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…)
Posts Tagged: Comic
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…)
So You Wanna Publish A Webcomic? – Part 1
The internet has transformed independent comics and given creators an easy way to get their stories out to the public. There are a lot of different ways to publish your work online, but two of the most popular are WordPress and WordPress running ComicPress. (more…)
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…)
Panel Layout: The Golden Ratio
Announcing our FREE Golden Ratio Workshop designed to expand on the concepts introduced in the article below!
Excitement would understate how I felt when I read Frank Santoro’s articles on the first appearance of the Golden Ratio in Hergé’s TIntin comic pages. Santoro used grid overlays to explain comic composition with geometric shapes in a way that could be easily understood by a graphic designer, like myself. (more…)
Comic Review Checklist, Part 2: Words
Hi again everyone! This is the second part of my comic review checklist, which has three parts: everything that relates to the “flow” of the pages, everything that relates to the words on the pages, and then everything else. This is part two! (more…)
You Have a New Idea! So What?
No one ever says to the surgeon, “You know, I think I’d really like to try performing a kidney transplant sometime.” Meanwhile, there is no professional or aspiring professional writer who has not heard, at least once, upon explaining his or her vocation, “You know, I think I’ve got a novel in me, somewhere.” It’s infuriating. (more…)
WRITING TROPES: EXPOSITORY DEVICES
Tropes are storytelling devices. Used well, they enrich a story; used badly, they result in the dreaded cliché. This series of articles takes a closer look at some major tropes relevant to comics and the pitfalls they may present.
Exposition
“Exposition is a literary tool that is used to give information to the audience through dialogue, description, flashback or narrative.” Source: tvtropes.org