When and how to start?

[LunarScyphozoa]

So, I have a comic I’ve been wanting to make for almost a year, I have the whole story plotted out in my mind (I will write it down though), all the characters, their arcs, stuff like that. It’s just been hard to get started making sheets and thumbnails, so, when, and how, do you start work on your projects?

[N1ghtm4r3]

probably not the best way but after i had some ideas and designs i just jumped into it , started a page then another and kept going,though my series has evolved alot from when i first started

[scottlincoln689]

Now, start now!

But the first step is to write down what you know. This might be in a small notebook or in the Notes app on your iPhone. Do NOT worry about continuity or phrasing or grammar or spelling... just write (or type) every idea related to that story you can remember. Organizing will come later, just shotgun those ideas onto a page, to start. And whenever you get a new idea, copy it down as soon as it's convenient.

The brain may be capable of storing every thought, word, and sensation of your life, but it is very fickle about recalling it when you want it.

Once you have things copied down, it will be a natural process to start "sculpting" the story that you want.

[ZombieOwl]

You got all the prep work down, so dive in!
Go into it with the understanding that your original idea might be rough, and embrace it.

Rough sketching to help get the idea out, and then clean sketching to sculpt it out.

A piece of advice you've probably read a million times: Try not to get hung up on "perfection" because it will SLOW YOU DOWN! Your work can only improve if you keep going on to the next panel and the next page. Also, people will not look at your art for more than a few seconds; don't spend hours on things like that!

[darthmongoose]

I'm going to go a little against what people are saying here, because while "just start making it!" can be good advice if you've never made a comic before and your aim is just to learn from experience, there are some bits of final prep you can do before launching into making pages that will increase your chances of building an audience on Tapas.

Here are the things I'd advise a creator does before actually starting:

1. Plan out your first storyarc or chapter in detail - like page by page detail. Make sure that it has a really punchy opening, establishes the general tone and what to expect in the first few updates, and have an opening chapter or arc that reads like a fun adventure in its own right, with a climax. You may also want to thumbnail sketch the first five to ten pages or episodes or so to get a feel for the flow.
2. Do an art test of a few panels or a page to make sure you're happy with your pipeline for making panels and pages, and have a style for your comic that balances looking pretty nice and being easy to read what's going on, with being something where you could keep up a schedule of ideally at least a page a week if possible.
3. Come up with a name and check there isn't already a comic called that on Tapas using the search feature. Probably a good idea to use Google to check there isn't already anything else famous called that either! Come up with a new name if yours isn't unique.
4. Make a really nice, neat, readable logo for your comic. If you're not sure where to start, solid options can include looking for free Display fonts on Blambot, or browsing "Display" type fonts on Google Fonts.
5. Make yourself a great looking cover, thumbnail and banner using your sweet new logo and some nice promo art! I'd advise a cover that's relatively simple and focused around characters (faces tend to catch the eye). This part can wait until you've drawn a page or two if you want to get used to drawing your characters and feel confident you're used to the style of your comic if you like.
6. Start drawing and build a buffer of unpublished pages. It's a good idea to be at least a page or two ahead of published episodes or pages, because life happens.

And then you'll be good to go!

[KamThings]

I agree with most of the advice others have given already. I've never been a planner, ever. Whenever I try to write something down or make an outline or make character sheets, I get so bored and annoyed and I just want to get to the actual story already.

So I say: find out how you work best. If writing things down and making outlines, etc. helps you, then do that. If you hate that crap and you just want to get on with it, then just start making the pages. Also remember, you will never feel ready. If you wait, you just won't end up doing it.

On that note, if you've never done comics before, try doing a short story first. Something like 5 pages, and see what you think about it. Comics are a ton of work, definitely not a walk in a park. You don't realize just how tedious it is until you actually do it. So make sure you understand what you're getting into if you're serious about making a longer series.

The first 3 episodes are the most crucial, especially the first one so make it really really good. The first few panels you show people are going to set the tone for the quality and story for the rest of the comic. People will usually read 1-3 episodes before deciding to continue or not, so really try to perfect them.

Once you start actually posting, don't look back. Just keep going. Many people get into the cycle of trying to fix their old pages and they just keep going back to fix things rather than progressing the story. Get it all out and done before ever thinking of going back. (The exception is if you're been posting for a while and your art style has really changed/improved and you want to update your first episode.)

Lastly, try not to make your first ever comic your "perfect comic idea." Maybe do an idea that you don't care as much about, because your first ever comic will never ever ever be perfect. It just won't. So my suggestion is to do something as an experiment first and build up your skill/expectations before doing your "perfect idea."

Good luck!

[TroyVSTheWorld]

You already started work on your project when you came up with the story. Its not a question of how or when to start because you already did, so, keep going. Just draw stuff. Visualize some of the more key concepts to the story. Oh, and work out the ending early on in the process so you don't rush it at the end.

[sourswords]

Do it. Literally, just do it. That said, I'd highly recommend writing down the entire story first, because that's what I did and it worked for me. Might not work for you, but at least having a basic outline written down will be a lifesaver. I have my whole comic written out as a script, I just need to draw it.
Pro tip: If you don't want to do a certain step.... don't. I don't do thumbnails. I don't give a shit about thumbnails. I have my basic page set up in CSP (which is a canvas with a fixed size and a framing template delineating the usual outer gutter). I just take what I've written and futz around with the layout until I think the panels are the right shape and size. So if certain steps (doing full color, adding shading, etc) are holding you back, don't do them. You can always change your mind later.
A lot of good advice has been said here, but the most important thing, in my opinion, is this: You don't get better at making comics by not making comics.

[bronte448]

When: NOW.
How: Just suck it up and do it.
Working for me so far.

[system]

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