I can't be the only webcomic creator who finds drawing to be bothersome

[dewarcomics]

I feel that too, I'm impatient as well and I want to get to the cool stuff right away.

I'm learning to enjoy the moments the story is currently at and taking more of my time and drawing more details instead of rushing it. There's also the other side where I have to let it go or else there won't ever be an update.

But mainly I'm pulling in the reins of my brain and basically tell myself "calm down, lets make the CURRENT cool stuff cool, the cool stuff in the future will come eventually let's cross that bridge once we get there bud"

[frgmnt]

To be honest I think I get how you feel. The reason why I started drawing as a kid in the first place was to illustrate the stories in my head. But I'm a slow and unmotivated artist and there are times when I ask myself if I even like drawing...Which is the main reason why my comic, planned to be a very long one, has been on hiatus for two years and will probably never return as a comic I just dreaded the thought of how long it will take to draw it all and I knew it will kill my passion for this story somewhere down the line. I calculated it'd take me at least two years of weekly 2-page posting to even get to where the "real" plot starts... A slog for both myself and potential readers.

It sounds like you are determined on telling your stories in comic form, so I don't know if my suggestion will help you at all, but have you considered making a visual novel for example? While it still requires a lot of art, character sprites and backgrounds can be reused, with just minor changes, an infinite number of times, greatly speeding up the time it takes to finish the story. That is what I'm thinking of doing with my project. Granted, I have no idea how to code a VN (yet), or how to get any music for it, but well, I'm still figuring out those parts hopefully... in this decade...

[false_postulate]

I've been collaborating with an artist (my sis) for a while now on several webcomics, but it kind of takes away the sense of... ownership? I don't know if that's the right way to describe it. Also, I've never done well with group projects / partnerships :') But yeah, maybe I'll hire one in the future, who knows. Though I don't think my stories are that exceptional enough to bother someone else with them, haha

[false_postulate]

art is so much more mentally and physically demanding than people give it credit for.

I'm kind of a beginner artist, and I've recently started drawing some things for my friends when it's their birthday, but the non-artist friends don't think/appreciate much of it... hahaha, lesson learned about that. Gotta buy them a stuffed animal next time, lol. They probably thought it only took 5 minutes or something to draw their present, but it's not their fault for not knowing.

I'm gonna take you up on the offer of the DM Thank you!

[false_postulate]

oAo omg... your art is amazing... how is it possible that you have less than 1k subs...?

Maybe you can do a cute style for all kinds of story genres! I think there's been some increasing popularity on art styles that conflict with the genre (like, a cutesy style in a horror genre). Actually... I think that's the only combination that works, haha... the shock value is thrown in.

It seriously sucks about your nerve injury... That's one of the worst things to happen to an artist. Don't push yourself too much...!

[false_postulate]

Whoa, that's a really nice analogy. I like that perspective a lot, and I really want to adopt that kind of thinking and make it natural. Fortunately, there's still some parts of drawing that feel like the "zen" that you mentioned (for me, it's the coloring part of it. lineart is the bane of my existence though, haha).

It's satisfying to watch it come together. Something I do for future me.

A lot of my life has actually been stuck in doing things for "future me", and less of "present me", and I think one is equally as important as the other. I think one of the causes of my past burnouts was focusing too much on the future results (which may or may not actually happen). But I do agree that it's super satisfying to see the completed episodes, and I hope that feeling doesn't become a bad addiction, haha

[Mallory]

Aw, thank you. I think my lack of subs is a combination of slow releases (since I can really only draw 1-2 pages a month, depending on how I feel) and not having any idea of what I'm doing in regards to promoting. Plus I chose a non-chronological story structure which I'm sure doesn't do me any favors. ^^;

Apparently I inherited very sensitive nerves from my father's side, so they get damaged very easily. I AM doing better but... it's not known how much I can actually recover, and afterwards how much load they'll be able to take. It is what it is, I guess. I'm learning to voice type so I can at least write scripts (I can't write prose... can't speak and think creatively. x.x)

And I considered it and even started drawing one of my more "serious" comics in a more cute style but... it just didn't work for me. But every time I think about drawing it more "seriously" my brain is just like

[false_postulate]

I'm kind of a beginner artist, but my sister has been an artist for a long time now. I was always confused whenever she talked about disliking drawing requests or commissions, but I'm starting to notice that there might be something about drawing other people's demands that destroys the fire inside. I'm glad that I'm lucky enough to see it happen to other people to know to avoid it, but I also feel bad that it destroys people's passions.

Also, I'm glad you've found your real passion for writing!

[false_postulate]

at least two years of weekly 2-page posting to even get to where the "real" plot starts

At first, I thought, two years to finish the story? That's not too bad-- Oh... :'O

have you considered making a visual novel for example?

That's something I had considered for a while! And then I forgot about it, lol. Now that you've reminded me about it, I hope to do something like that in the future. But for now... I am addicted to webcomics, hahaha.

That is what I'm thinking of doing with my project. Granted, I have no idea how to code a VN (yet), or how to get any music for it, but well, I'm still figuring out those parts

Good luck! What I'm aware of is that there isn't much coding experience you need. I tried to work with some of the programs a couple years ago, and they were of similar difficulty before and after I took programming classes. But now, there are probably better VN programs that are more user-friendly and don't require much or any programming experience. (Also, maybe you can make your own music...!) Best of luck!

[crimson_mystery_cake]

Well, I don’t really hate drawing. I actually really REALLY enjoy drawing and it’s one of the things I enjoy doing the most on my off time. I really enjoy just doodling dumb pictures in a notebook. I mostly just draw formless blobs lmao.

What I HATE doing is drawing digital though. I don’t like drawing tablets, so I mostly just try and draw on my ipad. I hate sketching on a screen, it is such a struggle. I don’t really mind inking, that part is actually really easy and a lot of fun. And I also don’t necessarily hate coloring, it just takes a long time. However I hate having to choose colors. I hate mixing colors because it’s a pain.

So yeah there are parts of the drawing and comic making process that I hate, but there are also parts that I really love. Also your art is really good, and that’s in spite of your hatred of drawing!! I’m really impressed.

[crimson_mystery_cake]

The funny thing is while I do enjoy drawing I actually really hate novel writing. Putting prose together is SUCH A CHORE. so I do know what it feels like to hate the process of creating something but still creating it anyways.

[angie_draws_things]

I admit that I find some parts of drawing to be bothersome. I love sketching, I push my way through inking, erasing is a level of hell, and clean-up/CG is probably as painful as my RL job. It also consumes a good chunk of my weekend, which is both a good and a bad thing.

I take it as a necessary evil, since I know my sketches would be a bit too much of a hot mess for posting. X-D I suppose I also motivate myself to do it because it is better to push through the pain because it presents immediate gratification in the form of the weekly comic strip.

I hope you find what works out for you!

[DokiDokiTsuna]

I don't dislike drawing, but I DO dislike drawing comics. My life's work, and it's last on the list of creative things I like to do. ^^;

I think impatience is a large part of it for a lot of people, especially if you're good at visualizing your work. Like, it's * right there * in my head; why do I have to do hours of work to make it real?? Why can't I just transfer it directly from my brain to the screen...? ;_; It's not fair...

And the worst part is, there are only so many shortcuts you can take before you start actively lowering the quality of your work. Sometimes a page just reads better if you break up the dialogue...even though it will require you to draw 4 extra panels that you just don't want to be bothered with.
You could decide NOT to do it, but then the pacing will suffer accordingly...and if you have any perfectionist tendencies, that's like choosing between a rock and a hard place. =/

[_calm]

Its basically just called being Lazy.

I have it too. But not to that extreme.

I actively have a picture in my head and enjoy the process to make the picture a somewhat reality.

It's also cause I usually don't mind waiting for good things to come so patience, thank God, is of the essence here.

But, I gotta say, if you are spending way too much time on a piece, just take a break, its cool, the world won't end while you're away from your tablet.

[KennethLopezJr921]

I can sorta relate to this. I do love drawing but recently, I don't tend to do as often and when I usually do it's mostly out of obligation. I think that comes from gaining an audience on social media when it came to my comic last year. Sure, it was nice being noticed for my skills but I suddenly had new eyes on me and the pressure to update my comic, along with posting artwork. I'd always feel bad when I wouldn't be working on a page and the pressure of getting pages done quickly (along with un enjoyable process of inking traditionally) caused me to procrastinate. I was always afraid of people loosing interest in my stuff and leaving which lead to me very regretful decisions online. It's gotten better recently since I've been doing my best to post to social media as often, nor having said post be a finished clean product. I've also shaken up the way I make my comic which will help with relieving stress of inking.

Another reason why it feels like a choir is the whole process of making a comic itself. It isn't just a single drawing, it's multiple ones on a single page. And there's a lot of thought that has to be put into paneling, placement, composition, perspective and god forbid you have to color your line art. Needless to say, I'm never coloring another comic page again!

I have drawn stuff for myself, stuff that I wouldn't post online (usually nsfw stuff) but often. A plan on taking a little hiatus once I finish my series' first chapter which is a number away from 190 pages long, just so I can mentally rest myself and maybe recapture of fun of drawing for myself again. Before getting onto drawing chapter 2. I don't know when it'll be but it'll be soon.

I do recommend that if you're feeling burnt out about your series or drawing in general, step back from it and take a break. You don't want to burn yourself out and you really don't want to turn your hobby into some type of chore!

[false_postulate]

Not gonna lie... being called lazy hurts. One of my biggest problems is overworking, which is neither something to brag about nor is it an accomplishment. I find it to be a problem I need to fix.

Also, I agree with you that being patient is important, but I don't believe that waiting and calmly strolling will make good things happen. It sounds like a fairytale for good things to come without working and struggling to obtain the good thing in question, because in my experience, you don't get the things you want without making some sacrifice for it.

I'm not good at reading people, so I hope you're not a troll looking to get a rise out of me.

[false_postulate]

What I HATE doing is drawing digital though

Hmmm, you just made me think of something. I think I also like traditional drawing more, but recently I've been doing everything digital. One of my goals is to find a way to enjoy the drawing process more, and although this makes me sound like I'm forcing it, I think the main problem in the first place is stressing about drawing. I like your idea of doodling formless blobs. It gets the general idea across and doesn't overstress on getting small details right.

The funny thing is while I do enjoy drawing I actually really hate novel writing.

Lol, that's the opposite of me! I suppose not many people can win the lottery-- we either find the drawing part to be a chore, or we find the story-writing to be a chore :')

Also your art is really good, and that’s in spite of your hatred of drawing!!

s;dljfakfajs thank you so much! That really means a lot

[gabriellabalagna]

I totally relate. Sometimes it's fun, but a lot of the time it's me forcing myself to do it.

The reason I do it though is because it pays off in the end. Just writing my stories is not enough, I want to see the characters. And just drawing characters is not enough, I want them to have stories.

So no, you're not alone. And just know, this will get easier over time. You'll eventually have drawn so many hands, that you won't struggle for more than five minutes with one.

[crimson_mystery_cake]

Hmmm, you just made me think of something. I think I also like traditional drawing more, but recently I've been doing everything digital. One of my goals is to find a way to enjoy the drawing process more, and although this makes me sound like I'm forcing it, I think the main problem in the first place is stressing about drawing. I like your idea of doodling formless blobs. It gets the general idea across and doesn't overstress on getting small details right.

Glad I could help. I kind of wish I could just show you my little notebooks to show you what I mean, I usually just thumbnail my chapters in these little tiny notebooks with just the most barebones drawings and then I flesh them out later. It’s really fun just vomiting your ideas onto page.

Lol, that's the opposite of me! I suppose not many people can win the lottery-- we either find the drawing part to be a chore, or we find the story-writing to be a chore :')

Well, I really enjoy coming up with stories and plotting too. I have so many google docs of just outlines and stories to write. What I specifically hate is writing prose. I hate putting words together and making them all pretty and trying to make sense, and I hate having to go through a thesaurus just to make sure I’m not reusing words and then having to read the same passage over and over again to make sure what you wrote makes sense and clearly depicts what’s going on in your head. I like telling stories by drawing what’s in my head better, it just feels more right lmao.

s;dljfakfajs thank you so much! That really means a lot

Haha no problem and I mean it!!

[crimson_mystery_cake]

I totally relate. Sometimes it's fun, but a lot of the time it's me forcing myself to do it.

The reason I do it though is because it pays off in the end. Just writing my stories is not enough, I want to see the characters. And just drawing characters is not enough, I want them to have stories.

So no, you're not alone. And just know, this will get easier over time. You'll eventually have drawn so many hands, that you won't struggle for more than five minutes with one.

I feel this so much!!