Let's be Helpful and Share Some Resources and Wisdom

Lady_T_Musings 2021-01-06 15:58:58 UTC #1

Hey, y'all!

Before making my comic MagicalMashup!, I did tons of research on tips, tools, and anything helpful in making my comic (just like all of y'all I'm sure). I've watched hundreds of videos, listened to podcasts, read books and blogs from other creators. So much helpful info, but once I posted my comic and branded myself with the "I'm a webcomic artist." I have been exposed to even more neat and just plain helpful information. Things change fast and there are new resources being made and knowledge being gained and shared every day for the benefit of others.

After responding to a thread on Twitter about helpful tips that saved you time on making your comic and seeing just how many people liked and shared my little 2 cents I remember that just bc it's out there and you found it (or heard it in the case of advice), doesn't mean everyone else knows about it (even if it seems like common sense to you). You don't know where all folks are on their journey so the common sense you have might be an eye-opener to someone else.

These are the two resources that have helped me immensely on my ongoing journey as a creator of comics and art that may be of use to y'all.

https://www.pexels.com/ (Free stock photos uploaded by Creative individuals.) This site is pretty darn handy and just plain nice as all folks who upload do it for free of charge. Though it's not required to shout out the photographers, it's a nice thing to do :). Check out their licensing page for more info in case your skeptical too https://www.pexels.com/license/.

(Build houses, make rooms, and other architectural structures with simple to use tools and a ton of assets that come in the free version and even more in the paid one. This site also lets you create in 2d and flip to 3d.) I really dig this site bc it's faster than making assets completely from scratch (reminded me of the Sims) and you can get a look around your rooms with ease by vanishing a wall if it's in the way.

Here’s an ex of what 2d looks like

Flip to 3D

(Sorry for the bad quality, but you get my drift).

I would like to get this thread going for all who have something to share that could be helpful to a creator and to those who are looking to learn something new. Feel free to also add a link to your work, but only after sharing a helpful resource. Also feel free to add what you specifically use the resource for if applicable.

What counts as a helpful resource? If it's something you used/use and it helps, that counts .

This is my New Adult Fantasy Comic

We all win when we share and grow together!

TLDR: Share a resource or two that helped you on your journey as a creator and then you can share a link to your work. Let's get some gains and learn something new!!

Puck 2021-01-06 16:38:51 UTC #2

That´s a great idea.
I build rooms in sweethome3d.com
it´s an easy to use program and I like that you can easily change the viewers height, angle from
which he is looking on the scene etc
It´s really helpful when you have to draw the same room in different scenes from different
angles.
I use sketchfab a lot for 3d models and the "handy" app for references for faces and hands.
The handy app is super easy to use, you can adjust everything that needs to be adjusted
for hands and they also have good standard poses.

Building rooms, scenery etc can be a really hideous work and at some point I just thought
it´s better to just use 3d rooms and draw over them in my style instead of spending weeks
to draw those rooms and then they still don´t look good.

I don´t have my comic online yet because I fill first send it to publishers when I´m done

Macarenaoftime 2021-01-06 16:46:08 UTC #3

I found this thing:
MALE HEAD LIGHT REFERENCE TOOL by William Nguyen
Click here to use the interactive reference!

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/GX3Ax1

Lady_T_Musings 2021-01-06 16:54:05 UTC #4

That’s what’s up! Thanks foe sharing! Already finding new things to try ha!

Yeah building in 3D and redrawing or drawing over too is just chefs kiss

Lady_T_Musings 2021-01-06 16:57:35 UTC #5

Oh this is a neat resource for shading the face and checking out how lighting works on 3d planes :0!

Thanks for sharing!

lauragarcia511 2021-01-06 17:36:57 UTC #6

Here are some articles about Fantasy tropes for writers that really helped me with planning my Fantasy webcomic. I started by researching the most common tropes that take place in the genre, so that I could weed out anything that might hurt my story.

http://www2.silverblade.net/cliches/

kaetana 2021-01-06 17:44:52 UTC #7

Planner5D looks really cool, I might have to try that out! Here's some resources I often make use of:

Behind the Name is a super useful website for when you're trying to brainstorm character names, I use it when I am trying to have a specific cultural theme to the names of characters from a specific region or want a name whose meaning fits a specific theme. There's also a version of the site for surnames!

Lost and Taken has tons of free textures you can integrate into your art for all sorts of effects.

Blambot and Calligraphr are great for getting fonts set up for your comic! Blambot has a really generous license available for quite a few of their fonts that lets you use them for free for non-commercial and (importantly) indie comic purposes! Calligraphr meanwhile lets you make a font from your own handwriting, which can help you have a font is likely to mesh well with your personal art style without the hassle of having to write everything by hand yourself. I use this in my own comic and it saves me a ton of time.

And finally, FaceGen is a tool I've been experimenting with recently to help with drawing faces, especially from weird angles. You can import a photo into it and it will create a basic 3D model of that face, which you can then fine-tune to be more accurate to the shape you want. There's some options to adjust the expression of the model too, although fair warning it can get rather uncanny valley pretty fast haha! But I still think it's a potentially useful tool to get an idea of a specific face shape at unusual angles you might not have a good reference for otherwise.

And here's my comic:

mcarrowolga 2021-01-06 17:51:36 UTC #8

Here are my lists of resources for

gmaximin 2021-01-06 18:43:00 UTC #9

More for the conceptual using and writing, Changing Minds (https://changingminds.org/#qui) has a lot of resources explaining and detailing dynamics behind persuasion. It’s really useful to imagine and shape realistic characters’ interactions, especially bad ones...

Lady_T_Musings 2021-01-06 19:09:14 UTC #10

Ohh this is what's up! thanks for sharing ah!

Lady_T_Musings 2021-01-06 19:10:33 UTC #11

Yoo these are some mega cool links. I've used Calligraphy and LOVE it to pieces. Imma have to try out these others bc I'm seeing some gold!

TY for sharing :D!

Lady_T_Musings 2021-01-06 19:11:08 UTC #12

Appreciate the knowledge share!

RosesnWater 2021-01-06 19:11:10 UTC #13

WOW that’s fantastic!!

Lady_T_Musings 2021-01-06 19:12:01 UTC #14

Bookmarked!

Thanks for sharing this is hella neat :)!

Lady_T_Musings 2021-01-06 19:13:03 UTC #15

I found it after not being able to use my Sims anymore and fell in love with it. Hope it helps :D!

migxmeg 2021-01-06 19:13:30 UTC #16

I can't take credit for finding this but it's too good to not share (huge collection of pose references that you can use for free):

Lady_T_Musings 2021-01-06 19:14:39 UTC #17

Nice! They have been at it for a long time and have tons of fabulous stock photos!!

Thanks for sharing!

WhiskeyMadDog 2021-01-06 19:29:06 UTC #18

https://www.28dayslater.co.uk
This website has pictures of urban exploration like abandoned parks and homes, so if you need a location that's in an abandoned building, this forum has the best resources.

https://www.reddit.com/r/earthporn
This subreddit has amazing pictures of the earth so if you are a Bob Ross fan, like nature, or need inspiration for your fantasy backgrounds, this is where you should go.

This tumblr only shows pictures of swords for people who like swords, action and fantasy.

Washington State Dept of Transportation
If you need to design roads and fictional transportation sites, check out this flickr. It's called Washington State Department of Transit

https://x6ud.github.io/#/
This one is very similar to the other links above except it's for animals and it lets you look at animal heads from different perspectives.

https://wildlifereferencephotos.com/index.php
Wildlife reference photos has great, high quality photographs for artists who draw animals.

https://www.3d.sk
This reference gives you access to 3d models of animals, people, clothes, and weapons.

Hope this helps!

Lady_T_Musings 2021-01-06 19:32:18 UTC #19

These are pretty neat links. The Urban cityscapes one I will def have to keep an eye out on.

Thanks for sharing!

RosesnWater 2021-01-06 19:40:20 UTC #20

Here’s a list of stuff I do: lots of Pinterest board searches, there are tons of artists, I usually look up stuff like help, draw, digital (if that’s your medium) and there will usually be a ton of work. Also EtheringtonBrothers on deviant art has TONS of stuff I always enjoy and find useful!