Making a page

I write and draw the Numskulls for The Beano.

Here's how a page comes into being...

Firstly I'll sketch out a page in a note book.

A5 is best as the small page stops me from getting too wordy.

This is an example of a rare page that went well.

That is to say the rough made sense and had the right number of panels.

Most of the time it isn't this smooth and I have to attack the thing with scissors.

If a page is too short the best place for extra material is at the start or middle as you've often thought of a good ending and you don't want to take from that with more stuff after the climax.

So It's often the case that, with the help of some sellotape a messy jigsaw of a page is somehow arrived at.

It's messy and readable so needs to be redone because no editor alive would be able to read it.

So I re-draw the page.

This is also a good opportunity to trim the words. Say the same with less words if possible.

Then it's sent to the editor, hopefully to be approved...

 Once approved it's time to draw the thing!

 ...and in house the dialogue etc is put on.

A little word about drawing.

My scripts are hand drawn. "straight to ink" two years ago they looked like this...

Now they look like this. That's how two years of drawing a lot will help you.