Making a Graphic Novel! - Part 1

In this video I describe the first part of my process for creating, designing, and drawing a Graphic Novel in 3 months. I am a little behind on the process, but still have some buffer room to work with to finish the graphic novel in the three month time period! :)
If you have any tips or thoughts, feel free to comment them down below!
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• Painting a 3-Panel Gou...
►3 Ways to boost your creativity as an artist
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►Drawing 100 swords in 1 day!
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► Painting an Acrylic Mountain Landscape!
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[@nanadeez910]

As soon as I saw your apron I thought "This guy's a Miyazaki fan", then I saw you flip through Nausicaa. You get it. 👍👍

[@frigidgamer6307]

I’m making a comic rn but I find using less panels per page easier than putting in 12 per page. I put in 3-6 big panels per page because it’s easier to draw in bigger spaces and you can add more detail in the background to even more immerse the reader into your world. I hope this helped but I am a rookie so take this with a grain of salt.

[@Ekpap]

It's been a bit since I made this video, but absolutely agree with you!

[@darioscomicschool1111]

3:26 Putting tiny Pictures on a Page and telling a story is MAGICAL!

[@edenisok894]

Woah! This is really cool! I love how quick your sketches are, I’ve been trying to make one as well but I keep going over the same thing and restarting everything. I would love to follow you on your art journey! Subscribed!

[@Ekpap]

Thank you! I'm definitely hoping to upload more art content soon. (I'm in the process of finding an editor for YT videos, as I simply don't have the time to edit my own videos... But hopefully soon more videos will be uploaded!)

[@human_no847]

Your hand painted maps are really beautiful!

[@Ekpap]

Thank you! That's very nice of you to say 😄

[@auriannahoward5943]

I made a big graphic novel in 2020 it was 126 pages and it was my very first time making one😉

[@Ekpap]

126 pages! Wow that's impressive! Well done 😄

[@auriannahoward5943]

@@Ekpap thanks by the way Im recreating my graphic novel digitally.

[@msoh5177]

@@auriannahoward5943 will u be posting it somewhere? Would love to see it

[@auriannahoward5943]

I have most of my work on Instagram. Also the graphic novel is finished all digital, colored and 200 pages. There's only a couple pages posted because I didn't want to give anything any. Also I'm working on a nother graphic novel project.

[@msoh5177]

@@auriannahoward5943 can i have your art acc name pls?

[@Ronney-Aragundi]

Why are you wearing an apron?

[@saracatio]

I think it would be helpful to sketch some little layout sketches about how you could along the panels - it’s easier than doing it while also sketching the story, and you can experiment more

[@Ekpap]

I like this idea! I will try it out!

[@michaeladavienna]

Excited to read the finished graphic novel. I wish I could only have half of your motivation to work on my projects (not even talking from finishing them :)) And yes you really inspired me to plan and work more seriously on my art project.

[@Ekpap]

I’m excited to have it finished! 😊 and to be honest, I still struggle quite a lot with motivation. Many days, I just don’t want to do the work that helps me reach my goals and finish my projects. I try my best to push through that feeling and do the work anyways. Still, some days I find it very difficult to push through, and I end up procrastinating work, but I’ve found that the more I practice pushing through, the easier it’s become to do so! And I’m glad I was able to give you a little inspiration! 😄

[@eruston]

kudos to you for taking on such a challenge. I too am considering how to get a graphic novel done. It is a daunting task to say the least. I have so much respect for the Japanese mangaka's that churn out serial versions of their manga on a weekly basis. The skill they have is amazing. My struggle is consistency with character drawing and not getting into the weeds with background scenery and details.

[@Ekpap]

Haha thanks, it is a challenge for sure! I don’t know how the mangakas do it, a single page for me takes like 3 days. And I totally get that struggle, consistency is a difficult thing to maintain.

[@1Pencil1Pen]

I'm working on my first GN and I'm really focused on story development and character development at this time. I've been using Wattpad to write out the storyline and keep my thoughts together. I applaud you for putting your "work in progress" out there. Every time we do something new, it's an opportunity to learn. It looks like this video is a couple years old, but the information is still helpful. Good job!

[@suzysquidink]

Nice one! One of the biggest barriers to creating a comic is having effective time management, and it looks like you're doing really well. Well done on powering through, I wish you luck with it! Random side note, if you like discord, the comic creator youtubers Mckay and Gray have a discord with loads of comic making people on it, and I've found it to be a really nice community, in case you want to check it out!

[@Ekpap]

Time management definitely is a barrier! I honestly underestimated how much time just planning out the pages would take me, but I'm doing my best to stay caught up. (although, staying caught up is difficult) haha). And I would absolutely love to be a part of that Discord! It sounds awesome.

[@dameanvil]

00:31 📝 Pierce is working on creating a graphic novel in three months. He currently has a story, some style designs, and is rough drafting the first 100 pages. 01:16 🕑 Each page takes around 15-20 minutes to create, even in 3000x speed. The sketches are basic and consist of ovals and squares, with minimal dialogue. 02:11 📚 Pierce is using Hayao Miyazaki's "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" as a guide for page layout, transitioning from square-like panels to more dynamic rhombus shapes. 03:06 🔄 Pierce acknowledges that his dialogue and designs are clunky in this initial planning stage, and he's open to feedback from viewers. 04:00 🎨 Creating a graphic novel is a multi-stage process, with the goal of telling a coherent and beautiful story through pictures and poetic language in dialogue. 05:11 🌍 Pierce prioritized story over world-building, and initially found it challenging to create a story without a predetermined world. He shares his timeline and ideation process. 06:46 🗺️ Pierce believes mapping out the world of the story is crucial for visualizing the narrative. He created a map for the above and below ground settings, inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's style. 08:09 🎨 Pierce shows his style guide and character sketches, highlighting the experimentation and evolution of his designs. 09:18 ⏰ Pierce acknowledges he's behind schedule and is considering extending the deadline for planning the 100 pages, aiming to finish the graphic novel by March 27th.

[@andrewmenees473]

One way i get region map inspiration is I pee in the toilet and then make a diagonal line through the bubbles and take some pictures to capture the believable map-looking shapes. I'm lying about the pictures part, but peeing did inspire me to use water and dishsoap bubbles, or bath bubbles to come up with landscapes(super bibbly bubble baths help with geographic landforms too). Story-wise I just write it out completely first. This video was helpful, though, to see that I'm kinda on the right track. Your Nausicaa(cant remember if thay's how ot's spelled. Saw the movie. Great movie) is my Walking Dead.

[@DEMONS632]

Your sketches are better then my actual drawings

[@msoh5177]

I love your process! It's really interesting to see it especially the timeline and map u created

[@verano3992]

I thought that you had like 100k subs. but you only have 830!? that's just not right, you have a great video quality and voice, and good content which you try very hard on! Underrated. Love watching your videos!

[@Ekpap]

Haha yep (834 at the time of writing this though yay!) Admittedly, I do recognize if I want to get to 100k, I should upload more frequently and less sporadically: something I hope to do this summer! But thank you for the affirmations :)

[@roebucksruin]

I know I'm late to the party, but this guy is doing everything right. The first step to making something better is for it to exist int he first place. Worry about how it can be better on draft 2.

[@thelivichronicles]

love your vibe

[@Ekpap]

Thank you :)

[@microchip1887]

My favorite books are graphic novels they are so fun to read! Also you just got yourself another sub!

[@Ekpap]

Same! I love graphic novels. And thank you! 😄

[@microchip1887]

@@Ekpap welp you deserve it your so underrated!

[@sceneitallwithjeffandjon6984]

Currently working on a graphic novel, similarly inspired by Miyazaki's Nausicaa manga/movie and Final Fantasy (steampunk, floating islands, magic), and I just came across your channel. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of your journey!

[@itsjust._.nana7995]

I’m 13 and I’m making a graphic novel. I’m up to 84 pages😁

[@Ekpap]

That's impressive! Keep up the great work!

[@itsjust._.nana7995]

@@Ekpap thanks, kind sir!☺️

[@marygoglia]

Good luck with your graphic novel, I just found your channel and will be trying to catch up in seeing your comic making journey! Subscribed! :)

[@doublelizard767]

Mapping out the scenes with rough drawings sounds interesting. Nice

[@Ekpap]

Heck yeah! Since talking with some published graphic novelists, nearly all of them do some sort of rough sketch before the final thing.

[@doublelizard767]

@@Ekpap I hadn't thought of that tbh. Thanks for introducing the idea to me!

[@jordanlight8364]

Keep on doing your thing man, it's pretty inspiring

[@HeatherShreve]

Yeaaa, story is king!

[@Leikjarinn]

thanks for sharing this man !

[@dauntlessoperator41]

I dig your process and there quite a few take-aways that will help me in the future. Like the use of a binder. I habe one for my video game story but not for my comic stories. 😂 It does not matter how much you got done, you are producing. That is what counts. Thanks you.

[@1995yuda]

How do you decide what your characters look like, out of all the possible 'looks' ever drawn? And how do you create a Motion Graphic Novel, is it the same process? Is there any reason you don't work completely digitally? Do you write as a hobby that comes naturally or have you learned this? The advice you got about Story vs World Building is solid, there has to be an order to things based on their significance. Well, not always but usually. Nausica's drawings are incredible, I never realized there's an actual book and that it's so stunning. Did you finish this since you uploaded the video, it's been a while?

[@Ekpap]

Hey 1995yuda! Thanks for checking out the video! And I'm not entirely sure how I decide what characters look like, I usually just experiment with different facial feature combinations until I find one that I like! As for why I work a mix of traditional and digital: Digital, in my opinion, makes art too easy (undo tool, layers, etc.) and so I work in traditional to keep the art-making challenging so as to always be growing my art skills in some way. I also LOVE the more tactile feel of traditional vs. digital. I've learned many of my writing skills through university writing and creative writing classes, but I have always loved storytelling. Having an underlying drive to get better at telling stories is something that I think comes naturally to me personally though! 😄 And yes Naussica is so good! And unfortunately I have not made much progress as I am juggling three jobs, and university at the moment. (I'm hoping to find an editor for my KZbin, so I can focus more on creating rather than editing however!)

[@eric_canete]

This may be a bit behind, but I wish you well on your project. Also...great video.

[@gerip2345]

waiting for the part 2 🙂

[@laverdadastuta8384]

Thank you! After seeing this, I feel a lot more confident on my graphic novel “Betê Norie” (French for “Black Beast”). I wish you the best of luck, as to all of you reading this!

[@HoneyLuv-d6z]

I loveee this u have inspired mee :)

[@Ekpap]

Yay! I'm glad I could give a little bit of inspiration :)

[@jonnycomics]

Cool maps!

[@oDDZdRAW]

cool video . respect the grind

[@natew5544]

i always try to find the shape of the panel that best fits the story. as long as it makes sense and everything on the page harmonizes its cool. would you want to check out my comic?

[@aliceochola3595]

Stop criticizing yourself.this is actually good

[@itsmeart]

Wow I'm so soon wanting to make a video like that but I still don't have enough courage to start drafting it 😂😭💖

[@Ekpap]

I definitely get that! Getting enough courage can be hard, and oftentimes starting is the hardest part. If you set you mind to it, and push through the parts that are tough, I know for sure you can do it!

[@nerissacrawford8017]

It did give me some layout ideas!

[@RadioGardaIndia]

Congratulations 🎉

[@saracatio]

Just found your channel - excited to see when you‘ll blow up!

[@Ekpap]

Your comment made me smile. Thank you! :)

[@sam_i_amcrotchets7680]

I’m making a graphic novel based on shocking events an emotional journey drama and teenager life and love all combined

[@liamtristanzuehlke7780]

How would you go about writing a low stakes, humourous, slice of life, relatable but wacky graphic novel about a high school romance gone wrong.. and off the rails and into many intricate storylines?

[@vietzscheallagard2129]

Where did you get that Nausicaa book?

[@cynxmanga]

I use Tanabe Gou's book for inspiration, amazing artist ❤

[@stl_outlaw1679]

I’ve been working on my plot and concept art for a while now and I have a few questions about the process. How do you convert your physical drawings to be able to print them? I have no idea how to do digital art lol. Is there an easy way to add dialogue bubbles without having to draw in a tiny space? I am very overwhelmed.

[@jorgecoelho4051]

I take about five days for a 20 pages comic in layouts but they're pretty detailed...

[@xQuandaleDinglex]

Five days!?!? That's great time! 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@jorgecoelho4051]

Only layouts! And 8 to 16 hours of work per page... @@xQuandaleDinglex

[@artgoing]

Unrelated but as soon as you snapped in the beginning-- I sneezed. Coincidence? I think NOT.

[@Ekpap]

That is SO funny. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence 🤔🤔

[@tommydarbe1524]

Doing one myself and I'm finding the story first strategy works for me. It allows me to do a rough framework i in world building I can add on it.

[@artsyminmin8990]

What’s the name/type of the sketchbook you’re using?

[@Ekpap]

It’s just a 3 ring binder with printer paper 😊

[@gianthills]

I thought each box in a printed graphic novel were actually drawn much bigger in the original.

[@ashcloud8608]

I really found this helpfull cause I also want to make a comic and I'll submit 7 days from today

[@ashcloud8608]

What instruments do i need Im stranded

[@malcolmcastle1699]

dude look like a live action Luigi. or a slim Henry Cavill's Clark kent.

[@Ekpap]

You really hit me with the live action Luigi 😭

[@LunariaOasis]

I’m working on a 135 page graphic novel. But I can't think of a good title😭💀

[@YellowHanded22]

Since this video was made 3 years ago you probably won’t respond, but can you make a comic or Graphic novel, that is 30 so pages? Because I don’t want to make one that’s 100+ pages, since my stories isn’t so long to tell. And I might make more in the future. And my 2nd question is, can you publish a comic or graphic novel that only has 30 pages? They both sound like similar questions, but I REALLY need to know this.

[@Ekpap]

Yes there are plenty of 30 page comics! They are often printed as serials, are as a part of anthologies (a bunch of comics together). Hoping to go back to this project either next year or the year after - working as an art director and concept artist now, and also building an indie video game on the side so graphic novel has been put on the backburner 🥲

[@YellowHanded22]

Thanks!

[@zaboobebop]

1:56 uhhh sir what was that?

[@Ekpap]

A mistake 😂

[@zaboobebop]

@@Ekpap Perhaps not lol

[@sandolorsilverdollar]

very helpful , but dont give yourself a time limit , youre a young man you have lots of time , better that its done right

[@heatherqls.]

Me as I was about to play Aphmau? It says Peirce...

[@Spidivercity]

Your lips seem to not be synced to the video, did you voice over?

[@pdworld3421]

Too many panels on a page

[@Ekpap]

You are right, wayyyyy too many.

[@cosmiccry6675]

You should read about basic comic rules first. Your panel design shows you have no idea about them!

[@roseannleadbetter1598]

As a manga or like marvel or DC crap novel

[@5ftmel183]

This is so helpful, thank you for sharing your process!! Im so saddened by the lack of queer media anywhere so i want to create a story me and my fellow lgbtq members will appreciate. Thanks so much for helping me get started🫶🏻🫶🏻

[@chikengas4052]

Ok, personal nitpick, I don't really like it when comic book dialogues are trying to be too much like movie dialogue. For example, in the first amulet book, around the beginning when Emily and her family step in their new house, they just start cleaning and I guess you're supposed to imagine that there is background music but I think that that's kinda awkward.

[@Ekpap]

I mean, you make a good point, your not wrong haha. Dialogue is a hard thing to get right, especially when attempting to make it flow while also move the story forward. Alongside that, many graphic novelists haves different styles of dialogue. Kazu Kibuishi has a background in Film Studies so it makes sense his dialogue is movie like. Same with Miyazaki for that matter! But yeah, your point about how it can feel awkward is definitely valid.

[@chikengas4052]

@@Ekpap ngl, I'm a hypocrite for complaining about this. I like the amulet series, but stuff like Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes have been going for so long that they're just spot on with their dialogue.

[@Ekpap]

@@chikengas4052 Haha no worries at all. Calvin and Hobbes is great with dialogue though! And if you like that dialogue, and the storytelling of Amulet, I think you might also like Lightfall. It’s a newer graphic novel, came out in 2020, but the dialogue feels very natural and flowy.

[@chikengas4052]

@@Ekpap I'll check it out!

[@socks3549]

It's great to see some Amulet love!! Definitely some of the books that got me so interested in comics. Also, really dig your maps and character designs!

[@Ekpap]

Amulet is awesome! I’m glad you like it too 😄 and thank you! Maps are one of my favorite things to draw, so I usually go all out on them.

[@ino7604]

I think the rectangle page layout is probably better because it's a fixed shape that you can master fitting your content into just the way you want it to. The awkward angles of the rhombus layout seems like it would be more difficult to work out and ultimately slow down how quickly you're making your art. Not sure if that's entirely the case as I've never taken on a project personally (yet) but that would be my intuition.

[@chhristina]

Im starting a project and I second this, going for anything that’s not a rectangle slowed me down and I couldnt afford it so i gave them up and now working quicker

[@ahnaffaiaz223]

this design is reallly easy to crete well creating something as goku is quite hard but yeah best of all luck.

[@stoicheincat1090]

My only worry with using Nausea as a reference for planning is if you print smaller than his stuff was printed I believe in magazine size. If you go too small with the size of the many panels are in your rough the text will be unreadable. I ran into this problem when I had already finished my short comic and it was highly disappointing.

[@sheemasultan8374]

Nice video....I also wanna make a graphic novel

[@Ekpap]

Go for it! It’s definitely a long and very challenging process, but it’s worth it. It will will for sure level up drawing and storytelling skills! 😄

[@ericaguiar5543]

Cute orange dark hoodieric.I love Xi ati asi asi bl😅😮😢😮🎉😢😂🎉❤

[@ericaguiar5543]

Eyelasheycocolala.Eyelasheycocolala

[@hapitoons1515]

Has your Graphic Novel been released yet? If so what is it called, im curious about it

[@Ekpap]

Not yet! I've gone through a couple iterations of different stories, but think I've settled on two that I will eventually serialize. (One is an expansion of my video game world, the other is a spinoff of my D&D game called Sendel's Mountain)

[@artistatic]

yeah I always do make my sketches really rough and detailed at the same time, so ti takes longer. Ur good:)

[@cynxmanga]

I'll be super lucky if I'll manage to draw my first CHAPTER in 3 months 😅

[@JoeyPerezthethird]

Did you use a script? I’m working on my first graphic novel as well😬

[@Ekpap]

I am in the process of writing one now! I realized going straight into the art might not be best for me personally as I frequently ran into hurdles of 'what goes next?' and would end up drawing half-baked panels. The script has been helpful for me because it provides space for a longer ideation process that consequently results in better panels 😄

[@Ekpap]

Also I just checked out one of you inking videos; dude! Your art is so good! I am excited to see your finished graphic novel, it already looks great! 😄

[@alexandruescu1207]

@@Ekpap There’s a well known technique in the industry to save time + ruination if a good drawing. All you need do is a pencil drawing, scan it into photoshop, then increase contrast until it turns black and white. It works amazingly well.

[@Ekpap]

@@alexandruescu1207 That is actually a pretty awesome technique! Thank you for sharing, I will try it out. 😄

[@alexandruescu1207]

@@Ekpap You might also want to use some video games as references for scenes. Most of them have photo editors these days + plethora of environments, vehicles, etc. Of course I’m not suggesting you steal someone else’ art works, rather, in game shots can be good references for speedy scale, perspective, lighting, camera angle, etc. I’m working on sci-fi graphic novel set in London, so using Watch Dogs Legion and it’s photo editor for reference. It saves incredible amounts of time.

[@bellamatto160]

Lustrous is another really good reference for creative framing within manga. I'm not the biggest fan of the character designs from it myself, but the narrative flow of the story and panel work is really compelling, very high drama.

[@ericaguiar5543]

Foiĺjuneachairs? Ji😮😢and illllllllll 8th and 10th

[@ericaguiar5543]

Wat er 🔫

[@unncomfyy]

oml your stuff is so amazing :O and yessss another fan of the amulet series,, literally one of the best out there

[@Ekpap]

Thanks so much! 😄 and amulet is honestly such a fantastic graphic novel.

[@ericaguiar5543]

Yesterdays Yesterday a very 😮😢mircan

[@davidcaram7675]

Great ideas,great level of organization.

[@AbyssalSoda]

I think I'm the opposite in some of these cases. I always love writing the world first, then placing the characters in it. To me the characters now have to traverse an unfamiliar landscape with the restrictions that world imposes on them. Just like we have in real life. Now do I break this on occasion? Yes. If a story element or plot point must be conveyed that the world doesn't allow I might shift how the world operates. But that's me, and not the characters doing so.

[@ericaguiar5543]

Choashammocjs.

[@millieb3823]

It looks really cool so far! Really looking forward to seeing it come together... I haven't seen many graphic novels so I don't really know how they're meant to be layed out but one suggestion I have is maybe in some of the pages you could have the triangle shapes not fill the entire page and have some blank space just to break it up a bit thought it might look cool idk ahah! And thankyou for inspiring me!

[@Ekpap]

Thanks millie ink! 😄 And I will experiment with your suggestion! I think it's a good idea, and could look cool as well. It could be some nice breathing room from all the cramped picture boxes haha.

[@millieb3823]

@@Ekpap no problem i hope it helps!

[@sabrinaterry269]

I'm learning how a graphic novel works and I plan on trying to create my own.