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Did you know? Webcomic Day is in May, and it's coming fast! We at Screen Tones want to create an event that helps celebrate webcomics- Make sure to follow us here for more information soon ! CHECK IT OUT HERE!

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Collective groups are a fun alternative to going it alone, and there are a few options around and new ones cropping up. They used to be a used to be a little more popular than they are today, but it’s still worth revisiting what they are and how they work, because they can be a source of support among artists, especially in situations where social media platforms might scatter your friends and colleagues to the four winds.

LISTEN NOW 🎧

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Figure Drawing and Anatomy Resources for Webcomic Creators

Why should webcomic artists care about figure drawing? Figure drawing is really vital to webcomic making, since usually people are the focus of it! Even if you may feel you don't really want to draw realism, and prefer a more cartoony or anime aesthetic, studying the basics of human form helps you break it down into your own stylized version later.

There are lots of ways to learn, and strengths to different methods that you can tailor to or combine with your own style. Here are a few resources that might help you on your learning journey!

Regular in-person/online classes or figure drawing sessions:

In-person classes have the benefit of letting you see from different and fresh angles, keeping you on a schedule, and getting first-hand feedback from instructors and peers. There are often schools, library events, and community college options that are worth checking out for low-cost, depending on your area.

Online courses are also an option and often allow you to take things at your own pace if that suits your schedule and learning style better!

Some online courses:

Practicing on your own with books and websites:

Books and websites are really good as an alternative to a live drawing class that you might not be able to afford or be able to go to in person. They also have the advantage of setting your own pace if you want to set a timer to practice 30-second or minute poses to get better at gestures.

Pose Websites/Channels:

Books about anatomy:

Constructive Anatomy by George Bridgman (PDF)

Figure it Out!! by Daitsaisan

Figure Drawing: Design and Invention by Michael Hampton (Archive.org PDF)

Tutorial accounts:

Many social media accounts are also dedicated to sharing notes and tips to help you break down shapes, simplify what you're seeing when you draw, or give guidance based on personal studies. These can be nice periodic reminders for focused lessons in bite-sized chunks.

Tumblr:

Anatomical Art Drawing Den

Twitter/X:

Manga Materials Etherington Brothers

Instagram:

Etherington Brothers S. Michael Hampton

YouTube:

Carolin Peters Sinix Design Anatomy Quick Tips series Marco Bucci S. Michael Hampton

However you practice, make sure you keep at it, and your efforts with your comics will be all the better for it!

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Do you think that you have to devote all your time to drawing in order to make a good webcomic? I've been wanting to make one, but I don't know if I can confidently put all my free time into a project like that, so I thought I'd ask the pros.

"Good" is pretty subjective to your own standards and what you're willing to put into your art and story. If you're not making comics yet, you might not have enough experience to make comics that are on par with your favorites yet. Quality improves with regular dedicated effort, and help from your peers.

The thing that's going to serve you best when you first start out is building the discipline to make comics regularly enough so you can get better at it. Options to try if you don't have a lot of time but you still want to make webcomics:

Short comics that you can pick away at and release once you're all done

One shots that don't require a regular schedule for people to follow them

Comic challenges that require you to be in the zone for a month and then let you rest

A flexible long-form project that will let you test what a comfortable amount of time spending on your comic looks like (while still letting you live the kind of life you want to live!)

You get what you put into webcomics. You don't need to draw 24/7 to have a good webcomic, but you also can’t expect it to make itself and be good when you’re not dedicated to it to some degree, and come to a realistic understanding of the work that goes into it on your own terms.

Best of luck finding the path that works for you!

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Where your characters fall on a morality scale can be one of the juiciest things to play with in writing for your webcomic.  There’s a lot of intrigue in showing what pushes people over certain ethical lines, and what might bring them back from a dark place, and how you might tie themes like redemption or forgiveness or statements about society into that.  All kinds of delicious food to think about, so let’s talk about how we approach them in webcomics!

Listen to it here! 🌟

[screentones-webcomicresources]

Keeping in touch with the fundamentals of perspective, anatomy, color theory, and all that good structural stuff is so crucial to every successful webcomic. Today, we're going to talk about ways you can practice better to make drawing your webcomic better and faster in fun ways!

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CONTENT WARNING: Today’s episode is all about ratings and content warnings and how to utilize then effectively in your comic!

Tune in now 🎧

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⭐️Hello everyone!⭐️ Want to see what the screen tones cast is up to on bluesky? Well now you can! Its open to everyone, so hop on over

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Screen Tones is BACK!

It’s a new year and a new season! We’re kicking off the season with an episode all about Dungeons and Dragons amd how you can incorporate it into your webcomic!

Featuring Guest Hosts Nat and Q (@cecilieqmt) of @snackbagstudios. They are part of the amazing team of creators responsible for the fantastic D&D campaign turned webcomic Wayfinders: Off Course

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Studies are a great way to get inspired and improve your abilities. Join our hosts as they discuss tips to help you make the most of your study sessions and find inspiration on the way!

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ay yo allo! it's me again i've got this urge to constantly change character designs, colors and potentionally lore and sometimes it leaves a mountain of discarded things that i could keep but my brain says no, you must change it otherwise it will rot you out is it a bad thing to constantly think of this way? if so, how do i control/ease up this urge?

Hello! As webcomic creators, it's a good idea to flesh out some ideas before fully diving in, and changing the designs is part of the process. That said- we'll have to commit to these aspects if we want to start the project too, and realise that, even if the ideas aren't 'exactly what we imagined', it's what is pushing our project forward! Killing your darlings doesn't mean to discard ideas, rather, put them away for other projects use so we can make a dent in the current project. It's certainly tempting to want to change designs, but that's a part of the process that we eventually get comfortable with. Unless you have a specific time constraint (such as from an employer or other external source), you don't have to rush to find the idea you want. You have time. Making a webcomic should be something you enjoy so take the time to find the ideas that you want to invest in now!

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You’ve been drawing your comic and publishing it online pretty regularly, and eventually it crosses your mind to make a printed version.  Maybe your readers are asking, maybe you’re going to a comic convention, or maybe it’s just always been your dream to hold your comic in your hands.  What does the process look like to get to that point, and what should you do (or avoid) along the way to make it work as smoothly as possible.

Join our hosts and listen now!

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Retcons and Reboots

Say you’re making a comic (which I assume many of you listening are), and say some time goes by after you launch, and you discover “Uh oh! I dont like X anymore” or “Oh no! This doesn’t work with the canon of the story!” What are you to do?

Most creators are left with three options: you can proceed without changing anything you’ve already posted, you can go back and tweak a few pages, add or remove some panels and Retcon the story, OR you can scrap the story, reboot it, and start from scratch. Today we want to talk about each of these options, when they can be best used, and some of the pitfalls of each direction.

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Episode Release Date: February 16, 2022

Episode Credits:

Christina Major (Delphina) - She/Her, www.sombulus.com

Phineas Klier - They/Them, http://heirsoftheveil.fervorcraft.de

Renie Jesanis - She/They , www.kateblast.com

Rae Baade(Rae) - they/them, https://www.empyreancomic.com

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[screentones-webcomicresources]

heya! i wanna ask this,

when is inconsistent becomes too inconsistent?

what I mean by that is there a limit on how much inconsistencies on your writing, art style etc?

Inconsistency is a broad term that can cover many things, but readability is priority in any story. If there's an aspect that's breaking the reader away from properly engaging in your work, it could be a sign that either visual or plot elements need some attention. Minor visual inconsistencies (like a bracelet missing in a panel, or a background element missing) are easy to forget and we've all been there. For the most part, a reader won't mind, but if key details aren't clear, some of your plot directions might seem to come out of nowhere. Consider going back through and seeing what panels you might need to clarify. Changes can also happen over time naturally because we're all growing as artists and trying new things. Many readers enjoy seeing a gradual evolution of style like this, though again, if you're noticing a lack of engagement in the early pages because of your font choices or art style that you've fixed later, forming a plan to make some light edits could be worth your time, as well. The largest inconsistencies that are typically hardest to ignore, and most likely to cause reader disengagement, are character- and plot-focused. Misdirection in stories (like POV characters or narrators who lie, don't remember, or are ignorant of important things) CAN be very interesting! But they can also lead to reader assumptions that the author doesn't intend or just completely confuse your reader. So be sure you have a purpose in mind and plot points that support your indented direction! Too many "twists" can create some really confusing narrative for the readers, and sometimes we forget they aren't in our heads! -Screentones Cast

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Hi! Thank you for making this podcast! Would you ever consider putting your episodes on youtube?

It's something we've looked into and would love to do, but unfortunately right now we don't have the time or resources on our plate to make this happen. We keep our fingers crossed and our eyes open for the moment it is possible and will make announcement whenever it does!

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This episode of Screen Tones is all about controlling your power - your speed and level of detail to make comic pages at the speed you want to make them! Listen along as the gang talks about tips and tricks about preserving your energy for MAXIMUM IMPACT on those knockout pages!

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Hello Fellow webcomickers! Always wanted to trade OC cards with your other peers? fans of your work? or maybe just wanting to collect them all? Look no more! Introducing the ✨ Webcomic OC Trading Cards! ✨ I've made a pretty basic template for you to have fun with, change up the way you'd like, and most importantly: Introduce and Trade your characters with others! These were made to fit the trading card/poker size if you wanted to print them too to exchange at cons or meetups (or in the mail!)! So have fun, and start trading! Latered Templates and extra info are on our discord: https://discord.gg/VQuNaN8V