Welcome to ComicsLab.

Hi! I'm Scott Marshall, artist/owner of Black Rocks Books. I have been asked a number of times over the years to do presentations and workshops on making comics, for pretty much all ages. Now that I have studio space at The Yellow Door in Saint John with access to a larger "warehouse" for events, I want to host regular comics making sessions for anyone who wants to start making comics or upgrade their skills or just hang out with other cartoonists.

The following modules will be available as printable downloads and will be discussed in upcoming workshops. But if you can't make it to a workshop, there's no need to wait - download the ones that interest you, choose the tools you want to try next, and get started!

ComicsLab Modules

Getting Started

0.1

 Who Makes Comics, and Why? Did you know that anyone can make comics, including you? It's true!

0.2

 Try All the Jobs Learn about the life cycle of making comics, from idea to script to the art to final published story.

0.3

 Try All the Tools Probably the top question pro cartoonists hear is what tools they use. This module covers the most common analog and digital ones. Plus, some thoughts on "AI".

0.4

 Useful Resources A quick reference list for all the handy links and other resources that we'll cover in ComicsLab.

Planning/ Writing

1.1

 Stories and Scripts An overview of how comics stories are written.

1.2

 Writing in Pictures Concepts of storyboarding and how you can use them to write your comic.

1.3

 Writing is Editing Tips on tightening up that script.

Making the Art

2.1

 Drawing is Easy, Art is Hard Some fundamentals about creating the art for your comics.

2.2

 Composition for Comics The concept of composition takes on extra dimensions, pardon the pun, when it comes to creating comics.

2.3

 Anatomy and Proportions Some basic "rules" to learn and possibly ignore about drawing your fellow human beings.

2.4

 Perspective Take your drawings into the third dimension and beyond!

2.5

 WWWWD? One of the great silver age artists, Wally Wood, was also the master of "work smarter, not harder".

Finishing Touches

3.1

 Tones and Effects Your line art is done. Now what?

3.2

 Flatting and Colour A huge topic!

3.3

 Lettering Perhaps the least appreciated but most important thing you can work on to create a distinctive comic.

Publishing and Promoting

4.1

 Pre-Press Tips and Checklist Whether you plan on self-publishing or working with a printer, here are some best practices.

4.2

 Promoting Your Comics Merch! Exhibitions! Signings! And more!

Advanced Topics

5.1

 Comics and Therapy Like any art form, you can create comics with therapeutic goals and techniques. This module describes some examples.

5.2

 Pitching to Publishers Ah, the joy of pitching. How does it work anyway?

Get started with some free templates!

These are pre-marked sketchbooks and blank comic books that you can use to design your own stories! Print them at home or order them from BRB. Each template includes a printable PDF with basic grid markings, 6 panel grids and 9 panel grids, plus the Affinity source file so you can tweak it for your own needs.

US Magazine Size
(24pg., 11x17" folded)

US Comic Book Size
(24pg., 11x17" folded/trimmed)

US Half-Legal
(24pg., 8.5x14" folded)

US Half-Letter
(24pg., 8.5x11" folded)

Mini-Comic (portrait)
(24pg., 8.5x11" folded/trimmed)

Mini-Comic (landscape)
(24pg., 8.5x11" folded/trimmed)

Can't decide? Download a Zip archive of them all!

a silly panel from Watchmen

Black Rocks Books is a micropress and zine distro run by Scott Marshall. It exists to promote and celebrate comics and illustration created in Atlantic Canada (or by our expats and imports). If you have any issues or questions, please don't hesitate to contact me via email at paymentstobrb@gmail.com or ask in the BRB Discord. You can follow @blackrocksbooks on Bluesky. If you want to follow my art stuff as well you can follow @scottmarshall on BlueSky.

Black Rocks Books operates gratefully in Menaquesk (English: "Saint John", French: "Saint-Jean"), the ancestral territory of the Wolastoqiyik and Maliseet people.

We also acknowledge that people of African descent have been in Atlantic Canada for over 400 years, and we honour and offer gratitude to those ancestors of African descent who came before us to this land.

This site is always under construction, and I am the tenth doctor of this life. Please bear with me.

The artwork shown on this site is copyright ©2026 by its respective creators.
Everything else on the site is copyright ©2026 by Scott Marshall unless otherwise indicated.
All rights are reserved. Contact: paymentstobrb@gmail.com