Who It Suits

Comics are “sequential art” — images and words arranged in deliberate order to tell a story, a definition popularised by Scott McCloud in Understanding Comics. A comic page is built from panels, the individual frames, separated by gutters, the blank space between them. The reader’s eye moves across the gutters and fills in what happens between panels, so a comic controls time the way film does, but with still images. The story is carried by speech balloons, caption boxes, and the layout itself.

What a beginner actually does: pick a small story, sketch rough panels (called thumbnails), draw them cleanly, and add lettering. You do not need polished drawing before starting; clear panels and readable moments matter more at first, and stick figures work if the action and emotion are clear.

The honest appeal: it is cheap, portable, and combines writing, drawing, and visual problem solving in one hobby. The honest constraints: a comic is a finished product, not a sketch — you have to plan, draw, and letter a whole story — and drawing skill improves slowly.

Getting Started

Comics come in several traditions, and it helps to know which you are reading and making:

  • American comics — usually 22-page issues or collected graphic novels, with speech balloons carrying most of the dialogue.
  • Manga — Japanese comics, read right-to-left and top-to-bottom, often in black and white with strong emphasis on page-turn pacing.
  • Bande dessinée — European (especially French- and Belgian-language) comics, often full-page layouts with caption boxes instead of balloons.
  • Webcomics — published online, often in a vertical scrolling format.
  • Zines — small, self-published booklets, printed or photocopied, at the heart of the DIY comic scene.

Formats for a first comic: a four-panel (a tiny joke or situation), a one-page comic, or a six-to-eight-page mini-comic. Short, self-contained stories are the right size: they can be planned, drawn, and finished in a day or two.

A few more terms that do most of the work:

  • Thumbnail — a small, rough sketch of a whole page, used to work out the panel layout before drawing.
  • Lettering — adding speech balloons, captions, and sound effects; in comics it is a craft in its own right.
  • Splash page — a full-page panel reserved for a big moment.
  • Page turn — the moment the reader turns the page; a classic place to hide a reveal.

Basic Gear

Essential:

  • Paper or a sketchbook (smooth, medium-weight paper works well).
  • Pencil and eraser for thumbnails and layout.
  • A fineliner pen (around 0.3–0.8 mm) for final lines; a brush pen if you want expressive, varying lines.
  • A ruler if you want neat panel borders.

Optional at first:

  • A drawing tablet and stylus, with drawing software — Krita is free and open source; Clip Studio Paint and Procreate are paid options popular with comic artists.
  • A scanner, or just a phone camera, for sharing pages online.

First Session

Draw a four-panel comic about a tiny problem: losing keys, burning toast, missing a bus, or meeting a strange animal. Work in three passes:

  1. Thumbnail the page in pencil — four small boxes, a few lines each, just enough to see the story works.
  2. Draw the final panels with your pen, keeping characters consistent from panel to panel.
  3. Letter it — speech balloons sized to the text, tails pointing at the speaker, and a caption or two if the scene needs context.

Focus on clarity from panel to panel: if you cannot follow the story at thumbnail size, the final version will not fix it.

First Month

Make several short comics, one or two a week if you can. A workable sequence:

  • Practice facial expressions — surprise, worry, relief — since emotion carries most short comics.
  • Vary panel size and angle: a wide panel to establish a place, a close-up for the emotional beat, a small panel for a quick reaction.
  • Practice lettering: balloon shape, spacing, and keeping the text readable.
  • Try a silent sequence — no dialogue at all — to force the pictures to do the work.
  • Finish one six-to-eight-page mini-comic with a beginning, middle, and end.

Read your favourite comics slowly, too: notice how they control time with panel size, where they hide reveals behind page turns, and how much story the gutters carry.

Costs

Comics can start almost free: a sketchbook, pencils, and a few pens is a small one-off purchase (roughly a few pounds or dollars, depending on where you shop). Costs rise only when you choose to: a drawing tablet and stylus commonly costs a few hundred pounds or dollars depending on the model and region, and drawing software ranges from free (Krita) to paid apps or subscriptions. Printing a zine, attending conventions, or setting up an online store are all optional later steps, and none are required for early practice.

Space Needed

A desk, table, or tablet stand is enough. Keep pages flat while you work, and store drafts together in a folder or binder so you can track ideas, character designs, and revisions.

Solo or Social

Most making is solitary, but the hobby has a strong social side: local comic conventions and zine fairs, art-school open days and workshops, library and community-group comic nights, and online communities such as Webtoons’ creator section and comic critique groups. Sharing a finished short comic — not a work in progress — is the easiest way to get useful feedback.

Common Mistakes

  • Planning a huge saga before finishing a page.
  • Skipping thumbnails, so the layout only becomes clear after the ink is down.
  • Making speech balloons too small for the text.
  • Drawing every panel from the same distance, so the page feels static.
  • Hiding unclear action behind lots of text.
  • Letting characters drift — different proportions or features from panel to panel.
  • Lettering before the art is settled; lettering is the last thing you can fix.
  • Publishing or selling work based on other people’s copyrighted characters; private practice is fine, but use your own characters for anything you share publicly.

Safety / Accessibility

Comics are one of the lowest-physical-demand art hobbies, but long drawing and screen sessions can strain the neck, shoulders, and wrists. Take regular breaks, keep your screen or paper at a comfortable height, and use good light. If you work digitally, the 20-20-20 rule recommended by optometrists — every 20 minutes, look at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds — eases eye strain.

Comics are also highly adaptable: digital zoom, panel templates, larger panels, speech-to-text for captions, and simplified character designs all lower the barrier, and the hobby is enjoyed across ages — many people start as readers and move to making.

Where It Can Go

Comics can lead toward webcomics, zines, graphic novels, storyboarding, illustration, animation, game writing, teaching, or collaborative projects. Some art schools (CalArts in the US, for example) offer dedicated comics degrees, and comic conventions and zine fairs are where many artists first show work. Panel and lettering skills transfer directly to film, advertising, and interface design.

References

Last reviewed: 17 August 2026.

Specialist guides:

  • Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (1993) — the standard reference on the language of comics: panels, gutters, and why sequential images tell stories.
  • Scott McCloud, Making Comics: Story Structure, Visual Style, and Narrative (2016) — a practical follow-up on planning and drawing comics.

Background:

  • The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (Ohio State University, Columbus) — one of the largest public collections of cartoon and comic art, with exhibitions and resources for readers and creators.

Community resources (optional):

  • Krita — free, open-source drawing software with comic-specific guides and templates.
  • Webtoons — a free webcomic platform with a creator section for publishing your own work.
  • Local zine fairs and comic conventions — check your city’s event listings; these are the main offline venues for showing and selling short comics.

Drawing, creative writing, digital illustration, calligraphy, printmaking, photography, and journaling all support comic making.