In basic terms, if you compare a comic book to a motion picture, the penciller acts as the assistant director, camera man, lighting tech, costume designer, make-up effects artist, prop designer, casting agency, and caterer (no free lunch here, pal!).

The penciller takes the written word and transforms it into a series of sequential images. This isn't too hard - everyone does this each time we read a book that doesn't already have pictures in it! As we read, and as we get pulled into the story, we stop "reading" and begin "experiencing." Images of the scenes described in the text begin to form in our "minds-eye," and we become happily oblivious to the mundane mechanical process of "reading." The penciller then grabs that mental picture and gets it down on paper. Easy!