WHAT SIZE ARE YOU GOING TO DRAW YOUR CARTOONS?
If you look in the newspaper you will see that the comic strips vary in size slightly. This does not
mean you can draw any size you want! About the biggest you will ever see your strip in the paper is
12 by 40 Picas. (2" by 6 5/8") A good size to start from is 4 7/8" by 17" (actual drawing size).
Draw a rectangle 5 1/2" by 19" and then draw a diagonal line from corner to corner. Anywhere along
the diagonal line draw a dotted line straight down. Now draw a dotted line to the left starting at
the point were the vertical line meets the diagonal line. By doing this no matter what size you pick
it will be proportional. If you want to spend some money, you can buy a Graphic Proportion Dial.
You can make your drawing larger than 5 1/2" by 19" but remember your ink lines have to hold up when
your drawing is reduced!
Now let's talk about single frame comic panels. If your dialog is in the box (balloons) the size is
different than if the dialog is outside the box. Let's use Hank Ketcham's Dennis the Menace for an
example. Draw a rectangle 8 1/2" by 9 3/4". Now using the same principle as above decide on the size
you want to make your drawing. Are you going to ink the box before or after you make your drawing?
Normally the box is inked last. I like to do a light pencil layout.
Some cartoonists like to use a blue pencil for layout. That's OK if you sell the cartoons right away.
In all my early cartoons the blue pencil lines have bled, making my drawings look more like Flo-Blue
dinner plates than cartoons.
Gag cartoons for magazines are drawn on 8 1/2" by 11". I like to do half sheets (it saves on mailing
costs) but some magazine editors do not except half sheets. It is best not to draw a box on
magazine cartoons. The magazine will probably box your cartoon to fit available space.
