so, i got to working on this...
let me know what you think of this....a little more eye-catching?
http://tapastic.com/series/drawling-moment58
i changed up the banner while i was at it....colour even
=)
i'm going to work on maybe re-lettering and/or finding/making a good font...i'm not very good with typography and i prefer to "draw" my lettering....the bad thing, digital drawing distorts my normally descent handwriting....it's not beautiful by any stretch, but using a stylus on a digital drawing tablet sure leaves a lot to be desired....yuk...
working on it....any advise on what fonts are decent? i'm no good with picking fonts...i just went and found a ton of them....hopefully i picked a couple good ones....
thanks for the advice and criticizm....i'm working to make my stories into realities....
Most of the fonts on Blambot6 are pretty decent, and a lot of them are free!
I hand-letter digitally, and I have to zoom WAY in to get clean lettering. Like 600-700% zoom!
But as far as good fonts, I second the Blambot recommendation --- I'm particularly fond of Ashcan4, which is mixed case and seems like it might be a good fit for your indie-ish style!
here's what it looks like on one of your pages:
I was on Font Squirrel5
there's some good stuff on there that I may try
Everyone pretty much gave some pretty awesome advice. definitely want to add though is don't let the amount of years it takes daunt you from wanting to get out whatever it is out of your webcomic. I think definitely writing down small goals you've done for your comic would help out a lot. regardless if its just simply updating. because at the end of the year you could look back and reflect on it. ( do this with subscrbers too if you want to) if you'd like to it every month. almost like keeping a sort of database i guess. it might sound complicated, but I think it could work especially since it can be really hard to see where you stand and when it feels like no one is reading or paying any attention to your webcomic.
but regardless I think subscribers will always come. just very, very slowly. and that's where you'll have to be really, really patient. like everyone else said. keep grinding it out and pretty much just be awesome at what you do.:)
thank you...like you said, everyone has given some great advice...i've been doing comics for a little while....going to comic conventions trying to sell my printed goods...it's hard to sell comics at a comic show these days...i'm just trying to gain enough of a following that when i'm at a comic con, maybe there's a chance that someone is there that knows who i am....other than the other artists...i got a little spoiled with drawling moments...pretty much the first couple months i did it got a lot of subs and views...and then it kindof tapered off....i started out with one a week because i knew i could do it....then i bumped it up to 2...now i'm doing 3...with some success...i noticed when i did INKtober in Oct and i was posting everyday, i got alot of eyeballs...i'm just too busy to do daily...as much as i want to...this forum has really sparked something though....i'm feeling very inspired....
so off to the drawing board...
TO COMICS!
I've been working really hard on Hall of Heroes (my comic)33, and yet it only has 2 subscibers. I don't know how to get more, even though I always ask for reads.
PLEASE HELP!!!
Don't just be a creator be a reader as well. Make sure you participate in the forums and other social media sites, makes sure your comic is linked in your profile in the forums and other sites. It takes time, your comic hasn't been up for a month yet. Worry about making a good comic instead of getting more subscribers, don't forget to advertise in appropriate places.
I don't have many followers on Twitter, but I do notice that it effects the views somewhat when I post there. Sharing on Facebook can also help more people find your comic. Tumblr is somewhat of a mystery to me, as nobody seems to notice my posts over there. Needs some time probably.
Now I am very new to this Tapastic site, but the experience I have from other sites is that you can have long quiet periods and then a sudden jump in views or subscribers, simply because your stuff gets shared by the right people at the right time.
But, as others have said already, advertise and be a part of the community. Good luck!
Honestly, keep working, be patient, and be friendly. I myself don't have many subscribers and feel a bit down at times (I actually feel below many others on this site). Reaching out an commenting on others might help you or at least tell people you exist. Honestly, the subscribers will rise when your not paying attention, or even care as much.
Really, enjoy other parts of your life, keep working, and be patient. You do this because it's fun, not for profit (though that would be nice). Also you could try finding groups of people on other sites that might enjoy it and link it back here.
Since this is a topic that's been on a lot of people's mind lately, I'm pinning this topic for people to quickly find it.
This topic is now pinned globally. It will appear at the top of its category and all topic lists until it is unpinned by staff for everyone, or by individual users for themselves.
There's also a great thread post about building a social media presence with no budget that @AffectedMind recommends checking out (I second this advice too)
hey you guys, I was just wondering if you guys had any tips for promoting your tapastic page specifically, I've been on here a longish time and I haven't really found any good ways to get views over here, which is weird because on other sites, I'm doing really well just wanted to know if that normal on here or what's the dealio
One thing you should do that you didn't in your initial post is make your comic easy for people to find.
I noticed you didn't have any links to you work for me to click on. Don't be overly aggressive about it if it isn't the right place or time but don't make more work for people to find it. EX: in @shazzbaa's post she mentioned she when digging around the forums to find you work. Kudos to her for going the extra mile to help you (and then sharing the link for other readers) out but not everyone is going to be that motivated.
The best thing to do is just hyperlink the appropriate part of you comment so interested parties can click away and find your work. I always do this when I refer to my comic9 as an example.
I'd say it's all about two words: persistence and consistence.
Don't get down when you're not immediately popular, and try to be consistent with your releases. That's probably the most important thing. After that, it's all about quality, and that will always be an ongoing assessment.
Best of luck, and much love.
LT
I'm gonna implement some of these strategies too of course. But I also wanted to suggest taking a moment to appreciate the subscribers you do have and the benefits of having a small number. I have 8 on my main comic so it's still feasible to keep up with their creations. Plus I can thank every one of them individually, and hopefully do fan art for their comics when I reach 10.
Hang in there. The audience for webcomics definitely takes time to build up. It took a couple of years for me but I heard after 6 months of consistent update you should see improvement.
My personal advice is to read and comment on series from other creators starting up. Feedback is always nice and usually goes both ways.
I even picked up at random "neighbor" comics in the fresh section and post a comment, say hello...
Also check this out for more infos:
It's tough. I have a long history of shooting videos, so I thought a fun and unique way to promote my mega-rad comic, Satan Ninja 198X5, would be to shoot a live-action promo video. Since the comic is a sort of tribute to everything my girlfriend (the comic's artist/co-writer) and I love about the 1980s, we decided to make the video a series of mock '80s commercials, starring ourselves.
Even though the videos turned out totally awesome4, they haven't done much for us in the way of attracting new readers. But at least they were fun to make.
It seems especially hard to get noticed as a long-form comic. Gag strip comics can easily get attention on sites like Reddit, but I don't know of any good places to promote a long-form comic.
Unfortunately, just being good, isn't quite enough. Even a great, professional quality comic, like, say, Satan Ninja 198X, can really struggle to find readers. It's a cruel world.
ive read many forums that will help get subscribers. so far this day i got 6 subscribers. I think the project wonderful is effective most. here is the link http://forums.tapastic.com/t/free-self-promotion-through-project-wonderful/96233
http://tapastic.com/series/drawling-moment2
http://tapastic.com/series/dylpdx-the-sketchiness1
http://tapastic.com/series/Penniless2
http://tapastic.com/series/mechanical-district4
here's the ones i do, i hope you enjoy at least one of them,
dyl
No real way of getting more subscribers, still trying to find the answer myself. Relate-ability towards something that people already know (lore, re-told tales, mythic backgrounds etc) seem to start off well I've noticed. Original original stuff such as involving strange species, etc (if you're going longstory form) doesn't do very well since, well, how would readers look up something they've no idea exists/ or heard about?
You can try some really intensive networking, as in personally trying to talk to and get to know every community member out there and appearing in every comment section of every comic with an eye-catching avatar so people will click on you out of curiosity after seeing you everywhere. It's a very very slow process but it got me my first 100 or so when I was starting out.
You can also use groups such as Skype, online forums, Webcomic Underdogs or #Webcomicchat (weekends on twitter) as platforms for spreading your work outside of Tapastic, but again, in things like those simply shouting out your comic and link will probably not get you many followers, Sometimes people subscribe to you or follow you on other media just because they recall you were a friendly neighbor.
If you're out there for views and subscribers alone, ok... I'm not here to judge, feel free to take a look at some of the more successful or popular gag-a-day comics or whatever form you're looking at out there. They usually involve pop-culture references, parodies, fandoms, fetishes, whatever's grabbing the community at the time, and are often widespread on various social media sites (be sure to water mark your work somewhere where it can't be easily cropped off, I've had that happen to me once...) Personally such content gives me no joy creating it, but if you enjoy it and it just so happens to be something that the community your comic dips into is digging, you should be good to go. (Honestly look how many subscribers fan-comics of say Steven Universe Fnaf and Undertale get on tumblr... makes sense though because the story has already been widespread and acknowledged).
I feel the same... I have been consistent for one year and I have 29 subscribers, is sometimes a little disappointing when you let your soul on every page and letter, I got a full job and I try to make more than one page a week, I want to make more series but I am getting a hard time getting someone to help me, for the firs time I get behind my schedule and I am getting frustrated, but I´ll keep going, the best I can, and hope all the work and sacrifice worth it.