Batches vs One Page at a Time

[gempompadour]

I wish I could do batches, but it just doesn't suit my style, so one page at a time it is. I constantly change my mind on the composition, dialogue and flow of the pages that if I had ten pages inked I'd have to redo some of them.

I always have rough sketches of a chapter ready but allow the pages room to live. If I get a new idea or something else seems better than what I have on the sketch, I can easily change it.

[nathanKmcwilliams]

I prefer one page\panel at a time. It's a little slower, but I like to get it all done so I don't have to go back.

[kennielacroix]

Wow I really love your art. (: Gunna have to take a read of Magicians of Megatron when I get home from work!

[thel3tterm]

Oh wow, its pretty interesting hearing all of these different approaches and perspectives here! I might try a mixed approach if the 'classic' batch work doesn't go so well for me.

[cleo_san]

I do mixed =) I sketch a few pages, and when I have had enough of sketching (mainly around 3-5 pages) I start inking. While inking, I usually do 2-3 at the same time (the ink has to dry #traditionalartist XD) and when I'm bored of inking, I sketch again or do the screentones digitally =P

...Basically my workflow is complete and utter chaos °_°"""

[nauko]

I sketch a batch of 2-6 pgs and complete ink and tones one page at a time from there.

[simplykit]

i used to post only one page per episode but the readers complained and wanted more so now i do about 20-30 per post

its ok though, it moves the story along quite nicely

[M.ComicFan]

So far, I've been working on my comic one page at a time. Although seeing as how some people say that they get their pages done faster when doing them in batches, maybe I should try it.

[thel3tterm]

Agreed hahaha, that's the main reason I decided to try it. It also seems like it'd be much better for uniformity and having a better planned story structure.

[SketchbookKid]

I tend to work in batches of 3. Well, I storyboard on paper first (4 pages per sheet, front&back),then when I move on to drawing in ClipStudio, I draw 3 of the pages and then work those until completion, rinse& repeat. I just recently adopted this method, before I would work on one page sketch to finish, set it to go up, and then start on the next.

I like the batch method more myself as I get to see more of a scene at once outside of my head, and can adjust as I go.

[Mallory]

Em... Sorta one page at a time? I will script in batches (one chapter at a time), which means I MAY also do thumbnails (I should, but I usually get lazy and then pay for it when things don't add up). Then I work primarily on one page at a time, but I may leave that page if it's giving me issues and work on the next few pages, doing rough drafts and such. Usually that jogs my brain and I can go back to working on the main page.

It's A LOT less efficient of a workflow to do one page at a time, but, eh... I was working in batches and I ran out of steam because I didn't get the instant gratification of having something shiny and completed every couple weeks. x.x Also because my nerves and muscles are all borked up, I can only work in short bursts anyways, so there's no point in having a long workflow.

[WoollyPAR]

I tried batch style a while ago with my first webcomic, it didn't work too well for me since I kept getting frustrated that I wasn't finishing all of the pages in time for when I wanted to upload. Now that I know some more tricks and have a better idea of how to make comics, I started doing one page at a time, but worked my way up to two pages once I had a good buffer. So now it's a sorta flexible batch upload style (idk if that makes sense). It works for me. I feel comfortable knowing I only need to upload at least one page a week, but I can still do two or more pages if I wanna get through a scene quicker. This probably doesn't work as well for people who prefer to be more consistent with uploads, so that would explain why I don't see this option brought up much.

[artemficta]

This batch style is how I work too (sketch all the pages, then line all the pages, etc.), and for me personally I can definitely say it's faster than working one page at a time. The longest part of the process for me is lining all the characters in the batch of pages, everything else is fairly fast after that.

[thel3tterm]

Does doing it 'classic' batch style like that ever contribute to burnout for you?
I know lining is definitely the longest and most grueling part of the process for me, and I'm sort of curious about whether doing it batch style can cause artists to get drained faster.

[Darth_Biomech]

Batches are the only way to go. Before I was batching, I've struggled to maintain the pace. Nowadays I even have free time sometimes!

[thecrystalrook]

This is how I work. Draw 4 pages, go back and ink/color all 4. It breaks the work up so I'm not just doing the same thing day after day.

[Chopythes]

Kinda depends quite alot for me: Am I stressed? - One page/time.
Not stressed? - BATCH STYLE WHOOOOOHOOO NO ONE CAN STOP ME *flies off *

I prefer the batchstyle tho, making speachbubbles and dialogues are way easier and the dialogue doesn't come off at stiff and boring as it might do when I do one page/time.
Working with batches, I almost always go 3 pages at a time, as 4 is too many and 2 is too little sorta? 3 is my magic number, haha xD

[artemficta]

By the end of the batch I usually feel miserable and like I ran a marathon but then I take a day or two off to do other things, and I feel fresh and ready to work on pages again

[liamnaughton7]

One thing I do when working on full chapters is to tackle a lot of the bigger, more important images first when my energy is higher.
That way when I'm running low on steam and motivation I only have more standard images left to do. Also, with the end in sight I tend to speed back up in anticipation of finishing.

[Rhonder]

Ooo that actually makes a lot of sense but I've never thought to try that before :0 I'll keep that strategy in mind! I almost always just go chronologically lmao