Should I start a webcomic here as practice?

[areole]

(To those waiting for their requests, I'm still in the midst of doing them! I just needed to ask this question real fast. ovo'')

I was wondering, since I'm starting community college soon and I don't take my first art class until later in the semester, should I start a webcomic here as practice? Like, maybe try my hand at refining my style and trying this webcomic thing as "testing the waters" so I can feel a bit more confident when I start another webcomic project? It would also be pretty cool to tell my peers, "Yeah, I have a webcomic going on!", but at the same time, I've always been a bit self conscious about my style because I still feel like there's still so much I need to learn (colors, anatomy, etc.), but I have so many stories in my head; if I can just get one out there, and if some people like it, it'll be a great motivator to continue getting better, no matter my skill level.

But I don't know, I'm so stuck in the middle that I'll end up nowhere if I'm left to decide, so I was wondering what your opinions on this would be? Yay or nay? Anybody who's felt this way/has done this before?

(If it helps, I'm more interested in trying to make a fantasy webcomic, or at least a comic that involves fantasy/supernatural elements.)

[phen]

I highly recommend you start a webcomic. Practise in your craft at any point is a great step forward, especially if it's nothing with big pressure on it. I was in the same situation as you before I got into my degree requirements. I spent a couple semesters just working on basic things (maths, history, english comp, etc.) so in my free time, I made a little webcomic on dA. It helped me a lot to get a feel of my own creative process.

You'll also notice that your observation abilities grow in tandem with your comic work. Like, you'll be able to tackle art theory with much more ease since there are elements of art and design you've already been thinking of. Approach it freely, keep it loose, you'll have a blast and learn along the way!

[areole]

Ahh, this is very encouraging! Thank you so much for your kind words! ovo

I'll start jotting ideas down right now, so I can be prepared to delve deeper into this project tomorrow! Maybe tonight I'll even practice on backgrounds too, since those are probably my weakest point as an artist.

[phen]

Of course, excited to see what you come up with. It'll be a great experience for you!

And oh hey, so cool you've got that ambition to strengthen your body of work as a whole while you experiment. You can tackle those backgrounds with your best energies, dive right in, yo!

[Harmony-S-S]

I think it's a great idea for you to start a webcomic! It helps to practice and improve your art, because you draw over and over again so your skills improve. Unless they can't get any better...

[Knight_Wolf]

just do it webcomics are one of if the not best practice wend it comes to drawing!

[feardeer]

I can't tell you how much I've already learned since starting my webcomic only half a year ago. Not only have I left the artistic stalemate I was stuck in and finally began seeing improvement once more, but I've actually started enjoying drawing again, which I honestly hadn't been for many years. I still have so much to learn, but I definitely think it was the best choice for my artistic future that I've made in a long long time.

So yeah, you should definitely go for it. Jump right in!

[fleohr]

Yes, you should! Try to make different things too, at your own pacing, if you keep doing the same thing, you'll get stuck in the same place, and even feel quite lost/bored

[craftymarten]

Why don't you write a few shorter stories instead of jumping in to a massive project? It's easier to complete a 10-30 page story and then post it online by page rather than having to worry about completing pages weekly, especially if you have classes too. It also shows that you can complete a project, if you're having to take hiatuses or are missing pages it can look really bad and you run the run the risk of annoying your audience. Try completing a few test pages and seeing how long it takes you!

[Zaboem]

The short answer is yes. If you make something with standalone episodes like The Far Side, you will be able to devote however much or little time to it as you have and like. Also, you will learn more about how the website works.

[sarrowsmith10]

I think it is a super fabulous idea to launch a practice comic here. It's a great way to get feedback and help. I also think it might be a good idea to plan some short stories that are low pressure, low commitment, before jumping into some huge project. Maybe make a plan for each short story- for example, this short story I'm really going to focus on beautiful backgrounds and world building... for my next short story I want to focus on interesting characters.. or a story to focus on coloring.. or whatever (just a suggestion, you can work on all kinds of things at once)

Tapas is a great mix of practice/for fun comics and professional platform comics and everything in between. In the comments section you can always put "I was working on my inking on this page, what do you think?" And that sort of thing. If it is just for practice, don't worry so much about building an audience or keeping a schedule. That's probably pressure you don't need.

[MariMontoya]

Your art is beautiful and I love fantasy/supernatural. You should definitely go for it if you want to!