Updating twice a week?

Sleepyowl 2016-08-17 02:16:18 UTC #1

I have a comic that I'm going to launch soon, and I have a buffer of 20+ pages all ready to go and I'm constantly growing it, so there's no issue there.

The issue comes with updates. I want to update twice a week, but at the rate that the comics take me to push out, I can only seem to do once a week. Anyone else have this problem where they want to do more but feel like they can't?

Frequent updaters, how do you keep up with the grind of updating twice a week? What corners do you cut to make deadlines? How long does it take for you to finish a page, and what advice would you give to someone looking to increase their speed?

haleymewsome 2016-08-17 02:22:34 UTC #2

I'm also worried about this! I'm relying on my buffer currently and just trying to keep it replenished, but sometimes I can't. I just try to time each stage of making the comic (i.e. I finished the inking yesterday at 5:00pm, let's try to get it done by 3:00pm today) and I have noticed that little challenges like that really do improve speed. Plus, the more you draw your characters and places, the easier they are to draw, so even without trying you'll probably get faster. Good luck!

nessiefynn 2016-08-17 02:27:31 UTC #3

I update twice a week, I used to do it three times a week but when I switched from black/white to full color I had to cut down. Each page probably takes me around 4-6 hours to get done, depending on the complexity. Honestly, the most important part of keeping the schedule is just putting my nose to the grindstone and working persistently. I can get my lineart done in less than an hour if I keep focused, but when I keep tabbing out to look at videos, browse the internet, or change my music it takes me a lot longer.
If you want to increase your speed, I'd suggest to time yourself as you work. Maybe don't use an actual timer, as that can make you anxious, but maybe put on an hour long podcast or music playlist in the background and try to get X things done by the end! This really helped me pick up my pace. Anyways, good luck with your comic!

scullpanda 2016-08-17 02:28:11 UTC #4

I think having a good big buffer is fabulous just incase something ever goes wrong in life you have that to fall back on while still pushing forward with your story when you get back on your feet , I just moved from updating multiple pages to doing one for each comic I do weekly. I kinda like the new pace personally but whatever works.

60Six 2016-08-17 02:31:58 UTC #5

I update twice a week and usually range from being able to make 1-3 pages a week. It depends on the pages and how busy I am.
One thing I do to get a head start is at the end of each chapter, I take two weeks off to get a head start on the next chapter and build up any buffer I lost in the previous chapter. I usually upload bonus content like gift art features or guest comics during this time and work my butt off to get an even bigger buffer going for next chapter.

jacintawibowo 2016-08-17 03:37:41 UTC #6

I originally wanted to update Tales from the Well twice a week, but with how long it took to make the pages we had to settle for once a week updates.

I totally feel this! However I'm glad that we were advised to go with once a week updates for consistency. I feel reliability is important in webcomics and I want to maintain that as much as I can.

Vanni2u 2016-08-17 04:02:54 UTC #7

I always want to makeHeroification update twice a week, but I would rather be patient about it because of the amount of other comics I'm planning to do. I think you are trying to find a way to push out for a twice a week updates, find a way to be able to produce at least three pages a week. It's usually good to produce one more page than what you are putting out.
What I found that increases my speed is to bulk up a set of work. For example, one day just bulk up all in sketches the next linearts. I think by doing this, you would be focused on putting energy on one thing then trying to do the whole page in one shot. It goes alot faster in my opinion especially when I usually paint my whole page (I seriously can't do lineart to save my life).

johnscuffle 2016-08-17 04:14:09 UTC #8

Well I have always have 2 to 3 months of pages made in advance. I use it as a buffer while I make more pages while my buffer is uploading. That then gives me a smooth upload schedule till that part of the story ends and I take a hiatus to make more or something else.
Now for increasing your speed all I can say is that you should make a solid schedule for the week or so. With that you can actually make time for your pages while actually managing your time pretty well.It also takes me like a month to finish at least 19 pages but I haven't and still not get a page finished in a day because I like to plan and fix things during the process of making the pages.

AnnaLandin 2016-08-17 05:36:35 UTC #9

I post twice a week. I am able to do that because I had a buffer of 52 pages when I started (which is now down to around 48-49 pages), and because I am able to draw two new pages a week. Not everyone is in that position, and that's okay.

I don't really cut any corners - I just plan ahead a lot, take breaks between chapters, and have worked on this comic long enough that I've found a routine that works for me. I mean, I don't do full-blown paint-everything-in-incredible-detail when I draw comics - there are some things I've simplified - but I wouldn't call that "cutting corners".

It depends on the page - simpler pages with fewer panels are faster, complex pages with lots of detail are slower - but I average somewhere around 7-9 hours per page for just the drawing. A simple page can take me 4 hours, a complex page can take me 12 hours.

... Which doesn't count the time I spend outlining, prepping, thumbnailing and planning.

Advice to someone looking to increase speed: plan ahead. Know what the next page is going to look like before you sit down to draw it (i.e: do thumbnails of your page-layouts). Do concept art - if there's an important setting or architectural detail, do a quick sketch of it beforehand so you know what it will look like; draw turnarounds of your characters so you know how they look from all angles; if there are important symbols or flags or whatever in your comic, design those before they show up on the page. If you work in colour, do colour-keys for the different scenes - i.e: a quick colour-sketch of the setting for the scene, so you know what kind of colours you'll be working with (warm sunlight, blue nighttime scenes, yellow-purple for desert scenes, etc., etc.) and you won't have to start from scratch on every page.

Learn useful shortcuts in whatever software you're using. Set up actions or memorise hotkeys for certain functions, and don't be afraid to use them.

Figure out how you work best; what method do you need to use to stay focused on your comic-work? I need to listen to podcasts during the sketching/inking/colouring rather than music, because podcasts keep me focused for longer periods of time. I need a cup of tea and perhaps a snack to keep me from getting up and wandering off in search of either. But you might need a different setup - maybe you prefer to work with music in your earphones! Maybe you prefer silence. Maybe you work best in the mornings, or best in the evenings.

And most of all - don't feel guilty about not managing to update more often. 99% of us are doing out comics entirely for free, in our spare time, and it's okay to only update as often as you can comfortably manage. Pick a schedule that suits you. <3

Nyamesis 2016-08-17 21:28:35 UTC #10

Ahh thanks for the detailed reply ^^
I have been wondering about how people manage comics in the first place, this gives a lot of insight!
And at least I don't feel slow now for pouring in a couple of hours for pages.

deceriacomics 2016-08-18 04:37:37 UTC #11

I would strongly advise that you continue building your buffer before you start uploading to tapastic. Wait until you have enough pages done that you can comfortably work at your own slow pace while still posting twice a week. Like @scullpanda said, you want to have that to fall back on in case other stuff in life comes up. It is NOT fun having your buffer run out.

I didn't really know what I was doing when I started posting on tapastic, so I did not build a large enough buffer. I was posting 3 times a week with just a handful of buffer pages done, and the buffer ran out before I was able to replenish it. That resulted in a lot of stress. So I know exactly what it's like to try and do more than you can realistically handle.

Right now, I update twice a week and I honestly don't keep up with the grind very well. I SHOULD cut back to once a week. It currently takes me 6-12 hours to finish a whole strip. Not because the art is super complex, it's mostly because my drawing tablet sucks (I have to redraw the same simple outlines over and over to get it to look smooth).

My advice for increasing your speed would be to learn your tools inside and out – learn all the shortcuts, set up action keys, and look up tutorials for hidden features your program may have. Get into a routine and set goals for how much you want to get done each day. Don't zoom in too much! I always make the mistake of zooming in and wasting time fixing details that readers don't even notice at actual size. Also try to make templates for stuff that you know you're gonna draw every time you make a new page. If you find that you reuse a lot of the same colors or panel styles, then make templates already set up with panel squares and color swatches on the side. Good luck with your comic!

eslameldeeb 2016-08-18 23:42:31 UTC #12

i think pushing yourself to finish more than one page a week to meet a deadline isn't a good idea
i suggest you publish first (let's say) 10-15 pages daily to make you first readers hooked into the story, then change to weekly update after that