Process post
A look behind the scenes at how I create a Change Log comic
It’s been a while since I wrote about my process and I thought it would be fun to show a time lapse video of last week’s comic, so here we go…
The first part of the video was the creation of my template that I use. This is done in Procreate and as much as I love the drawing engine, a lot of other features are missing that would be ideal for making comics. There’s always ways around that, though.
To start off, rather than creating panels, I created templates for my gutter width to make sure that is uniform. Then I move them into position as guides for when I draw the panels freehand. For this Change Log, I like the look of imperfect panel border lines.
The next step is the script. I started using Notion to write my scripts, since I can organize them easily and plan ahead with what I’ll write in the comic as well as what I’ll write for the newsletter.
When the script is done, I copy it into Procreate line by line, duplicating my placeholder text so that the font and leading are all consistent - another limitation of Procreate is adding text, but creating a placeholder speeds it up. I put the lettering in first so that I can see if my script makes sense with my panel layouts that are currently residing in my head. This will give me a better feel for how it reads and sometimes I’ll make final edits on the script here.
After that, I’ll sketch out the panels. Occasionally, I’ll use Procreate’s perspective rulers at this stage for backgrounds, but I typically just use that as a guide and freehand the lines in the inking stage.
Speaking of which… next stage is inking, also my favorite part. I like having most of the hard stuff done so I can turn off my brain for a bit. I break up inking of the characters along with any foreground elements from the background, putting them on two different layers just in case I need to move things around or adjust them.
Once the inking is done, I’ll add the background base color and then the base colors for each of the different characters and elements, which are called flats. Again, I separate the flats of the background elements from the foreground and characters just in case I need to shift things around.
After the flat colors are in, I do more rendering with shadows and highlights, then I’ll usually add a background texture to help the characters stand out a bit.
The final phase is creating the word bubbles for the text. I like to mix up the placement and sometimes create different layers so that some elements (usually Miles’ ear) can over lap the word bubbles a little bit to integrate them with the rest of the art. It makes them feel more like a part of the page and not just slapped on top. Along with everything else, I like to keep these loose and freehand so they fit in with the rest of the style of the comic.
And that’s how I make these comics. Some strips are more detailed than others. Sometimes I’ll need more or less panels so I adjust accordingly, but I try to keep the format of Change Log pretty consistent. I also try to limit the color palette because I tend to overthink colors, so keeping it simple is a big help.
Let me know if there’s any part of this process that you’d like me to expand on in the future.
Thanks for reading! If you want to see more of my artwork/sketches/ramblings, follow me on X and here on Substack Notes. And if you really want to support me, I have a store!
Also, if you’re into political cartoons, I have another newsletter called Political Nomad with a new comic every Thursday.
Have a great week!
-Brad