Elijah and Azuu

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#1049 Piety: Old Laws

Inkmonkey

on Aug. 5, 2006

I've noticed that one of the most neglected aspects of comic art is Word Balloons.

Now the problem with word balloons is they aren't supposed to look good. In fact, an overly impressive word balloon will detract from its power. A good, standard word balloon should be practically unseen. It should blend in naturally in a panel, and the flow of the eyes should move naturally between balloons without the need for arrows or color coding.

This is an easy concept to understand, but a difficult one to master. One piece of advice I'll give for now, though, is that one must keep in mind while drawing a comic where the word balloons will go. I myself have suffered many times from focusing too heavily on the art, and not on word balloon placement, resulting in cramped, ugly balloons that are difficult to read.

A comfortable font is important too. For most comics, you're going to want something neutral what will work for all characters. It is very difficult to use different fonts and colors for each individual character, and for the most part just isn't worth it.

Oh, and before I forget, I just received a very nice fanart of Amy and Fraja from the author of Sex on the Beach (which, despite its name, is not pornographic in the least).