How To Draw A 4-Panel Comic
4-Panel comics are an easy, fun way to write your own story or learn about how story structures work. Whether you’re a kid or a grown-up, you can make your own comic with this simple process.
Supplies
Paper (8.5 x 11” Letter paper)
Pencil
Eraser
Pen
Optional: Markers or colored pencils
Create Your Template
Draw a horizontal and vertical line halfway along the page to create 4 identical squares, or panels. If you have access to a printer/photocopier, you can create multiple sheets from this template.
This template is arranged left to right, top to bottom because it emulates the way we read prose, but you can also draw your own vertical panels.
Azu Manga Dai Oh by Kiyohiko Azuma
How It Works
A story is a pattern of interruptions. A character or subject undergoes an experience that changes them in the end. We can watch that transformation unfold in a movie or through the chapters of a novel, but a 4-panel comic distills that journey into 4 basic steps:
Set-up: Who is the main character?
Inciting Incident: What new problem or situation are they facing?
Confrontation: How do they solve the problem?
Transformation: How have they changed?
Keep in mind these plot points are flexible, for instance the inciting incident can occur in Panel #1 or the confrontation can also be the punchline or the transformation in Panel #4. But each part of the story should be reflected at some point within the 4 panels.
You can read Strange Planet or Sarah Anderson’s comics to see some great examples of 4-panel comics and how this structure works.
Draw Your Comic
Use this structure to draw your own comic. If you’d prefer, you can jot down an outline or the dialogue prior to drawing. You can also use black pens or thin black marker over your first pencil sketches for a more refined look. Gently use a clean eraser to erase any pencil lines once the ink is dry.
Bonus challenge: Can you create an on-going story told in installments of 4 panel comics?