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Author Topic: Hey guys, optimistic newbie here...  (Read 2834 times)

Mr. Minipax

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Hey guys, optimistic newbie here...
« on: 01 Oct 2006, 20:21 »

Howdy folks, new to the boards, love the comic, etc etc...

I've been considering getting into the comic/webcomic scene, and I have enough "bursts o' funny" in my notebook (I function on epiphanies) to get started...buuuut, I can't draw.

So, I've tried buying books and reading guides, but they have, so far, only confirmed my theory that being handfed art makes one's art appear the same as everyone else who bought those books/guides...so given my shaky art ability and rudimentaries I picked up from observation, I have turned to the ol' tabula rasa.

Which brings me to my point...do any of you have any tips for an aspiring cartoonist? Any mistakes you made while getting into it that you can warn us young'uns about? Errors you see many newbie cartoonists making, helpful tipzorz you came across yourself, particular things to avoid or take advantage of...

I am a tabula rasa myself, so any guidance would be much appreciated. For the cost of zero cups of coffee a day, you could mentor this budding Pencil Warrior.

Anyway, have at ye, and thanks in advance.

(And, uh, thanks for reading this. I ramble, so my posts can end up sort of "stream of consciousness". Case in point.)

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Catfish_Man

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Re: Hey guys, optimistic newbie here...
« Reply #1 on: 01 Oct 2006, 22:53 »

Draw a lot. Force yourself to draw outside your comfort zone. Draw a lot more.
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finaldelerium

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Re: Hey guys, optimistic newbie here...
« Reply #2 on: 01 Oct 2006, 23:06 »

There are quite a few webcomics out there (dinosaur comics, xkcd white ninja comics) that dont really rely on the artwork much at all, and are more about the writing.  If you are a talented writer who can come up with some truly original and humerous ideas, the artwork CAN be secondary.

Does need to be pretty good though.
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jeph

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Re: Hey guys, optimistic newbie here...
« Reply #3 on: 02 Oct 2006, 02:06 »

DRAW DRAW DRAW DRAW.

Draw every single day. Even if your comic uses copy-pasted artwork, drawing will give you better insights for layout, pacing, etc.

Don't break the fourth wall. Unless it's really funny.

Don't make your first strip "SO HERE WE ARE, IT'S A NEW WEBCOMIC BLAUGHLAGBUAGHLLH". Start with the funny, not with the self-referentialism.

Try to build and maintain a strip buffer. This will give you more time to work on your comics and make them better.
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Deathmole Jacques' head takes up the bottom half of the panel, with his words taking up the top half. He is not concerned about the life of his friend.

Justin

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Re: Hey guys, optimistic newbie here...
« Reply #4 on: 02 Oct 2006, 03:24 »

great tips there. also, it's okay to imitate someone's style when you're first learning how to draw. after a while your own style will emerge. goodluck.
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Shishio

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Re: Hey guys, optimistic newbie here...
« Reply #5 on: 04 Oct 2006, 10:17 »

In addition to what others have posted, I would add:

Don't let your lack of self-esteem prevent you from following your dreams.
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HFrankenstein

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Re: Hey guys, optimistic newbie here...
« Reply #6 on: 04 Oct 2006, 10:44 »

Try to bear in mind that your early stuff is very likely to be terrible, and that you shouldn't let it get to you further down the line when you're rereading it and cringing.  Focus on the present.  If it really really bothers you, go back and redo the old stuff, but don't take a break from the main canon to do it, because interruptions in a story are a big turnoff.  And regardless of what you do with the old stuff, remember that your readers probably like it as it is.

Don't be discouraged by your self-perceived inability to draw.  Your skills will improve on their own as time passes.  Once you start to feel comfortable with your abilities, when you reach that point where you feel like you know what you're doing, then it's time to really start pushing yourself, because that's the most likely time that you'll become complacent and your work will stagnate.  Always challenge yourself.

Practice your hands.  Hands are hard as hell to get right.  When you read other comics, take a look at the hands and figure out what you like about the artist's hand style and what you don't.  Awkward looking hands can make a drawing look very amateurish.  Granted, we're all amateurs here, but you don't want it to seem that way.

Learn to love drawing.  Try to find a process that makes you look forward to working on your comic.  Sketch stuff on your notepad when you get bored in a meeting (good time to practice hands).  Have fun.  When your comic stops being fun for you, you'll start to resent it, and you'll find yourself making one or two late updates, then a few more, and eventually the comic just dies and you never update again.

Try to go a year without missing an update, and then start trying to grow your audience.  If you build up a fan base and then suddenly stop updating, those folks are going to make your life miserable for a few weeks, and then they'll give up, and then the next time you get back into the comic, you'll find it even harder to get readers than the first time.

That's all I can think of right now.
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Disgruntled Jack

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Re: Hey guys, optimistic newbie here...
« Reply #7 on: 09 Oct 2006, 06:23 »

Don't worry about art so much as long as yo have the funny.
QC itself in it searly years is a fine examle.
The early strips had great writing, but, to be perfectly honest, looked fairly crappy.
Draw enough and your art will improve gretly.
Practice, practice, practice.
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