Tell good stories. It’s your responsibility to do so. At least that’s what Storyforge Productions co-founder Rachel Beck believes. Listen in as Adam and Kevin are joined by Rachel to discuss U.S. history, castle mysteries, and why an aspiring storyteller can never, ever take storytelling lightly.
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Possibly one of the hardest things you’ll ever do in comic creation is writing dialogue. It’s one thing to set a scene and drop characters into it, but it’s another thing to give each character their own unique voice and do it in such a way that sounds natural and not forced. OMG RLY? (Rule #1: NEVER use TXT speak in dialogue. Show some intelligence and s p e l l o u t the words people.) In this article, I will be going over the basics on how to write dialogue for your comic as well as a recipe for great lentil soup. (connect every other letter and you’ll find it….maybe.) (more…)
I used to read an all-ages webcomic that featured two talking dogs who made humorous observations. With pleasant characters, entertaining writing, and colorful artwork, it was a decent comic (more or less). It would have fit with other comics in the newspaper. Except it had been running for five years and had only attracted about 300 “likes” on Facebook. Also, it wasn’t lucrative enough for the creator to reach her goal of being a full-time cartoonist. After missing several new posts, I felt no compulsion to return and ultimately stopped reading it.
It took two tries because of a little technology mishap but that second time turned out to be a gem. Adam and Devin hang out with Jeremy Rock, the artist of eye-popping (and sometimes literally!) horror and zombie comics Luther and The Eighth Seal (among others) and discuss the world of digital comics. Take a listen and hear what Jeremy has to say about the future of comics in an ever-growing digital world, as well as what it takes to remain true to yourself and your art.
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He may look like he’s got some party to him but Daniel Warren Johnson, creator of Space Mullet and numerous other artistic ventures, knows how to handle his business. Adam, Mark, and Mark’s cat The Outlaw Jesse James are joined by Dan to discuss the tools of the trade, the various processes taken to create his art, and how his Christian faith keeps him balanced. You do not want to miss this amazing episode.
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You have a stack of character reference sheets, lots of motivation, and five finished cans of generic diet cola sitting on your desk. The problem is you’re stuck and don’t know how to start your story, much less end it. Sound familiar? Then let’s talk outlines!
*insert semi-enthusiastic trumpets here* (more…)
Adam and Patrick don’t let no stinkin’ ocean get in the way when it comes to the comic creation process. That’s why there was no hesitation when it came to scheduling an interview with Palle Schmidt, an artist, storyteller, and educator, from Denmark. Tjek det ud! That’s “check it out” in Danish, in case you didn’t feel like Googling it. You’re welcome.
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Sometimes a conversation takes on a life of its own, and unexpected tangents are guaranteed. In that respect, this podcast did not disappoint! What began as a thumbnail discussion with Jason Brubaker (creator of reMIND and Sithrah) quickly morphed into a fantastic conversation about his unique comic-creation process. Oh darn. Take a listen and enjoy for yourself!
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If you’re looking to form some positive habits, look no further — Devin Larson has what you need. Making Comics (dotCom)’s Editor-In-Chief discusses practice habits that artists of any level will want to adopt in their routine.
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Why have a schedule?
Deadlines? Estimates? Spreadsheets? Who would want to deal with boring things like those? Well if you’re anything like me, establishing deadlines or benchmarks to direct the creative process provides peace of mind (not to mention increases productivity) during a long-form comic book project.
From grade school to college, I hated math class. “What does math have to do with comics?” All I wanted to do was draw. When I first started teaching at High Tech High Chula Vista, that sentiment changed in a hurry; I was glad to know basic math. I found myself managing hundreds of students over multiple projects. Knowing math allowed me to track everyone’s progress.
