Thread by @mcapriglioneart

Having Trouble Starting a Comic?

You have spoken, and I shall answer. Here's a thread of the most common issues over starting a comic. I've compiled all of your responses into this neat little thread, so if you can't start a comic for the life of you, check this out:

BACKGROUNDS

This was the MOST common response in the thread.

REFERENCES: I keep a Pinterest board of environment art/scenery/photography/etc. of any references I’ll need later on. This also includes other comics, ones that I see have a good grasp on backgrounds. (1)

Also: use a gradient for some backgrounds! You don’t need a detailed background on every panel. Good rule of thumb: an establishing shot at the beginning of every new scene and at LEAST one nice background per page to remind the reader where they are. (2)

PERSPECTIVE
Good perspective comes from lots of practice. There’s three types: one point, two point, and three point.
There’s also a lot of tips you can use to make it easier. I use this method in Photoshop: deviantart.com/iingo/journal/… (3)

And for the most part, copy and paste backgrounds when you can! You can also use the perspective tool to edit them as you need. (4)

SCRIPTING
For the most part, there’s no single way to write a comic script. For beginners, it might be best to write a script that breaks down every panel on each page. This helps you figure out your pacing beforehand. For my webcomic I basically write a screenplay. (5)

This helps with longer-format stuff, but shorter comics (such as ones with page requirements) should be broken down panel-by-panel.
Here’s a good article from Comics Beat about scripting: comicsbeat.com/making-comics-…
(6)

Another helpful tool is to use Scrivener. It’s a paid program, but I’ve heard it helps with world building, scripting, and keeping track of characters. You can buy it for iOS or desktop (iOS is cheaper though!) (7)

WORLD BUILDING & OCS
Again, Scrivener is a helpful tool for this. You can keep track of all your details and descriptions here. (8)

And I reiterate: Pinterest is GREAT for this! You can start a board with the different aesthetics, designs, and inspirations for your world and characters. You can also divide a board into sections depending on area/culture/characters. (9)

LETTERING

Lettering is tough. Guides can help. The more you letter, the better you get! evanjwaterman.com/guide/letterin…
blambot.com/pages/letterin…
And make your own font! calligraphr.com/en/ (10)

ANATOMY & EXPRESSIONS

Good anatomy comes from practice. Do studies, figure drawings, and use REFERENCES whenever possible. Having trouble drawing a specific thing? Google it! Or Search it on Pinterest! There’s probably something out there. If not, take a picture yourself. (11)

Also, @SenshiStock has a pose generator you can use for practice. senshistock.com/sketch/ (12)

PANELING

Paneling is pretty important when it comes to comics. You need to make sure you utilize them as best as possible to convey your story. The panels should flow together and make it easy to comprehend. Your panels can be simple or complex, it’s totally up to you. (13)

The best book to help you with understanding panels and how to convey the passage of time through them is @scottmccloud Making Comics. He also has a ton of other amazing books to help with making and understanding comics. amazon.com/Scott-McCloud/… (14)

Also, Comics and Sequential Art and Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative by Will Eisner are must-reads for potential comic artists. amazon.com/Will-Eisner/e/… (15)

One of my favorite artists, @hamishsteele , does a good job at storytelling through easy-to-read panels. He uses a variety of shots to show character emotion and action.
hamishsteele.co.uk/DeadEndia (16)

Complex paneling is even tougher, but a great artist who use complex panels is @MingjueChen. I especially love the guest pages she did for Gotham Academy.
mingjuechen.carbonmade.com/projects/57139… (17)

A great webcomic to read with unique paneling is Stand Still, Stay Silent @SSSScomic . Lots of really expressive, artistic panel layouts. sssscomic.com (18)

You can do anything you want with panels! Just make sure you pay attention to the layout and readability of it. Think outside of the box! (19)

MOTIVATION

Alright, this is a toughie. I’ve been doing this for 4+ years and I STILL have issues with motivation and thinking that I’m not good enough. It gets easier to overcome as time passes and you become more confident. nytimes.com/guides/working… (20)

Lots of folks think that if they make a comic, that no one will care. The issue with this is that webcomics are considered a niche interest, and the webcomic community has genre audiences that tend to be very specific. (21)

There’s a romance audience, an action audience, a magical girl audience, etc. Think about which audience yours will fit into when writing your story. Use tags when posting on social media, find comics similar to yours and engage with it and learn something from them! (22)

Lack of followers doesn’t mean much. I have 3k+ and my webcomic still gets average views. But we’ve also been posting for almost 4 years. Don’t expect many readers until you reach about 100 pages. People like to binge read. (23)

Also, don’t make a comic to chase fame (I think we’re all guilty of that). Yeah, it would be nice to have your own fandom, but also that happens to about 2% of comics. (24)

If you can’t find the motivation to start your story here’s a good tip: JUST START. Just start making pages and put them out there! This is what you’re capable of at this very moment. Don’t like it? Make some more and improve. (25)

Most folks you see who have amazing comics and styles have been making at for a LONG TIME. They’ve made 400+ pages. You may not SEE that, but everyone does. You don’t just wake up one morning and all of a sudden you’re good at comics. (26)

If you’ve started your story already and can’t keep motivation, keep in mind that this is YOUR story. You can change it however and whenever you want. Make it up and edit as you go! There’s nothing wrong with that. (27)

Think it’s boring so far? Add a new character. Or make your characters travel to somewhere unique. Have FUN with your story. If you’re not having fun, your readers will notice. (28)

TIMING

Timing is scary because it’s not always necessarily something we can control. Whether you’re a student, work full time, or have physical/mental conditions, finding the time to do a time-consuming task such as comics can be tough. Keep habits and a good schedule. (29)

Set a specific time of day/week to work on comics. Whether it’s 3PM to 5PM, or 9AM to 5AM, keep the schedule. This helps you develop a healthy working habit. Don’t force yourself to stay awake until 5AM working! This will exhaust you and lead quickly to burnout. (30)

Keep a planner to keep track of page progress. Having a visual reference of your accomplishments helps motivate you! I have a daily task list, a weekly planner, a monthly calendar with important dates, and a yearly calendar. (31)

LACK OF SKILL

Not good enough yet? Yes you are. You can’t just sit around and wait until you’re “good” if you don’t do anything. Start a comic. Make just one single page. You can’t improve on a blank sheet of paper. (32)

You don’t have a style? Yes you do. Draw a face right now. That’s your style. It might improve and change over time, but that’s your style right now. (33)

It doesn’t look like the style you want? Find an artist with a similar style and study (NOT COPY) their work. Do this to multiple artists and find out what you like most about them. Aggregate them into your own style. (34)

IN CONCLUSION

You just gotta take the leap. Find a good community that motivates you and helps you grow.

JUST DO IT!!!

(35)

Also, this thread is a google doc.

docs.google.com/document/d/1hn…

Now go forth and make comics.

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Thanks for stopping by if you want a webcomic to read I got one right here for ya 👀

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