When
you create a comic for print, you need to worry about satisfying an
editor and a publisher, or paying a printing bill. If you create a
comic for the web, you need to pay your hosting service and make sure
you can handle the data transfers. In both cases, you need to meet a
regular publishing schedule to keep everyone happy. That was the
message when a group of web comic creators gathered on Nekocon's
opening day. Donnie Sturgess, Rene and Jen Starling, Danny Valentini,
Trish and Damien, Haze-man, Brian Bridgeforth and Arvell Whitaker are
among those who use the low cost and wide reach of the web to
distribute their art. "It's the easiest and most effective way to reach
the maximum number of people," said Damien of Novablade. "It helps to
build discipline - you learn to reach your deadlines on time." The web
comic creators said they depend on more than counters to tell how well
they're doing; they depend on E-mail responses, good or bad. "You have
to be able to take a punch to the chin as far as a critique is
concerned," Jen Starling said. Added Damien on web readers' comments,
"There's `Keep up the good work.' There's `You suck.' There's the
person who knows everything and wants it done the way he wants, there's
the person who wants to know where you live. When we introduced the
catgirl in your (the Starling sisters') comic, the first E-mail I got
was `Kill her immediately.' But whether it's good or bad, it's
important that someone took the time to send you a letter."
The
artists noted that web comics need to stay active and creators should
supply their audience with a constant supply of fresh episodes. That
prevents complaints and lost readers who tire of waiting for the new
strip and go somewhere else, but it also ensures the artist remains
busy and develops his craft. "I've been teaching art classes for a
while," Haze-man said about artists advancing their skills through work
and experience. "It's like magic - there is a trick to it, There is a
certain way to do it. You have to practice it every day, but that
doesn't mean there isn't a trick to it. If you draw something a
thousand times you will stumble upon it by chance, but there's no
reason to kill yourself in the process - it'll never been the same
thing in your head." Whitaker, who also works as an animator, agreed
that repeated work equals improvement. "If I go a week without drawing
it's difficult," Whitaker said. "Your sword gets dull, it's hard to get
back into that groove. As an animator, we have to draw every day and we
have to draw from life. My best advice is to draw every single
day and don't get frustrated, because some times you'll be off."
When
you create a comic for print, you need to worry about satisfying an
editor and a publisher, or paying a printing bill. If you create a
comic for the web, you need to pay your hosting service and make sure
you can handle the data transfers. In both cases, you need to meet a
regular publishing schedule to keep everyone happy. That was the
message when a group of web comic creators gathered on Nekocon's
opening day. Donnie Sturgess, Rene and Jen Starling, Danny Valentini,
Trish and Damien, Haze-man, Brian Bridgeforth and Arvell Whitaker are
among those who use the low cost and wide reach of the web to
distribute their art. "It's the easiest and most effective way to reach
the maximum number of people," said Damien of Novablade. "It helps to
build discipline - you learn to reach your deadlines on time." The web
comic creators said they depend on more than counters to tell how well
they're doing; they depend on E-mail responses, good or bad. "You have
to be able to take a punch to the chin as far as a critique is
concerned," Jen Starling said. Added Damien on web readers' comments,
"There's `Keep up the good work.' There's `You suck.' There's the
person who knows everything and wants it done the way he wants, there's
the person who wants to know where you live. When we introduced the
catgirl in your (the Starling sisters') comic, the first E-mail I got
was `Kill her immediately.' But whether it's good or bad, it's
important that someone took the time to send you a letter."
The
artists noted that web comics need to stay active and creators should
supply their audience with a constant supply of fresh episodes. That
prevents complaints and lost readers who tire of waiting for the new
strip and go somewhere else, but it also ensures the artist remains
busy and develops his craft. "I've been teaching art classes for a
while," Haze-man said about artists advancing their skills through work
and experience. "It's like magic - there is a trick to it, There is a
certain way to do it. You have to practice it every day, but that
doesn't mean there isn't a trick to it. If you draw something a
thousand times you will stumble upon it by chance, but there's no
reason to kill yourself in the process - it'll never been the same
thing in your head." Whitaker, who also works as an animator, agreed
that repeated work equals improvement. "If I go a week without drawing
it's difficult," Whitaker said. "Your sword gets dull, it's hard to get
back into that groove. As an animator, we have to draw every day and we
have to draw from life. My best advice is to draw every single
day and don't get frustrated, because some times you'll be off."
