorial Videos

Want to know how to write and draw comics? Want to know the tricks, the tools and the mindset to take your craft to the next level? In ten tutorial videos, I take you through the process of making comics, from start to finish – including how to draft an interesting STORY, something that most books on the subject tend to ignore.

I’m a freelance artist and writer making a living off my craft since 1998. I’ve tried to boil down everything I know about making comics to an honest and easily understandable format with these tutorials. Check out the first three episodes for free, and consider investing in your own progress by signing up for premium access – you’ll get support through the comments section from me personally and more bonus content as we move forward. Please note that sign up is a ONE TIME FEE, not a recurring subscription.

See you in the videos!

-Palle

Both free and premium videos are listed below.

ep-1-story-first-thumbCOMICS FOR BEGINNERS EPISODE 1: STORY FIRST! 

What do you need before you ever begin drawing your first comic? How do you come up with ideas and where to start? This episode! – Watch now. FREE.
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ep-2-write-comics-thumbHOW TO WRITE FOR COMICS

Writing a script for your comic is a really good idea, at the very least in outline form! But what makes a good story? And what would a script for a comic look like? This episode is important, DO NOT SKIP! – Watch now. FREE.
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ep-3-layouts-sketching-thumLAYOUTS & SKETCHING

How do yo break down your script into pages, and create an interesting flow of panels on the page? What is “bleed” and what is a “splash page”? This and more in this episode! – Watch now. FREE.
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ep-4-character-design-thumbCHARACTER DESIGN

No comic without characters! But how do you make your characters interesting and how do the pros go about designing the cast of their comic?  Premium video. Not a member? The video is available through signup.
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ep-5-texting-borders-thumbTEXTING & BORDERS

Texting ( or lettering) of your comic is vital to the storytelling – and so is designing the frames and the speech balloons. This episode gives you the lowdown on how to do it the EASY way! – Premium video – available through signup.
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ep-6-perspective-thumbPERSPECTIVE & BACKGROUND

Ever wonder what a two-point perspective is? How to decide the height of your characters in the frame? How to draw a room from above or a perspective with no visible vanishing point? This video breaks it down and makes the task of drawing perspective doable and fun. Don’t believe me? Signup for PREMIUM access and find out for yourself!.
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ep-7-sketch-ink-thumbSKETCHING & INKING

How do you make your line art clear and ready for print or coloring? In this video we get down and dirty with tips and tricks on how to ink in various styles and what tools to use. – Premium video. Only available for members – signup now!
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ep-8-coloring-thumbCOLORING IN PHOTOSHOP

Of course you can color your comics any way you want these days, but Photoshop is probably the safest and easiest way to go for beginners – because you can undo everything along the way! That can also be a pitfall, causing you to spend way more time on your pages than neccesary! Watch this episode for pro tips and hacks to make coloring fun, fast and effective. Only for members. You can grab a ‘Comics For Beginners account here.
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ep-9-draw-everything-thumbHOW TO DRAW EVERYTHING

Pro artists and beginners alike have to steal. This episode tells you how and when, making the drawing a LOT easier and less stressful – Available now in the members section.  Check it out here.
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ep-10-final-words-thumbHOW TO BECOME A “REAL” ARTIST

Where to go from here? What’s the next step for learning, connecting and getting inspired and motivated? And what’s the publishing possibilities and work options? This video gives you some pointers and a push to keep going. Premium video – Available for viewing here.
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NOT SIGNED UP YET?

30-day-money-back-guarantee_seal (1)Are you just starting out making comics? Are you holding back because you’re unsure of how to approach it? In doubt what tools to use, or the format and work processes involved in making comics?

Then Comics for Beginners is for you.

[button link=”https://comicsforbeginners.com/shop/comics-for-beginners-videos/?add-to-cart=235″ size=”large” color=”teal”]Sign Up – $39.99 One Time Payment[/button]

In ten tutorial videos, you will learn how to make your first comic, from story idea to finished pages. You will also gain access to online support in the comment sections and more premium content, like the e-book Top Ten Tips for Comics Creators.

If you want to make sure you get the latest updates and [highlight]ACCESS to ALL our videos, hurry up become a Premium member[/highlight]. Sign up for an account and newsletter here.

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Look what people are saying about Comics for Beginners:

[quote style=”boxed”]Really helped me understand the process of creation. Helped me tie the idea together that storytelling is king no matter if your’e doing comics, tv, or writing a book. Gave me enough intellectual scaffolding to be able to get started on an idea and courage to follow through. Looking forward to more content and tips!!![/quote]
Jay Woodruff Ridgeland, Mississippi USA

[quote style=”boxed”]The videos are extremely thorough and deals with a lot of “internal struggle” so to speak, that the artist/writer will have. “What if I get stuck?”, “What if it isn’t good enough”. And it is very pragmatic to me as a writer – I get a much better understanding of the concept of drawing i.e. perspective, speech balloons and so on.[/quote]
Christian, Denmark

[quote style=”boxed”]Every artist and instructional book uses a different method that could confuse the beginner. The videos have given sound advice to wade through the confusion and actually begin working.[/quote]
Kevin Deitz, Texas

[quote style=”boxed”]There is one over riding theme that I see repeated in your advice – get it done. i have used this many times to make a critical decision between best practice and what I can “get away with” in order to keep going. I have used this principle to “shrug off” my mistakes and keep working. I can always do it better the next time – as long as I do it at all the first time.[/quote]
Michael Freely, Portland Maine, USA

[quote style=”boxed”]The videos help me to be more disciplined and to break down large projects into smaller stages.[/quote]
Lars Rasmussen, Århus, Denmark
[quote style=”boxed”]I’m a newbie, so having videos directly addressing how to start off, and explaining some tips on paneling and scriptwriting is really, really helpful.[/quote]
Laney Jee, Manila, Philippines.

[button link=”https://comicsforbeginners.com/shop/comics-for-beginners-videos/?add-to-cart=235″ size=”large” color=”teal”]Sign Up – $39,95 One Time Payment[/button]

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I love the video help that is provided on everything to do with writing a story and applying it to comic creation. Thank you for making this information available and providing the way you do!!!!

    • Thanks, James!

      Yes, the animations in the vids are actually drawn on an iPad. But for actual artwork for print, the resolution is just not high enough. These days I use the iPad mostly ad my reference library, that I can have lying directly on my drawing board.

      If you have any resources or tips for drawing on the iPad, please share!

      Thanks again.

      – Palle

  6. Hi, Really enjoyed watching there.
    I felt really inspired afterwards and, because now I have an exact plan on what is needed for my idea to be transformed into a good story I won’t get stuck.
    I’m really grateful that you made these considering you probably have a fairly busy schedule already.
    Thank you and (fingers crossed) you’ll hear about me in the future. 🙂
    Lavinia

  7. thanks for insipiring videos and for providing the information about the way how to…
    Cheers from Czech Republic.
    Best of luck to you and of course for the others.

  8. I would love to make a comic book come to life and after watching your videos I think I have a good game plan going forward this year. It really helped me when I saw your writing a comic video and character design video. I’m one of those who just wants to jump right in and draw away with no real direction or idea on how it will end or turn out but after seeing those videos I’m taking my time on the drawing part. The story is the soul of comic super important and I found myself writing bio’s of my characters today and more than likely most of what I wrote no one will ever see, that’s one of many things I took away from your videos. All the brainstorming and behind the scenes work you have to do to get to that finished product the way you want it to be. Thanks for sharing and teaching me something today keep up the good work!

    • Hi Andrew, thanks for the kind words! Glad you took away that lesson of laying a strong foundation, before you start building a house! Character bios can be a great way to get to know your characters, what makes them tick, what they fear, what they want in life – and what they THINK they want. You’re absolutely right that this is for you and not for others to see. But what happens when you start writing is, you get inspired. And you start to gain some momentum and trust in your story and your characters, before you ever draw anything.

      I’m always thrilled to hear from peple who took action on the advice I give, it makes it all worth while. Thanks for your feedback – and keep up the good work!

      Best,
      Palle

  9. Thank you so much for all of your helpful advice! I just finished watching all of your videos and I have to say that I have learned a great deal and am excited to put these tips to use on my comic!

  10. Let the great spaghetti monster bless you for the knowledge which you give to us. Big thanks. Your artist/writer perspective is totally different (and fuller) than guy who only draws and has a only one point perspective 😉

  11. I am loving the videos, I am at that the stage where I have drawing storyboards for about 10 years now, and I have gotten into the habit of using short hand for just about everything I draw. It works great for story boarding, but not so much for comics. Now I can’t seem to finish anything!

    I am currently writing a script that I am determined to finish, writing is not my thing but trying to find a writer to collaborate with comes with a plethora of problems.

    ANyways, love the videos and also your comic work itself is outstanding. Where can I read or see some of your comic work?

    • Hi Rommel, sounds like you’re in a good place to make comics! Storyboards and comics are all about storytelling and short hand. But yeah, finishing is a critical part!

      My comics work in English amounts to two books at this point, my graphic novel The Devil’s Concubine is out from IDW and can also be found on Comixology. For trailer and samples go to http://www.devilsconcubine.com

      I have a shorter crime noir story on Graphicly called Hard Evidence.

      I have two upcoming projects as well. I’m currently working as the artist on a monthly book called Thomas Alsop, written by Chris Miskiewicz. The first of 8 issues will be released in June of this year. And I’m looking for a publisher for my own 120 page graphic novel, STILETTO, which was published in Denmark last year. Samples at http://www.stilettographicnovel.com.

      Thanks for your interest and your support!

      Best of luck,
      Palle

  12. Hi Palle, great video series. I just wanted to comment on video 9 – your advice is excellent, but I think it’s important to make note that if you use an image owned by someone else, they will have rights to your copy. It’s helpful to limit yourself to images with shared or no copyright, or even better, to your own reference images. I try to use my own photo library as reference before using something from the web. Digital cameras have made building your own references easier than ever and there’s extra value in framing shots and seeing the lighting for yourself. You can also model perspectives that would be tedious to reproduce with the line/box method. I first heard of this while watching a documentary on Robert Crumb- in the 60s, he went out and took many photos of telephone poles and wires (complex curved perspectives) with buildings in the background, and this library has informed and stylized his work ever since.
    Thanks for producing such informative videos
    -mike

    • Hey Michael, thanks for your input!

      You’re absolutely right that using your own reference photos is preferable. But as I say in the episode, we can’t rely on access to every part of the world, every object we need to draw.

      I’m not a lawyer, but I’m pretty sure following the guidelines in this episode won’t get you in trouble. If you flip, change, combine, make it your own it’s very hard for anyone to prove you used their photo, let alone sue. That’s why I also recommend NOT using famous or unique photos.

      I believe it’s like music sampling: if you copy all of it you could get in some hot water, but using a few seconds (or part of an image) is generally accepted.

      Any lawyers reading along? Feel free to chime in!

      • Palle,
        Not to belabor the point, but Shepard Fairey thought of it in much the same way as you have described, believing he had fair use rights to an AP photo of Obama. The result was that he was forced to settle with the AP at a judges urging, since he would have surely lost a court case over his right to manipulate a “publicly available” image.
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_%22Hope%22_poster
        Your best advice, in my opinion, comes at the end of the series … get off the web, stop watching videos and looking at other people’s stuff, and make some comics!
        Thanks again for the inspirational series, you’ve really done a fantastic job overall here. Cheers!
        -Mike

        • I can see where Fairey’s case seems similar, but there are are a few exceptions.

          1: Fairey used a very well-known person’s face to make money for himself. Commercial use of someone else’s copyrighted material IS illegal.

          2: Fairey’s commercial use of an AP photograph has been modified, but his piece of art consists of ONLY that image. If the face of Obama had appeared inside a comic with hundreds of images, as a small part of a larger work of art and not the single thing it was based off… I’m not sure anyone would have raised an eyebrow.

  14. Your informations and video series provides such useful information and overview over the whole process of creating comics. It`s a tremendous help to me in saving a lot of time and money! Thank you so much Palle!

    • Hey Yuval,

      Yes, the difference is usually in the direction/scene description. If you’re not illustrating the comic yourself, it might be helpful to break it down into pages and panels. I have a page-to-script comparison in the “backstage” area of this site.

      My scripts usually resemble movie scripts because I like leaving the flow of panels and pages to the artist: myself. So when I’m writing the script I don’t worry too much about panel descriptions, just scenes and dialogue.

      Hope this answers your question!

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