How to Draw a Graphic Novel

Balthazar Pagani, Marco Maraggi, Otto Gabos

Packed with professional tips and interviews with leading graphic novelists, this is the ultimate guide on how to create a graphic novel.

How to Draw a Graphic Novel is structured as a series of short art courses that combine technical advice with creative inspiration. Written by graphic novel producer Balthazar Pagani, the book includes lessons in how to construct a narrative, develop characters, and design settings, as well as the basics of printing, binding, and digital-file setup.

Each lesson is supported by striking illustrations by graphic novel artist Marco Maraggi, with professional art tips delivered in the style of a graphic novel by renowned Italian cartoonist and comics lecturer Otto Gabos.

The book also includes biographies of cult creators and a recommended reading list of famous graphic novels and comic books both past and present.

How to Draw a Graphic Novel presents an informative and entertaining look at the creative process and insight into the world of graphic novel publishing. From teens to adults, this is the ideal workbook for all graphic novelists.

Reviews

Aspiring artists will find solid advice in this sophisticated, well-considered guide. Colorful panels walk readers through the creative process, from pre-drawing planning to layout and formatting to analog and digital tools to inking and coloring, proofreading, and getting published… Useful as a teaching tool, this introduction to graphic creation will attract both browsers and the artistically inclined.

— Booklist

Contributors

Balthazar Pagani

Author

Balthazar Pagani is the founder of WeAreBeside based in Milan. He produced the Graphic Lives series of graphic novels and is the author of How to Draw a Graphic Novel.

Marco Maraggi

Illustrated By

Marco Maraggi is a cartoonist based in Udine, Italy, and the illustrator of His Name Is Banksy.

Otto Gabos

Illustrated By

Otto Gabos is an established cartoonist, illustrator, and author who teaches the comics and illustration course Course at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy.