Hello Reader, I've seen a lot of advice for comic artists saying that the best way to draw comics faster is to get to the inking as quickly as possible by skipping some of the earlier steps. The problem with that advice is that it's wrong. Unless you're a 10 year veteran with several titles under your belt, that advice will actually slow you down, not speed you up. And the reason is simple; you're going to tense up! It's like trying to ride a bike for the first time without stabilisers. The...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, I was doing my warm-up sketch and I came across a cool idea that I wanted to share with you. It's a powerful way to find the mistakes or weak spots in your drawing. I call it the DEA process: Don't Erase Anything. It's simple, but let me explain why it's so useful. When we draw, especially when we're just starting, every mark we make shows what we need to work on. For example, if you're drawing a person, you might make the head too small, the legs too short, or the hands too...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
I now know what true burnout feels like and it's worse than people say it is. Hello Reader, I officially burned out right around the time of the last e-mail, which was about a month ago and it sucks. To sum it up, it's basically a combination of feeling completely exhausted and also having a weird mental barrier that prevents you from doing... well, anything. The things you previously found fun and fulfilling don't feel that way anymore and you just want to sleep or just stare at the wall....
over 1 year ago • 6 min read
Hello Reader, I did my first Draw with me this week that came out yesterday on the channel and I really enjoyed it. Definitely going to do more. It's exactly what it sounds like. I recorded myself drawing for 2 hours and I'm hoping people will have me on in the background while they're working on their own projects. It's a nice way of not feeling quite so alone. During the process I used the pomodoro technique, which is to work for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. I did 4 cycles of...
almost 2 years ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, It's crazy when I think about how I've spent 2 years on a comic and all I've made are 6 pages. That's not through a lack of trying or effort, because I have hundreds of drawings and documents for my comic. It's a trap I've found myself sinking in, not realising it until I was up to my neck. And I'm going to tell you how you can avoid the same fate. Take your time It may seem counter-intuitive for the guy who spent 2 years on something only to produce next to nothing to tell you...
almost 2 years ago • 4 min read
Hey Comic Creators, If you're a comic writer and you're looking for an artist, you need to be as prepared as you possibly can because otherwise you may end up spending way more than you should on producing your comic. It's very easy to get carried away and what to create beautiful comics that can sit side-by-side with some of the greatest graphic novels ever made. And you should definitely aim as high as you can in that regard. But. Comics are expensive. Like, really expensive to produce....
almost 2 years ago • 4 min read
Hey Comic Creators, Something I've been really enjoying this year is looking at the comic-creating process in new and interesting ways. And in yesterday's video, I talked about working in reverse. It essentially boils down to thinking about the last panel on your page instead of your first and figuring out the steps needed to get there. That helps you define your panel count, keeps the pace up and ensures that the last panel is (hopefully) the most interesting, meaning readers will want to...
almost 2 years ago • 2 min read
Hey Comic Creators, I don't know why I, or anyone else for that matter, hasn't suggested this software before because I believe it's a gamechanger for writers. If you watched yesterday's video, you'll know I'm referring to Clip Studio Paint. Primarily advertised towards artists but writers can get a huge amount of value out of it because of the word balloon and panel/frame tools. And if you were to combine that piece of software with a graphics tablet then it'll increase your productivity...
almost 2 years ago • 3 min read
Hey, Comic Creators That's right, we're talking about word balloons again. This week, we're going to look at the secret H rule and whether you should follow them or ignore them (spoiler: it's a bit of both). Firstly, the H rule. I covered this pretty extensively in this week's video, but I'll reiterate it here. A lot of comic creators place their words too close to the balloon edge, making their dialogue more difficult to read. So in order to combat that, get a letter H (or, really, any...
almost 2 years ago • 3 min read