Aug 2021
9 / 12
Aug 2021
Aug 2021
Dialusion
Aug '21

Best advice I can give is use your time efficiently. Both in terms of actual production and in story telling (time being time to tell the story, individual chapter's flow, etc). Know how long you have to work on this project in a day, week or month and plan around that (specifically in the event you have less time so you aren't caught off guard. Having a good safety net). Don't rush through, but keep consistency at the forefront. This includes resting and staying hydrated.

jmhenry
Aug '21

Don't wait til you're 'good enough' to get started. The best way to improve your comic-ing skills is to draw the comic. Draw, fail, get better, and draw again. Failure is just part of the process, so don't let fear of it hold you back

wispysing
Aug '21

This is very true. Try to compare the first and last chapters of comics out there. There's bound to be at least some degree of difference/improvement.

Scarlet_Cryptid
Aug '21

Dear New Artists: Nail down your fundamentals before you worry about having a 'style'. Let me say that again: Nail down your fundamentals before you worry about having a 'style'.

Why?

Because 'style' is how you choose translate a thing from reality (or imagination) to paper/screen. The important word there: 'choose'.

If you are capable of drawing something realistically, but you choose not to, and instead simplify it, cartoonify it, play with unnatural colors, or exaggerate anatomy in order to express a thing a particular way, that is a style. If you have the fundamental skills, you can make those exaggerations look good, because you know the rules and how to bend them effectively.

If you are unable to draw a thing very well, and instead you lean on cartoonifying it or exaggerating it to cover up the fact that you can't draw it very well... unfortunately that often shows. If you don't know the rules, it is much, much harder to bend them in ways that work well. Trying to stylize too early is like trying to speak the slang of a language when you barely know any of the actual grammar or vocabulary. You might be able to use a phrase appropriately here or there... but native speakers are gonna know you don't actually speak the language.

Learn the fundamentals, and over time, you'll probably either settle into a style naturally, or you'll have the skills to come up with one that works for you. And, like, keep refreshing those fundamentals, because even seasoned pros benefit from keeping their skills sharp.

(This is general advice for all new artists, not aimed specifically at the OP, by the way.)

VibrantFoxRegular
Aug '21

understand that the work will be difficult and that aside from proper preparation and organization patience will be key. Tons of newbies will sometimes quit early because they found their work wasn't performing as well as they hoped or wasn't getting the amount of engagement they wanted but setting realistic goals, understanding not everything goes viral instantly and just being patient is important

and that's more general advice but man i wish folks would hold out a little longer rather than giving up in the first few months

BOMB
Aug '21

No one will care. No one will care for a very long time, so you have to create for yourself. Don't worry about money, fame, or fans, because those things can and likely will take forever to come. Create the stories and art that you want to make, and do it for yourself. Sure, it's good to know what audience you want to check out your story, but at the end of the day, you gotta do this for yourself. Because honestly, if you aren't enough motivation, you probably won't get very far.

SoenKai
Aug '21

Learn visual storytelling and paneling. Not-so-perfect drawings can be saved with good paneling. But bad paneling will destroy any well-drawn comic.

BOMB
Aug '21
jmhenry

I completely agree with this, and I feel it holds true with most arts. Music, writing, drawing, you shouldn't wait until you're perfect because you may never be. If you start now, you'll be better later.