What is the most difficult skills to learn when drawing webcomics

simonjfletcher 2017-04-20 02:38:58 UTC #21

I agree, colouring is the most challenging. Mind you I am only just starting posting my comic Real Dreams, so I have a lot to learn

ButterflyEmpress 2017-04-20 03:04:24 UTC #22

I have yet to post my comic yet, but while working on it I realized I have difficulties with keeping the background from competing with the foreground. It's hard to keep the bg colors and toned done without it looking gloomy and sloppy.

colonel_ressentiment 2017-04-20 14:56:19 UTC #23

Seconding this. I have the big-picture plot and even scenes of the comic outlined, but paneling them in a way that makes the story flow easily, with pauses and emphasis where important, while keeping the panel layouts varied (so I haven't drawn the same character's face in profile 3 times in the last 2 pages) and making sure speech bubble placement makes sense... that's hard.

(part of the struggle for me is that I watch a lot more animation/movies than I read comics, so I tend to panel things as if they would be appearing in animated format, and sometimes that doesn't translate exactly to a comic.)

DarkSilverWings 2017-04-20 15:23:31 UTC #24

Man I getchu on that but I feel the best way to overcome this is just to accept your finished page and done and over with instead of nitpicking on the shapes. Trust me, it's the worst.
I think the main difficulty I face is motivation lmao I want to give up on my comic very often and it's rather difficult to tell myself I'm doing okay enough to draw through it.
Backgrounds are the worst.
Judge me

LordVincent 2017-04-20 23:25:59 UTC #25

I find it fascinating that so many are having problems with panelling and deciding how to actually draw their stuff... For me the problem is opposite. Panelling and drawing is super easy, and a quick fix. Actually planning scripts in a way that makes sense and doesn't make me want to puke on whatever I wrote just so I can't ever read it again, on the other hand, is bloody difficult.

SpavVy 2017-04-21 02:31:30 UTC #26

For me it was always writing scripts because I find it incredibly boring and it feels unnatural, it tends to change drastically in the storyboarding and thumbnailing process. Guess I'm just better at telling stories through pictures in general.

Aspie_Gamer 2017-04-21 04:26:12 UTC #27

Everything tbh. The difference between the (non-remixed) Chapter 1 pages and the Chapter 5 pages for Life of an Aspie are like night and day. Story wise, LoaA is my first time making an original story since like most people here I would assume, I cut my teeth in my youth making fan comics based on existing properties. So far, I feel I've done a bang up job introducing a non standard character like Susan to the webcomic community what with all the praise I've gotten (that I didn't even expect) from people here who can relate to her in some way.

Also, I think the biggest hurdle for new web cartoonists is marketing themselves because with a site like Tapastic or LINE Webtoons, you initially expect to let the site take care of the rest which it technically does so long as you update regularly, but even then, you can only get so far from letting the site do the promoting for you.

I'm in the same boat. I often find ideas I have for LoaA taking on a life of their own so to speak so therefore I never bother with scripts. Plus I find the dialogue frequently changing on the fly anyway.. For example, my latest chapter was much different starting out compared to the final product that my readers saw. The yogini/guidance counselor Yamada and Susan playing The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons were two things that didn't exist in initial "drafts" for Chapter 5, but their inclusion I feel made the chapter all the better.

keac 2017-04-21 14:36:07 UTC #28

Scheduling, storytelling, coloring, and promoting.

I post comics on a Friday, but somehow, it gets delayed almost every week. Storytelling, for the most part, is quite challenging. You have to make readers continue to be interested with your story. Might be because or my laziness. Coloring is kind of time-consuming, and you really need to be consistent with the shadows and perspective. Otherwise, it might look "off."

Promoting is quite challenging as well. Unless you're lucky enough for Tapas to promote your comic. Or when your comic is in a popular genre. (Though, there are still comics that are in a popular genre but still isn't as popular). It is a good thing that Tapas put the Trending section below the Spotlight on the main page, which gives more creators a chance for new readers to view their content.

LordVincent 2017-04-21 17:04:29 UTC #29

I guess this could be because I "grew up with" a more demanding sharing culture online that required more active promotion (such as deviantART and various discussion forums I was on), but I didn't really ever expect a site to take care of promotion for me. It will do that once you have built up a larger following and update regularily, but until then you need to do active promotion through social means, sharing and perhaps even project wonderful.

It all depends on what you expect to make of your comic and how much you're willing to invest. The results will reflect that. If you're not planning to do comics professionally, I wouldn't bother honestly because active promotion is only fun if you're a business nerd that enjoys the action of promotion and studying how various techniques and actions affect the flow of the numbers. If that's not your thing, I suggest you just sit back and do your comic because you like to (: How many people you've got reading it or not doesn't matter if the main reason you draw is because you love it anyway.

Upload on multiple sites! Webtoons or smackjeeves are the most common alternatives besides Tapas, but aside from that you could also try tumblr and deviantART! Different comics find different levels on success through different means (: I know in my case, for example, smackjeeves isn't very effective at all. Tapas, however, has always been effective for me. Even on my less popular types of series (for example I have a horror series). Other people experience the very opposite.

TheKawaiiGarden 2017-04-21 17:47:25 UTC #30

Like most people here it's pacing and deadlines. Making the dialogue sound fluid and natural is also tricky since I'm not that great at English... Before I release a page I get a couple of peeps to read the dialogue for me just to make sure I don't mess up.

ericsalinas149 2017-04-24 03:31:58 UTC #31

I'm the opposite. I enjoy the coloring process. I am less mentally engaged as I am when drawing, so my mind can drift more during the coloring process.

Candel_and_Goji 2017-04-26 21:28:01 UTC #32

PATIENCE
I'm a writer by default, so slowing down my storytelling process to draw and render an entire scene visually can be excruciatingly time-consuming. Sometimes I have trouble and need to stop myself from rushing through lol.

It's not that I don't like drawing (I love it!) it's just that typing/words is so much faster.
-candel

demthorshie 2017-04-27 00:47:34 UTC #33

Keeping the pace of the comic somewhat natural for each page. I tend to either go way too fast or way too slow. Trying to find a balance hasn't been easy for me.

shaylafarley5 2017-04-27 16:56:06 UTC #34

For me it's the flow of the panels, and perspective. If you see my original pages from the finished comic alot of panels have been switched around or removed altogether. I still find mistakes when I re-read my comic, but I'm to lazy to fix them. Maybe one day

spooktacularprize 2017-04-27 22:36:15 UTC #35

For me it's a variety of things. The flow of the story, what I want to include [I find I NEED to include plot elements that I didn't originally think of, or I at least feel like such inclusion would improve the story] Character sizing, changing things you don't like, like character design or interior design, finding that perfect "look," etc.

simonjfletcher 2017-04-28 01:42:21 UTC #36

For me it is definitely the backgrounds. They take the longest to, especially if they are complex, with buildings or interiors. If they are mountains and such, it's not so hard. I also realise my sketchbooks are full of characters, but not background designs, so there lies the problem!

Redsheis 2017-04-28 17:17:45 UTC #37

Everything is difficult when when it comes to making a webcomic.
There are so many little parts to it I am constantly learning to get better at.
The most difficult parts I think are panel design/placement. the 2nd is letterings.
I chose these two because they both involve a knowledge and skill of graphic design.
When done well the composition within panels helps the reading flow.

krissorayan 2017-04-30 11:58:30 UTC #38

Drawing the character is most difficult part for me. It takes much time. All other things is not a problem.