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Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 2:25 pm
by Jerks Comics
Hello all,

Long time viewer, first time poster. Cheers! I am a web cartoonist with a question towards bettering my craft. Figured here would be a good place to ask. I am a crummy letterer, and want to start a project that will be very text heavy. Doing letters by hand won't be an option. However, all drawings will be with pencil and ink, and I need an attractive and efficient way to add digital text to the scans of the drawings. My first thought was Photoshop, but maybe more experienced comic-ers have some better advice from experience?

Any help appreciated.

Aside: I believe I have not violated Rule 30, because I've not mentioned my webcom in the post. If I have crossed any line, it was not in bad faith!

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 2:36 pm
by Kimra
You have squeezed past the rule safely, but please introduce yourself. Also, my best suggestion would be go and create your own font. That could work but might be a bit of a challenge at first. Just don't use comic-sans.

Also, we read a webcomic we don't all make webcomics.

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 4:54 pm
by Jerks Comics
Hi Kimra - thanks for the response!

Sorry about the no-introduce. My name is Sterling, and I've been running a Sunday web comic for just over a year now (although I've been doing comics on and off for a decade privately and in my universities' student newspapers). I'm still in the early stages of developing my webcom and net presence, though. I've just left my twenties behind me this year, have a bit of world travel, a graduate degree in Existentialism, and I dig continental philosophy, computers, saltwater aquarium-ing, reading about law, Xbox Live and Halo, ummmmm....and webcoms and SMBC of course!

While I figured not everyone here is a webcom artist, I also figured someone would have some solid input. And your suggestion about custom fonts proved me right - thanks!

Nice to meet you,

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 5:56 pm
by sotic
If you do wind up making a font face, there's a nice guide here: http://ilovetypography.com/2007/10/22/s ... nt-part-1/

For typesetting text on a page, if I recall correctly there's a somewhat-related tutorial thing in the Extras section of http://www.thepunchlineismachismo.com/ but the site's down right now.

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 7:24 pm
by In Jam
Use MS Paint, very easy to use interface and lots of bright colours to choose from.

***/*****

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:16 pm
by Lethal Interjection
Jerks Comics wrote: Aside: I believe I have not violated Rule 30, because I've not mentioned my webcom in the post.
Ooooops.

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:18 pm
by In Jam
He has a webcomic? There was no way to know!

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 9:02 pm
by sotic
Site is back up again. The aforementioned tutorial is here http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/image ... torial.jpg

This artist lays down the text over the sketch, then inks/colours it, leaving the text bubbles for last.

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:10 pm
by Jerks Comics
Haha thank you all for your replies! They will be very useful. Further, I do appreciate some of your logical jabs at the inherent contradiction in my post - I am aware, per Rule 12, "we all read [SMBC] and thus have a bent sense of humor." Thanks again, and nice to be on board (~pun~) - Cheers!

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:39 am
by DonRetrasado
I'm not too sure about this.

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:57 am
by Jerks Comics
Hello Mr. DonRetrasado,

How are you? Have you ever watched Terry Jones' "The Hidden History of Rome?" Good stuff, available on Netflix streaming. Good stuff I'm enjoying right now. What's not to be sure about?

Nice to meet you,

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 4:04 am
by DonRetrasado
You're making me kind of uncomfortable, Sterling Lambert.

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 4:29 am
by Lethal Interjection
Seconded.

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 8:22 am
by In Jam
Dear Sterling Lambert,

I am writing to inform you that not every post must be in the format of a letter.

Your pal, In Jam

Re: Webcom lettering question

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 9:40 am
by Jiro
I thought we were invisible until we posted in that one thread. Anyway, his knowledge of the rules is impressive. I gave them a cursory glance and then decided it was too much reading. My attention span isn't all th