Web comics -- how to start?

[arftbmrf 40]

Hi everyone.

I want to finally do something useful and tell stories in a web comics form. Starting with black-and-white simple drawings and one-frame-strips, maybe.

So, I'm asking for advices. I barely can draw, but I'm willing to learn and practice. Is practice enough to make at least decent drawings? Of course, I don't mean anything too detailed and realistic. Just simple black-and-white design, maybe like in some animes.

If so, what guides should I start with?

Plust, there's also a problem with tools. I have a scanner, so I can hand-draw, then scan and put the text in some program. Or it's better to make a digital painting from the starts? I don't have any drawing tools, and don't see any point in buying then: why spend money if I can't be sure whenether I will be able to draw, or not.

Well, that's about all. I will really appreciate any advice.

[Nervous Stitch 813]

Hi there @arftbmrf, 

Since you're looking for some help with an art project, I've moved your topic over to Creative Resources, Visual Art section. Hope you can get some good advice! 

[Wicked Funky 2,955]

@@arftbmrf,

 

Practice, practice, practice and practice some more. You'll need alot of practice, and you should definantly not start of with digital art, start of with getting decent pen control on paper and learn to be confident and decisive with drawing. You say you want to make something like you'll see in anime, let me tell you, that ain't very easy. But, like I said earlier, the more practice the better.

 

Be sure to tell me if you need any help

[arftbmrf 40]

@@arftbmrf,

 

Practice, practice, practice and practice some more. You'll need alot of practice, and you should definantly not start of with digital art, start of with getting decent pen control on paper and learn to be confident and decisive with drawing. You say you want to make something like you'll see in anime, let me tell you, that ain't very easy. But, like I said earlier, the more practice the better.

 

Be sure to tell me if you need any help

Well, thanks for an offer, but you also tell me when I'll become annoying, please. Ok?

And I don't really care about style. The easiest will work just fine.

[El Duderino 879]

If you aren't very good at drawing, then draw simple. Think "Cyanide and Happiness". Those comics are insanely simple in how they are drawn, but they are also very good.

 

The other thing to remember when you are drawing a comic is consistency. You have to be consistent in you're comics. You can't change styles half way through, even a little. You're characters must be drawn EXACTLY the same way every time. Put the same amount of effort into every panel of your comic.

 

Finally, you should find a good way to share your comics. You can create a blog or webpage where you post them, or you can find a website where you can submit your comics to be displayed. Deviant Art and Tumblr are both decent places you can do this.

[Discordian 6,015]

This is going to come across very harsh but as an avid webcomic reader there's nothing that turns me off of a webcomic more than an artist that doesn't put much effort into the art. I've seen many webcomics go from really bad art to really good art because they practice, both in the comic and elsewhere.

 

Don't take that the wrong way, a webcomic can be the practice you need to improve your art skills regardless of your initial skill level but don't expect many readers if you aren't going to be serious about the project. That's assuming you care about having many readers before you get good.

 

But don't let any of that dishearten you. Practice is a great way to improve your art. Don't be afraid to use pictures and other peoples' art as references to improve you own until your art starts taking a shape you can do without them. Even then, I know many professional artists who draw from real life to keep their art tip-top. You can become a great artist regardless of your level of talent just by continuously doing it more. Don't give up if you don't get professional right away.

 

And lastly, try to keep to a schedule. Doesn't matter how often you make a page but try to be consistent. It will keep you practicing and your potential readers coming back.

 

When you get some pages under your belt, contact me. I'll read it as soon as I'm able. I'm constantly reading webcomics and always interested in finding more.

[arftbmrf 40]

If you aren't very good at drawing, then draw simple. Think "Cyanide and Happiness". Those comics are insanely simple in how they are drawn, but they are also very good.

 

The other thing to remember when you are drawing a comic is consistency. You have to be consistent in you're comics. You can't change styles half way through, even a little. You're characters must be drawn EXACTLY the same way every time. Put the same amount of effort into every panel of your comic.

 

Finally, you should find a good way to share your comics. You can create a blog or webpage where you post them, or you can find a website where you can submit your comics to be displayed. Deviant Art and Tumblr are both decent places you can do this.

Thanks for advices. And yeah, I'm planning to start on deviantart, for sure.

 

 

This is going to come across very harsh but as an avid webcomic reader there's nothing that turns me off of a webcomic more than an artist that doesn't put much effort into the art. I've seen many webcomics go from really bad art to really good art because they practice, both in the comic and elsewhere.

 

Don't take that the wrong way, a webcomic can be the practice you need to improve your art skills regardless of your initial skill level but don't expect many readers if you aren't going to be serious about the project. That's assuming you care about having many readers before you get good.

 

But don't let any of that dishearten you. Practice is a great way to improve your art. Don't be afraid to use pictures and other peoples' art as references to improve you own until your art starts taking a shape you can do without them. Even then, I know many professional artists who draw from real life to keep their art tip-top. You can become a great artist regardless of your level of talent just by continuously doing it more. Don't give up if you don't get professional right away.

 

And lastly, try to keep to a schedule. Doesn't matter how often you make a page but try to be consistent. It will keep you practicing and your potential readers coming back.

 

When you get some pages under your belt, contact me. I'll read it as soon as I'm able. I'm constantly reading webcomics and always interested in finding more.

Thank you. I always treat very seriously anything I do, that will be judged by the others, like stories, for example.

I don't know how much time it's gonna take to draw even a single page, but I will contact you as soon as I'm done.