Using Maps and Blueprints in the Creation of Comics

[Veleno]

In detailed comic one generally has to have some idea of the general layout of any location that is used in a comic, especially if the place is used more than once.

I would like to discuss the use of maps and blueprints in keeping locations consistent. Thus, I ask you to consider the following questions:

-How often do you use maps in your work?
-How much detail do you put into the map?
-How large are the maps you use?
-Is there any particular style you use?
-Do you use multiple maps for different levels of detail?
-Do you write down measurements to help keep things to scale?
-Do you make other notes on the maps to point out details?
-Do you ever borrow layout ideas from actual maps and blueprints?
-Anything else you would like to say about the creation or use of maps for comics?

Also if anyone wishes to share any maps they have created for their comics, feel free to do so since example are always good. Additionally, if anyone knows any good sites relative to this discussion, feel free to post those also.

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As for me...

I don't always make/use maps for my comics, however when I do get around to making them they often proove usefull. When I do get around to making them, I try to put in the main pieces of furnature, archetecture, etc. that will appear in the comic while leaving out most of the props (especially ones that the characters will not interact with).

As for the size of my maps, so far they have all been done either in my 8 1/2" x 11" sketchbook, or on 8 1/2" x 11" printer paper (the same stuff the comics themselves tend to be drawn on).

As per the style... I generally make things look more or less like a loosely drawn blueprint, especially for early versions of maps.

So far I haven't done any comic projects large enough that I needed to have different maps for different resolutions. However I expect that as I continue to indulge in more complicated projects that I would need to have things such as a basic city layout (with different versions showing different kinds of thing such as road maps, maps to show commercial and residential areas, etc. to go along with blueprints for any buildings that the characters may interact with.

At times I may write measurements on the rooms and objects, however this is usually not done until there have been at least a few revisions to the map to where i'm getting fairly sure of the final dimensions of things. On rough drafts of pages and on maps I constantly write down little details which I have usually thought of on the spot.

So far I haven't directly used any actual maps and blueprints to create the layouts used in my maps, though I intent to start studying them at some point so I can do things more effectively. A couple minutes ago I had the idea of creating maps based on results of playing sim games (such as the SimCity games).

I think that's about it for now. I will likely post a few of the maps I have used once I have time to scan them.

[Tim Mallos]

I am involved in what will be a long collaboration (my friend/ collaborator has a new son as of last week, so it will be a looooooong collaboration

Our project involves a particular building and we have sketched out basic floor plans etc. Nothing worth scanning and sharing right now...

My friend Dan will be doing the lion's share of the writing, and I'm doing layout, art and coding. I think we will be employing maps and plans pretty heavily to keep communication straight.

We even considered creating a 3d model of the building for use just in planning, but we have agreed on 2d floor plans for now.

So,um, yeah. There ya go.

Tim

[Greg Stephens]

Well, hmmm... For my comic I'd considered making a map for my own use, but never did any such thing. I did keep mental note of what rooms were where and how they connected, but there were some doors beyond which I had no idea what lay. Like Tim, I'd also considered doing 3D mockups but, again, didn't do so (I did go so far as to do one of my own apartment when I last moved, so I could envision where to put the furniture beforehand and to know what furniture to get rid of, so I can say that it's a fairly easy and painless process, if all you want is a notion of where suff is, as opposed to full-out realistically-rendered images).

Another idea is to make a 3D mockup and use it as a way to work out viewing angles for various panels. I'm fairly certain that Scott McCloud has made a model of his studio that he used as some backgrounds in Reinventing Comics and (though it's getting pretty far afield from the notion of making maps to help with spatial geography) John Byrne is known for rendering 3D models to mimic a line-drawing style which he can then print out and paste directly into his work.

[shadefell]

Chris Baldwin, who does Bruno (brunostrip.com) does maps and blue prints and such, which makes for nice consistancy.

He also uses photo references, and sometimes he shows the original photos next to the drawing, which is very awesome.

[Rip Tanion]

When I was at SVA, I took Gahan Wilson's class. Gahan was a big proponent of making maps. He'd say, if the story takes place in a house, draw a floor-plan of the house for reference. Draw a map of the street the house is on, and the surrounding neighborhood, so you know what to draw in the windows. If the story is set in a fictional town, draw a map of that town, and sketch in what lies outside. If you make up a country, make up a map of that country. Same goes if you make up an entire world.

What kind of software do you need to make these 3-D mock-ups?

[Greg Stephens]

For 3D software, I've owned various versions of both Bryce and Poser. You can get version 5 of each of them reasonably cheaply these days. These are the low-end, consumer 3D products that are geared toward still images rather than animation, but there are some people who can get fantastic results with them (and armies of people who are just plain lousy). In particular, I like the work that Joe Zabel has done with Poser (also, though not comics, Martin Murphy rocks pretty hard.).

The software I used for my 3D mockup, though, was the now-defunct Inspire 3D, which is a stripped-down, cheaper version of Lightwave which is a much more serious 3D tool. I could precisely model the room and the furniture to exact measurements and see how it was going to fit. I may have a screenshot of my work, since I was fascinated by it at the time. I think I was really starting to get the hang of 3D by the time my interests starting drifting back to pencil and paper, which had a lot to do with getting more immediate results through drawing as opposed to 3D modelling, texturing and rendering.

[Tim Mallos]

I used (actually, still fire it up from time to time) the now-defunct Infini-D.

As close as I can tell, after all the software sales between companies, I think Infini-D became the guts of Carrera ( http://www.eovia.com/product.jsp )

I actually have access to a legit copy of 3D Studio Max ( http://www.discreet.com/3dsmax/ )that, I am ashamed to say, I have not taken the time needed to really use yet. The software is full of promise with features called "character studio" and such.

If only I didn't need to sleep. *sigh*

Tim