Definition: Thumbnail (noun): A very small or concise description, representation, or summary: "a thumbnail sketch"... not the thing that ends up on your bathroom floor. Gross dude.
Basically, a thumbnail is very small rough version of your final page. It should have very little detail, and only capture the layout of your page. I usually try to thumbnail about six pages in advance. I find thumbnailing my book first gives me an idea of the flow. Here's a few examples from issue 2 of Black Hole Cafe.
As you can see, it's very loose. I try to capture the flow of the action without putting too much detail. Anyone familiar with gesture drawing will be familiar with this concept. I feel if I can capture the feeling of the scene in a thumbnail, I can usually recreate it later on. Here's the finished page.
This page stayed pretty close to the layout of the thumbnail. However, sometimes they can vary drastically. Take a look at page 16 from the same issue.
I really hated this thumbnail. I didn't like the pose and was worried about what to do. So, I sat there in front of my drawing table for a few minutes imagining the scene and then whipped out a different pose. The layout is basically the same with Dodd standing over an altar, but the end pose and angle are completely different.
Both of the thumbnails above were done at 1/3 size. Since I use smaller illustration boards than a traditional comic, it comes out to about 2 X 3.5 inches. Yes I know these are bigger than an actual thumbnail... but you've never seen my thumbs! I do this to draw a little more detail than a normal thumbnail. Once again, I do this to capture the feel of the scene.
I love thumbnails. Sometimes I love them more than drawing finished pictures. There's something so immediate and free about doodling. I enjoyed this process so much, that I thumbnailed out all four issues of Black Hole Cafe's first story arc in two days. Needless to say, I had a good time. :)
Go out there and try doodling some of your own!
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