Hi! My name's Skopal!

OpalSpike 2015-08-30 20:21:52 UTC #1

I'm.. somewhat new to Tapastic. Well, I'm a new creator. :3 I've been lurking around, following ALL THE COMICS, attending some livestreams, and now I'm finally starting to feel ready to make my own comic. It's always been a dream of mine. Any tips or tricks are SUPER appreciated! But I just wanted to start getting comfy in the forums, meeting people , all that wonderful stuff! So hi!

jmhenry 2015-08-30 20:38:08 UTC #2

Hey, Skopal!
The best advice I could give you on comicing is really to start early and start with short stories early on. It'd help you keep motivated and focus on finishing projects before taking on any huge, multi-arc stories. I've seen plenty of newcomers that just give up partway either because they lacked the motivation or the wrote themselves into a corner(I was almost one of them). Just thought I'd throw in that small cautionary tale, but I hope that helps and good luck to ya!

OpalSpike 2015-08-30 20:49:52 UTC #3

Hey there, Jmhenry! Thanks for the advice! I currently have an idea for a plot oriented comic. But I don't feel ready for it yet, so I've start off with simple short comics, slice of life, and it's definetly a great learning experience. I'll keep on doing this 'till I feel ready to start my 'big' project.

BitStrange 2015-08-30 20:51:42 UTC #4

The best advice I could give is make a good amount of buffer for your comics. That is basically what killed me with my last comic I did and I learned from my lesson with my new comic that is coming out.

bsienk90 2015-08-30 20:52:03 UTC #5

Welcome! It's great to meet you. I'm Bsienk. Im the creator of Confessions.
My advice is keep doing what you doing, being active. Support other artist and let them know your around and supporting them.

As for comic making... make sure you have your characters developed and have the over arching plot sorted out before you start. Don't give to much away in the beginning but keep the plot moving forward, you need to give the readers a reason for coming back. How I do comics is I know over arching plot, then I write out my main plot points I need to hit, and then I do quick outlines for each chapter so I know what needs to be drawn. Once you find your flow you'll be golden.
Also, updated regularly once you start, if something comes up that you can't, let your readers know. Keeps them in the loop. ALWAYS answer you commentors back not matter what. Let's them know you care.

And last advice, HAVE FUN! Good luck!

abbastudios 2015-08-30 21:26:54 UTC #6

Welcome aboard.

Tell a story with a beginning, middle and end.
Stir in plot, conflict and resolution.

Now you have a chance someone may be interested.

Check out the comic on your phone to be sure the lettters are large enough to be read on a phone.

Present your comic in panel format and not printed page format..

Kyosu 2015-08-30 22:47:41 UTC #7

hello there. I'm kyousu, the author of One of Us
my best advice is to make shorts comic. when you have more skill you start to make a comic starting to make the "episode 0".

Vikiro_Hop 2015-08-31 19:01:55 UTC #8

welcome to the forums, the only tip I could give is to stick with whatever you do. It can be pretty easy to get discouraged, but people around here are nice and appreciate hard work. I'm starting with a short gag strip myself until I'm ready to do a plot oriented comic so I'm in a similar boat as you.

Silerna 2015-08-31 20:43:38 UTC #9

Hello Skopal! I'm Silerna (: have a cookie!

OpalSpike 2015-08-31 21:01:35 UTC #10

COOKIE! I LOVE COOKIES! How did you know I loved cookies?

Silerna 2015-08-31 21:04:33 UTC #11

Everyone loves COOKIES! ...right? =D

OpalSpike 2015-08-31 21:15:44 UTC #12

They should! >-> Cookies are great!

whydocowsfall 2015-08-31 21:17:52 UTC #13

Hi! Nice to meet you, and welcome to the forums! I'm new at this too (and I'd love to have been given advice in advance D: ) but my advice would be to plan everything ahead and make sure you know what you're doing. I haven't done that enough and it's making it difficult for me to figure out what I'm doing next. I made sure I'd designed the characters and figured out the plot but I didn't think enough about the structure. That will make it much easier for you! Also, try to make sure your first few pages are reasonably fast paced because it can be quite boring otherwise. Probably the best way to deal with that is to finish your prologue or first chapter in advance and post it all in one episode? That way people can see what your comic is about quickly, and you have more of an opportunity to grab their attention! Unless you're doing short one-off sketches (like slice-of-life comics or some comedy ones), in which case it's fine to post a page at a time. Just make sure the first one is good. dd:

sleepingmarlons2 2015-08-31 22:31:51 UTC #14

just do your stuffs and be awesome haha

Dorian_Grey 2015-08-31 22:38:56 UTC #15

Hey there!! Welcome!
I started not too long ago myself in July with my comic Unravel and I wanted to throw up with excitement/anxiety.
It's tough putting yourself out there for the world to judge but it's exciting to create your own story and see it come to life with your own two hands!
What is your comic?? Please put up a link to your work when you are ready, I'll love to see it.
My advice is to just do it, and try to create a lot of pages before starting. Unlike me I started suddenly and I wish I had more time to make more of a buffer, but you live and you learn.
It's lovely to meet you regardless and I wish you the best of luck!!

OpalSpike 2015-08-31 23:00:30 UTC #16

Lovely to meet you too! Sorry I'm not able to reply to everyone who replied, but I'm reading every comment and storing away all this super helpful info!!
My comic is a gag strip, as some may call, and I will be doing a plot oriented one someday in my future. The art isn't super good because I'm still learning, but that's the whole point, aye? To learn!
Link!

I never thought of making pages before I started.. genius.. ._.