I’m real curious to see how you guys get over your anxiety of a new project, sit down, and make the first page. Did you just wake up one day and start sketching, did you make thumbnails for the whole chapter, etc?
Jul '22
Aug '22
I started with a really short intro idea and thought on it until I had a loose script, then did the thumbnails in one or two sittings. Since it wasn't too long, it wasn't overwhelming. And then since I had loosely planned out the pages, I didn't have to think too hard about the actual drawing part.
I don't think I was too anxious about it, for me the hard part is putting the ideas together in an understandable order 
. I always have a bunch of unconnected ideas/scenes that I need to make sense of later!
Preparation helps for me. I almost never draw a page without thumbnails first, and when I started Errant, I also did some test runs drawing and inking the first few panels to get a feel for which inking brush I liked best, whether my colours were working in-context and whether my pipeline for drawing and colouring pages was reasonable to keep up a steady update schedule.
I always write a plot overview of the chapter or storyarc, write a rough script of what happens, thumbnail out at least the first 10 pages (or about 3-5 episodes for long-scroll maybe? I haven't made a long scroll comic yet), make sure I've at least done character design sketches and decided on the colours I use for all the characters who will appear (but I never go as far as drawing turnarounds), made sure I know at least roughly what the props and environments look like and sourced reference as needed, done a style test for how I'll draw panels an downloaded any special brushes or tools I'll need... and then I sit at my desk and go "....Well... I've done everything else, and I've practiced how I'll draw everything I need to draw, and I have all my resources and references ready... guess I'll start drawing the pages, huh?"
I didn't have too much of an issue with drawing the first page since I'd done practice pages for my comic beforehand so I had a good idea of what I wanted the art to look like. I also planned the thumbnails for my first scene and had the script pre-written so that definitely helped guide me.
One day, I just kinda went "I have 90% of my prep work done, I think I'm good to start." I'm still able to make story changes and create more assets in the meantime, so just deciding to start and have fun with it was the best course of action for me.
Making comics is very integral to my life, and I'm very lucky to just be able to... go ?
I do thumbnails, so that makes the first page a little bit less daunting, I think.
I set up my thumbnail pages, get out the two pens I'm going to use, and sticky notes. I usually have an idea of what I want to show on each page, and I draw whatever works. If it's really not working, I plaster a sticky note over it and keep going until it feels right.
The clearer idea I have in my head for a project, the easier it comes out of my hands. Some shorts that I work on have wobbly beginnings, because I wasn't sure what I wanted. It helps to back away from it and then return to iterate in those cases.
My process was a lot like all the other replies in that I had done a lot of prep work prior (thumbnails, script, etc) so doing the first page felt natural.
But I didn't start with my actual first page tho. I started on page six because I knew I would probably get better at my art software and I didn't want the first page viewers see to be my testing grounds. I did less important scenes first until I got halfway through my comic, then I went back and did the cover art and first page.
When I work on my own project I love to be 10% planner, 90% pantser,
this means I sit down and sketch some funny poses and make up a story,
usually it´s a main character that I already know facing a problem on the
first page.
When I work on the next page it´s pretty much the same, I pick up where
the last page ended and continue the story.
The stories are usually weird and get crazier but that´s something I like.
Pretty much like I worked when I was a kid
I wrote and thought up ideas for.. roughly 5 years. (I'm quicker now, hey!)
Then, I made a script. I've been revising it, but chapter one is solid in my opinion. My next problem was me thinking I'm not good enough, but the common consensus is.. just start. So I did, and I improved at lightspeed. I sketch each page one by one then maybe ink them, depending on how I feel. I don't do thumbnails yet.
I was listening to clown music and imagining a funny scenario then I was like hmmn I like this character let's give him a name, then I had another character, and then I wanted to see it put together. I tried writing it as a novel but I really don't like writing ≡(▔﹏▔)≡ so I started drawing little snippets and then it became a web comic ⊙.☉
But in all thing's fair I approach life like ripping off a really sticky band-aid and then regretting it later (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞
Half the times things go well and then...other times well.... (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)
I'd say just do it!!!
closed Aug 23, '22
