Shawn Explains: Comic Book Lettering

If you're an avid reader of this blog you'll notice I like to announce new features, promise they'll become regulars on the blog and then forget about them. Not one to break tradition I'd like to welcome you to a new blog feature: SHAWN EXPLAINS. I expect this feature to reoccur whenever I think up a topic that I know a lot about that maybe the masses do not. There is no better first topic for this feature than the art of comic book lettering.

Plus I can get this out so that I can save myself the awkwardness of explaining it. You see, people are always interested to find out that I work in comic books but then the conversation quickly goes South from there. Here's an example:

Person: You make comics?

Me: Yup. I write them but mostly I make money from lettering them.

Person: You must be a good artist. Can you draw me Batman?

Me: Uh....no. I don't draw them. I letter the books.

Person (blank expression): Oh.

(LONG PAUSE)

Person: Like you write the stories?

Me: No. Like....have you read a comic book? You know the word balloons and sound FX?

Person (not sure what I'm talking about but not wanting to be rude): um....yes.

(PERSON LOOKS AROUND, DESPERATE FOR A WAY OUT OF THIS CONVERSATION)

Me: Well I design the balloons, place the words and add SFX. Then I flatten it all and--

BLAM!

ME (COVERED IN THEIR BLOOD AND BRAIN BITS): Well it wasn't THAT boring....


And it ISN'T boring at all. In fact if you'll allow me to indulge I would like to take you on a step-by-step journey through the exciting world of comic book letter. The final part of the comic book making process but arguably just as important as the art and script. Everyone on board? Away we go!

note: for the purpose of this blog and because it's what I'm currently working on, I'll be using art from Archaia Comics' 'Hybrid Bastards'....all art and script pages are copyright and trademarked and lawyers will take your souls and witchdoctors will shrink your genitals if you steal. Thanks.

STEP ONE - Art Meet Script

We begin by downloading all the unlettered art. Sometimes this is done while the pages are still in the black and white pencil phase but (preferably) it's usually done with final, colored, artwork. Once I have all the art on my computer I make sure to stay organized by creating a new Sub-folder in my "LETTERING" folder on my hard drive. Staying organized makes it easier for me to find and keep track of all the various projects I work on. It also makes it a smoother process to find old work if an editor contacts me and asks for something to be redone (which happens more often that you'd imagine).

Next I download the script and print out a copy. The printed copy is for me to read through and although I usually keep it handy in case I need it, I work from a digital copy I keep open on my desktop. They don't all look like the script above. Sometimes there are detailed panel descriptions (which is how I wrote my upcoming graphic novel, DETECTIVES IN SPACE).

I can work either way but prefer to have a full script just in case the art isn't clear enough for me to tell each character apart from another (this isn't a problem when I'm lettering a book I wrote but that's a rare occurrence).

Once I have the basic components needed to perform the task at hand I move on to

STEP TWO - Adobe Illustrator Is My Best Friend

I work in Adobe's excellent Illustrator program, although there are several other programs that can do similar functions, I've found Illustrator to be the best of the best.

I have a template I work off of but basically you want to create AT LEAST THREE LAYERS. (if you don't know the basics of Adobe programs I'm not going to get into it here, there are PLENTY of tutorials online, use the search box on the right side of this blog for more...). As you can see I use more than three layers but you want to at least have a separate layer for ART, BALLOONS and LETTERS.

Obviously, the art gets placed on the bottom layer. Once there I make two important moves: I make the art about 30% see-thru (so it's easier to see the letters I'll be placing) and then I LOCK THE LAYER (so that things don't move around on me while I'm working on the other layers).

STEP THREE- Pick A Font

This is one of the places I really get to express my creative side. To me, the font choice should have several functions:

1. It should match or compliment the art style - if the art is thick lined and blocky I'll use a similarly designed font. 
2. It should be EASY TO READ
3. It should blend with and enhance the art, NOT stand out like a sore thumb or call attention to itself. 

Those are my three rules for font picking. The letterer's job is NOT to out shine the material he's lettering. If people notice my lettering it usually means I did a bad job. I'm happiest when people read the book and comment on the story and pacing that's how I know I did a good job.

Once I have selected a font to use can move onto

STEP FOUR- Lettering The Comic

Now we've reached the delicious, goooey center of this job. To make life easier and assure I don't make any spelling or grammar mistakes (as is typical with me) I copy/paste the script page I'm working on, next to the page I'm working on in Illustrator as you can see in the picture above.

Then I cut and paste each set of dialogue to the corresponding panel within the page.

Once each line is near the character speaking it I'll start to shape the words into a balloon-like shape.

After I've done this for each line I can look at the page as a whole and figure out how to best place each balloon so the reader follows the story in the correct order (NOTE: we read left to right and top to bottom). This is THE MOST CRUCIAL PART OF LETTERING A COMIC. If the placement is wrong you, as the reader, will not read the comic as intended. Things will become confusing and you will grow frustrated causing you to scream and pull your hair out, or (even worse) put the book now and never finish it (and THAT makes Baby Jesus cry magical tears that flood the Earth).

Now I start making the balloons and placing them around the text. Some quick thoughts on balloons:

• There is no perfect way to make a balloon, especially considering that each one will be a little different than the one prior. 
• It is ideal to make them as round as you can without leaving too much space on either the sides, top or bottom. 
• If your balloons look like they could poke an eye out with their sides then they are too pointy. 
• If your balloons look like old school TV's (almost square in shape) then you're making them too flat
• The text should always be centered in the balloon, if it looks off center adjust the balloon to take a little off each side until it looks right. 
• Be cautious not to get too close to the text with the balloon edges or else everything looks cramped and because hard to read.

When you're all done your page should look like the one above. You should be able to read the page in the same order as you read the script. If you cannot then re-check your placement.

STEP FIVE - Tall Tails

Next up I go to the trusty Pen Tool and draw tails on my balloons. This step is pretty self-explanitory but for the simple minded allow me to lay out the basic rule to follow: THE TAILS POINT TO THE CHARACTER WHO IS SPEAKING.

Seems easy enough but it can become complicated when you also keep in mind to avoid covering as much of the art as you can (sometimes unavoidable) and not let the tip of the tails touch any line art because that can make the balloon appear to be a part of the art and might confuse readers (it's called creating a "tangent").

There is a whole art to making a good tail and I don't want to gloss over it but I'm also aware that not everyone reading this is going to go out and try to letter a comic so I don't want to get bogged down with specifics. If you DO want to letter your own comics I suggest you look at THIS ARTICLE on lettering tails.

STEP SIX - KA-BLAMMO (and other Sound Effects)

Now, I add in any effects that are called for in the script (and sometimes I add in an effect NOT in the script if I think it'll make the page "play" better). Once again, creating sounds is an art unto itself. Again I'll refer you to people AT LOT better than me for the details: HERE.

I have some specific thoughts on using FX in comics and I'm torn sometimes when I get a script with a ton of effects. On the one hand they are a lot of fun to create. Maybe my favorite part of lettering. However as a writer myself I'm reluctant to use them. I think, for the most part, my audience is as smart if not smarter than I am therefore if there's a panel of a GIANT FUCKING EXPLOSION then certainly you can infer the noise that would make without me putting a "KABLAMMO" over the art. Same with gun fire. We've all seen at least ONE movie or TV show where someone shoots a gun and as a result we ALL know how a gun sounds, so doesn't it seem silly for me to add a "BLAM" or "BANG" next to every gun in my entire comic? I think so.

To me, effects should be used sparingly to retain the most impact. An off panel beheading might look great but it's made better by a sickly "SHNIKT" or "SLOOSH". At the end of the day the client is always right so when working on someone else's book I generally do whatever is asked unless I think it's hurting to overall look or flow of the story (then I will usually SUGGEST the writer consider dropping a few FX.)

So there you have it. The very BASICS of lettering a comic book. As mentioned in the above there are a lot of people who do this better and have been doing it a LOT longer than yours truly. If you want to know more and maybe even try your hand at lettering I can not reccomend the following places enough times:

Richard Starking's ComicCraft -  The MASTERS of digital lettering. This is the one stop shop for learning, doing and downloading fonts to use in your comics.

BLAMBOT FONTS - Not to be outdone, the guys behind BLAMBOT are almost as seasoned as ComicCraft. What they lack in years of experience (not much) they make up for by offereing MANY of their fonts for FREE. There are some basic rules that go along with using the free fonts so make sure you read all the fine print and give credit where it's due.

Todd Klien's Blog - Todd is my favorite letterer of all time. This guy has been around for as long as i can remember and knows how to letter using a computer as well as (the traditional) HAND LETTERING.  He is a WEALTH of knowledge on the subject (and many others as well) and I recommend you check out his site regardless of wanting to letter comics or not. He's THAT super cool.

Chris Eliopoulos - Is another master letterer I love. His website doesn't talk about lettering because he's also an artist and it showcases his art. Which is also super cool. However, if you follow him on twitter he sometimes talks lettering there.

Hopefully this explains (briefly and simply) the process of lettering comics. Mostly I wrote this piece so I'd have a place to direct people when they ask what I do for a living but I hope that at least some of you gained some incite you didn't previously have into the process of making funny books.

Please leave any questions or comments below and I'll do my best to answer and reply as fast as possible.