Now that we’re a few more pages into the newest Follower updates, I think I can show off some of the process that goes into making a page. Folks who support us on Patreon get early looks at much more of this kind of material, so if you like what you see, please chip in a buck or two to help us keep the comics flowing and get rewards like this!
Let’s take a peek at what an early version of page 26 of chapter six looked like!
This is what the very beginnings of a page look like. As you can see here, each page starts out with a very rough “pencil” sketch. (I work digitally, so not a true pencil, but who’s counting?)
You’ll note that I’ve added in the dialogue text even though there’s no bubble for it to sit in just yet. That step is up next, but in the meantime it helps me make sure that nothing important will be blocked by the text.
After the pencil sketch is done (and this one is just barely a sketch – it’s just enough to lay out where things need to go) then I’ll go in with an inking brush and make refined outlines.
You might also notice some colored guidelines around the edges of the page. These are removed in the end, but these lines let me know where things will be trimmed off when the comic is eventually printed. I designed Follower from the beginning with the intent of printing books, so I use this template for every new page! I’ll talk about making books in a future post.
Parts of the background are left in as pencil sketches due to the method I’ve been using lately. I like being a little more “painterly” and vague sometimes, especially if the stuff is in the distance or is otherwise not part of the main focus. It lets the primary parts of the image pop out clearly – like Leah and her mom in the top panel.
There are a few steps between this initial ink stage and the completed page, but that’ll be a future Work in Progress post. Or, you can join us on Patreon and take a peek at some pages that haven’t even been posted yet!
