How long does it take you to draw a comic?

Cuendolin · Post by **Cuendolin** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 7:12 am

You're right.
Well,I think your coloring looks good and it gives a original touch to your comic.
The problem is that I'm traveling a lot and I'm trying to use a digital tablet.
I think that maybe on long term It'll save me time.
(I really miss drawing in any place or while I'm at work )

Noise Monkey · Post by **Noise Monkey** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 7:25 am

Tablets and their time-saving capabilities are really based off of when and where you do your drawing. For instance, I do my drawing while I'm waiting for my wife to finish her classes. If I carried the laptop to work (which would be rather cumbersome and not at all discreet in most situations where I have drawing time), the tablet would be fine. However, since I don't, it takes the time I might spend inking while out and adds it to the computer time.

In that case, its really just a matter of where you want to spend the most time.

Alschroeder · Post by **Alschroeder** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:30 am

Between four to eight hours. I do each panel as a separate jpg, and spend between one to two hours on each one.---Al

Col · Post by **Col** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:53 am

Three to four hours, usually. Once I did it in two!

Ladycheru · Post by **Ladycheru** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 8:52 pm

Rough Sketch - 5 minute minimum, 20 minute maximum, depending on how I arrange it.
I also have to get this part done very much in advance, just to be sure I have it exactly how I want it. I'll sometimes change the page layout, expressions, etc. This is the only part I do separately from the other steps.

Final sketch - 1-3 hours.
Usually because I'm watching TV at the same time. If I've got a good rough sketch, there aren't too many complicated parts, I know exactly what I'm doing, or I'm having a good day, it only takes, like, an hour. However, if there are a lot of panels dealing with perspective, there are a lot of people, or complicated poses, it can take up to 3 hours. Possibly more.

Inking - Generally 30 minutes.
This is always the part I hate the most, because it has to be perfect. I always ink anything black. It's easier that way. If there's no black, the inking doesn't take that long. If there's a lot of black, it can add on quite a bit of time. However, I'd say it never takes more than an hour.

Scanning, toning, text, touchups - 1½ hours.
This is a very rough measurement, because I really love the tedium of toning my pictures, so I don't usually tend to keep track of time. So, really, it might even be as much as 3 hours. It takes a while, because I have to keep merging and creating layers. I always have text issues (because I tend to make the bubbles too small) so that always takes a bit of time.

Total time (excluding the rough sketch) - Roughly 6 hours for 1 page. For how I pace myself, let's just call it one day/page.
It can span several days, however, I highly dislike doing this, because I lose my image and train of thought from day to day, and it tends to make the page much sloppier than if I had just done it all at once. However, this cannot always be avoided. I only draw about 1 or 2 pages per week. This gives me a change to recharge.

VileTerror · Post by **VileTerror** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 9:05 pm

Let's consult my Orb of Forums' Past!

Orb says: "<a href="http://forums.comicgenesis.com/viewtopi ... 50">Answer fuzzy, insert ¢12 to continue.</a>"

The hell?!

*shakes orb*

Orb says: "<a href="http://forums.comicgenesis.com/viewtopi ... 54233">I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave.</a>"

*tosses orb away*
Bah! Stupid trinket.

CottontailCouriers · Post by **CottontailCouriers** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 9:07 pm

At the moment? About an hour on each strip, not counting the pauses I take to think of things or how to shade or which animal to draw next.

When I decide on a scanner or tablet for christmas, this time spent on comic may be the same or become much larger as I span into lining and "gimping it up" as I call the whole shading and coloring process. I'll probably only be able to do it if I get a tablet, but that puts the strain of learnng a new device on my shoulders.

Ah, choices.

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:51 pm

Oh, anywhere from 4-8 hours a strip, depending on what I actually drew and how obsessive-complusive I'm feeling.

And bear in mind that my comic updates seven days a week.....

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:25 am

It takes me about a week to create one strip of "Grumpy, the fat hamster".

Redtech · Post by **Redtech** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:45 am

Sadly, I rate myself as slow as a mammoth that hasn't been thawed out of ice. Probably because I see the eraser as useful as the pencil and take pencil art as 'sculpting an image from a rock you've drawn'.

I find it faster doing the digital colouring as I've got a tablet and can use a mouse and the pen at nearly the same time! (I'm ambidextrous with a mouse).

Czar · Post by **Czar** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 5:33 am

mcDuffies wrote:It takes me about a week to create one strip of "Grumpy, the fat hamster".

Your dedication is admirable, but your deception is laughable.

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 8:25 am

mcDuffies wrote:It takes me about a week to create one strip of "Grumpy, the fat hamster".

Yeah, a week in fish years.

LibertyCabbage · Post by **LibertyCabbage** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 5:43 pm

Drawing Grumpy is the easy part for McD. It just takes him a week to come up with the punchline.

Elegant Gremlin · Post by **Elegant Gremlin** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 6:12 pm

A comic can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours.

The last one I made (for January 2nd), took around 30 minutes to plan, draw and compile. That was because the idea I had was funny before and after I drew it. (I won't start drawing a comic till the idea makes me smile/giggle).

But there was one that took me a couple hours, because I kept going back to rework the joke. It may only take a smile/giggle to get it going, but it takes me laughing for it to go up.

It at least helps quality control somewhat.

Biev · Post by **Biev** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 2:08 am

Mine takes me longer and longer every time. When I first started it it took me one hour to draw a page and now it takes me around 12. Of course the pages look a lot better.... but since I update every other day, it ends up taking me the whole day, every day. It's insane, I'm not gonna be able to keep this up for long.

BeefotronX · Post by **BeefotronX** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 3:52 pm

Let's see.
Counting procrastination, anywhere from a couple days to a month per strip.

1. Background modeling takes varying amounts of time, from 0-6 hours.
- If it's a brand spanking new location, it takes 4 or more hours to put enough together for one strip. Generally it's necessary to have 90-100 percent of the exterior done in order to have an establishing shot, and only a small part of the interior is usually needed.
- In a recently established location, the interior is filled in as needed, usually only one or two rooms at a time, which usually takes 1-2 hours.
- After a few strips a location will be for the most part complete, and can be used without adding to it further.
2. Sketching takes about 30 minutes, including writing dialog.
3. Setting up and rendering background shots takes about an hour total.
4. The 'good pencil' takes about half an hour.
5. Inking takes about half an hour.
6. Coloring takes about an hour.
7. Shading and touchup takes about half an hour.

So I really only do about 6 hours of actual work to do a strip. Maybe less if I got really focused.

Toreador · Post by **Toreador** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 3:57 pm

roughly an hour a page if you inlude everything (sketch, ink, scan, clean up, wording etc) but normaly i spend 10 mins on a strip sketching and then brake it down into parts

Rickford · Post by **Rickford** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:15 pm

Erk, missed this thread.

Well, making a fully complete comic takes me roundabouts 12-14 hours at a rough estimate. And I can't start a comic, take a break, and then go back to it. I do it in Bad habit of mine, I find that once I've started a comic, if I take a break from it, I don't go back to it. Hence why I have to do it all in one go.

pencils, depending on the size of the comic and the amount of figures/ props I need to draw, take roughly an hour, maybe two. Inking takes slightly less time that the pencils.

The time consuming part is the colouring. The way I draw has so many different stages it's untrue. Takes especially long if I'm colouring the lines as well. In fact, coloured lines tends to double the time.

FunnyPerson · Post by **FunnyPerson** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:00 pm

if I work nonstop:

Pencilling; 3-5 hours

Inking: 2-3 hours

Messing around on the computer, screaming at Photoshop and trying to figure out why my Photoshop wont' do what everyone elses' will so I can follow their instructions, then finally get it colored, text entered and resized properly: 10 hours.

MrEff · Post by **MrEff** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 2:30 pm

For Ded End it takes a good 2-3 hours from start to finish just to do an average three panel strip. Strip'ers was a day long venture do to size and story-telling...

-MrEff-

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How long does it take you to draw a comic?

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