somewhat? im usually a week aahead of updates and thats the minimum you should do
I keep one on occasion. It just depends if I have the motivation or not and if I have enough stuff done to actually take advantage of it.
Usually a 1 - 3 comic buffer is good enough.
I currently have a buffer of about two weeks, but that's kind of unusual for me. I'm lucky if I have a week's worth. That being said, my story is really old and I have all the original story in rough, I'm just drawing it, scanning and then finishing it with my tablet/laptop. I think having 20-30 pages done and ready to go as a buffer is a great way to start a comic. Do you know how many days a week you're planning on posting? As long as you have a regular drawing schedule for yourself, you'll maintain your buffer.
I haven't ever gone on hiatus, but I can see it being necessary for those who can't work on their comic on a regular basis and have to rely on chunks of time where they can get it.
All in all, it sounds like you're thinking this through and planning really well.
I am psychotic and my buffer goes to September 2018, but that's because I'm deliberately posting 11 years of comic work as I just begin to draw pages for a brand new comic. I had to do a bunch of math to figure out when I can start mirroring them so they'll all be in line at the end.
For Allstory though I sometimes am even doing the pages the day I post them. And that, is HAIRY!! So yeah I'd recommend at least a month's buffer (4 pages or whatever that means to you) because stuff can get crazy for weeks on end...
Yeah having a buffer is a really good move, I went through a period of buffering my pages on webtoons, and recently it ended! So I submitted an announcement saying that pages would still come out, just a little slower than before, and so far I'm coasting on that wave.
What I would really recommend after the buffer ends is having a page you can upload if something happens along the line and you can't upload a page in time. Having that to fall back on is really helpful.
But yeah otherwise I'd just do what you're doing, continue working on pages while the buffer is uploading so you're always a couple of pages ahead, and take it from there~ But if you want a hiatus, go for it! It's your comic~
I do not!
I had a very large buffer when I came off of hiatus, and I ended up using up the whole thing. Admittedly it's nice to not be working on The Comic That Needs To Go Up Tonight... but I don't really like being months and months ahead. It makes me feel so detached! I think my ideal would be, like, 2-4 weeks ahead at most.
Before the hiatus, I started the comic with a five page buffer, but once that was used up, I didn't worry about rebuilding it, so for most of its 3 year run so far it hasn't had a buffer. It does mean I occasionally have to skip a week, which I try to avoid doing too often, but buffers sort of inevitably disappear with me, so taking time off just to rebuild them feels a bit futile. I'd like to get a nice pace of being a page or two ahead, though.
Yeah I like that idea. I think if I were to go on a break in order to amp up my buffer again, I'd post an episode that was just a notice that I'm going on a hiatus to get my buffer back on track, with a date that I'd be returning. That way folks know when to check back in.
Right now just starting it n preparing to host it online, I can take my time getting my pages done, while juggling commissions. But during that break period I'd be working on buffer, I'd probably put EVERYthing on hold, because doing commissions and these pages at the same time right now is just killer. >>; I can't imagine doing that once this thing is live n I have to make sure I don't miss updates. Cuz I REALLY want to avoid missing updates - once I tend to throw myself off-track, I tend to get wildly out of control. DX
I have a buffer of 3 to 5 pages that is like a month since I post once a week, still I have had a buffer of 20 and lost it all (exams and general lazyness from the artist -_-) I really suggest you have a 20-30 page buffer mostly cause that way you save yourself some headachs in the future and you don't have to go into a 3 month hiatsu for exams or work related issuse
I always keep at least two pages ahead of my comic, but I'm trying to build that up as much as possible.
Since my series is just starting out and I'm still trying to balance out the schedule, I give myself longer than needed to make my comics and use the extra time to experiment and build a backlog.
I'm the weirdo and made a buffer of 50 pages which took me over a year to do thanks to school lmao....
but a buffer is always good to have! especially for days where you don't feel like working/taking a break from drawing comic pages - even an added bonus if you decide to have a patreon, you can have it as a reward that people who donate can read one page ahead or smth along those lines.
Hell yes! Never start a new chapter or set of strips without it. Moreso if you are doing a long form comic though.
LOL nada.
I update an average of 40-50 panels an update that usually takes me 2 weeks to finish. Even if I want to make a buffer, I just can't seem to break ahead. I have been going at this, finishing my update last minute, for over a year so I guess it's not too bad. But it's definitely great having a buffer. You would feel less stressed about not being able to finish your update on time!
I have a gag comic and I still recommend having 20 pages of buffer minimum. It doesn't seem necessary until you really need it.
Yes and no.
Patrons are ahead on 3 of my series, so on those i have the patreon buffer. Meaning if I know I will update on one specific day, I can upload a page on tapas at a more "profitable" time even if I haven't finished drawing the page for patreon yet. Usually patrons get pages either a few hours before or a few hours after the tapas update, but it's always on the same day.
Fourth one has a big buffer, but isn't on patreon.
Fifth one is a short comic that will hopefully run less than 100 pages, which I'm planning to finish within the upcoming 1-3 months to free up space to work on something else. This one has no buffer.
I update as a daily strip and currently have a buffer of three months~90 strips (original it was six but it slipped heavily due to a rough start and lotsa stress. I'm such a noob 
)
Right now I caught myself and keep my buffer quite well. If I ever catch up, I'll probably go on an hiatus for a week or two and post reruns in that time...I hope that won't happen for a while tho...
I upload 1 or 2 pages a week and I've never had a buffer… but I do find them very useful and wish I had one, haha.
I previously had a buffer on a different comic, but it was too far ahead (over 100 pages ahead, actually) and it really detached me from the story and made it hard for me to remember to post on time since I wasn't constantly working towards a posting deadline. So that actually worked against me, haha! 
I have almost a year of comic buffer. May seem crazy but I have a full time job and I need some breathing room. It also gives me time to relax so I don't get burn out.
Oh, those good old days when I had time to have a buffer. I used to have one when the Support Program was still active. I had two pages for the early release and then two page buffer. So fo regular readers, it's like a 4 page buffer.
Now, because of college, work and preparing for finding a full time job, I have 0. I do recommend a consistent schedule (in other words, not what I've been doing lately). The only time I would have hiatus after finishing a chapter is to work on writing up the next chapter and drawing the thumbnails, which can take hours.
How long does it take you to complete a single page? My work takes less than 20 minutes on paper and 4-6 hours to ink it digitally and add panels, speech, tones, etc. 8 hours tops. Depending on how busy you are, once a week is pretty good. Twice a week is better but quite a bit of work.