'Gunz! by Dan Nicholls
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'Gunz! Production: How To!

        A lot of people ask me, "Dan, why do ya drank?!  Dan, why do you roll smokes?! Why MUST you live out the songs that you wrote?"  And I just say, "If I get stoned and sang all night loong, it's a fam'ly tradition."  (My apologies to Hank Williams, Jr.)  Of course, the question also comes up about how I make 'Gunz!  So, I decided to put it up here, in hopes of corrupting other webcomics.  (Insert insane laugh and other maniacal-ness.)

Supplies.

Paper-  I use whatever unlined paper I have handy, preferring mid to high grade computer paper.  My first strip was done on lined, and I'm not fortunate enough to have my scanner not pick up the blue lines.  So, I went through and took them out manually.  I still have nightmares.

Computer-  It is essential, when doing a webcomic, to have a computer.  There, I said it and I'm a better person for it.  Currently, I use a Hewlett Packard Pavilion.  It does get the job done.

Scanner-  Not as necessary as you think it is.  Lots of comics go without it, relying solely on paint programs and the like.  If you use a touchpad simulator, that's better.  However, that's not 'Gunz! certified: Neato.  I draw them and then scan them in using a Hewlett Packard ScanJet 3300C.  Note:  Gluing your comic to the monitor does not work.

Drawing Utensils- I have two pencils for this job.  One is my rough draft pencil.  It's that kind of #2 pencil that never really gets as sharp as it needs to be.  The other is my final draft pencil.  For this I use another #2 pencil, just... sharper.  I will also alternately use a slew of other pencils for this, just so long as they get extremely sharp and have good resilience.

Software- The great programme debate.  I use Adobe, myself, for the actual strip.  Some may use MS Paint for all I know.  For the site I utilize MS Front Page.  However, I would say that it is not necessary, although pretty convenient.  Plus, when publishing your web, you have problems with FTP.  However, I am able to know that it should take approximately 3 seconds over a 28.8 for this page to load.  If you have a computer with speed like the one at my work, though, you have to start measuring in half-lives and it just gets messy.  I don't use the publish function on FP and opt to do it manually via WS_FTP Pro.  

So that's the DL on the HPSJ3300C, the MS FP, the FTP with enough BS to make it DOA on its DOB, ASAP. 'G'.

Procedure.

        First things first, I script my comic.  By this point I'm already thinking about how I want it to look.  Pacing, placement, etc.  The script can and does change once I start putting it to paper.  Now, I put it away for a while and then come back to it later.  If I laugh, giggle, or smile with the fresh look at it, it goes into production.

        Rough draft time.  I think rough drafts are essential.  You can erase, mess up, and resketch as much as you want.  Here's where I work out any problems with the script.  Most of it I do in "gedanken experiments", in my head, however there is no substitute for seeing it on paper.  Work it out and work it out until it's in a form you are satisfied (or in the perfectionist's case, not disgusted) with because there's little to no edit on the final draft.

        Final drafts happen one of two ways.  Either you copy the rough draft or you free-sketch it with the rough draft in mind.  I prefer to copy over my rough draft work because this is my final draft and I hate, repeat HATE, to erase on it. I choose to leave it uncolored at this point.  Uncolored, by the way, refers here to both black and white as well as full color strips.   As of now I do not ink.  So don't ask me.  I would have to play with it a while before I use it on 'Gunz! in any case. 

        Now, I scan it in the computer and fix any problems that may arise from that process.  I can't always fix them, and sometimes I create other ones, but that's the deal.  At this point I fill in all the color (be it black or color) on the strip.  I also do the little FX that you regularly see on 'Gunz!  Oswan's hair in particular.  I'd tell you how but I... won't. No, no just get creative.  Now, I also do the lettering on the computer using the font "City Blueprint".  If it's a Sunday strip then my colorist, Nico, does all the coloring.  Usually.  Now just upload it, coded for the auto-update system, using my FTP and I'm done.  Whoo!

There, I'm done.  Now I go sleep.  Or go to work.  No big diff, there.