Comic Creators Free Talk

[Seijaku_Ishida]

I Like My Weird

Hello everyone!

Just wanted a bit of an opinion.

I'm typically a fan of Science Fiction or Fantasy genres, but does anyone here enjoy love story comics that have no fantasy concepts?

I only recently hatched this idea for two artists falling in love in a big modern city and it's honestly the first story I've written in over 10 years that doesn't have some sort of Sci-fi, or fantasy edge to it.

Do you think people would be interested in reading it?

Eh....there's a market for it, but I'm not it.

Granted, I'm not a big fan of the romance genre. Sci-fi and fantasy usually has romance as a secondary feature.

[sinfully_cute]

I Like My Weird

Hello everyone!

Just wanted a bit of an opinion.

I'm typically a fan of Science Fiction or Fantasy genres, but does anyone here enjoy love story comics that have no fantasy concepts?

I only recently hatched this idea for two artists falling in love in a big modern city and it's honestly the first story I've written in over 10 years that doesn't have some sort of Sci-fi, or fantasy edge to it.

Do you think people would be interested in reading it?

Quick summary of my story.

" Annabell Laight, A young talented artist, leaves her small hometown for the big city in search of a degree at the prestigious art school there. Working various jobs around the city to earn enough money to go to school she answers an ad by a famous sardonic art critic, August Reed, looking for an assistant. All of his previous assistants have quit in tears. Can Annabell put up with August's cynical behavior long enough to reach her goals? "

Sinfully_cute

I plan the story by writing down all my thoughts and spend time fleshing out each character concept and world concept, then I write a basic script of each chapter trying to visualize as I go what it'll look like in pictures.

Then once I've got a base script I begin storyboarding. At this point things usually change from the script as some ideas are pleasing in words, but not as pleasing in pictures.

After the sketch storyboard (sometimes just stick figures or blocks and shapes) I start cleaning up the art and add details and speech bubbles.

Thanks for your answer. And... that absolutely sounds like something I would read. I love fantasy, but realistic stories are the ones that impact me the most.

[celestrialdarkmoon]

sinfully_cute

So I was wondering, how far ahead do you guys write your comics? Do you typically stay ahead a certain number of pages?

Also, is there a way you organize your ideas? Do you use storyboards, or something similar?

Just curious about everyone's methods to their madness.

Ahh, I hope it's okay to post here, I'm not a comic creator just yet-

I hope I'm not too late.

Starting a story, I like to first think of the core plot of the story i want to right. I figure it out in one sentence (ex: Character must make a sandwich)

After that I begin to add in the main point to that idea (ex: Why must character make a sandwich, what makes him/her do this, Problems A B and C happen, Will the end goal of the sandwich being made be a achieved, what is the prize or consequences to character achievement or failure). As I work on this stage I begin to figure out who my main character is, as well as some of the main supporting and if need be villainous characters.

After that, I begin to figure out how to attach each of the main points together , figure what problems ensue. At this part, I'll also move things around, add things, or omit things as they are needed to be.

Then I script it, then proceed to tweak it, and get a friend or two to proof-read it (usually one who knows the jest of the story and the other who does not know it) to be sure everything flows and makes sense.

I then thumbnail it all (sometimes tweaking the script as working on the art helps me fix the pacing issues I find).

Then penciling comes (I usually will still be tweaking at this point. A bad habit I'm trying to break myself from. Hopefully experience will help with that).

Then pretty much the easy parts: inking, lettering, clean-up, coloring and/or toning; whatever else need be done.

I hope that helps you.

[sinfully_cute]

celestrialdarkmoon

sinfully_cute

So I was wondering, how far ahead do you guys write your comics? Do you typically stay ahead a certain number of pages?

Also, is there a way you organize your ideas? Do you use storyboards, or something similar?

Just curious about everyone's methods to their madness.

Ahh, I hope it's okay to post here, I'm not a comic creator just yet-

I hope I'm not too late.

Starting a story, I like to first think of the core plot of the story i want to right. I figure it out in one sentence (ex: Character must make a sandwich)

After that I begin to add in the main point to that idea (ex: Why must character make a sandwich, what makes him/her do this, Problems A B and C happen, Will the end goal of the sandwich being made be a achieved, what is the prize or consequences to character achievement or failure). As I work on this stage I begin to figure out who my main character is, as well as some of the main supporting and if need be villainous characters.

After that, I begin to figure out how to attach each of the main points together , figure what problems ensue. At this part, I'll also move things around, add things, or omit things as they are needed to be.

Then I script it, then proceed to tweak it, and get a friend or two to proof-read it (usually one who knows the jest of the story and the other who does not know it) to be sure everything flows and makes sense.

I then thumbnail it all (sometimes tweaking the script as working on the art helps me fix the pacing issues I find).

Then penciling comes (I usually will still be tweaking at this point. A bad habit I'm trying to break myself from. Hopefully experience will help with that).

Then pretty much the easy parts: inking, lettering, clean-up, coloring and/or toning; whatever else need be done.

I hope that helps you.

Haha, of course you're not too late. I really liked the questions in the bolded part.

[celestrialdarkmoon]

sinfully_cute

celestrialdarkmoon

I hope I'm not too late.

Starting a story, I like to first think of the core plot of the story i want to right. I figure it out in one sentence (ex: Character must make a sandwich)

After that I begin to add in the main point to that idea (ex: Why must character make a sandwich, what makes him/her do this, Problems A B and C happen, Will the end goal of the sandwich being made be a achieved, what is the prize or consequences to character achievement or failure). As I work on this stage I begin to figure out who my main character is, as well as some of the main supporting and if need be villainous characters.

After that, I begin to figure out how to attach each of the main points together , figure what problems ensue. At this part, I'll also move things around, add things, or omit things as they are needed to be.

Then I script it, then proceed to tweak it, and get a friend or two to proof-read it (usually one who knows the jest of the story and the other who does not know it) to be sure everything flows and makes sense.

I then thumbnail it all (sometimes tweaking the script as working on the art helps me fix the pacing issues I find).

Then penciling comes (I usually will still be tweaking at this point. A bad habit I'm trying to break myself from. Hopefully experience will help with that).

Then pretty much the easy parts: inking, lettering, clean-up, coloring and/or toning; whatever else need be done.

I hope that helps you.

Haha, of course you're not too late. I really liked the questions in the bolded part.

Thank you. smile

[Emerlia]

Ring-a-ding-ding...


Got a couple of questions for the more experienced webcomic-ers here c:

(Since I'm 2 parts curious and 1 part sad that this thread hasn't had a comment in a month)

How long have you been working on your current comic?
Have you written other comics before this one?
Is there a planned end in sight with your current comic?
Any plans for other comics after your current?

...we have a winner!

[Kyousouka]

Emerlia

Ring-a-ding-ding...


Got a couple of questions for the more experienced webcomic-ers here c:

(Since I'm 2 parts curious and 1 part sad that this thread hasn't had a comment in a month)

How long have you been working on your current comic?
Have you written other comics before this one?
Is there a planned end in sight with your current comic?
Any plans for other comics after your current?

...we have a winner!

I'm not entirely sure I "qualify" to answer since my current project isn't in production just yet, but... welp, you can always ignore me, right?

- The idea for current project first popped up almost two years ago, but it didn't form into a comic project until about a year ago. It's been a weird project in that I've been working on it very differently from how I normally do, and I'm still writing it (along with doing concept art, of course). I'm making good progress recently though, and I expect to start drawing the pages soon (if not, I'll move on to something else).
- This comic will be outlined from start to finish before I do any pages, so yes, there's an end in sight. I like structure, and I like to have a very good idea of where I'm going with a story. I never make anything without knowing where and how it will end.

- I've done other comics before:

- My very first webcomic (started in early 2010) is on indefinite hiatus because I realised after a chapter and a half then I didn't have the writing skill to pull it off. I've been working on the story on and off since, so I have a lot of material to work with when I do get back to it.
- I did a comic working with another writer after that, but it didn't work out. Creative differences, as they say. We were just too different and had very disparate goals for the project. After 5 chapters, I quit near the end of 2011. I intend to revisit the concept of the story and some of my characters from it as a solo project later.
- Since the days of my first comic and until now, I do short one-shot comics as practice and experiments. I also tried doing a sketch comic, but I can't work like that, so I stopped. I feel that if a story is worth doing at all, it should be worthy of a proper treatment.

- Aside from those two longer projects that I'd like to revisit/restart, I have a number of ideas for shorter comics I'd like to do, and one that's part comic, part illustrated novel. I'll see what type of story I'm in the mood for when I'm closer to finishing my current project. Fortunately, I have plenty of ideas to choose from, and I keep refining them even when I'm not actively working on them.

[Emerlia]

Kyousouka

Ring-a-ding-ding...


You easily qualify C:

What was is about your last webcomic that you found difficult to write? surprised
And what's your new one about?
Do ou find you switch genres a lot or do you mainly stick to the same type of story? P:
(Just asking 'cause I used to be firmly set in the 'medieval' fantasy rut when I was younger, but have since branched our and enjoy writing pretty much any genre now, which is pretty refreshing 3nodding )

...we have a winner!

[Kyousouka]

Emerlia

You easily qualify C:

What was is about your last webcomic that you found difficult to write? surprised
And what's your new one about?
Do ou find you switch genres a lot or do you mainly stick to the same type of story? P:
(Just asking 'cause I used to be firmly set in the 'medieval' fantasy rut when I was younger, but have since branched our and enjoy writing pretty much any genre now, which is pretty refreshing 3nodding )

You said my "last one" but I don't think I mentioned that one being difficult to write (it wasn't), only my very first one.
When writing my first comic, I lacked the skill to handle the character development well, and I didn't know how to pace the comic, which has two concurrent threads that are tied together by only a few tethers, rather than being co-dependent as in most such stories. One is about the protagonist, the other is about the setting itself.


I want to say "I write low fantasy" but that's not really the case, as I've written or planned stories in quite a few genres. It's more like I write every story as if it's low fantasy, showcasing the world rather than merely letting it be the background, with grey and grey morality, and with the story centred on characters who are ultimately not significant in the grand scheme of things.

My current project is a low fantasy story about a man whose almost-heroic lifestyle/career becomes infeasible in a combination of his getting older and society changing change, and he sets out to find a new place in the world. Gratuitous pretty scenery ensues.

[Emerlia]

Kyousouka

You said my "last one" but I don't think I mentioned that one being difficult to write (it wasn't), only my very first one.
When writing my first comic, I lacked the skill to handle the character development well, and I didn't know how to pace the comic, which has two concurrent threads that are tied together by only a few tethers, rather than being co-dependent as in most such stories. One is about the protagonist, the other is about the setting itself.


I want to say "I write low fantasy" but that's not really the case, as I've written or planned stories in quite a few genres. It's more like I write every story as if it's low fantasy, showcasing the world rather than merely letting it be the background, with grey and grey morality, and with the story centred on characters who are ultimately not significant in the grand scheme of things.

My current project is a low fantasy story about a man whose almost-heroic lifestyle/career becomes infeasible in a combination of his getting older and society changing change, and he sets out to find a new place in the world. Gratuitous pretty scenery ensues.

Ring-a-ding-ding...


Ah, sorry, my bad P:

That sounds really interesting C:


I must admit, I tend towards the cliche and the story I have been working on longest is high fantasy with prophecies and chosen ones sweatdrop
I have been "writing" (I say writing, but it's mostly in my head) that one since I was 13 though, and who knows if I'll ever write it properly, or if I even should - cliched to buggery and all that xD

I'm getting pretty enthusiastic about my current planned webcomic though - slice of life set in modern-fantasy world c:
I just need to get my walking dead fan-comic out of the way first P:

...we have a winner!

[Kyousouka]

Emerlia

Kyousouka

You said my "last one" but I don't think I mentioned that one being difficult to write (it wasn't), only my very first one.
When writing my first comic, I lacked the skill to handle the character development well, and I didn't know how to pace the comic, which has two concurrent threads that are tied together by only a few tethers, rather than being co-dependent as in most such stories. One is about the protagonist, the other is about the setting itself.


I want to say "I write low fantasy" but that's not really the case, as I've written or planned stories in quite a few genres. It's more like I write every story as if it's low fantasy, showcasing the world rather than merely letting it be the background, with grey and grey morality, and with the story centred on characters who are ultimately not significant in the grand scheme of things.

My current project is a low fantasy story about a man whose almost-heroic lifestyle/career becomes infeasible in a combination of his getting older and society changing change, and he sets out to find a new place in the world. Gratuitous pretty scenery ensues.

Ring-a-ding-ding...


Ah, sorry, my bad P:

That sounds really interesting C:


I must admit, I tend towards the cliche and the story I have been working on longest is high fantasy with prophecies and chosen ones sweatdrop
I have been "writing" (I say writing, but it's mostly in my head) that one since I was 13 though, and who knows if I'll ever write it properly, or if I even should - cliched to buggery and all that xD

I'm getting pretty enthusiastic about my current planned webcomic though - slice of life set in modern-fantasy world c:
I just need to get my walking dead fan-comic out of the way first P:

...we have a winner!

Don't worry about using tropes that are common. The reason things like prophecies have a bad reputation is because bad writers rely on them and other tropes as crutches, which is how they write clichés. All these things can be done well, too! Use them well, use them in a way that's interesting and internally consistent, and they won't feel like clichés.

My very first comic, the one that I didn't have the skill to do when I first tried putting it down on paper, has been in my head since... 2002-3? I was around 13-14 then too. It started out as an awful clichéfest, but I think it's gotten much better since. I haven't been afraid to get rid of things that don't work within the story, even if on their own I liked them, and that is the important thing.

Find the things you really love about that story, the things that make the story what it is, and build upon them, while getting rid of anything that doesn't contribute. If it's a story you love, there's probably enough there for you to work with and fall in love with even more.


I hope you'll put a link to your slice of life comic once you start it (if it's a webcomic). I like reading other people's takes on fantasy worlds. Everyone has such different approaches to worldbuilding <3

[Kaxen]

How long have you been working on your current comic?
Boy Aurus started in June 2010, but it's been on hiatus since January of this year, with plans to un-hiatus in August.

Have you written other comics before this one?
Yes... I'm great at starting things I'll never finish.

Is there a planned end in sight with your current comic?
Not really... Well, each chapter/time period has as planned end, but an end as a whole isn't there. Whenever I'm exhausted of adventures to send the little boy on, I suppose.

Any plans for other comics after your current?
Someday I will have the story writing power and drawing talent to do a really good aerial combat comic, among other things.

[Xiam]

Seijaku_Ishida

I Like My Weird

Hello everyone!

Just wanted a bit of an opinion.

I'm typically a fan of Science Fiction or Fantasy genres, but does anyone here enjoy love story comics that have no fantasy concepts?

I only recently hatched this idea for two artists falling in love in a big modern city and it's honestly the first story I've written in over 10 years that doesn't have some sort of Sci-fi, or fantasy edge to it.

Do you think people would be interested in reading it?

Eh....there's a market for it, but I'm not it.

Granted, I'm not a big fan of the romance genre. Sci-fi and fantasy usually has romance as a secondary feature.

Yeah, same here. I always told myself that if I ever did a love story, it would need to be, like, at the end of the world, or something. Of course, then a love story crept into my suburban fantasy slice-of-life...

I just can't find myself interested in a straight-up romance. Or anything that's just "Normal people," really. I need that touch of the bizarre. I crave abnormality, I guess.

Kaxen

Have you written other comics before this one?
Yes... I'm great at starting things I'll never finish.

Why do you suppose that is? Just too much else going on, or...? gonk

Might as well get in on this.

Emerlia

How long have you been working on your current comic?

Four years on one, about five months on the other. Which makes me feel sad that I only have about 24 pages on that newer one... but I guess it'd be worse if I only had 24 pages in 4 years, huh? Hahaha... ah, I'll get better at it soon though.

Emerlia

Have you written other comics before this one?

Yup. Quite a few, but one I've actually finished! So yay for that.

Emerlia

Is there a planned end in sight with your current comic?

About a month left on Gary the Alchemist. Power Rush I actually want to run for as long as possible, but I do have a plan for the ending, and hopefully it will be epic as balls.

Emerlia

Any plans for other comics after your current?

Um, well, after Gary the Alchemist finishes up, I'll focus solely on Power Rush, but I do have plans for things if I can find an artist. I mean, I love challenging myself with all these different art styles I want for certain stories, but sometimes I just feel like... I just want it to look good, you know? And I can't always promise myself I can do that.

[Kaxen]

Xiam

Kaxen

Have you written other comics before this one?
Yes... I'm great at starting things I'll never finish.

Why do you suppose that is? Just too much else going on, or...? gonk

Well, sometimes it is just a lot of stuff going on, but other times...

I'm never sure where the sweet spot of "just enough planning" is when it comes to writing for myself.

Because if I don't plan enough, I start and then "HOLY PLOT HOLES AND UNFORESEEN PROBLEMS, BATMAN!" and then I stop.

But if I plan too much, I never really start because then it's like "Okay, I'm ready! ...NO WAIT. I NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY HOW THIS RANDOM DETAIL THAT'S MENTIONED EXACTLY ONCE WORKS!" ...and then... it never ends...

And another problem is that I never write stuff that like I can finish the story in a year.

Because I've noticed my attention span for any given topic is approximately 0-3 years.

[Xiam]

Kaxen

Xiam

Kaxen

Have you written other comics before this one?
Yes... I'm great at starting things I'll never finish.

Why do you suppose that is? Just too much else going on, or...? gonk

Well, sometimes it is just a lot of stuff going on, but other times...

I'm never sure where the sweet spot of "just enough planning" is when it comes to writing for myself.

Because if I don't plan enough, I start and then "HOLY PLOT HOLES AND UNFORESEEN PROBLEMS, BATMAN!" and then I stop.

But if I plan too much, I never really start because then it's like "Okay, I'm ready! ...NO WAIT. I NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY HOW THIS RANDOM DETAIL THAT'S MENTIONED EXACTLY ONCE WORKS!" ...and then... it never ends...

And another problem is that I never write stuff that like I can finish the story in a year.

Because I've noticed my attention span for any given topic is approximately 0-3 years.

I usually plan before I draw, then tweak it as I go. Or I have a general overall plan, then I wing it for the individual pages.

And I like to write what I have an ongoing passion for, stuff that I find important. It makes for a longer attention span. 3nodding