How to Make A Mini-Comic: Part 2

Have you seen part 1 of how to make your own mini-comics? If not, take a quick look at it here, where we discussed the basics of creating your own mini-comic. Go ahead and review it, we’ll wait here. Hmm hmmm hmmm… *tuneless whistle* Dum de dum…hot in the office today. But it’s cool outside. Good day to wear one of those shirts with the zip-off sleeves…hey, let’s look at a mini-comic while we’re waiting…

Deep Cut by Hellen Jo reveals the story of hair care gone wrong…or right?

Oh, you’re back! Great. Well, today we have some more mini-comic making options for you. First, here’s an abbreviated reminder of the basic mini-comics recipe from part 1:

The Mini-Comics Order of Operations:

1. Pick a format
2. Make a dummy
3. Draw and write the story
4. Transfer the story to the page
5. Fold a test comic (or staple or glue it or whatever it takes) and make whatever changes are needed.

Got it? Good. Let’s look at two more options for making single-sheet mini-comic options. Both are very simple, and the results are very book-like.

One-Sheet Mini-Comic, version 2

With this folding scheme, an ordinary sheet of copier turns into a little 6-page book (plus front and back cover). The secret to this magic trick is careful folding and cutting…and the more precise your folds and creases are, the easier it will work.

So first let’s make the folds. (Tip: Run the back of a spoon across each fold to make them nice and crisp). Do this:

Now your sheet of paper is nicely divided into its eight separate pages. So pick up your scissors and:

And, finally, fold the whole dang thing into a mini-comic:

Pretty easy right? Except for that confusing last part which is kind of hard to draw. So check out this video for a demonstration.:

Note that when you put your art on the page, one row will be upside down relative to the other (it helps to make a dummy or sketch version that you can reference while you’re working on it). For this kind of mini-comic, you can print all the pages on one side of your paper. But it’s also cool to add a full-page image on the flip side, creating a mini-poster for readers who unfold the whole thing.

 

The reverse side of Ian Sampson's Pep Talk mini-comic features a full-page poster.

One-Sheet Mini-Comic, Version 2:

This variations is similar to the six-pager, but it adds two more pages to the comic. Those pages are on the flip side of your paper, so two-sided printing is required.

Here’s a demo video:

 

It could be that the 8-page format is underutilized, because no one in our Club had an example in their collection of mini-comics. But this from a Quirks Comics Club member gives an idea of what the final product can look like. (Even people who aren't good with scissors are welcome in the Quirk Comic Club.)

Okay, that should keep you plenty busy (making mini-comics), but if you're looking for more mini-comic making ideas, want to learn how to find awesome mini-comics, or need a reminder as to why mini-comics are so amazing, make sure to check out our other mini-comic posts!

_{Mini-comics displayed are from the personal collections of Quirk Books Comics Club members and are intended as a small and subjective sampling of the ever-expanding universe of mini-comics.}