Storytelling Practice: Page Layouts and Pacing

Comic page layouts are intricately tied to storytelling and storytelling cannot exist with pacing and rhythm. Layouts tell the actual story (of course), they add mood, suspense, humor, urgency, sorrow, compassion, pity,… Well, you get the picture. It’s not just the drawings, it’s the pacing and momentum. Everything adds a dimension that helps evoke the emotion you want from the reader.

A Horror Story in One Page

Miguel Guerra was practicing all of this and in one page was able to tell a horror story. Horror is a great genre for practicing the rhythm of a story. Get it right and there’s a payoff. Get it wrong and people are unimpressed or confused.

Unexpected Events = Exaggerated Expressions

It’s not every day octopus like tentacles suddenly explode from your partner’s head. In the last panel, we are surprised by the unexpected. Miguel also used this moment to practice drawing exaggerated expressions.