Are you new here? - Old advice that doesn't work on Tapas anymore

[CrispyGhee]

Ahhh I was actually pondering the whole "Posting 20 pages at once" thing earlier today, since I was considering a bimonthly approach but wondered if that would make things difficult for new readers. Such a good point, and totally helped me make up my mind on that matter. This is a great list, thanks for making it!

[Kyuu]

I started posting a web comic like 2 weeks ago. It's called Hello Void. I've always wanted to create my own manga/webcomic, and am excited to start it now!
Anyways, I wanted hear some advice from veteran senpais out there. Any tips for a newb here?

[AnnaLandin]

Hi @josef_yi! Welcome to Tapastic! : ) We're a friendly bunch, so I'm sure you'll like it here.

Advice for new people:

Be active. You wanna make friends in the community and maybe net yourself some new readers? Be active in the community! Hang out on the forums, talk to people, participate in community events, etc. If you've got a Twitter-account, I really recommend participating in the weekly webcomic-hashtags - #ComicBookHour and #webcomicchat specifically. They've super-popular, and webcomics-twitter is a nice place to hang out!

Update frequently/regularly. Try to update as often as you can, and as regularly as you can. If you promise your readers to update on Mondays, do your very best to always update on Mondays (barring unforseen circumstances, like illness or an unexpected crisis). Humans are creatures of habit - we like things to fall into regular patterns!

Be patient. Webcomics is a long game - nothing happens overnight, and building up your readership and finding your place in the community takes time, patience and hard work. Keep on drawing, keep on posting, and keep your chin up, and you should be fine.

[Kyuu]

Thank you so much for your advice!! I will definitely stay active

[Aloredd]

a problem I'm trying to help someone deal with right now....Dont hate your own art!!!! I can't stress this enough, it's driven her to depression because she thinks she's no good, but she loves it. I actually struggle with it too, and have dropped my comic because of it (mostly because I've little to no training and practice) but my mental status/personality is such that I can't really get depressed so it's not a problem for me.

[Kyuu]

Ahh... I'll keep that in mind. It's scary cuz I also get into mild depression about the similar issue. Though it has been a fuel to improve my art, but I'll make sure that it doesn't go out of hand :<

[Aloredd]

took a look and subbed, you have nothing to worry about ^^ There's always room for improvement no matter who you are, but you have a very unique, cool style

[jeffanime1]

Great advice, I'll go check it out.

[Kyuu]

Thank you!!! I think my worry is that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the schedule because of school :/

[TheVoidchildProject]

Hi, I'm in a similar situation as you I guess. I started drawing last year. First time I ever did anything serious. And I feel like my art has come a long way since then. My comic is called "Voidchild" (tapastic.com/series/voidchild/) if you wanna check it out (also we seem to be comic-name siblings ).

I also looked at your comic and you're obviously more adept at this than when I started out. What helped motivate me was another more accomplished author/artist who told me that "a good story trumps bad art". Basically he told me to draw my story myself because if I could portray it well the enthusiasm would shine through.

And as long as you think it is fun to draw, develop and share your story. I want subscribers for my stuff obviously but in the end if that's what I get obsesse about I'm not gonna have a good time. I'm enjoying learning to draw and telling my story and to be quite honest it's all about me. So be egotistical. That will also help you accept any constructive criticism along the way which in turn will help make your stuff better. If you do it for yourself. That's how I see it.

[Kyosu]

      hello hello !  °3°)/

i'm the comic author of One Of Us check it if you wish °w°

here some advices:
1- be patient......very patient.
2- make your characters. don't make only one sketch but lot of sketches about them until they don't work in your comic. if
not delete them.
3- group your ideas and be elastic to new ideas. sometimes and often they can be original.
4- start with an "episode 0" to see if everything works and, if happen, change the weak points.
5- when you start your comic, be sure to have a bunch of pages to post them regularly.
6- be open to critiques except with people who insult your work and trust me it might happen.
7- be dynamic and not static. modify your style in every page. it's the only way to get experience.

the last thing i suggest you it's not be stressed to make your comic
and you don't have to ignore your studies and make a lot of pauses
during the day because you have to use your free time to make a comic.
so relax
that's all.
if you need advices or help. ask me

[niinasalmelin]

Many good points here already.
I'd add that supporting other creators is also something to keep in mind.
Check out other peoples comics, comment, like, give feedback if you have something, sub if you like it. Be genuine about it, you don't have to give attention to comics you don't like. It feels great to get comments to your own work so why not pass on the good feel and motivate others

[wburns605]

21st point is the best!

[thephantomfanboy]

Very helpful stuff, thanks!

[Quetherttigo]

personally I think I'm doing all of those things, but it's not really working for me.

[NickRowler]

Holy crap. So I'm new here and I don't 100% know how everything works. So the first message I got was someone begging for subs. I was thinking "Is this normal on here?". But then I saw #6.

I'm half tempted to copy what you wrote and post in in a reply to this person.

[PotooGryphon]

Yeah, it's not an official against site rules to post those messages on people's walls, however it is a common courteous not to and it tends to have the opposite effect where people don't want to visit that comic now. There are definitely nicer more effective ways to self promote than spamming other people's walls.

Thankfully it's not too common on Tapastic, or perhaps they know better than to post on my wall by now. lol

[olimpia78023]

Thanks a ton for the tips and tricks! Much appreciated!

[LeoKi]

When launching your comic, please don't post just a cover page asking to stay tuned until the story starts in three months. I don't subscribe to a cover page, I subscribe to a story

[Sheaginvian]

I really was about to give up, but after reading this, maybe I really do have a chance out here.