Webtoon: Photoshop Process Fighting Double Spread - Lineart

I first began to create the lineart and refined panel structure by sketching and completing the middle pose first. I purposely completed this lineart first as I would then be able to use this as a structure for the panels that it would be overlapping, I would be able to determine where the placement of the majority of the panel should be in order for the audience to understand the imagery clearly. Using the brush tool I was able to sketch the rough lines of action for the pose before lowering the opacity to create a neater sketch on a layer above it. Using this as a guide for the anatomy helped me to perceive the mistakes with the proportions and perspectives of the pose so far. I did find the perspective on this pose one of the hardest perspectives to create on the page through the position of the right arm on the figure. I needed to show distance but I found this difficult with his back and shoulder blades. I was able to solve this problem by asking feedback from my peers who gave me tips on the back and the arm perspective. I found that it was the length of the limbs rather than the angle of the body which made the lineart work unsuccessfully. After solving these problems I was then able to use the pen tool on a new layer to create the final lineart for the middle pose. To make this pose stand out from the rest of the double spread I used a 7 px stroke compared to the rest of the lineart which I wanted to be a mixture of  3-4 px.

Middle Pose Sketch

Developed Sketches

After creating refined sketches for the majority of the panels that considered the overlap of the middle pose, I began to create the final lineart. The main tool I used was the pen tool for the ease and quickness in creating neat and crisp lines, if I had used the brush tool I would have found it difficult to create neat lines as I would be drawing directly with the tablet pen. This would take more time as I would want the lines to be as neat as possible so I would be more considerate with the strokes that I make. The pen tool allows you to create contoured lines by manipulating the points you have made by moving the anchor as you go along the path that you make mixing contours and straight lines. Adding a stroke to the path can be difficult at times depending on the setting that you have the stroke on, I normally apply the stroke to be the same settings as the brush tool however there are other settings which the stroke can take but I find this setting to be the simplest.

I found that the comparison between my rough sketches and the refined lineart to be quite significant with the perspective of the body and the size of the head. I found that the perspective that I quickly sketched was always out due to the length of the body or limbs which made it difficult when I wanted to create the final lineart, I had to go back to the sketch to fix the main angle of the pose so that I could edit the original. The guide needed to be near the right perspective as it helps me to visualise and speed up my work process otherwise I find that I make more work for myself later on in the production process. With the difficulty of perspective I found inspiration and tips from my board in Pinterest, even if the angle was not exactly like my own, I was able to see how other artists had built up the body and angle that allowed me to apply this process to my own.

Using the pen tool

Final Lineart comparison to Sketch

Perspective inspiration - Pinterest board

After applying the same techniques and tools to the rest of the sketches I was able to complete the lineart for the double spread. I made a few changes to the panel sizes as I found that the left side had too much space with the overlap of the second panel which incorporated the robot and building. I separated the first panel into two and extended the second half into the original second panel. I found that this worked successfully as it did not feel empty and the transition through the imagery worked well, it introduced the robot more smoothly compared to the abrupt appearance of the robot in the original second panel the audience can see a small detail of the robot before viewing the menacing face of the villain.  I also changed the perspective for the very last panel on the right side to the double spread. I wanted to show movement however the previous sketch did not show too much of the hammer or the character which I felt didn't work successfully for the effect that I wanted. Changing the angle slightly worked well as the movement within the characters hair and body show the movement with the hammer that he is holding.

Final Lineart for page