The Importance of Lettering in Comics

When it comes to creating a captivating webtoon, many creators focus on the artwork and writing, overlooking a crucial aspect of storytelling: lettering. However, good lettering can make or break a webtoon, pulling in readers and drawing them into the world of your story. In this article, we'll explore the importance of lettering, the role it plays in comics, and provide practical tips on creating effective word balloons in Clip Studio Paint.

The Role of Lettering in Comics

Lettering is often referred to as the "magic door" that allows readers into the world of your story. It's essential to create a door that's inviting and easy to enter. Good lettering can enhance the reading experience, making it easier for readers to follow the narrative and become immersed in the story. On the other hand, bad lettering can be distracting, driving readers away from your webtoon.

Creating Word Balloons in Clip Studio Paint

When creating word balloons, it's essential to avoid using ellipses, which can waste space and cover up valuable artwork. Instead, use rounded rectangles or "bloated circles" as they are more aesthetically pleasing and less obtrusive. This shape is commonly used in professional and popular comics.

To create a word balloon in Clip Studio Paint, create a new canvas with a resolution of 1900 pixels wide by 30-40 pixels tall. This resolution will shrink down to the webtoon's required file size of 800 pixels by 1280 pixels perfectly, keeping the option to print your comic physically open.

Tips for Creating Word Balloons

• Set the panel size to traditional American comic book size and the DPI to 300 (although it doesn't matter for webtoons).
• Select the Balloon tool and choose the Ellipse Balloon sub-tool.
• Set the Line Color to Black, Fill Color to White, and choose the Rectangle shape.
• Set the Roundness to 2000 and the Brush Size to 9 (adjust to desired thickness).
• Set Anti-Alias to Weak and the Brush Shape to the same pen tool used for drawing (for a cohesive look).
• Use the Object tool to select the balloon and click and drag the red dots slightly outwards to make the balloon feel more organic and hand-drawn.

Creating the Balloon Tail

• Select the Balloon tool and then the Balloon Tail sub-tool.
• Select Spline and set the Width of the tail to 80 (adjust to desired width).
• Click inside the balloon near the edge to start the tail, click once more halfway to the end point, and double-click at the end point (or press Enter on the keyboard) to end the tail.

Creating Connecting Balloons

• Use the Object tool to select the balloon, copy it, and paste it.
• Use the blue lines to move the new balloon into place.

Creating a Perfect Balloon in Clip Studio Paint

To create a perfect balloon in Clip Studio Paint, follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a Balloon Shape

• Use the Balloon Pen tool to create a balloon shape.
• Play with different sub-tools and settings to create unique balloons for robots, monsters, cell phones, etc.
• Clip Studio Paint will automatically join the balloons together.

Step 2: Add Lettering to the Balloon

• Hit T on the keyboard to access the Text tool.
• Choose the Text sub-tool and a preferred comic dialog font (e.g., Smack Attack from blandbot.com).
• Set font size to 18 and line spacing to -3 (adjust as needed for different fonts).
• Note: Not all fonts are created equal, and settings may need to be adjusted accordingly.

Step 3: Determine Font Size and Line Spacing

• Zoom out until the canvas width is roughly the same as a phone screen's width.
• Set the font size to the smallest size that is comfortable to read.
• Type three lines, set one word to bold, and adjust line spacing so the bold word doesn't touch the first or third line.
• Repeat until the text is easy to read.

Step 4: Reuse the Balloon

• Right-click on the text layer and click Duplicate Layer.
• Move the new balloon to the correct location.
• Select the Text sub-tool, double-click on the text, and type over the old dialog.
• Resize the balloon and re-aim the tail using the Object tool (hit O on the keyboard).
• Use the Object tool to select individual points on the tail for precise alterations.
• Flip and rotate the balloon randomly to achieve more variations (optional).

Tips and Variations

• Use the Balloon Pen tool to create unique shapes for different objects.
• Experiment with different font sizes and line spacings for varying effects.
• Flip and rotate the balloon to create more variations and add visual interest.

Simple Lettering Tips for Webtoons

• Aim for a diamond shape for your dialogue, where the middle line is longer than the top and bottom lines.
• Dialogue should be centered inside the balloon.
• Avoid shoving dialogue to one side or another side of the balloon.
• The tail of the balloon should be aimed towards the mouth or whatever is producing the dialogue (e.g. phone, TV).
• Make your best effort to get the tail as close as possible to the mouth or sound source.
• Be mindful of space restrictions and avoid having a large amount of dialogue without supporting art.
• Balloons that need to be read first should be placed higher than others.
• Avoid having balloon tails cross over each other or creating a wall between characters.

By following these tips and techniques, you can create effective and visually appealing lettering that will enhance the reading experience and draw readers into the world of your webtoon.