Speech

[willthemightyW]

Hi,
is there a way (preferably free) to add speech bubbles and lettering to a comic.
I can't afford anything to expensive. Please help!
Thanks.

[Jim_Campbell]

is there a way (preferably free) to add speech bubbles and lettering to a comic.
I can't afford anything to expensive. Please help!

First question: what are you looking to letter, and why? I ask because bad lettering will make even a well-drawn page look amateurish -- if you're looking to letter sample pages to submit to an editor, for example, you should absolutely leave them unlettered. Even if you're good at lettering, it's highly unlikely that you'd be expected to letter your own stuff.

The cheapest way to add lettering to a strip is also the hardest, I'm afraid, and that's to do it by hand. To be honest, 'amateur' hand lettering can have character and charm. I generally prefer it to bad computer lettering, TBH.

Practically any free art programme will have the facility to add an ellipse with a white fill and a black stroke (adding a tail should be fairly straightforward) and then put text on the top. You can do it in MS Paint at a push! This will achieve the basic aim, but make no mistake -- it'll look rubbish.

Cheers

Jim

[willthemightyW]

thanks. Well, I had this whole thing planned but it didn't work because of software, it's a long story, so I thought I could do it by hand, but then remembered that I'd inked where the speech would go because I thought I was going to do it on the computer, so I might be able to do them on a different piece of paper and scan on to the pc, then add to the pic on photoshop.

[Jim_Campbell]

I might be able to do them on a different piece of paper and scan on to the pc, then add to the pic on photoshop.

That's really rather an elegant solution, to be honest -- I'd definitely give that a bash. It may be worth giving Nate Piekos' guide to hand lettering a quick read, too.

Cheers!

Jim

[willthemightyW]

Thanks.

[Peter Wolf]

thanks. Well, I had this whole thing planned but it didn't work because of software, it's a long story, so I thought I could do it by hand, but then remembered that I'd inked where the speech would go because I thought I was going to do it on the computer, so I might be able to do them on a different piece of paper and scan on to the pc, then add to the pic on photoshop.

I dont know much or anything at all about lettering but having seen a fair bit of original art quite often the speech bubbles are placed over inked areas and sometimes over what is called Dead space in the picture which is like an inconsequential part of the inking on the page or in the panel.The artist doesnt know where the letterer is going to place the speech bubbles usually.

This was from 2000ad artwork that was from 1981.You could clearly see the inking through the speech bubbles

[Jim_Campbell]

This was from 2000ad artwork that was from 1981.You could clearly see the inking through the speech bubbles

Yes. Back in the days of hand-lettering, US letterers used to work onto the pencilled artwork, and then the inker would finish the art around the letters. British comics have never favoured the penciller/inker distinction, so letterers used to work onto finished, inked artwork by lettering onto adhesive-backed paper, cutting out the balloons and sticking them onto the artwork.

Cheers!

Jim

[willthemightyW]

thanks for the help!

[willthemightyW]

Next question, does anybody know where I could get an Ames lettering guide?

[Jim_Campbell]

Next question, does anybody know where I could get an Ames lettering guide?

I'd try an art shop. Failing that, the Blambot article I linked to has PDF guides you can download and print out yourself. Failing that, there's nothing wrong with measuring the line spaces using a ruler and drawing them with a t-square.

Cheers!

Jim

[willthemightyW]

Many thanks.