So, back when you first started making comics, did you ever go through a period where you struggled to complete those first few pages of your comic, despite having a solid plan and the motivation?
This is where I am for whatever reason. Anyone else ever been through this?
EDIT: Soo... this probably isn't a thing, but I thought I'd post here anyway.
Sep '17
Sep '17
YES!! Those first rough drafts are always the hardest. I decided to create a character design file to help eliminate the creators block. I rough out all my ideas before anything else even though it's a static comic, and now I have so many assets that I really mostly focus on drawing Sunday strips during the week (unless I get a crazy idea). Writing is the hard part for me, however; finding inspiration in everyday things can help with that.
Ugh, yes..
I'll suddenly realize that
-some elements in my comic are repetitive and annoying
-my art could really use some improvement
-the pacing isn't ok
-i've been doing something wrong the whole time, etc. etc.
it really gets in the way of drawing comics. What I usually do is listen to music to get me pumped up 
Oh yeah, for many years! Apart from the usual culprits unrealistic expectations of perfection, fear of success/failure etc, I found that it was actually my old tablet that was crippling me. My way of drawing requires a level of detailing that I (personally) wasn't able to achieve with a regular tablet. Switching over to a cintiq finally allowed me to put down on digital canvas, what i need and want to draw. Now that I've finally got this sorted out, the pages are no longer a problem, and I don't freeze in front of a blank canvas anymore.
ooooooooooooooooh yeah that's when I started going into a depressing spiral of I suck and everything I do is shit, I should just throw it all and just accept the void of meaningless that is life, then I just thought of how dumb all that was and went on a break, so I left it for like a week/ month, learned more about anatomy/composition and then I came back and started drawing again
usually I just try to remind myself that I ain't no Da Vinci or Tolking so nobody expects greatness out of me, that just gets rid of a big part of the pressure and I have fun drawing my comic again =D
This. It's a terrible place to find yourself.
Thanks for the advice, you guys. It feels less frustrating to know this is a normal part of the process.
@lilydusk You know... I've honestly never thought of how my tablet affects my work! I've been using the same tablet for like 5 or 6 years, but creating with it has never been a problem for me, so I don't know. Plus, I'm not really in a position to get an upgrade, so yeah...
Again, thank you. I'm going to keep trying! 
Don't fret it! That's just me being a klutz and being unable to create well with a tablet. There are without a doubt tons of other artists out there who create amazing art with tablets 
In the meantime keep on keeping on! You'll do just fine. Might I suggest this thing called Morning Pages, which is where you write freely and without thought, basically doing a brain dump on 3 pages of paper. The recommendation is every morning, but I find that doing it before I start to draw, helps me to clear my mind so I have more mental space to work with.
Also, look into mindfulness meditation if you are so inclined to. It has helped me greatly in coping with depressing or unwanted thoughts 
Also, try watching your breath. If you notice that your breathing is shallow and irregular, chances are you're in one of those depressing spirals that IdiotWithPencil speaks of. Try to take slow, calming breaths, eventually you'll get out of that place somewhat.
Sorry for the essay, I got carried away a little!
At the Very begining, yes.
Also, for some reason, with Scarlet Acres I retread the second issue over and over and now I just don't wanna do it. Just went "Creative Kaput" whatever that means.
(side note: Firefox recognizes "kaput" as spelled correctly. Huh.)
Yes, in the beginning, it took me like 30-40 hours+ to finish one simple page cos I was staring at the black and white ink and shade and not sure how to color it...
But the key is to keep going, and as you finish more panels, you feel more confident to move onto the next one.
As of right now, I managed to speed it up to 4 to 15 hours per page, depending on how much details required. And I felt less dumbfounded when starting a new page with different color scheme. The whole process turns out to be fun and challenging, quite a leap from frustrated and freaked out in the beginning.
I forgot where I read this, but someone say when you overcome a burden, it did something to your mental state and confidence to motivate you to overcome the next burden even tho it's harder than the first one.
And for someone who doesn't bother to try, they never felt that satisfying emotion which you get when you accomplish something, so they are least likely to put any effort to overcome anything that blocks their path, so they never get anywhere.
So yah, just plow thru it and it'll get easier with time and practice.
And I agreed with @lilydusk
Before u start working, if anything bother your mind, just start writing it down in a diary or a piece of paper or whatever, and the act of writing it out has that unloading effect that make you feel better afterwards, and easier to move on to whatever it is that you wanna do.
These stuff works for me, not sure if it works for anyone else
Yep! I find the first few pages to be the hardest. I'm never quite sure how to set up the world and characters initially.. In HH I pretty much gave up, picked a point, and jumped in with very little explanation.
Still struggle with this. Like a voice saying "No ones even going to read this, they'll take one glance and ignore it." Then I remember if I don't do it, I'll just hate myself for not doing it anyways.
Luckily I sat down and scripted about 16 pages in advance for the first chapter/prologue-thingy, so there's a plan; right now I'm trying to get the exposition just right visually. So far I can't find enough satisfaction with my current sketches to move forward. I'm trying to work through that mentality as we speak. 
TGIF 
Yeah, I have things scripted out too, but I still run into bumps when I just don't know quite how to draw the thing (whatever thing that may be). Pairing exposition and visuals is definitely particularly hard. But I'm sure you'll get there! Try not to put yourself through the ringer! 
YOISH
the subtleties of conveying tone over text are crazy
I approach my art the same way. I'm big on composition and line quality but besides that I just try and have fun.
Something else I want to bring up are distractions. Distractions can really break you as an artist. Drawing at the kitchen table in front of my wife got old REAL quick! However, things move at a better pace in my office/studio.
If you can eliminate the distractions or work in a time of peace when you know you'll have privacy then you'll really understand what it means to be in a creative space.
