About collaboration

[kip]

not all artists have a story they want to tell

[Kelheor]

Except for aspiring artist who want to learn from the storytelling master, why not tell your own story?

Because not everyone has those =) Some people are just not great at imagining stories. Some people can not make a cohesive plot by themselves. They have an idea, the characters, situations... but not the plot, you know, from the beginning to the end. Or they think their story/idea/plot is not even good enough. Or a thousand other reasons. Speaking from the experience here

[vrau]

I mean comic artist. Sorry.

[vrau]

I see. Then if they want to create a story/comic why won’t they learn about storytelling as well. Basically they don’t want to think about the story and just handle the art? Hmmmm.

[Kelheor]

Well yeah, but if storytelling was so easy, many people would already draw their comics and write their books, and they don't

I'll set one example: many people have their universes. It's fun to think about them, about characters and what they are doing. But then you know characters should go a long way from one point to another for a story to happen. And the story should have an end, so you won't be like many writers/mangakas who did those 20 years of work just to come nowhere and haphazardly finish the story with some stupid explanation. And a good villain, and a good pinnacle event... So it may be a real labor for them to actually make a cohesive story they like.
And some people don't even have those, some people have nothing at all. Maybe an idea or two, but again, it's hard to nurture this idea into something.

[jensrichard77]

Game of thrones S8
Star Wars ep. 7-9

Hell ya. Storytelling is a walk in a park and whatever you do all your fans will love love love it.

[vrau]

Isn’t that the point? Storytelling is integral to the comic and no one claims it’s easy. I mean, isn’t it part of the joy of making comic that it comes with the struggle from the concept? Learning is part of the process, nothing can be created instantly if you wish it. After all it’s comic. And no one knows the detail of the story intimately more than the writer themselves. But yeah, maybe it’s just me then.
Ah those shounen jump mangakas ahahha what a fucking betrayal. I know that feeling.

[vrau]

Yeah. No one said it’s easy and will be immediate success. But we gotta learn though.

[Elixiink]

Personally I drew short comic strip for this person because I reeeaallly needed some money for a thing or two. I didn't have a story at that time so it's not like I had anything to work on. That was my reasoning.

And surprisingly recently a person came up to me and said they'd like to help me out for my comic and for free on top of that. I was pretty shocked and when I asked why she said she wanted experience before starting her own comic. She wanted to know what's it like to make a comic so that she can figure out if it's something she can actually do or not.

So I guess these are some of the reasons.

Another would be some webtoon authors hiring smaller artists to help them out. If you're a fan of them I suppose you'd want to take up the offer cause personally I'd be ecstatic to work alongside a comic artist I look up to and learn a thing or two.

There might be more reasons but these are the ones that I can think off the top of my head.

[kip]

that’s the thing though, not everyone wants to learn storytelling. not all comic artists enjoy writing and storytelling. it’s two different skills and two different processes, it makes sense different people would have different preferences. saying “why would they learn then?” is a bit like saying “if you enjoy cooking, why not learn baking?”- it’s two different things.
same reason comic writers don’t all go learning how to draw, ya know?

[vrau]

Money is always a priority I guess. I can see the importance of learning through doing things, and I understand why an artist offered her service for free for that reason. And it’s a nice thing for webtoon authors helping smaller artists like that too. Working with fav writer will be a great experience, no doubt, but it’s a me thing I guess, that in the end, I want to tell my own story. Lol. Thank you for sharing!

[vrau]

Basically it’s down to a personal preference. I see. Maybe it’s my problem to see comic as a whole, not separate thing. Thanks for answering.

[jensrichard77]

“if you enjoy cooking, why not learn baking?”- it’s two different things. same reason comic writers don’t all go learning how to draw, ya know?

Maybe it’s my problem to see comic as a whole, not separate thing.

I believe that you have a talent! Embrace it and make some great stuff.
But do not fear to learn from the specialist in storytelling. They might have some approach you didn't think of.

BTW do you have a link for your work? Like to see it

[elyss]

I love comics and writing but hate, hate, HATE coloring. I've tried to learn how do it, but it sucks the fun out my project. I took classes, I learned how to color, but I would rather find someone to color instead because it just makes me want to stop drawing and writing.

For some artists, that's what storytelling is to them.

[SleepingPoppy]

Being able to work with and adapt to another person is also a great skill to develop. Actual jobs in the industry are typically divided into smaller roles, so if the comic artist wishes to, say, work for marvel, they will need to be able to adapt to having a script writer.

Even if the artist is also a writer and enjoys storytelling, they may enjoy the process of having another person to bounce ideas and flesh out work with. particularly when friends work together, I think they develop ideas together and are able to envision things a similar way (and enhance each other's visions).

[kaiyaweird]

I agree with what others are saying, it's a worthwhile skill to be able to work with others if you're ever looking to do art besides just promoting/selling your own. It's not a bad skill to develop.

And it can be fun to work with others. I have a friend that, when we are together, we seem to spark each other's imaginations and come up with stuff that we might not otherwise. So ,for a while now, we've been working on a collab. It's pretty light hearted and fun, and (I think at least) interesting learning how to bring our ideas together.

However, I also have stories of my own that I want to tell, and I want to be in charge of all of it. So, aside from asking for advice or opinions, I handle all the work for those stories.

[rajillustration]

I think some people are just afraid of going in alone, which is why they reach out to others to write stories for them. Personally, I'd rather ride solo for now, mostly because what I'm writing doesn't match what my friends write. And my IRL friends who make comics are quite busy. But, if circumstances were different, then yeah, I could see collaborating with some of them because then we'd combine not only our artistic forces (because like most comic makers they draw as well as write) but also combine our collective audiences, making an even bigger audience. As long as both of you have the same vision with strengths that amplify the other, more hands make less work.

But as far as just collabing with someone I've never met on the internet? nah.

[snowy]

There used to be a trend in comics where really succesful artists rejected the usual practice of being paired up with a writer, because "who needs 'em, am I right ?". This resulted in books like "Youngblood" and McFarlane's solo "Spiderman" series. To each his own, but I figure the opposite point was made there.
That being said, Jim Starlin (creator of Thanos, etc..) always tells the story of how in his early days at Marvel, he was partnered with such incompetent hack writers, that he decided to write his own stuff, and that turned out rather well.

Collaboration on creative stuff is a lucky draw, I think. My own is going rather well, but I realise I'm incredibly lucky.

[revisionstudios]

Collaboration is a means of bringing in each person's specializations into one project. Going in solo means you have to work extra hard to cover your faults, if you recognize them at all. Working with people that excel in the places where you falter elevates the quality of the work as a whole AND decreases the workload of the individual. And personally, I think that's amazing! I am not the end all, be all in the creative process and my projects wouldn't be where they are now without the people I've had with me on the journey.

At the end of the day, I enjoy it and it's just the most efficient way to get to a quality product. I can either finish a handful of mediocre written ones on my own, or I can work with someone who helps me make it GOOD and double the amount of books I put out?? Sounds like a winner to me.

[SpavVy]

I have my own comic as my main project but I also have a collab with a good friend on the side. In our collaboration some of the characters are mine including one of the main protagonists.

Since high school we were always writing skits and such with our OCs so we are very familiar with working together and it's been a very rewarding journey for us already. Our characters have great chemistry, it's fun to bounce ideas off of one another and it gives me a break from my own comic and refresh if It starts making me stressed for whatever reason.