In this post, I want to quickly show you how I added the text and speech bubbles to the first page of my comic ELEMENTALS.
First, I uploaded the finished comic page to Canva so I could add the dialogue and narration.
At first, I picked Georgia as the font. It’s one of my personal favorites, and I use it a lot.
But after trying it, I felt like it didn’t really match the comic style.
Then I searched for a comic-style font on Canva and luckily, I found one that looked good and fit the tone of the page. I replaced the text with this new font, and everything looked much better.
I also thought about adding comic book effects (like action bubbles or sound effects), but most of them were premium-only features on Canva. So in the end, I decided to keep it simple and just focus on the dialogue.
To help readers follow the flow of the conversation more easily, I decided to number each speech bubble. It made the dialogue more organized and easier to read.
Once the text was added, the right font was chosen, and the bubbles were numbered, the page felt complete. Now the characters could speak, and the story could begin properly!
I wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes detail about Page 1 of my comic ELEMENTALS, especially the part showing the flooded town. In this scene, the colourful houses you see were inspired by the vibrant buildings on the island of Burano, near Venice, Italy. I spent time looking at many photo references of the streets and canals of Burano—how the houses are painted in bold, rich colours like yellow, red, orange, blue, green and I felt this colour scheme was perfect for the tone of the water scene: something real yet slightly dream-like.
In the story world of ELEMENTALS the town is not Venice, nor is it Burano. It’s a separate city within my elemental universe. I only used Burano as a visual reference to bring more life and contrast into the background. The strong palette of the houses helps the flooded scene feel full of emotion: the bright colours of the homes contrast with the dark water, the murky sky, the threat of flooding so the town doesn’t feel purely realistic or mundane, but charged with tension and otherworldly beauty.
I chose Burano as a reference because it really stood out to me. Unlike other waterside towns with soft or pastel colours, Burano’s houses are bright and bold. They give each building personality and life. This fits the scene in my comic, where the flood turns everything upside down: the houses feel real, but also a little magical.
But just to clarify:
This scene is not set in Venice. It’s a different city within the world of Elementals. I only used Venice as a visual reference to bring more life and contrast to the background.
I chose Venice because it was the first place that came to mind when I looked at this part of the page. It also stands out more than the other types of waterside buildings since it’s more colorful than the rest.
References:
Barrow, J. (2025). Colorful houses along a canal in Burano near Venice, Italy. [online] 123RF. Available at: https://tr.123rf.com/photo_17509369_colorful-houses-along-a-canal-in-burano-near-venice-italy.html [Accessed 23 May 2025].
Atlas Obscura. (n.d.). The Mad Colored Houses of Burano. [online] Available at: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-mad-colored-houses-of-burano-venice-italy.
This is the beginning of the story a world where each family member has the power of a different element.
The first page has 4 comic panels. Here’s what happens in each one:
Thalea, the Earth mother, feels something strange. The ground is shaking and the land is breaking.
In another place, her daughter, who has the Water element, sees a flood coming.
A volcano suddenly erupts — showing the power of the Fire element.
A big tornado appears in the sky, and the Air-element son is watching it with worry.
Each panel shows how the elements are out of balance. Something big is coming...
"I’ve added the version with speech bubbles (created in Canva) here as well."
The text quality always drops when I upload images to Blogger. No matter what I try, it doesn’t get better. I’ve tried different file types JPG, PNG, PDF, even screenshots but it still looks the same. Sorry about that! I’ll share another post soon showing how I added the text using Canva.
Today, I’d like to introduce the first member of the family: Thalea, the mother figure who embodies the strength and wisdom of the Earth element.
Today, I’d like to introduce the first member of the family: Thalea, the mother figure who embodies the strength and wisdom of the Earth element.
Here is the completed digital artwork of Thalea. I’ve also included a version with her character description and traits to give you a better sense of who she is.
Her hair style is changing, depends on her choice of style. She can make it longer, shorter, curlier or even bald because she can control the grow of nature and she is The Nature.
“The earth remembers. And I protect what it holds.” – Thalea
Thalea is not only a mother she is the grounding spirit of the entire family. Her deep connection to the Earth makes her a symbol of resilience, patience, and nurturing power. Calm on the outside but incredibly strong on the inside, she keeps the balance between the natural world and her loved ones.
This is just the beginning of the ELEMENTALS journey. I’ll soon be sharing more family members including the Father of Fire, the Son of Air, and the Daughter of Water each with their own personality, background, and visual design.
I will also upload the digitalised image to my website.
This is a quick sketch of my new water-based character. I wanted to mix nature and fantasy in this design. The outfit idea came from natural textures like water plants, stones, and flowing rivers.
The I decided to change the pose a little bit, I chage the way of hands, face look position and the legs. I search for the images to create the water effect, I also generated image with AI, and it was helped me a lot to pose it and giving the water effect.
This is my first rough sketch, just trying to imagine how the character will look in the end. It’s all about testing ideas and starting the creative process.
This artwork shows a water-element character with flowing shapes and transparent textures. I used it to understand how water can be blended with the human body, especially in the pose and overall silhouette. (ArtStation, 2025)
This is the image I used as a reference to create the water-like appearance of the character. I focused on the texture, flow, and color of the water in this image to help shape the design and mood of the character.
This reference shows real water textures such as waves, light reflections, and movement. It helped me design the water details on the character’s body and hand effects.
(Unsplash, 2025)
The water effects in the background and the magic flow in the hand were inspired by some images I found on Pinterest. I really liked the light reflections and smooth movement of water in those photos.
This reference image shows a female water-spirit standing near a waterfall, with translucent ripples forming around her arms and shoulders. The natural water flow in the background helped me understand how to integrate motion into the character’s silhouette. The soft blue lighting and misty atmosphere also inspired the highlights and reflections I used on the character’s body and costume. The organic shapes around the waterfall guided the idea for her fluid, nature-connected outfit.
artstation.com
Other than that I used this images give me an idea for the clothing for her.
The texture of the leaves gave me the idea for the character’s clothing. It helped me create a natural, organic look that feels connected to nature.
I found a concept design of a costume with detailed leaf patterns, and it looked really beautiful and inspiring. However, I decided to draw it in a simpler and more stylized way that fits my character better. The original design is still a great reference, and the artwork itself is truly impressive.
This reference shows a female water elemental character her body is a human form, but her outfit and silhouette flow with water, reflections, and mistic. The costume turquoise and blue highlights, which aligns with theme of water, stones, and flowing rivers. The pose, with arms outstretched and water rippling from her hands, creates motion and flow.
This image shows a female water character. Her body looks human but her arms and hair flow like water. Her outfit mixes water shapes with a few rock textures. The colors are mostly blue and turquoise. She is calm but looks powerful, and water moves around her hands and feet.
This character feels peaceful but also powerful – just like water in nature. Also this is the not final design for this character I will upload the development.
References:
Dowdy, M. (2025). Apple Sketch. [online] Pinterest. Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/150659550029976346/ [Accessed 21 May 2025].
Potter, C. (2025). Goblincore Outfits Drawing. [online] Pinterest. Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/1900024839032962/ [Accessed 21 May 2025].
glow_tattooer (2025). Blough Water Splash - Wrapped Canvas Photograph. [online] Pinterest. Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/252623860342875444/ [Accessed 21 May 2025].
Clark, A. (2025). Water Splashes Set Vector, Free CDR Vector - Dezin. [online] Pinterest. Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/510243832802723309/ [Accessed 21 May 2025].
Hansen, L. (2024). Waterfall Spirit Concept. [online] ArtStation. Available at: artstation.com [Accessed 22 May 2025].
ArtistName (2024). Water Spirit Character Design. ArtStation [Accessed 21 May 2025].
Smith, J. (2023). Water Elemental Female Concept. Concept Art Archive [Accessed 13 Nov 2025].
Here are the early concept sketches of the Fire Element Father, the second pillar of my elemental character series.
This character embodies raw power, hidden anger, and protective strength. He is the father of two and a former orphan who rose from the ashes — both literally and emotionally. His body is forged like flame-hardened steel, and his presence commands attention.
Sketch 1 🖊️ A facial and torso study — experimenting with posture and emotion. You can feel the buried rage and unshakable focus even in this early state.
Sketch 2 🖊️
A rough draft to explore his upper body and fiery features. You can see the flame-like hair and muscular structure taking shape.
Sketch 3 🖊️
This is the most complete concept so far. It shows him in full form: with fire wings, a spear, and a burning presence. I tried to reflect both divine rage and noble purpose. His design speaks of a warrior who doesn’t burn out — but burns through.
Here is the colored version of my Earth Elemental Mother character, shown from both the front and side views.
Bringing her to life with colors helped me capture her natural essence even deeper.
Her skin reflects the texture of soil, stone, and moss — as if she was formed by the planet itself.
I wanted her to feel grounded and eternal, yet alive and full of emotion.
From the front, you can feel her presence as a powerful mother figure.
From the side, her silhouette reveals the quiet strength she carries, shaped by motherhood and her bond with nature.
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