Using the ruler and pencil, divide the A4 sheet into four equal panels in a two-by-two grid. Rule the borders firmly so they will show clearly under ink. Leave a margin of about 1 cm around the outside edge of the sheet. Each panel should be roughly 9 cm wide and 12 cm tall.

Plan the story in pencil first. Keep it simple: the ghost appears in panel one, causes a problem in panel two, makes things worse in panel three, and resolves it (or not) in panel four. Pencil in the characters and any speech or thought bubbles. The whole strip should make visual sense even without reading the text.

Once the pencil layout looks right, go over every line with the fine black marker: borders first, then characters, then speech bubbles, then lettering. Let the ink dry for two minutes, then erase all pencil lines with the eraser. The final strip should have clean black lines on white paper with no grey pencil showing through.