Comic Artists tools and resources

So you wanna be a comic artist, eh?
Well, as promised, here is a feature of resources for comic artists that can all be found on DA.

Comic artists face many challenges when trying to create a comic book, there are so many factors and aspects to consider. Many comic artists are both writers and artists and coming up with an effective story and being able to tell/show it in an eyecatching and effective way is full of challenges.

Here on DeviantART there are many resources and tools to help you overcome some of these problems.
This is just a sample of what I was able to find on DeviantART just by searching "comics". There's no limit to what you can find here when you narrow your search and have a look at what your peers have provided for you.

I cant stress enough to you to go through the resources and stock galleries on Deviantart, there are so many amazing pose and background references, you can waste a whole day just looking through and getting ideas and finding anatomy references!
Stock is not just for Photomanipulators.

Writing

This is where it all begins, a good story can make or break your comic. A good story can even make up for poor art in some cases. You have to have a solid story before getting started.

Lettering, Fonts and speech bubbles

Surprisingly, the font/style of lettering you choose and the layout is increadably important to a comic book. The right font can set the mood and expression of a comic or a scene. Sometimes a font can even help bring out the personality of a character. Bubble layout is important as well, you need to make sure there is room for your speach bubbles and that your bubbles compliment the books art well.

Paneling and boarding

Before a comic artist can draw out the pages there needs to be some planning, thumbnailing and boarding done. This is so you can set up the composition, make spreads and other things.

Characters

These are some reference material and stock for working with the characters in your comics. Stock is something often overlooked by people because they seem to think that stock is meant only for Photomanipulators. Stock can be invaluable for a comic artist getting realistic looking and exciting poses.

Perspective

While actual background tutorials are scarce on DeviantART, you dont really need one. Backgrounds can be made by observing objects and scenery and learning perspective to make them work with your characters. Perspective can be very difficult to grasp at first, but once you understand the rules it will make a huge difference in your work.
You can find good background and prop reference material by searching through the stock avaliable on DA.

Penciling, Lineart, Colouring and Toning

Some comics are just ink, some are colour and come are greyscales. Here are some tutorials outlining different methods of adding depth and tone to your artwork.

Effects and brushes

Walkthroughs

All comic artists have their own ways to do things, wether they be digital or traditional, they've had to overcome obstacles. Here are a few methods your fellow comic artists have used, perhaps their methods can work for you.

Printing/publishing/Posting the final product

Once you've got your comic created it needs to be posted online, sent to a publisher or printed! It might surprise you to know whats involved when setting up a comic to print!