Seriously.
I've never bothered much which having one, because I don't care particularly. But on a "I should draw more than I do" level, as well as (theoretically) a getting-more-readership-level it would cool to update more than psuedo-weeklyish...
But I can't figure out how to have the time/displine to do it.
HOW DO YOU DO IT? HOW?
Sleep *is* for losers, dammit!
Bill and I have been keeping to a thrice-weekly schedule pretty successfully. Our big trick there was to make sure we had a solid five months worth of buffer before we posted the first strip. Even if we do have a dry spell, it'd have to be a long friggin' dry spell to actually make us miss an update.
It also helps that our series is an anthology of short stories where each story is serialized. A self-contained story writes a lot quicker than an ongoing series of strips, so we can usually knock out a couple of months worth of updates in a few weeks. Which means when we do hit a dry spell, or a week where we just don't have time for the comic, it's not a problem -- we're already way ahead, and catching back up again isn't that hard.
Of course, it's also important to limit yourself on how much comic you put into an update. If you're shooting for full page art, then daily probably isn't for you.
The best thing to do is to set up your schedule around the things you absolutely must commit to; school, work, ect. Then, start out with an update schedule that you can EASILY commit to, be it once a month to as much as 5 days a wek, whatever comes most naturally. Then, as stated before, create a buffer for when things go haywire. Life is NEVER predictable. Having work done in advance, even if it's only three or four strips ahead of the update, helps tremendously. When you get behind, it's almost impossible to get back on track without taking a break from updates. Don't over exert yourself to pump out a tremdous amount of updates, that will burn you out quickly and suck all the fun out of the enterprise. In the end, that's what web comics are fundementally about- having fun.
[quote:5e420e8b6e="AlexanderD"]A self-contained story writes a lot quicker than an ongoing series of strips, so we can usually knock out a couple of months worth of updates in a few weeks. Which means when we do hit a dry spell, or a week where we just don't have time for the comic, it's not a problem -- we're already way ahead, and catching back up again isn't that hard.
Working ahead is wise. I don't do it. I tried it when I started Arthur, King of Time and Space and I didn't like it. I keep a buffer of fillers on reserve, but I relish too much the thrill of updating on time with a gag that hadn't yet been written when I woke up in the morning. Of course, this is a difference in standard operating procedure between serialized continuity and panel gags, but there you are.
http://forums.keenspace.com/viewtopic.php?t=54233
Usually I figure out number of updates by the how many hours I need and can spend on it formula.
Before we officially launched ours, we had it on its own litte site updating when we made a new one. Before too long it was changed to once a week because I was still working out how to go about everything. I upgraded to twice a week after a while as I got used to it all. By the time it was officially launched in mind June, I decided to go for three updates a week. We've been at that ever since.
I use Saturday mornings (usually) to work on some. I figure if I can kill two during the first day of the weekend, I only need to fill another one during the week and I'm all set. Any others go towards the buffer, which I try to keep at around three weeks. I occasionally do some in front of the telly.
Teaching kids full time takes its toll on free time, so that's why I space it to whenever I can. The plus side is, I can sometimes take inspiration from my day into a future strip.
At this point there are no plans to update more regularly. That would just be mental.
Oops. Forgot I cleaned out my internet files and cookies and needed to log in again. That up there was me.
Heh, my trick is to lower quality, and I don't do color, but then again JafwaChat is my experimental webcomic, I do whatever the hell I want to and readers be dammed (within reason)
My co-hort in crime on Panels is rather different, we just completely dropped having to do any kind of planning, but then again that is what panels is all about. that and I can put out a good looking panel in two hours, or a crap one in 30 mins ^_^
sorry bout that, damn loggins
oh and http://panels.keenspace.com sorry I forgot it wasn't in sig :p
I post 3 pages a week, and while some associate being a student with having freetime, I say nay. I'm taking some courses like Graphic Design for Advertising and they have NASTY amounts of work. When I finally get something posted, it's usually around 2-3am.
BEWARE COLOR. I've tried coloring full page comics in photoshop before and it was just too much. The next step down was coloring by hand (which is quite a bit faster for me), but it still made things a little tedious. It takes a LOT of time to do a quality coloring job, so keep that in mind. Thankfully my current comic works well with grayscale :) More power to those of you who can do consistent, colored updates. I would go down in flames.
I guess it also depends on the type of comic you run. I run an ongoing storyline comic, so frequent updates are a must. I would *personally* hate making a storyline that drags because it takes me a week to create a single page. I'd LIKE to get ahead of schedule so that I have 4-5 pages in reserve in the event something comes up, but I always cave in and post multiple pages in a single update instead :/ A 3-Panel gag strip might be a different story.
I find coloring by photoshop to be pretty fast and easy. I would probably try to commit suicide by jumping out of my first story window over and over before I'd color by hand.
I always make time every day to draw something(which is good, cos I need the practice). I usually draw one strip for Fever Dream a day when I update, but I very rarely have a buffer for it, mainly because of the sporadic nature of the strip.
For Lancaster, though, I try to pound out 3-5 pages at once sitting over the weekends, since it's a bit more complex to write and draw than my other comic. Basically, the comic is nothing but buffer, which frees me up to work on other things when I need to.
I guess I should actually post how I do it. first I make a sketch of what I want to happend, maybe a little panelling ideas. I then scan my sketch into the computer and "ink" over top of my sketch in an outline of a darker color of what I'm trying to color. once I have my shaps outlines I do a full dump of color and ink in the eyes and mouth. all in all it takes me between 3 to 5 hours to work on my comic from scripting to uploading.
I guess I should actually post how I do it. first I make a sketch of what I want to happend, maybe a little panelling ideas. I then scan my sketch into the computer and "ink" over top of my sketch in an outline of a darker color of what II work in bulk. I pencil a bunch of strips, then ink a bunch of strips, then color... you know what I'm saying.
Whoops. I erroneously quoted Cayen.
Anyway, it's the only way I have found to work for me. Until last year I had a colored shaded daily, and now I found the 5-a-week a lot more comfortable. I usually work all the weekend to finish the whole run of strip for next week. During the week I work on extras and merchandise. This is the only way I have found that is not stressful.
Maritza
College Roomies from Hell!!!
http://www.crfh.net
I wish I had that kind of work ethic, but I use the weekend as my day off^^
ComixTalk is not responsible for comments, blog and forum posts. News and ComixTalk Magazine articles are copyright by their respective authors.
ComixTalk, its websites and logos are ©2003-2008 | Managing Editor: Xaviar Xerexes | Site Design: Mind Faucet
Update Schedules: How do you do it?
Seriously.
I've never bothered much which having one, because I don't care particularly. But on a "I should draw more than I do" level, as well as (theoretically) a getting-more-readership-level it would cool to update more than psuedo-weeklyish...
But I can't figure out how to have the time/displine to do it.
HOW DO YOU DO IT? HOW?
I'm new, but I'll say what I do anyway
I sacrifice art to make 5 updates a week. I don't like it, but I wanted a 5 day a week comic and I know I'll get used to the crunches and eventually put more and more effort in. For now I use a flash library of body parts I made long ago for the comic and I copy and paste plenty... personally I hate the ctrl c and ctrl v'ing but it's either that or I lose sleep or I lower how much I update and I want to stay outside of my comfort zone so I won't slack off and quit[/runonsentence]
now would be a good time for someone who knows what they're talking about to start typing
-24
I've been doing my comic since 2002 and usually keep to a daily schedule, except when I'm in school and projects completely mess with my free time.
The most important thing to do is to get in to a groove. Make it a habit to always work on something at a specific part of the day. My usual routine is to start drawing by at least 6 o'clock the night before and I can usually have a really decent strip by at least 11. Just adapt it to your own habits. You could always write a script at lunch, draw it on your coffee break, and scan it all when you get home. (Or whatever your situation may be. Feel free to break it up depending on your own creative process)
It's also the greatest feeling in the world to get a buffer. Everytime you make a comic you've got that update out of the way. If you double your output and go for 2 strips a night instead of just one, that puts you one ahead for each night you spend on it. Do it long enough and you don't have to worry about those days when you're feeling uncreative or can't draw. But never take your buffer for granted because they eat themselves away very quickly.
Readers respond to an update schedule. If you keep a relatively solid one, you'll notice your traffic peaks on update days. It's pretty easy to understand. How often do you want to visit a site that never changes? It also reflects on how seriously you as a creator take your work. After my first year, I started feeling a little embarassed if I missed an update. The most popular strips usually never miss, though a percentage come late or phone it in. This semester I can barely find the time to go to bed some nights, so my comic's updates have taken a real hit. I jump on it when I get time off, though.
The way I trained myself to update daily is I started drawing daily comic strips on notebook paper about twenty years before I heard of the internet. Of course that's not a strategy that'll work for anyone who reads Comixpedia.
As Twenty-Four observes, there's a level of trade-off involved. I too committed to my schedule knowing it was possibly at the expense of individual strips' art quality. I don't cut-and-paste often, but then my style on Arthur, King of Time and Space isn't very elaborate to begin with (though it's not the least elaborate style in my repertoire). I also maintain a reserve of filler strips which is a bit thin at the moment. And having been at this for twenty years on-and-off, I have a large library of old gags, of which many can be revised for the current project, on days when a fresh gag just won't come.
I seem to be saying you have to train yourself to do it and that the way to train is to do it.
Any one of these seems to work as far as I can tell:
1) Be a student with lots of free time.
2) Be one of those tedious, incredibly driven people who think sleep is for losers.
3) Sacrifice art. But people will notice if you don't bring your A game..
4) Sacrifice story. No one will ever notice. In fact, they seem to prefer repeating yourself.
5) Earn money from it.
I set time aside every week exclusively for working on my comic. I treat that as important as any onther job function or apointment and do my best not to let anything interfere with that time. It helps if you designate a place to get this done as well. I go to a favorite coffee shop and work on the script and sketches. I do all the inking at home at my drawing table or the sofa. Any extra time I get is a bonus.
I understand that's easier said than done, but that's what I do.
[quote:62cbd33126="William_G"]Any one of these seems to work as far as I can tell:
1) Be a student with lots of free time.
2) Be one of those tedious, incredibly driven people who think sleep is for losers.
3) Sacrifice art. But people will notice if you don't bring your A game..
4) Sacrifice story. No one will ever notice. In fact, they seem to prefer repeating yourself.
5) Earn money from it.
This is the most truthful post that I've ever seen.