Learn Comic Book Panel Directing! Introduction to Comic Books, Part 2!

1. About Panel Directing: Hello, and welcome to Introduction to Comic books part 2: Panel Directing. As you know, I have designed this course to be 4 part mini series. Now in case you haven't checked part 1, comic book script, I strongly suggest that you do. You can find the link for the course down below in the description box. Now, in this part 2 of the course, I will talk about two things. I'll talk about relationship between images and texts on a comic book page. We'll talk about timing in visual narration on a page. Then we will learn some of the most popular and common panel compositions that are used in comic books today. And we will also learn how to compose those panels into page layout as well. And in the end of course, there will be a homework section for you to do so you can create your own comic book, applying these lesson that you learned from this course. So stay tuned and let's have some fun, and let's make some cool comic books together. Thank you. 2. Image and Text: Let us examine the imagery of a comic book. Now, as we see, comic books are made up of images and text. But I would use a little distinction here, because words and texts are actually portrayed in a common book as images. The purpose of the text on the page is to provide an array and storing guidelines. The line art in various ways. It can be used as a narrator's voice, it guys readers to the story providing important information related to it. It can be used as a dialogue between characters, which can be used for dramatization of a scene. It can be used as a sound effect to enhance the imagery of the scene and story with additional descriptions and you making sound. So as we see, text is not just the text, as it has a deeper artistic meaning. So line art page. And because of its deeper meaning, usage and how is represented on a page, text is considered to rather be a part of an image instead of just a text. This enables you as the artist, to create really innovative and experimental, creating your own graphic narrative texts. So images through your own comic book story. 3. Timing: Timing, the concept of time in our world and space, and it's measuring is an interesting one, indeed. As Will Eisner wrote in his book, Comics and Sequential Art, time is more of an illusion than a reality for us as human beings, as we measure it through the memory or her own life experiences. And just like time is an important element to measure, structure, and organize our lives, in comic books, it is an essential structural element as well. With a combination of images and text, we can frame time, in panels however we like, and play with it around to structure our story. For example, we can stretch one story scene from one panel up to ten if we like, creating a timeframe action sequence across those panels. Or, we can just create a one panel action sequence and use text as a time disposition, and explain the action through it. One of the great examples of time flow through the comic is from the example images where we see a difference between time and timing. Into time sequence, we explain what is happening in the story, while the timing sequence explain what is happening in the story, but we enhance it with an emotional response to maximize the dramatic narration in that specific part of the story. This gives us the beginning, the middle, and the end of our action sequence that creates the momentum, action, conflict, and the resolution in a few panels. So now that we saw how timing works, let us try and combine it with those panels and layouts that we've talked about before in order to compose our own sequentially narrated comic book story. 4. Wally Wood's 22 panels that always work: Okay, Let's talk now about one of my favorite comic book templates of all times. Wally Wood's 22 panels that always work. Wally Wood was one of the best comic book artists of the 20th century, and this template was his reminder for faster driving and panel directing of his own work. By the help of his editor at the time, this template turned out to be a cult classic template that is a must have for every comic book artist ever since. So let us now analyze these panels to see how we can use them in your own work and what else can be done with them. 5. Panels 1- 7: Okay, Let's start with panel one, The Big Head. The Big Head shot is mostly used for accenting a facial expression, facial emotions, and to create a dramatic momentum in a shot. The layout is composed in a manner where character's face is occupying 80 to 90 percent of the panel, but is never shown in full. Next, we have Extreme Closeup. This panel focuses on the face and facial expression even more than the big had panel. It is a type of panel that mostly zooms on one part of the face, like the eyes, or nose, mouth, hair, etc, or whatever that is important for the story to be shown in the extreme closeup panel. This panel layout is really good, grow high tense, dramatic visual narration. Next, we have a panel that is composed of two characters heads. One is the back of the head, and the other one is part of the head. This panel layout showcases the dynamics and interaction of two characters. The back of the head character is do one in the foreground, while the part of the head character is the one in the background, both heads are shown only partial, which creates a bit of a mystery and suspense for readers to complete the imagery or a panel in their heads. And because it is somewhat close up panel as well, it reveals a bit of a tension as it reveals a piece of action that is happening in the story. Next, we have the Profile panel. This panel is composed of two character profiles in either a medium shot or a close up on faces. The panel has no background because the focus here is on the characters. This type of panel is usually used for showcasing the character relationship dynamics. It can be dramatic, it can be romantic, action, or some other type of relationship between, depending on the story. Next, we have a dark foreground and white background type of a panel. In this shot, the character that is in the foreground is enveloped in shadows and silhouettes, and is partially shown to emphasize the mystery, suspense, tension and drama effectively. The character in the background is fully visible and with clear lines, contrasting the foreground one. This creates a nice black and white balance and a composition dynamics in a panel. The background can be shown as well, but it's not necessary as the accent here is on the characters. Next, we have an Open panel. This is a type of panel without borders and background. The focus of this panel is on one complete object only, like a car or a plane, or a lamp, or anything that is needed for the story. This type of composition is great for creating a mental break on a page for readers to take a moment, to rest and digest the story and to break the composition of a page a bit. It is extremely useful if there are a lot of heavy inked panels on a page. Next, we have the All Black panel. To contrast the open panel, we have the all black panel. This type of panel is used most of the times for darker tones of the story, for foreshadowing elements and characters for creating a black and white balance on a page composition. It is perfect for any kind of suspense and mystery storytelling in a comic book. 6. Panels 8- 16: Next, we have a One Big Object type of panel. This is a panel that focuses on like its name says, one big object in the foreground of a panel. This can be a hand or a gun, a lamp, a phone, or something else that is required to be shown for the story. The background of the panel can either be empty or contain a character or a silhouette or something for this correlating to that one big object from the foreground. This is a nice type of a panel to create a medium dramatic narrative, and pointing readers in a specific kind of storytelling manner. Next is a Full Figure open panel. This is a variation of an open panel where we show the full figure of the character. This panel is also another good choice to break the overal page black and white composition, and to rest the reader's mind while creating a breakpoint in storytelling. Sometimes this full figure open panel can be exchanged, for a full character head only, but most of the time it is a full figure, open panel. Next is partially open panel. This is an interesting type of a panel because it is somewhat layered. Here we have a complete character figure in a dark background, that can be either fully black, or shadowed and the ground and a bottom or the panel are open. This composition creates a bit of interactivity in reader's mind, where are they imagine closing the power border in their head, and completing the picture themselves. These panels are a good way of breaking the composition and slowing the story pace to contrast some higher dramatic narrative on other panels, on a page, and in a story. Next, we have a Small Figure, Huge Background, kind of panel. This is an expositional type of a panel. Here we can showcase a lot of background in a lot of setting. These type of a panel is used mostly informational story narration. With this panel, we can show the readers where and when the story is happening, and give all the necessary information to them. These types of panels are a great page and story openers in general. Next is the Depth panel. This type of panel is all about showing the perspective depth of a setting. With it, we show the readers setting in 3-dimensional time and space. Two or three perspective artwork is a great way for utilizing these types of panels. Great example of this type of panel is an isometric, two-dimensional imagery. In these panels, we can showcase everything. We can show the foreground, we can show the middle ground, the background, characters, and create a nice storytelling dynamic in a panel, and show our artistic skills as well since this is a somewhat more complex panel to use. Next, we have our Down Shot panel. This is an aerial shot from the bird's-eye perspective that shows the full figure of a character in a panel. Here is a great spot for artists to play with the lightning and shadows as a way of narrative device to create some drama or suspense or mystery. Figure can be in shadows, or it can cast shadows from the background of the panel, or a combination of both. Next is the L shaped panel. Now, this panel is a really interesting one. It is a more complex type of a panel that is composed of several layers of artwork in it. The foreground of the panel is shown in clear line art. The middle of the panel is a place where the character is shown, and is a place that is covered in a shadow of an L-shape. The background is white or a clear line art. This composition creates a really nice white-black-white art composition in a panel, in a great way to show the suspense, and create a mystery around a character. In overall, it is really cool in a really creative panel to experiment with. Next, is another profile panel, but with whole bodies. This is a combination of a few panels that we saw before. Here we can show two characters in their full figures, and explain their relationship through their body language, and drawing itself. It can be a great narrative panel, or a dramatic one, depending on the story. And it has a lot of room for experimenting. 7. Paneli 17- 22: Next we have a Profile/Top panel. Here we have two characters that are having some sort of interaction Between them. One character is in profile position and the other one is in frontal position, shown from the back or front. The characters can be either in shadows or heavier rendering, while the background of the panel is light, or it can be the other way around where characters are lite and the background is black. This is a nice dynamic panel that has a lot of experimenting opportunities, and can be used to build a nice dramatic tension between the characters. Next is a reflection panel. This is another variation, an open panel. Here we can show the character standing and looking his reflection in a mirror, or a glass, or a pool. The character can be either in full body or zoomed on a specific part. It can also be an object like a car or a plane or lamp or something. This is a nice, slower paced panel that like previous open panels, serves the purpose to break the heaviness of a page and open it up to the readers. And it can add depth to the character as well. Next, is a Framed panel. This is a panel that I like to call an outside of the story panel. Here, the camera is positioned in the back of the settings. Like for example, the outside of the house, where we see the inside of the house through the window. It can use white foreground with the black middle ground and a white or black background. It is a nice exposition panel and it is great for showcasing suspense or distance in a story, and it can intrigue readers to read the story further. Next, is a Black Foreground, White Background type of a panel. This is a combination panel of a few previous ones as well. Here, the characters in the foreground are shown in a complete silhouettes, while the background is quite clear. This is great for hiding information about the characters, as well as creating mystery in a darker, ambient mood and a tone in a panel overall. Next, we have a reverse L-shaped panel titled Three-Stage panel. Here we have fully shown foreground, middle ground, and background. The foreground is usually colored in shadows and mystery, while the middle ground is wide, open and clear, with fully visible character, which is the main focus of the panel. The background is covered in shadows or blacks, or another type of silhouettes. This creates a highly dynamical and dramatical panel with a lot of tension in it. And it's quite useful for showcasing an important scenes in the story. Next, is another Zoom type of a panel. Here, a zoom is placed either on a character or an object that is within another object, like for example, a photograph from a newspaper, or an image from a phone, or a screen, or a computer, or tv, or something like that. And this is a nice slowed paced panel that is used to pass important information to the readers while slowing the story down for further dramatic building. Next, and the last one of 22 panels that always work is the contrasting panel. Here we have two characters that are talking to each other. The focus on this panel is older lightning of a panel. If a character that is in foreground, for example, has a frontal part of his body covered in shadows, the character who is in the background will have opposite side of the back of his body, colored in the shadow, and vice versa. This not only creates a dynamic narrative tension between what is happening in the panel, characters and the story, but in the black and white balance and the line art itself as well. A really nice and a dynamic panel in overall. So as we saw, these are just some of the most popular panels to use for telling your own comic book story. Important notice here is that these panels are not rules, but a guidelines for your own storytelling sensibilities. You can combine them, you can experiment with them, and even make your own combinations and compositions for your own unique storytelling. Either way, these panels are a great practicing tool for any comic book artist. 8. Tools of trade: Tools of Trade. Now that we saw and learned about theoretical approach to visual language of comic books let us explore the ways we can create our visual stories now. In terms of craftsmanship, today, in our modern technological age, we have the ability of the two types of comic bookmaking, a traditional approach to creating art, and in digital approach. Traditional approach, like the name says, uses the trusted and true techniques of creating a traditional original artworks. It is a good old pen and paper aprooch. Here we use pencils, inks, papers, brushes, and any other crafting tool to create a materially touchable, original piece of artwork. This approach to making a comic book today is good because we had an original copy of an art piece, but it may take longer to produce. The modern digital approach is unlike traditional, way more versatile and flexible. Here we have at our disposal an array of digital tools like graphic tablets, computers, mobile tablets, and various types of software that we can use to create and emulate traditional approach in original artwork. With digital approach, we don't have the original art piece at our hands in a way, traditional approach to a static value. Instead, we have a faster way to produce artwork and an opportunity to become mobile and even more experimental in nature because of these techlogical advances. Of course, nothing stops us from combining these two techniques in order to maximize our creative production and have original pieces of art as well. And one of the most important things is that there are no rules when it comes to creating art, and you can work with whatever makes you as the artist comfortable, and enjoyable. But sometimes it's not such a bad thing to try and experiment with another approach or a creative method for our own artistic growth and development. 9. Recommended Books: Recommend books. I will talk about a few books that I highly recommend for you to read. These are the books that are about making comic books as a visual language and a sequential art. And they're more like theoretical books than a practical laws, but are really important. In order to understand how comic books are really working. I will start with the first one, which is one of the most important, if not the most important MOOC about comics. Will eyes nurse? Comics and sequential art book made by Will Eisner. And it has everything inside that explains how comic books are structured and working inside, outside. Next, we have understanding comic from Scott McCloud. This is actually a really cool book because this is a comic book about comic books. So basically you're reading a comic that explains how comic book works. And it's really unique approach in really detailed, real informational and just really cool read. Next we have how to draw comics, the Marvel way from Stan Lee and jumbo Shama. Now this is like practical Bible on how to draw comic books and superheroes. But it can be used for any kind of comic books because it has some really universal rules and guidelines until creators who are some of the biggest creators of books in America in the 20th century. Next, we have a little bit more of an academic read. The visual language of comics from Neil Cohn. This book is about comics is a visual language, like its name says. It's more of a serious type. Analyses of comic books as a visual narrative device. But it's really interesting read, because it can give you perspective on how comic books work from a different angle. So these four books are really cool reads for you to understand the theoretical side and the practical side and just how comic books as a visual medium and sequential art work. 10. Course Homework : Okay, and we are at the homework section. Now, in case you attended my previous course, the first one, Comic Book Script, You have your story written already. In case you haven't you can go and check it and do the homework there to create a short story between 1 and 4 pages. Or if you want, you can just jump in and write your story right now. So the homework for part of the course, panel directing is next: You are about to draw 1 to 4 pages long short story using panel compositions that we talked about in this lesson, and using page layouts that we talked as well. Each page should have no more than 7 panels. Optimum is between 5 and 7, and you should have no more than 25 panels total for all 4 pages. So that's the homework. Use the panels compositions, use the page layouts for pages to draw, to combine, to direct and to tell your own project little comic book short story. So have some fun and I can't wait to see your results. Thank you for this course, and see you on to part 3, comic book coloring.