If you are an artist interested in creating webcomics, you may be wondering where and how to start. As a beginner, you will face challenges and some of the most common mistakes that creators make when they are just starting out.
The following list of common mistakes will help you work your way through the creative process to make a successful webcomic.
Photo by Daniele Luciani forward Unsplash
Expecting too much too soon
The first mistake and perhaps the biggest mistake that beginners tend to make is to raise their expectations from the very beginning.
To be fair, it can be very tempting to drop everything you’re doing and dedicate your time to making webcomics when you see what creators from the full-time job can do. this time.
However, it usually takes years for them to reach this level of success, which is something you need to keep in mind when starting out. It is not an easy path, and you have to have a lot of patience.
It takes a lot of money and time to get to a level of quality and reach the level of fame that will help you make a living from making webcomics.
One of the best pieces of advice for avoiding these beginner mistakes comes from Spike, editor of the 2012 Smut Peddler collections, The Sleep of Reason, author of Proofcraft, and creator of Templar Arizona.
According to Spike, all you have to do is be patient in the beginning. Don’t assume that things will go smoothly from the start and that you will be able to pay your bills, groceries and lifestyle as soon as you start.
With a little patience and persistence in what you do, you will get it in a few years.
Putting Industry before Art
In addition to the previous mistake, webcomic creators who rush at the beginning of their career are also prone to make this mistake. As soon as they start working on their webcomic, or sometimes even before that, they try to sell their work.
According to Dave Kellet, the creator of Drive and Sheldon, this is how most beginners make the mistake of not neglecting their art for business.
These young creators focus all their energy on designing their website, books, and t-shirts instead of focusing first on the story and characters they are developing. for the webcomic.
So, if you are starting your first webcomic, make sure you focus on the story and create the webcomic first. Once your work gets enough attention and followers, that’s when you can start thinking about merchandising and developing your website.
Without working out the plot
Webcomic artists like to pour all their energy and creativity into drawing because that is their main creative outlet. However, no matter how amazing the characters and scenes are on their own, you need to spend your time developing a strong design as well.
The mistake most creators make is that they start with a promising idea, but their plot falls flat somewhere along the way because they prioritized the picture over the story.
To avoid this mistake, start working on the plot first. Make sure you fully develop it, draft it, go over it again, and make sure there are no plot holes.
Once you are satisfied with the story you want to work on, move on to building characters and how the scenes revolve around the main plot.
Photo by Erik Maclean forward Unsplash
Inability to draw
Another possible mistake is not being able to draw characters and scenes realistically.
Of course, when you first start creating webcomics, this can be quite challenging. However, this is the most important part of creating a webcomic and something you need to work on if you want to be a successful creator.
If you want to learn how to draw funny characters, you need to learn about anatomy and vision. These are the two most important elements of a well-formed comic character.
Start by learning how to draw specific body parts and make sure you practice often. Then, move on to drawing characters as a whole. Once you feel ready, you can start drawing characters in motion as they walk, run, or jump around. This will help you better understand human anatomy and how bodies look as they move around.
The Story Doesn’t Solve the Reader
This one is related to the undeveloped plot. If you don’t work on your plot and make it compelling within the first three pages, most readers won’t read it.
One of the most effective ways to make the beginning of your story interesting so that it gets the attention of readers is to create a likable character. Then, right off the bat, make that character face a major life dilemma.
Create a challenge or obstacle for them that makes the reader wonder, “Hmm, how are they going to get out of this?”. Intrigued and looking for the answers, your readers will immediately start flipping through the pages, eager to find out what happens next.
A shot is too close
After taking your time to develop the plot and learn how to draw, there are some additional mistakes that you need to be aware of. One of the most common mistakes involves taking pictures too close.
By giving enough space in the picture and drawing the character further back in the frame, you allow the reader to get a sense of the place. In the background, you can include the street, some trees, or anything you want to bring into the space.
Only after you have presented the location so that the reader understands where the current scene is taking place, can you work on close-ups of the characters.
A lot of reporting
Yes, the plot should be well developed, but that doesn’t mean the narrative should completely take over the webcomic. While words are very important, so is how you use them.
You should never let your words over explain something that the readers can easily see from the pictures you create. You should find a balance between telling the story with words and images.
Here are just a few signs that you’re using too many words in your webcomic:
- There are over 200 words on a page.
- There are large blocks of text that are challenging to read through.
- Your characters talk about how they feel instead of showing their feelings.
Photo by Joe Ciciarelli forward Unsplash
Lots of Colors
Finally, once you are done with the story and the illustrations, you need to be careful about how to color your webcomic. Many designers make the mistake of introducing too many colors when they first start out. making webcomics.
The easiest way to avoid this mistake is to choose six, or maybe seven colors to use on each page and then try to maintain continuity and coherence between those colors.
Try not to overdo it and stick to your chosen color palette. This will help readers get used to your colors and themes, and these colors will be something your webcomic is associated with and recognizable to.
Decision
To summarize, it’s okay to make mistakes when you start creating your own webcomics.
Everyone makes these mistakes and then learns from them. If you want your learning and development processes to go as smoothly as possible, you can use these common mistakes as a guide.
Knowing where most people tend to stumble in the beginning will help you work through your beginner’s mistakes much faster. Just refer back to this list when you need help.