Process: thumbnails into finals (Patreon)

Here's a look at sort of when stuff happens from the page planning level between thumbnails and my finals, using a page from 07 CENTER. Familiar is basically my first and only sequential project so I'm nowhere near saying my layouts are GOOD, but I can describe my process. Ha ha ha!

During thumbnails, I'm basically trying to lay the tracks for the comic so I can get a sense of what happens on each page. I do all my thumbnails for a chapter first, then work through the script, then do the "finals" (they're never really final, are they?)

(I draw my thumbnails from a trello story board which I can talk about on another post)

In thumbnailing I'm working on panel layout, blocking within the panels, text bubbles (and reading flow). By blocking I'm just getting a sense of where the characters are on the page, what the angle is, how big they are compared to their surroundings, any expressions, and abbreviations for any important action taking place. I try to limit the action to one thing happening per panel. So in the thumbnails you can see:

• First panel: Kari introduces Gibbs, Jack and Gibbs shake hands (basically simultaneous action)
• Second panel: Gibbs says some stuff to Jack, Jack reacts -- this is the first time Gibbs and Jack meet each other formally so I wanted to give it a full panel even if they're just talking
• Third panel (focus): Jack operates the remote to someone's remote control vibrating egg

After I get the script at least cohesive through the whole chapter (sometimes using placeholder text like "Diana explains GlamourBox") and making any notes about revisions I need to make based on the script (expressions will frequently change here, and I may re-block the characters if the order of dialogue changes so the speakers appear left to right in speaking order, etc) I start lines and shading. Sometimes I might draw a new thumbnail before that, depending on how heavy the revisions are (like when combining a page).

This is also the point where I round up my reference photos and make sure what I sketched in my thumbnail is viable. Especially when I'm not sure about how to draw something (a car, a certain hand gesture) you'll see my extreme abbreviations go from being a vague shape to articulated.

In the "finals" (they're not really inks, but they're not finals. I don't know what to call them) I fill in the expressions and characters/outfits, add any backgrounds, and add additional motion or SFX lines. Side note: I actually shade all my pages in B&W and drop the color screen in InDesign!

Anything specific you'd like me to focus on for a process post? I'm happy to take suggestions. I'm just going blah right now on what I happen to be working on!