I don't need exposure. I need to get better

[darthmongoose]

overall it's a funny ecchi, which is not overly interesting to read for a long time.

I think to be balanced and fair, there have been comics of that genre that have successfully gone for long and successful runs, like say the work of Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina, Negima!), and there are certainly webcomics that have done well in that kind of vein, it's just that they're not chart-toppers. There's never been a comedy ecchi that hits the heights of Naruto or Homestuck, because ultimately there's just an enthusiastic, but narrow audience for it.

Sexy content (like a lot of niche interest content) is a weird double-edged sword, because it'll definitely help you build an audience and grab people much faster than the slow burn of building up a plot and characters, but it'll also ultimately limit growth unless there's something else really compelling in there. Unlike other niche interests, with sex stuff, if a person isn't into it, they're probably gonna go "EW, NOPE NOPE NOPE!", unlike say, a comic about knitting that has a great plot, where even if you're not into knitting, you might read it and enjoy, because being apathetic isn't the same as being uncomfortable, and not being able to casually read something when out and about means it needs to be extra good and definitely your thing for a person to make the effort to find a private place to read it.

[carloswebcomic]

Your comic makes me think of the early 2000s when comics had their own sites and you traded them like secrets. (that's a compliment I swear)

I started webcomics in 2003, and that's exactly how it was.
God I miss those days!
I've done a few comics since then but they pretty much been all the same.
I often say that I have just one comic in me and that I've been doing it in one way or another since then, so yeah, I get what you say about feeling like a comic from the early 2000's, because it was conceived back then (although in a different shape).

I don't think I could do a Kickstarter. I have nothing to kickstart.
All my pages are different sizes, so I can't print them out, sadly (or fortunately, however one may see it).
Maybe I can kickstart a My Pet Succubus cake and everyone gets a slice!

[carloswebcomic]

I think to be balanced and fair, there have been comics of that genre that have successfully gone for long and successful runs, like say the work of Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina, Negima!), and there are certainly webcomics that have done well in that kind of vein, it's just that they're not chart-toppers. There's never been a comedy ecchi that hits the heights of Naruto or Homestuck, because ultimately there's just an enthusiastic, but narrow audience for it.

Sexy content (like a lot of niche interest content) is a weird double-edged sword, because it'll definitely help you build an audience and grab people much faster than the slow burn of building up a plot and characters, but it'll also ultimately limit growth unless there's something else really compelling in there. Unlike other niche interests, with sex stuff, if a person isn't into it, they're probably gonna go "EW, NOPE NOPE NOPE!", unlike say, a comic about knitting that has a great plot, where even if you're not into knitting, you might read it and enjoy, because being apathetic isn't the same as being uncomfortable, and not being able to casually read something when out and about means it needs to be extra good and definitely your thing for a person to make the effort to find a private place to read it.

Yeah, like you said, you have to be damn good to keep traction, which is why I'm finding it difficult.
I should've made the comic about knitting.

[nixxusnibelheim]

Problem is I have no idea what my market is or where they are.

Darthmongoose was pretty on the nose about what type of audience your work bring. Focus on that and commit 100%. Tapas and webtoons may not be the best platform where your comic can shine the best. You have a decent following in those platforms that should tell you that overall, your work entertains people, there is a demand for it but you compete in the wrong arena, the wrong pool especially if you are looking to be at the top of the food chain because ultimately in those 2 platforms, your comic is not the type of content people want to see on the main page.

Maybe you need to get better at finding the right voice for your work. There is probably publishers or hosting website that lean more toward mature contents where the audience is more welcome for the nature of your work

I'm clutching at straws here, but does anyone have some sort of magic system to get better at writing and art that doesn't take much extra time?

To answer your original question, there is no shortcuts. Since you have a window of an hour, you can always read books about writing, listening to podcast about art/writing etc, you don't need to practice, sticking to theory is fine. Knowledges are everywhere, you just need to make the step to have room for them.

[revisionstudios]

Somewhere in this thread you mentioned that you don't read any comics. That's going to be your biggest failing--if you want to get better at creation, you need to consume it. You become a better writer, a better artist, by looking at other works and seeing how they do things and how they impact you. All of us are an amalgamation of our inspirations, so limiting your pool is only going to hurt you.

There are no shortcuts, but I do think you can ease off the pressure on yourself. Find techniques that make your page production faster, make compromises on quality and detail. Take it down from 2 patreon drawings to 1 a week. Hell, you could probably taper that off to 1 exclusive a MONTH. Most of them are only paying you $1 a month since you have no tiers, so why break your back putting out an excessive amount of extra content? They're following you because they like your work, and 90% of them aren't going to bat an eye if you ease off the exclusives to have more time to yourself or to improve your craft. You need a better work life balance and throwing yourself into more work isn't the solution.

[JRHoch]

Okay people, I'm going to say it: I'm now the biggest darthmongoose fan. And it's not just my soft spot for straight-talking lesbians (pun intended). Preach!

[carloswebcomic]

Darthmongoose was pretty on the nose about what type of audience your work bring. Focus on that and commit 100%. Tapas and webtoons may not be the best platform where your comic can shine the best. You have a decent following in those platforms that should tell you that overall, your work entertains people, there is a demand for it but you compete in the wrong arena, the wrong pool especially if you are looking to be at the top of the food chain because ultimately in those 2 platforms, your comic is not the type of content people want to see on the main page.

Maybe you need to get better at finding the right voice for your work. There is probably publishers or hosting website that lean more toward mature contents where the audience is more welcome for the nature of your work

I'm not even sure if the audience even exists.
This makes things even worse, because it means that no matter what I do, I'm screwed.
The only place where I've found any audience is here on Tapas, and to some degree, Webtoons. And these places are not my audience either, so basically, I may not have an audience at all.

[LCT_m_a_d]

However, my best is not good enough to compete with the extremely talented and skilled creators that are at the top of the food chain. Not even close.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by this?

the remainder of the week is spent doing 2 exclusive drawings for my Patreon, and I barely make it. I literally have no spare time to put any more work into this.

What kind of drawings?

[Eightfish]

I feel like 15 hours is a lot of time to spend on one page. I don't know how much time other people spend, but I do about 4 hours / page. I have a looser, sketchier style than your's and less detailed pages.

Looking at your pages, your art is very smooth and clean. It's clear you took a lot of time to get it that way. But maybe if it's burning you out you don't need to do so much? Maybe look for ways to take less time on a page instead of ways to improve your art. I think you could get 90% of the polish with like 60% of the work

[jcmraz]

You really want to get better? Head over to www.penciljack.com

These guys are the real deal, professional comic artists and if you listen they will be more than happy to get you thinking about the medium in ways you probably never considered before. You NEED to be okay with criticism though. These guys are good. They definitely know better than you or I. So if you're serious, that's a great resource. You can take a look at my comic, Runner and how it changes throughout it's run of 28 pages throughout 2019 and you can see the amount that I grew and it was in no small part because of their help

[Eightfish]

I second this. His comic does heavily come off as "sexy lesbians written by a man" and I don't think it appeals to a lot of people on this site. I also have a feeling most readers on webcomic sites are female.

Agree that he might have better luck promoting on Reddit. Or Twitter, maybe? Or DeviantArt? The comic reminds me a bit of that old Hipstergirl and Gamergirl comic I used to see floating around. I wonder how that one got popular?

[skicoak]

so basically, I may not have an audience at all.

In the words of John McClane, "Welcome to the party pal!"

I'm one of your subscribers who's been following you for awhile now. I can speak on the fact that it's the craftsmanship of your strip that keeps me coming back. I enjoy the character relationships and some of the gags but it's the QUALITY of your work that's the draw.

Much like my fandom of R. Crumb, I don't necessarily share your passions and kinks. I'm a big fan of your art and storytelling.

[xabelmind]

that old Hipstergirl and Gamergirl comic I used to see floating around. I wonder how that one got popular?

The author, Jagodibuja, has his own site, presence in a lot of social media platforms and posts both in Spanish and English. But I think his biggest trick is doing a lotsa sexy fanart. For each strip of his original work, there's like two or three fanarts. He's been working for years on end, too

[Hodge]

I kinda feel like there's a lot of circumstance at work here, so I'm a bit confused.

What exactly are you frustrated with? And why do you need to get better? What's your intent or goal here? Cause once you know the end game you can plan and make the appropriate changes to get there. Though it might be the case where you have to make some sacrifices to get there (especially if time is the biggest issue).

Honestly, I don't think its "talent" or the like, and that kind of thinking is probably preventing you from believing in yourself and building up confidence. Like you're stuck in some trap and the more you struggle the more you're making it worse for yourself. You need to create a more optimistic mindset for yourself, if for any reason because it will help you work better. A combination of stress, worries, anxieties, pessimism, etc. don't really make for good decision making and can often lead to you digging yourself into a deeper hole.

As for the genre, yeah tapas might not be the best platform, but I don't think its that niche really. Probably there's some changes you can make to the story and the art, but I think there's potential for a growing audience. Especially if you added more fluff and lewd stuff. Not everyone has to like your comic, but obviously you do have an audience.

I'm all for the "git gud" approach don't get me wrong, but that alone is too forceful. Yes, improve the art and writing, but also try to have a strategy and know where you can work smarter not harder.

[JRHoch]

Are you going to share your specific passions and kinks? Or are you just teasing us with the mystery?

[carloswebcomic]

However, my best is not good enough to compete with the extremely talented and skilled creators that are at the top of the food chain. Not even close.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by this?

It means I'm working my arse off and I can't get anywhere,

I feel like 15 hours is a lot of time to spend on one page. I don't know how much time other people spend, but I do about 4 hours / page. I have a looser, sketchier style than your's and less detailed pages.

Looking at your pages, your art is very smooth and clean. It's clear you took a lot of time to get it that way. But maybe if it's burning you out you don't need to do so much? Maybe look for ways to take less time on a page instead of ways to improve your art. I think you could get 90% of the polish with like 60% of the work

Unfortunately I've tried and failed. Whenever I try to make my life easier, I lose tons of readers. I painted myself into a corner that I can't get out of.

I second this. His comic does heavily come off as "sexy lesbians written by a man" and I don't think it appeals to a lot of people on this site. I also have a feeling most readers on webcomic sites are female.

Agree that he might have better luck promoting on Reddit. Or Twitter, maybe? Or DeviantArt? The comic reminds me a bit of that old Hipstergirl and Gamergirl comic I used to see floating around. I wonder how that one got popular?

And I think here comes the problem. The word lesbian hasn't even been uttered in the comic itself and it's not even the focus, but it keeps coming up, so clearly that's what people see.
Unfortunately, people who want to see that, will probably be disappointed.
I've tried Twitter, Deviantart,Tumblr, other platforms like Comicfury and The Duck, but no one cares. Tapas and Webtoons are the only place where I've found an audience (kind of), which is worrying because it could mean that there's no actual platform for my work.

These guys are the real deal, professional comic artists and if you listen they will be more than happy to get you thinking about the medium in ways you probably never considered before. You NEED to be okay with criticism though. These guys are good. They definitely know better than you or I. So if you're serious, that's a great resource. You can take a look at my comic, Runner and how it changes throughout it's run of 28 pages throughout 2019 and you can see the amount that I grew and it was in no small part because of their help

I know what's wrong with my work, the problem is I have no time to get better as I'm already running on fumes.

so basically, I may not have an audience at all.

In the words of John McClane, "Welcome to the party pal!"

I'm one of your subscribers who's been following you for awhile now. I can speak on the fact that it's the craftsmanship of your strip that keeps me coming back. I enjoy the character relationships and some of the gags but it's the QUALITY of your work that's the draw.

Much like my fandom of R. Crumb, I don't necessarily share your passions and kinks. I'm a big fan of your art and storytelling.

That's my biggest worry. I'm afraid that the comic has no non-creator appeal, which would explain why I lose tons of readers when I sacrifice the quality for lighter workloads.

The author, Jagodibuja, has his own site, presence in a lot of social media platforms and posts both in Spanish and English. But I think his biggest trick is doing a lotsa sexy fanart. For each strip of his original work, there's like two or three fanarts. He's been working for years on end, too

I didn't even know he actually did comics as all I saw was a shitload of fan art to begin with.
Unfortunately I detest doing fanart, which is to my detriment as I could probably get a lot more attention that way. But frankly, I'd rather stick a fork in my eyeball than do fanart.

I kinda feel like there's a lot of circumstance at work here, so I'm a bit confused.

What exactly are you frustrated with? And why do you need to get better? What's your intent or goal here? Cause once you know the end game you can plan and make the appropriate changes to get there. Though it might be the case where you have to make some sacrifices to get there (especially if time is the biggest issue).

Honestly, I don't think its "talent" or the like, and that kind of thinking is probably preventing you from believing in yourself and building up confidence. Like you're stuck in some trap and the more you struggle the more you're making it worse for yourself. You need to create a more optimistic mindset for yourself, if for any reason because it will help you work better. A combination of stress, worries, anxieties, pessimism, etc. don't really make for good decision making and can often lead to you digging yourself into a deeper hole.

As for the genre, yeah tapas might not be the best platform, but I don't think its that niche really. Probably there's some changes you can make to the story and the art, but I think there's potential for a growing audience. Especially if you added more fluff and lewd stuff. Not everyone has to like your comic, but obviously you do have an audience.

I'm all for the "git gud" approach don't get me wrong, but that alone is too forceful. Yes, improve the art and writing, but also try to have a strategy and know where you can work smarter not harder.

Unfortunately, a combination of chronic depression and anxiety makes the whole optimism thing pretty hard.
Also, I've painted myself into a corner. I'm already working as efficiently as my skill level would allow me, If I sacrifice quality, I start losing readers. This leaves me with no time for anything and I'm forever rushing to get things finished.
So, I'm constantly overworked and tired just to stay above water, which doesn't help.

I could perhaps put more lewd and fluff into it, I guess. I mean, since the final product does not reflect the amount of work I've put into the character interactions and evolving relationships, I might as well bring them in by putting more of that in it.

[xabelmind]

All that sounds like you're trying hard to find a reason why you consider yourself and your work a failure, despite none are. Because, like many of us, you chained part of your self-confidence to the metrics of the sites you're in.

May this call for help be more "my depression is taking over the work I love, please, grab your nearest weapon and help me fight it back"?

We are not on your head, the only thing I can say is to take care of that depression, whatever way works for you (therapist, medication, a less slaver schedule...), because that exhaustion of yours is clearly a body call for help, to take more care for yourself before keep working on anything else.

First health, Carlos, then everything else will roll at its rythm.

Cheers

[carloswebcomic]

All that sounds like you're trying hard to find a reason why you consider yourself and your work a failure, despite none are.

Well, I consider the constant loss of readers and lack of positive feedback whenever the comic is discussed outside my presence a failure.

[xabelmind]

I'm glad this is the only part you can argue about my reply.

This is my last message, you're feeding your inner demons with our responses, dude.

It's your decision to take or not the advices or what to do with your work. Yours, not of your depression, she's not the boss here, you are.

[carloswebcomic]

I'm glad this is the only part you can argue about my reply.

This is my last message, you're feeding your inner demons with our responses, dude.

It's your decision to take or not the advices or what to do with your work. Yours, not of your depression, she's not the boss here, you are.

Sorry, but right now I’m in panic mode and I’m realising I may be more screwed than I initially suspected.
My apologies.