Hello everyone, I'm webtoon artist Dolbae
I've drawn Hwa Rang Kwan in SF, Tale of Gyeryong Fairy, Running after a Breakup
and I'm currently working on Yuly
If you are watching this video right now
You would be someone who is interested in webtoon-making
You may be an aspiring webtoon writer or might want to try webtoons
Perhaps you really want to draw a webtoon
but don't know where to start
Or maybe you already have the art skills,
equipment and time but
your mind goes blank
looking into the new canvas?
Where should we start with webtoon drawing?
Some people say
that you need a certain level of drawing skills to start
or some might say you need the whole story beforehand
or you will be better off going to webtoon classes
there may be many other opinions like these
But what I believe is that
If you want to become a webtoon artist, you should already be drawing one
Is there anyone who wants to be
a webtoon artist and still haven't started one yet?
If so, start drawing something now
You can start on a tablet like an ipad
or your computer
or even a pencil and paper
If you like webtoons
that means you have been spending something on them
Which also means that you have
the very basic needs to start drawing webtoons
which is: you have read lots of them
Any creation needs lots of input for lots of output
If you have seen lots of webtoons
you already know what webtoon is
It is a medium that conveys a story
through 2D images created by the artist
It includes detailed elements such as character descriptions, dialogue, narration
scene direction, and background descriptions
There may be people who hesitate to start because
they want draw each of these elements perfectly
It helps to change that mindset
If you are new
It is better for you to not have high expectations
If you are a first time comic drawer
there certainly is no reason for you to be good
So you have to sort of accept the current, or beginning stage
That way you can start something
and start having fun with your works
Ease into the learning with me
by setting a goal of drawing one episode worth of webtoon
Take it step by step
and you will be left with one episode in no time
Now let's start drawing some webtoons
Some things are necessary
First you need a work plan
you need a one-line summary of the work in a logline
the logline is considered the DNA of your work
A sentence that can summarize
your work in one line
that is the logline
also you would need a synopsis based on the logline
which is a short summary of your story
Can be anywhere from 1,000 words to full a4 paper
If you don't have a story you want to create yet
You can take part from your favorite web novel
or just any novels and develop it
but since the copyright belongs to the original author
you cannot use the creation commercially
If you have a story writer who wants to participate
collaborating is also an option
An important thing in writing a synopsis
is that you need to set up a definite start, finish and the climax
How the story starts
what kind of hardships the protagonist goes through
How he overcomes it
and what kind of outcome is shown
you need to clearly decide these elements
You also need to know
What is the desire of the protagonist, who leads the whole story?
What are his fears?
What are some obstacles that hinders the protagonist reaching his goals
These three things will be the basics
If you have set up the characters, you need to have character designs
You need designs to be able to create the manuscript
How the main character looks like
What kind of hair does he have
What type of clothes does he wear
What are his go-to face expressions
Does he carry around any items etc.
Using these things you can complete a design that can
visually depict the main character
The image I'm showing you now is
a character sheet I created
during the planning of The Island of the Cartoonist
It's good to draw the character
showing the front, side, three-quarter view, full body
the protagonist's face from
various angles
and various expressions
So this is called the character sheet
After designing like this
you have to try making a concept art
Concept art is a single illustration that
shows how the manuscript will look in advance
The concept art I have here was
used in The Island of the Cartoonist
There is the character
background, general atmosphere
types of pen lines, colors and coloring types
you can see all of those in this illustration
If you start creating the manuscript
without planning meticulously
you might struggle to meet weekly deadlines and lose sight of your direction
You need to set clear goals
and work towards them
Also
You need understanding of the drawing programs
You must know how to use a drawing program
such as Photoshop or Clip Studio
Photoshop is rarely used nowadays
People tend to use Clip Studio more
I also use Clip Studio
Let me show you now
It is this program here
I sometimes use photoshop
for the AI feature
I also use Blender program
which is a 3D program, for backgrounds
But I use Clip Studio mostly
to make webtoons
Lastly you need to establish
an environment for drawing webtoons
computer, tablet, comfortable desk and chair
and the programs
like Photoshop or Clip Studio
Have those things ready
If you want to do it by hand
you would need materials for that as well
Let me show you my work station
You can see a Cintiq
which is a tablet
and I have one computer here
keyboard and mouse
You will be well off with these materials
Please
get the equipment according to your
financial status
These days, you can draw on the computer
like this, which is very nice
When I was a student
I didn't have money for pens, inks or screen tones
So I drew on my notebook with pencils
But now it is so easy and accessible
to conveniently draw webtoons
You can see that I am using Cintiq Pro 24 in.
but lower versions of this is okay to use
There are many versions
of the Wacom tablets
So you can prepare them according to your needs
I recommend that you make an investment
and a really good chair to work on
Since you will be spending an implicit amount of time sitting down
You want to get a chair that
does not put pressure on the spine
It will be even better to have a standing desk
so you can sometimes work standing up
I also use it myself
I think it is better for my back to
stand up like this time to time
Let's talk about the stages, sequence, and
production schedule of webtoon manuscript making
I will talk about the pros and cons of
monthly and weekly deadlines
For example, let's say my work is webtoon no. 1
then your deadline is probably Saturday 3 o'clock
Which means by 2:59pm
You should have sent your work via email
Artists on weekly deadlines plan their work
weekly
For example you would have breaks from Saturday afternoon and Sunday
and work Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs, Fri
and Saturday mornings
So an artist on weekly schedule
will write the script on Monday
Well when I was on a weekly deadline
I set Monday as a script writing day
When writing a script, plan and write down all the
visual images and dialogue that occur in the manuscript
Bringing out the vague and ambiguous events and lines
to a clear visualization takes a lot of energy and time
It will take the whole day
Second day you will draw the script in a picture storyboard form
If your word script is detailed and finished
your picture script will be much more easier to do
Sometimes these picture scripts take days
to do because you don't have the details
That week will be a mess
So in order to not waste too much time on the picture storyboard
You should be as detailed as possible on your writing on Monday
Artist really have a hard time with this part of the job because
this is where your directing skills fully show
not to mention it is also one of the most difficult part
When we are finished with the picture script you will start sketching
based on the picture script on Wednesday
Draw pen lines over the sketch
Some people prefer going in with the pens first
But for me it actually take less time
with the sketch done beforehand
If you are finished with the sketch job
drawing pen lines is the fun part
I like the post-sketch process because
it's a very simple job
that I can do with less energy
and I can turn on some music or podcasts while so
When you are done with the pen lines
You are pretty much set for the week
On Thursday you will add colors and details
If you have an coloring assistant
he will do the undertones
then the artist could have a quick break
before adding the background and details
You can run some errands or take the nap needed
We will add details after the undertones are done
Some artists add the shadows, then the first and second tones
some artists skip the shadows
and go right to skin or
hair expressions or even clothing patterns
This is the time to do these details
and on Friday we will go into backgrounds
If you have already done the backgrounds with a 3D program
you can do the background before going in to picture scripts
then it would be Mon: script, Tue: background, Wed: picture script
Thur: sketch/pen, Fri: colors and details
Like this
I like to draw the background by hand
Sometimes I use a 3D program like Blender
for rendering
You can also use Sketch Up to draw
or buy the backgrounds but you will have to pay attention
to fit it to your work style
If not it could feel like the characters
and the background image are from
different worlds
Now on Saturday you can make any corrections
before 3 pm and
send in your work copy
Corrections vary a lot from artist to artist
Some don't do them at all
Some use lots of layers to
really carefully adjust colors
I use 3 layers
Highlight, overlay and multiply
I use these 3 layers to make corrections
We will discuss in detail
about the corrections later
Then we can add speech bubbles, concentration lines
add sound effects, correct typos and finish your work
Now take this finished work and turn it into jpg file
make a copy and reduce the width to 690 pixels
and finally mail it in
You have to send it before 3 pm
One important thing to note is that
Typos are also the artist's reponsibility
To leave typo corrections
of my work to others
I think that is very unprofessional
Try to really focus on the spelling and grammar
and take responsibility of the lines you created
If there is any mistakes you missed
the editing team will fix them
What do you think about the weekly deadline schedule?
It sounds a little fast paced
because you are actually working Monday to Saturday nonstop
I used to be on this weekly schedule
and recently changed to the monthly deadline
Let me explain about the monthly deadlines
Now you have to plan a month worth of work
unlike the weekly schedule
you will be planning on 1 month basis
This is a image of my schedule
I separate it into 5 weeks
on the first week I work on the word script of episode 1~5
second week I do the picture script on the same episodes
Third week I will be doing sketches and pen lines
Fourth week I do colors and details
Fifth week is for backgrounds and corrections
and on the last day I will make 5 episodes worth of manuscripts
advantages of monthly deadlines is that
If you are sick or have an event come up in the middle
you have time to recover
For example you have family emergencies
and have to spend a week off
you have the other 4 weeks to make it up somehow
I like this better because
I have more time to spare
But the cons of monthly deadlines is that
The process can be a bit boring
I know some artists that actually
tried and gave up on the monthly schedule
because when you are done with the writing
and the picture script
you get really eager to see the finished work
that will
help accelerate the sketch and pen process
and after a few days
you will have the finished manuscript
if you were on the weekly
You have someone checking the manuscipt
every week
but on the monthly deadline
You have to persevere through
the tedious process
and the reward comes
after a month
So the happiness of seeing your finished product
is given on a monthly basis
so that is why it could become a bit boring
When you are enduring
the tedious process of
script writing and drawing
for 2 weeks straight
Sometimes you are too tired
to go to the next step
So it definitely is not the easier method
the choice between the two
is really up to the artists preference
I'm on the monthly schedule because
it personally fits me better
I advise you to try both ways
and figure out
which one is better for you
the important part is
which ever schedule you choose
you must plan in a rest period
aspiring artists or students
easily make this mistake
they often think to work all seven days
to make the perfect work
might skip couple nights of sleep
or work 12 hour shifts
it is easy to over-plan
to do a 'better' job
and at first one many think
he could accomplish everything
or be motivated to do a good job
by over working
but would you be able to
be on this schedule for
more than a year?
How long can a person go
without rest?
You must make room for rest in your schedule
or there may be huge side effects
Look into how much of a rest
you would need
and incorporate it into your plan
no matter what
For example I
sleep a lot and need 8 hours of sleep
everyday
and I need at least 3 hours of alone time
I also need time for exercise,
lunch and dinner time
I also need
time for my shower thoughts
I also need weekends
I am working as an artist,
but am a worker in the bigger picture
we are precious beings who must be protected by labor laws
Please plan in your rest times
That is a way to continue your career for a long time
There are questions I get asked often
When I am teaching or meeting
to-be artists or students
there are some overlapping questions I get asked frequently
Among them I collected and will discuss
questions that may be helpful to you
First is, what equipment and software should I have?
Should I buy an iPad or a computer?
many to-be artists wonder
about this issue
whether which equipment
will allow best performance for first timers
or something like that
I personally think that you don't need a
computer or Cintiq tablet
I think you can use paper and pencils
If you don't feel like drawing because of the lack of equipments
sounds like you don't really want to draw at all
So why not start on paper first
pencils and paper are really great tools
If you've drawn on paper an want to transfer it to digital
try purchasing a tablet like iPad or Cintiq
within your budget
New technology is so good
there are really great cost effective ones
I recommend Cintiq and computer combo for intermediate and over
For software, start with Clip Studio
It is a powerful tool that could
do pretty much everything
And if you have what you need
then you might ask
How do I begin to study drawing?
What training helps you improve drawing skills
in a short period of time?
I would say the best way is to make lots of manuscripts
try making lot of short works
Experience and identify what you are missing
If it would be depiction of character bodies or pen touches
and practice them separately
Only way to better your skills in a short time
is to concentrate on drawing that much more
I don't believe in shortcuts
you win quality with quantity
Drawing lots and lots more is the best way
and another frequently asked question
that is surprising
is about font size. People ask which font size
is the best to use
In the past, font sizes were more on the smaller side
but font sizes are getting bigger nowadays
That is because more people are reading webtoons on their phones
so font sizes are adapting to the smaller screens
so readers could see them better
Let's compare my works: Hwa Rang Kwan in SF and from 2013
and Yuly, which I'm writing now
If you can see
On the left, Hwa Rang Kwan in SF has relatively smaller fonts
and for Yuly, the cuts have enlarged
as well as the font size
Let's also look at another current work
Twinkle Twinkle Little Eyes by Uksoo
The bigger font sizes are in trend now
Comparing it to mine
Uksoo's work seems bigger
So try bigger fonts in your work
If you feel like it might be too much
then it actually might be just right
Also, font sizes may differ by resolution and the size of the manuscript
so it is hard to put an exact number to it
I recommend making the manuscript first
and privately uploading it to your blog
then monitor the post from your phone
try comparing yours with others
then you should be able to choose a font that actually looks the best
Another question I get is
how much space is needed in between cuts
In the past I did not really understand this question
but now I see why it could be an issue for some
The space in between the panels are called gutter in comics terminology
The gutter can be decided upon the artist
Unlike published comics, in webtoons
the width or size of the gutter can be used very freely
Some artist prefer them thinner while others can make them wider
For me I think if the gutter is too wide the eyes can get tired easily
and it is too much to scroll for the finger
so I make the gutters thinner
You can see in Hwa Rang Kwan in SF that the gutter is thin like the published comics
Also for my work Yuly
I intentionally reduced the gutters as much as possible
The downside of this is that it may look a bit stuffed down
So the gutters are generally more lengthy then what I did
But for my personal reason
I have very dry eyes and if the images are longer
and I have to scroll more, my eyes get more tired
and I end up turning off my phone
That is why I try to resist in using longer gutters
Also if the blank space continues for too long
the readers might think
the page is still loading
So my rule of thumb is
gutters should not be too long
So that it takes up most of the space on the screen
Basically saying, don't put too much empty space
use the space
put in a line
or an object
place something
On to the next question
Storyboards and directing are difficult
So many people ask me
How to learn story directing
Story boards are very difficult
and something like directing is tricky to teach and learn
Even writers who thought they were confident in storyboards
may find it difficult depending on the work
This is my recommendation
Read and see a lot of other works
coming across a lot of work is very important
you must also put your heart there
bring affection to other artists comics and webtoons
or dramas, movies, novels etc
get across many contents
There must be input to have output
Secondly, if you already have seen many other works
then try to imitate them
The genre you want to work on
your favorite writer's work
or a famous piece, etc
You should have a style of work you want to learn
try to imitate a storyboard of that story
You don't need to follow them exactly
just imitate the script
you can start with episode 1, or do episodes 1~3
If you want learn action scenes
you can completely imitate a well-known action scene
If the last episode is difficult, just work on the last episode
try to imitate as many different works as possible
Third step, apply what you've imitated
to your work
If you've practiced copying
especially from artists from many different ares
you should have increased sensibility
on how to direct the story in certain areas
So based on your experience of other pieces
incorporate them into your own work
I think it will be very good practice to
make a bunch of short stories
and try directing them differently
Next question is
How do I make my story not boring?
This is a question many people may have
Many people worry that
their story might be boring
But you shouldn't focus too much on that
For example, in a two people conversation
When you are too scared
of your story being loose
you try to change the angles a bit too much
and it could be very distracting
You can't just change the angles
The camera has to be there as if it's not there
If readers become conscious of why
characters are portrayed at a certain angle
that is a failed camera
The camera's role is to help the story develop
without the readers noticing it is there
It cannot stand out
So if your directing the camera to be
too active, or all over the place
It tends to reduce immersion in the work
Nevertheless
A camera that is too still can make the work less interesting
So some zoom ins and outs
Some curved shots from the side, insert shots, etc
are needed to tell a good story
So think of yourself as the director
follow a strict camera walk plan
that has a meaningful purpose
The basic premise of
the camera is to help the reader imagine that they are
actually in the story
Camera should be at eye-level
and avoid making unnecessary movements
We will into further details in the directing chapter
What I do when I feel the dialogues or
a certain situation is too boring
I give characters things to do
Like wiggling your fingers midst conversation
or folding napkins
If the character is on a phone call
The character could be running
or playing golf during the call
If the character has a careless tendency
He could be spilling some food while eating
Any visual imagery of
things he could be doing while talking
That strikes boredom on a
much fundamental level
rather than having unnecessary camerawork
Some people also say
Manuscript making takes too much time
This is very natural
Firstly if you don't have a lot of experience with it
It obviously takes more time
You don't have your distinctive style yet
You are not sure which colors to use for pen lines
coloring is difficult, directing looks off
You don't know where to start when correcting
You have so many thoughts
and it delays you from going forward
First times are the hardest
When you've done 30, 40, 50 episodes
and you've acquired 1, 3, or 5 years of experience as a writer
then you will have some added speed
So speed is not something to worry about
As time goes by and you have more experience, you will be faster
Secondly, manuscript of the first episodes usually take more time
the amount of content that needs to be conveyed
n episode 1 is too large and important
So the first episode, I think, takes
twice as much time as the other ones
working on episode 2 will be quicker
and the third will be even quicker
For reference, I once re-did the fist episode
from start to finish, 5 times
It took me more than 3 months
Third reason
Many people do this
you are pressing ctrl z too often
This takes up a lot of time
Some people habitually press ctrl z
they have it as muscle memory
so they keep pressing undo
This is a real no-go
Don't make that a habit
Only use it when it's necessary
If it really has become a muscle memory
I tell them
stay strong and
tie your left hand behind your back while drawing
So if the lines you drew right now seems lacking
just draw it and fix it later
It also takes longer time if you are too ambitious
Your expectations might not
align with your capabilities right now
Higher standards
can be good motivation
but it can be very close to being your enemy
If you're too eager, your work will seem disappointing
If it starts to seem that way, it is hard to keep going
eventually you tire yourself out and cannot find the motivation to move forward
let go a bit and lower your expectations
start with small successes and joy
that can push you day after day
to move on forwards
Another factor is something that
may take away your concentration
By chance do you put on a movie while you are working?
or do you have a table-side game
that you go back to every break time?
Or do you keep watching Youtube videos
If the brain doesn't get rest
you will lose your concentration
If you want to concentrate on work
Set up your work station first
Move away the things that might distract you
and make an environment for easy concentration
Your brain cannot multitask as you would like
Some people come to me and say
"I am afraid to show my work to others"
That is completely natural
you may feel embarrassed
That is because we tend to identify with the work
So you get nervous of the possiblity
that someone might look at your work
and doesn't like it
At this time it is advised to
separate yourself from what you've created
Just because someone doesn't like your work
does not mean you as a person is lacking
If you want to become a writer or artis
you must show your work to somebody
You have to meet the readers
When your first work is out in public
you feel embarrassed as if you have been naked
But you get used to this as well
Writers have to meet the readers anyhow
and when you are able to separate yourself objectively
you will be fine
What is an appropriate way to get feedback?
is another question
The best way for me
is to show it to your editor
If you are a new writer
you might not have a editor assigned to you
so this only applies to certain artists
Editors speak from a perspective of an expert
and with affection for the author
So I think that is very reliable
But if you don't have that as a new artist or a student
It's a good idea to ask for feedback from experts you trust
If you are a student, you can show your professor
If you take classes, then ask the teachers
You can ask your friends and colleagues but you have to be careful
You have to make sure you can trust them
and ask them specific, detailed questions
I believe that is a really important rule
When asking friends
ask them in detail, for example "what do you think about the 2nd and 4th cut?"
"this is what I'm trying to portray"
"does it deliver?"
Don't just ask if they like it
If questions are vague, answers will be vague as well
You may receive unwanted opinions and unhelpful comments
so ask in specific while needing a feedback
ask, "I wanted to portray this character's
inner sides like this,
does that deliver?" or
"I wanted to portray this person's futility in the 50th cut,
can you feel that?"
"do you understand the relationships here?"
Specific questions like these
And sometimes, I do this as needed
I tell them I've lost a lot of confidence in my work
and ask them to only tell me the strengths of my work
When I ask this
The person can specifically adjust to
what is needed for me
the person can speak more comfortably
Today we've discussed what you need
What materials you need
to prepare before creating a webtoon
How you make the schedules
How to plan the production
and frequently asked questions
Are you excited?
Webtoon making can be very difficult
but is very joyous at the same time
So from now on forward
You can follow me step by step
into finishing episode 1 of your webtoon
Thank you
Webtoon work preparation material Work planning Logline: One sentence explaining the direction of the story Synopsis: A short synopsis of the work
Character Settings Character design Concept art: An illustration that previews how the manuscript will look Drawing tool equipment Buy equipment that suits financial capabilities
Steps of webtoon manuscript production Weekly deadline Monday: Article Storyboard Tuesday: Picture Storyboard Wednesday: Sketching, inking
Thursday: Coloring, Detailing Friday: Background Saturday: Post-editing, rest after finishing
Monthly deadline Week 1: Article Storyboard Week 2: Picture Storyboard
Week 3: Penseon Week 4: Coloring Week 5: Background, Conclusion