Jon Klassen

website

Webcomics

Comics 4 is a class about creating and distributing independent webcomics. These publications will be serialized by the cartoonists each week. Please check them out and give lots of feedback!

David White
This Way To Hell

Chris Mays
Everything Damned

Rahleecoh J. Ishakarah
RahLeeCoh Comic World

Halftone Tutorial

Here is a quick and easy way to use photoshop to get those fancy dot patterns in your art. Halftones allow you to have complete control over how your printed artwork will look. They are also necessary for certain processes like silkscreening, if you want to do any shading or continuous tones.

1. Start out by scanning your line-art at 600 dpi (or higher) grayscale.



2. Make adjustments to the levels so that the paper looks absolutely white and the ink looks black. Make any corrections you need to. Around this time, make sure the art is at the size you want it to print.



3. Now convert your file from Grayscale mode to Bitmap, with the 50% threshold setting.
This will ensure that your line art is absolutely crisp.



4. Convert the Image back to Grayscale.

5. Now add the tones of grey to the areas you want. You can do this all on the same layer with the paint bucket tool or whatever brush set you prefer.



6. Convert the Image to Bitmap, this time change 50% Threshold to Halftone Screen. You can use these settings, or play around with larger dots or other shapes.



Then you are done. Have fun!

Guest Critters!

Well, this is fun.



Big-time real-life Webcomics heavyweights, Scott Kurtz, Kris Struab, and Brad Guigar, are our guest critiquers for Comics 4's final class. These guys each run successful webcomics, collectively wrote a book on how to make webcomics, and host a podcast on the subject. But does that mean they know what they're talking about?

Yes, I'm pretty sure it does.

Check out their work, below:

Scott Kurtz's PVP
Kris Straub's Starslip
Brad Guigar's Evil Inc.
Webcomics Weekly podcast
How To Make Webcomics (the book)

A note to recent graduates

First of all, congratulations! You've slogged your way through and hopefully learned a thing or two in the process. However, I would like to remind you that although this is an important step, it is by no means the end. You still have a great deal of difficult work ahead of you. Often times the outlook can be daunting, even scary. This is normal. Many of you will find yourselves in a strange state of post-graduation limbo, not sure what is the "right" step to take next. This is also normal. Insecurity is normal, it comes with the whole "artist" package. The important thing, the defining factor, is work. Continuing to work in spite of everything else will get you through to your goals. Action is the best antidote to fear.
Here's a good little article on that topic.

So you've made it through school but your work still isn't quite where you want it to be? Ira Glass has a message for you.

Also, keep in touch with your friends from school. Don't be afraid to ask for help or advice. Don't be afraid to solicit criticism. Listen to people when they give you criticism, but use your own judgement in deciding how to utilize it. Contact the people you admire and ask questions. Momentum begets momentum, so try to keep that ball rolling.

This all probably sounds a bit corny, but from my experience I think it's true. Anyhow, good luck to you all and keep on keepin' on!

A Clever Idea

via Drawing Words & Writing Pictures

Kayla's CLAW

Remember the scholarship funds being offered by the Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians?


Well, guess who's going to be photographed with an absurdly large check?

Congratulations to our own Kayla Cline!

CLAW
Kayla's blog
Kayla's comic

Comics Plotting Tools

Here's a nice overview of how a writer breaks down a comic: Comix Tribe's Comic Plotting Tools.


This isn't too dissimilar from what I do, except, as writer/artist, I think it's important to be drawing from the earliest stages. So, f'rinstance, I use index cards, too, but they're for thumbnails more than sentences. Comics are a visual medium, and if you're a visual person, you develop them visually, right?