You know what I love about reading comics and manga in general, especially B&W manga? It forces the reader’s imagination to bloom.
I love making an animation. It have all the movement, sounds, and colors presented right in front of your eyes. But when a manga can make you feel the movement, hear the sounds, taste the flavors, and even see the colors using only B&W pages… I’m so jealous! XD
I want to be able to do that!
That’s exactly why I decided to make Robin Boof and the Lost Pajamas as a short B&W comic ❤️
But drawing comics in B&W is an entirely different method from coloring. You don’t just draw the outlines and fill them with grayscale to imitate colors. Instead, you’re drawing lines that create contrast between positive and negative space.
To do that well, I needed some practice first! 💪 🏹
In the past, I used to practice by copying pages from manga I admire suce as: Ruri to Ryouri no Ou-sama to and Kouya ni Kemono Doukokusu
Using references is one thing, but when I tried drawing on my own without them, I forgot all that and do on my own and it was really hard XD.
My first attempt was pretty bad pfff I was still drawing lines as if the pages were meant to be colored later.
My mind kept thinking things like: “His hoodie is green, so it should be this shade of gray. His gloves and boots are dark gray because they’re leather,” and so on.
All these problems weren’t because I didn’t understand the method.
I just wasn’t thinking about it at all and jumped straight in XD (NOT RECOMMENDED!).
So I’m planning better in the next testing. I make sure I have enough information and a clear vision in the sketch before I start inking.
Now I can clearly see which parts should keep strong lines, which parts can use fabric texture, and where to create stark contrast, etc.
Voilà!
I used the G-Pen brush in Clip Studio Paint along with classic screentones, just one gradient grayscale for his tunic was enough.
Satisfied ❤️ This is exactly what I want my comic to look and feel like!
Starting soon, I’ll begin boarding Robin Boof and the Lost Pajamas short comic proj and show the entire process exclusively to Patrons only!
Those who pledge $10 or $20 per month during the making of the comic will get a credit at the end of the chapter when it’s done ❤️
Thanks for reading ,everyone ^^
/me figuring out how Robin Boof carries and uses his longbow as a weapon.
I'm thinking about using Webtoon as a host and doing the vertical style. Let me know what you think XD!