Is it a bad idea to start a webcomic while i'm in highschool?

[confusedcomicnerd]

So, I'm currently in high school, and I've got a concept for a webcomic that I'm very passionate about and honestly think could be pretty decent. I'm currently working on a one-off side project, but when I'm done (or almost done) with that I want to get started on my main story. plus, I've got several friends who are practically begging me to start posting pages, so I feel like I should just get started, since I'm pretty confident in my writing skills (I've been writing since the second grade and have won multiple awards) and I think my art is okay enough.
The issue is that I'm still pretty new to making comics and I'm worried that if I don't wait then my art won't be as good as it could have been. I'm willing to redraw old pages later if necessary, and I'm fine improving as I go, but I'm just afraid of wasting a story concept I really like on poor execution. I've been taking the 'do smaller side projects to get used to it' strategy for a while, which has definitely helped, but I really want to start working on this project, even if my art and advertising skills aren't really the best.
And just to be clear, currently I'm not really planning on going to art school, nor do I plan on trying to make my comic or art a career (unless it were to become the next School Bus Graveyard or something), so it's not like waiting until after high school/college would make my art exponentially better per se.
Any advice?

[Honeydew_Ink]

I hope you succeed. I myself am in highschool and took a step to publish my novels on this platform. It's never too early to start doing something you love. Looking forward to your work (^▽^)/★☆♪

[KennethLopezJr921]

As someone who started his webcomic when he was in high school, I'd say go for it! Just try not to let it impact your studies since school always comes first!

[moontokkym]

Words of advice:
- start now because you're gonna have better ideas later that you want to work on and by then you'll have all this practice built up so that you'll be at a skill levels you're more satisfied with.
- the best way to learn in comics is by doing, so get all your beginner errors out while there's absolutely no chance at dire consequences :3
- a comic is a really long term commitment and high school is a great time to start working on self-discipline in service of accomplishing hard things that take time. There's gonna be a lot of stuff in life that you really want to do but won't be able to unless you keep at it for a long time, sometimes years, and it's really valuable training if you can work on a long project like a comic.
- just make sure, like others have said, that school comes before the comic, always. The comic industry famously does not pay enough to live, and when it does it's not for long and not well. If you're serious about comics ambitions, working a "day job" (or here, high school) and juggling comics is going to be your life most likely, and the comic won't be paying the bills, so work hard to try and get a job you also enjoy so you can live this sort of twin flame scenario.

[BabanIllustration]

Yes, as long as it doesn't get in the way of school.
I wish I started earlier but took a different path first and built up art skills I regret not starting earlier because I don't have the storytelling xp to the same level as the art so I have to catch up now.

[animamundisoulworld]

Nope its not bad everything boils down to time management and since you haven't uploaded officially you can take as much time as you need before you want to start releasing. I would say to at least have 10 or 12 chapters done before uploading then to release the first 3 at once and then 1 per week after that.

[remiquise]

If it isn't high school it'll be uni and/or work. Something stopping you from thinking you can do it justice. Skill, time, whatever. Life always has some other important crap going on, waiting for it all to be over or for perfection just means you wont create until youre retired--- if ever.

If a webcomic is how you want to spend your free time, go for it. We all start somewhere so dont be too fussed over it not being professional or perfect. Honestly, I've redone 2 stories I initially wrote in high-school semi-recently (i'm in my 30s). Doing it now won't "waste" the story or idea. Besides, as time goes on you will get better at the skills you hone-- story telling included. You'll come up with more in the future, regardless.

Let comic creation teach you all the things you'd expect from a comic, as well as (hopefully) good time management skills and self discipline.

[Rai_Muffin]

Wish I'd started in High School.
I refused to show anyone my work for years, partially because my teachers actively discouraged me from pursuing art.
Can't guarantee it will look good to start out (I know mine didn't) but you'll have a much greater head start on improving if you pursue it now.

[emergencychopsticks]

No better time than the present to try! If it's something you're passionate about, you can only gain from the experience of trying something out. Even if you're not initially happy with the product, I think drawing, comic making especially, is one of those things where the best way to learn is by doing!

Plenty of people have already mentioned- just be sure to keep a healthy balance with your project and your other life commitments: school primarily, and work/ extracurriculars if you have them. I wouldn't stress about keeping a strict updating schedule or anything like that- you'll just stress yourself out. Professional (as in serialized/ contracted) webcomic artists work on terrible deadlines 90% of the time, so please don't hold yourself to that standard!

There's no better feeling in my opinion than seeing through a creative project. It helps me to set little goals- like finish one episode by this date, or have this many episodes drafted, etc. Have fun with it! Best of luck , and happy creating

[jwabeasley]

It's worth doing. Treat your next comic as a learning experience without any expectations for stats or success, just learning the craft, process, and discipline. Make it a shorter project so that you can be done with it in less than two years and can apply what you've learned toward future projects. You can always continue a shorter story (when I was in HS all my story ideas were huge epics).

And don't expect comics to be more than a side gig/hobby. Put serious thought into what you can do as a day job that can maintain the quality of life you expect and make that your priority.

And let me know when you start posting your comic!

[LunarScyphozoa]

Hello there! I started seriously working on my comic while in high school. It’s a very bad time, but I highly recommend. Art is hard but so so worth it. Like @remiquise said, all waiting would do is swap the time commitment fighting for attention from school to work. Go for it!

[skullforceagents]

So I’ll disclose to you a personal story. I started a webcomic in high school. This was WAY back in 2006. It was not a very good comic to say the least (clumsy story, bad art, etc.) When I got to college, my work was lampooned on the local college message board. It was humiliating and it messed me up psychologically. Long story short, I was so humiliated that I ended up leaving that school for a fresh start. I have a hard time saying, go for it because I don’t want the same thing that happened to me to happen to you.

That being said, I learned an awful lot from making mistakes with that comic and Skull Force Agents probably wouldn’t be as good as it is today (for what it is) if it weren’t for my first attempt at a comic. So I would say, give it a try, but just remember, it’s a learning experience. You’re not going to be perfect on your first try. If god forbid, what happened to me happens to you, just keep going and learn from your mistakes. You will improve and you will get there.

[wolflu66]

I think the sooner you start, the better. Otherwise, you'll regret not starting earlier in the future.

Many people (including myself) used to think they should wait until their skills were good enough to satisfy themselves before starting to draw, but it's often very difficult to truly feel satisfied with your own work.

If you really wait until you're satisfied to begin, you'll never actually start.

[SiEfil]

This isn't exactly what you're asking, but on some level you'll always have things going on when you're contemplating starting a webcomic. There's high school, college, university, dating, marriage, kids... but you can always make room for some hobbies, and that's what a webcomic is for most people. So go for it!

As for whether you should commit to this concept you're very passionate about or save it for when your skills have improved... that one's harder to answer. If you've been doing smaller projects and feel confident about them, I think you should give this concept of yours a shot! Entirely up to you tho. Also, if you're planning a longer series, I personally really like to see the improvement and evolution of a series, so it's not a big deal if your art's not all there yet. I love picking up a long running webcomic and being like "dude, look at the difference between chapter 1 and chapter 596! They improved so much!"

[kyupol]

Do it.

I was in high school when I started with art ability far below most people here.