webcomictalk (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} webcomictalk) wrote,@ 2007-12-18 14:03:00 |
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| Current mood: |  hopeful |
| Current music: | Rammstein |
| Entry tags: | webcomics, webcomics 101 |
Webcomics 101: Before You Begin
This journal has been sitting idle for too long. I've been using the time to decide what I wanted to do with it, and I've decided that I am going to start posting articles on how to do a webcomic. These articles will appear in some form or another elsewhere eventually (more on that as it develops), but I will be using this journal as a testing grounds for the articles themselves. So below you can read the first of (hopefully) many more to come.
You’ve got a great idea for a story that’s just bursting to get out of you. The problem is that you’re not very good at writing prose. You like to draw, though, and you’ve got a scanner.
Welcome to the start of your webcomic.
My name is Pete Tarkulich, and not only am I the creator of the webcomic Bardsworth (www.bardsworth.com), but I’ve been a rabid webcomic reader since about 2002. And while I don’t view myself as part of the “webcomic community”, I do pay close attention to what goes on within it. These credits may not make me a webcomics expert, but I’m confident that I know enough to guide you through the answer to the question “How do I make a webcomic?”
So why do people choose to do webcomics over print comics? Well, there are a lot of advantages to doing a webcomic. The simplest answer is that anyone can do it. You can. Your sister can. Your grandmother can. Your dog may have a bit of trouble, but I’m sure if he really wanted to he could. In the most bare-bones setting you can do a webcomic with a sketch pad, a pencil, a scanner, and a bit of internet know-how. I wouldn’t suggest it, but you can.
Another answer is that it’s a cheap way to be published and distributed. You draw your comic and put it up on the web, and boom, you’re published. The internet stretches over the entire planet and is accessible by anyone with a computer and a connection. Your distribution is built in.
Yet another answer is the general nature of the internet. You can get immediate feedback on your work, you can chat with your readers, and you collaborate and converse with other creators. Not to mention that with the internet you have the advantage of things you can’t do in print, like animation or interactive functions.
There are probably a handful of other reasons to do webcomic, but to me these are the most important.
However, just because you can do a webcomic, does that mean you should? Can you keep up with an update schedule? Do you have the time and the money to market yourself and draw in readers? Do you have the skills necessary to produce not only good artwork but a good story as well? If you’re unsure about your abilities in regards to any of these questions, you may want to reconsider your decision to do a webcomic. However, if you have a confident answer to each of these questions, then hop aboard.
Many people jump into the webcomic world unprepared. I’m hoping that this column will help prepare you and guide you along. I don’t claim to have all the answers, and you might even find that doing things differently works better, but I’m pretty sure I can steer you in the right direction.
You might want to bring a compass just in case, though.
