Shadows have always been a weak spot of mine. I’ll be sitting there thinking, “Man…that’s definitely not enough shadow on his face,” and the next thing I know, my figure’s head has turned into a giant black blob of ink. It’s more than a little disheartening when you have to redraw entire frames because of something so seemingly simple, yet so damn tricky! To ensure that this stopped happening, I hopped on my pathetic excuse for a computer and surfed through the net, looking for some awesome shading tutorials.
Posts Tagged: comics
This Advice Will Save Your (Creative) Life
For my first contribution to the site, I thought I’d start with the single best piece of advice I could ever give a creator. (more…)
22: Jason Brubaker & Nate Simpson pt.2 (Classic #3) – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast
Quite an amazing month of May for the Gutter Talk podcasts, huh? Well, what do you say we put a fancy bow on it and take a trip back to when Jason Brubaker was running the roost?
If you don’t know (and quasi-shame on you if you don’t), we have been re-releasing the podcasts Jason recorded back in the day. The last Friday of every month we step in Calvin’s time machine and revisit these talks. I know, I know. He and Hobbes ended up in the Mesozoic Era so how can you trust it? Remember, if that happens here, don’t move. The t-rex reacts to motion (thanks, Jurassic Park!).
I’m sorry, where were we? Oh, right. The podcast. So this re-release is Part 2, the continuation of a fantastic conversation between Jason Brubaker, his co-host Daniel Lieske, and their guest, Nate Simpson.
Oh, by the way, if you missed Part 1, click here to listen.
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DO-IT-YOURSELF PRINT-MAKING: IT’S CHEAPER THAN YOU THINK
One of the first problems I encountered during my pre-convention preparation was that of print-making. Comics themselves, well, there’s only one real choice for those of us getting started: digital offset offered by the likes of Ka-Blam or Createspace. (more…)
21: Pitching Your Project (Round Table) – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast
Everyone knows what it’s like to have to present something in school, having to stand up in front of a group of peers and present something or give a speech. Everyone also knows the sweaty palms, the white knuckles, the quasi out of body experience while speaking. If you can even get the words out, that is.
Well, don’t look now but if you’re an artist with a project, your speech giving days aren’t over. And in fact, this one’s for your livelihood: You have to pitch your project, your baby, to an individual who receives pitches from others and their babies all day, every day. Feel free to have a seat, if you need to. We understand.
But fear not, dear artist. Our esteemed CEO and panel host Patrick Yurick, along with some of the great minds in the industry today, are here to help. Even if it involves stalking. While we here at Making Comics don’t condone it, there just may be a benefit in there somewhere. Take a listen to this week’s Get a Grasp! MOOC panel podcast and find out how.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:24:41 — 77.5MB) | Embed
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So You Wanna Publish A Webcomic? – Part 2
The idea with this series of posts about building and designing your own webcomic site is to really take things from a beginner stage through to something much more advanced and customized. For now, we’re at the beginner level and this post starts us at the basics. If you haven’t read part 1 about using WordPress and ComicPress and haven’t got everything installed yet, go back and we’ll wait… (more…)
CON AT CONS: HOW TO LURE ATTENDEES WITH YOUR FREE ITEM
Okay, you paid lots of dough to have a table at a con because you want your work to be noticed. But having a table doesn’t mean each registered attendee is going to automatically walk up. Sorry, but the real world “stumble upon” isn’t as efficient. Now, you’ve got to get the convention goers’ attention. And the best way of doing this is offering your free item. (I will go in depth in another post on free item ideas.) (more…)
20: Project Management For Comics (Round Table) – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast
One million points to you if you’ve heard this one before: “If ya got time to lean, ya got time to clean.” No? Well, if you’ve ever worked in the food industry, it’s a popular one. Good thing we don’t hear it much making comics. Still, the heart of that message may not be as icy as it sounds. How are we, as artists, scheduling our time? What are we doing to make sure we remain productive artists without burying ourselves by taking on too much work? And should we even say no to opportunities? These were just a few of the questions answered and broken down by the incredible group of artistic minds we had for Week 3 of the Get A Grasp! MOOC panel.
Now, go download this episode, click the Play button on this podcast, and get back to work, slacker!
How to Gain New Fans at Conventions
So, you got a table at a convention? At an expo? A fest? An artwalk? Next to some kid’s lemonade stand? Doesn’t matter. That’s great! Now you have the opportunity to gain new fans of the work you’re putting out into the world. But manning a convention table is not a passive event. As much as we’d all love to just sit there and “let the work speak for itself”, it’s rather annoying to see artists with their heads down hoping someone will walk up to make a purchase.
#TalkingComics w/ Kevin Cullen: Bizhan Khodabandeh and Mark Luetke on the Infinite Canvas Comic System
If comic revolution is the name of the game here at Making Comics (dotCom), then our good friends Mark Luetke and Bizhan Khodabandeh are risking it all on the front lines. Their weapon of choice? An awesome new way to read webcomics. The Kickstarter project is called INDOOR/OUTDOOR: A New Infinite Canvas Comic System and it’s one hell of an investment for anyone who owns and operates a webcomic. Designed to scroll from page to page in a smooth, streamlined style, the Infinite Canvas is shaping up to be a very powerful tool with a gorgeous design. I reached out to Mark and Bizhan with some questions about their project and what it means for webcomics in the future. (more…)