One of the most difficult aspects in drawing comic books is laying out a proper and effective sequential page. Drawing a "Pin-Up" or "Cover" is easy. The difficulty comes in when your goal is to get the reader to turn the page. In this article I will give you a few basic pointers that will effectively move your audience to get through a comic book you have drawn.
The first thing one must understand is simple layout design. The reader's eye starts (always) at the upper left-hand corner of the page. The artist's responsibility is to get that reader's eye to the bottom right-hand side of the page, causing them to flip the next page. The most common and effective layout is known in the industry as the Backwards "S". The eye should move in a reverse "S "pattern from top left to bottom right.
Now that that is understood, the next thing that needs to be accomplished is placing the panels on the board in such a manner that will cause the reader to move to the next intended panel. Very often beginners get experimental with panel placement and design so that to cause confusion as where to look next. ALL action in any given panel should move in the direction of the next panel, allowing the reader the ease of moving from frame to frame. At no point should the reader have to guess or try to figure out what is next.
Next is quantity of paneling. The truth is, there is no rule to this, just common sense. Every artist out there has their own approach. The less the number, the more the action on the page, the greater the number the more static. On average it ranges from 3-7 panels per page. For example, If Wolverine is jumping at Sabertooth and then slices Sabertooth across the belly; it would lack storytelling dramatics if you showed this with 7 panels. 3 would be best, with 1 of the 3 dwarfing the others. On the other hand, if Wolverine and Sabertooth are enjoying a cup o' tea together, you may want to increase those panels to 6 or 7.
Combine all three of these pieces of information and you are well on your way to effectively creating a well laid-out sequential page.
If you find this information useful, let me know and I can write more.
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