Manga Layout Process: draft-final

 For this first and second drafts I use copy paper. This draft is to find out where my characters are, if my word balloons will fit, and how I'm going to do my layout. right to left this time, ladies and gents! In the next draft( below) I add a few details so we can tell who everybody is and write in the words to see if THEY fit. Drafting should always be done lightly and quickly so you can create a fluid and visually stimulating Manga page.

 The first panel is a building- no characters; but hey, wait up! This is important! I got this tip from a pro and it's blessed my manga incredibly: If you suck at backgrounds( which I do) then use the first panel to set the scene, make it semi-detailed, look at a picture; then all the rest of the page is completely capable of handling itself without many props at all! Study this in the final page.

and the final product! I ink in the panels first, then everything else- except for the bottom two. It's a great tip to draw whatever lines aren't being interrupted- in other words, what's on top? This time it's the girl, not the panel, as her head breaks through the panel line. Ink her first, then the panels, to avoid unnecessary inking mistakes.
your final should be on sturdier paper- I use card stock, because it's cheap and doesn't wear out when erasing or using gobs of white-out.
 The word balloons are empty because I add text in the computer to evade my unintelligible handwriting.