Join John Roshell for an in-depth discussion in this video Drawing a tail, part of Lettering Comic Books with Illustrator.
- Drawing a tail to indicate whose mouth the words…are coming from might be as simple as three clicks…and a drag with the pen tool.…But a perfectly drawn tail…can not only point without being rude…it can gently lead the reader from balloon to balloon…and even from panel to panel.…So, before we draw that first tail,…first thing I'm going to do is go back…to the closed arrow tool.…Select both the type and the balloon,…and just move them a little bit closer to the character…whose speaking there.…Zoom in.…Then, we're going to get our pen tool,…and we want to click in the center of the balloon,…right there in the center.…
Drag about half-way to the speaker's mouth.…Click.…And then go back inside the balloon.…Click, and drag,…just to give it a little bit of a curve to it.…And then, we can just hit Enter to end the balloon path.…Then, we can select that.…And let's go over to the layer tool.…Move it down to the balloon layer.…And if we select that and the balloon,…go to the PathFinder palette.…We can click Unite to turn those into a single shape.…
Author
John Roshell
Released
1/12/2016This course deconstructs the lettering process for comics, in terms of how to think about lettering and how to execute your vision in Adobe Illustrator. Professional artist John Roshell begins with a brief history of comics and then jumps into the design of word balloons, type treatment, captions, and sound effects. At the end of the course, John goes overs some basic business know-how, so members understand how to successfully collaborate with other artists and publishers.
- Understanding the main goal: storytelling
- Arranging the lines of dialogue
- Drawing word balloons and tails
- Emphasizing words with typography and sound effect stylings
- Adding captions and special types of balloons (thought balloons, whisper balloons, etc.)
- Creating sound effects
- Creating PDF proofs
- Charging for your work
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
Views
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Introduction
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Welcome59s
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1. Overview
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The main goal: Storytelling1m 58s
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Tools and prerequisites2m 43s
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Getting ready to letter4m 33s
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2. Word Balloons
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Typographic traditions2m 16s
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Drawing a basic balloon2m 40s
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Drawing a tail3m 1s
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Butting and masking balloons4m 46s
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Working in lowercase3m 59s
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3. Type Treatment
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Fitting into tight spots6m 39s
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4. Captions and Other Balloon Styles
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Thought balloons7m 21s
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Whisper balloons3m 21s
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Weak or "deflated" balloons5m 48s
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Electric and radio balloons5m 56s
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Special voices4m 29s
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Voiceover captions4m 8s
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Narrative captions7m 36s
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5. Comic Book Sound Effects
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6. Finishing Touches
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Creating signage8m 42s
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Adding color9m 4s
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Looking back over the page4m 28s
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Rhythm and consistency4m 46s
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7. Final Output
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Creating PDF proofs1m 39s
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Generating output files3m 2s
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Conclusion
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Charging for your services1m 51s
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Being professional2m 28s
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Conclusion34s
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Video: Drawing a tail