How good do you have to be at drawing before you start working on your first comic? What if you’re not talented enough? And how do you make the most of whatever talent you have? These are some of the questions I try to answer in this episode.
workflow
What if I can’t afford a studio space?
I often give aspiring artist the advice to get a studio space with peers, to help boost your creative skills and work ethic. But an office in town is pricey and what if you live in a place where there aren’t really any studios that fit the bill?
Sitting in a room full of people working, is a great way to ensure you get some work done too. And an inspiring work environment with people who are better than you, will certainly make you up your game!
Investing in a studio space is actually an investment in your skills and your productivity, not to mention the network of other artist who may become your job entry. I personally think going all in on a studio space I couldn’t afford at the time absolutely made my career. And remember: it’s tax deductable!
If a studio is still out of reach, see if you can’t find some peers to connect with online. Commiting to post a certain number of pages each week or check in every Friday with a report of your progress and next week’s goals, can easily make up for lack of an actual studio spot. Hold each other accountable and try to be constructive in your critiques.
An online peer group should not be too big or to ambitous in terms of tech solutions. A Facebook group or a Skype call should suffice. Find just a handful of talented and dedicated peers with a common interest and start from there.
A lot of creators make good use of coffee shops or the local library for working, especially in the writing phase. But you can also do rough sketches or character designs in a cafe or the like. For some, the noisy public space is where they do their best work. And experts will tell you, that changing location is a proven way to kick your creative brain into gear.
Hope these few tips to beat the procrastination and gain some momentum without the actual studio space. But if you CAN get a spot, even just for a week or a month, give it a try and see if it doesn’t boost morale and skills tremendously. I know it did for me!
Related podcast: Working from home
Working from home – Comics for Beginners podcast episode 19
Working out of your house can be tough – especially if you have a demanding family with little or no respect for your need to be drawing comics all the time. In this episode I offer some tips how to make it work, and some ideas how to get out of the house if it doesn’t.
Related post: What if I can’t afford a studio space?
Seth Kushner and Nathan Schreiber – Comics for Beginners podcast episode 18
Seth Kushner (http://www.sethkushner.com/) is a photographer and writer, known for his awesome portraits in Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics and his Schmuck series and photocomics on Trip City. Nathan Schreiber (http://www.nathanschreiber.com/) is an Eisner and Harvey Awards nominated artist, whose own book Power Out won a Xeric award in 2009.
I talked to both Seth and Nathan about the art and craft while I was in New York this fall, only later realizing what a great double feature the two interviews would make, as they worked together on Seth Kushners Schmuck! Their collaboration on the Schmuck series can be found at http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/10/schmuck-14-size-11/
5 great apps for freelance artists
Life as an artist is not always easy. But parts of it have gotten way easier, with the arrival of mobile technology. Here are 5 awesome iPhone apps that will boost your workflow, all free and super easy to use.
Sharing your artwork on social media has never been easier. Take a shot of whatever is on your art table, hashtag it or write a sentence describing it and click share. You can even hook it up with your Facebook and Twitter, and get a wider reach instantly.
Learning curve: 5 minutes. 10 out of 10.
Tripit
Go to conventions often? Get the free version of Tripit and keep all your travel info in one place. Go to Tripit.com to set up your account. Book your flight however you choose and ust forward your ticket email to plans@tripit.com and your info will be in the easily accesible app in mere seconds. SO much cooler than print outs or scrooling through your inbox for a flight number.
Learning curve: None. 8 out of 10.
Dropbox
This is hardly news, but the Dropbox app is absolutely awesome and essential for artists. Save all the documents you need, like your portfolio, a pdf of your graphic novel or sample pages and have access to them everywhere, anytime. The app allows for easy sharing, so you can email a link to files of any size to people you meet – on the spot. Another great feature is the photo upload that you can enable for on-the-go back up of your photo library, so you can clear more space on your phone without plugging in to anything. The free version of Dropbox gives you 2 GB of storage, the pricing for more is reasonable not to mention tax deductable.
Learning curve: 2 minutes. 10 out of 10.
PocketCasts
Why not get smarter while you’re working on your art? Drawing usually only requires a part of your brain to pay attention, you can easily listen to podcasts while you’re sketching and inking. PocketCasts allows you to add your favorite podcasts and stream or download episodes individually. The free version let’s you only add a handful of podcasts, so get the paid one, it’s cheap.
Learning curve: 3 minutes. 7 out of 10.
WordPress
If you have a blog, it’s probably WordPress. But did you know they have an awesome app that let’s you manage several blogs, write posts and add pictures on the go, approve and reply to comments without ever opening a browser? Well, you know now.
Learning curve: 8-10 minutes. 9 out of 10.
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Hope these tips help you get more done on the road and makes life easier for you! Got any apps I should know about? Please comment below!
ProFile: Gabriel Bautista
GABO is an illustrator based out of Chicago. He’s worked for DC Comics, Image Comics, Oni Press and Thrillbent. He is an Eisner and Harvey Award winning colorist. http://yogabogabo.com
What made you decide to work in the medium of comics?
Speed. I’ve always loved telling stories, building new worlds with only a pencil, paper and the thoughts in my head. I had always imagined myself working in animation, creating cartoons to tell the stories I wanted to share, but as I got older I started to realize that animation, even though it’s an amazing medium, it was just way too time consuming. The idea that I could sit in a cramped corner of my little room and just draw an entire story in just a few days on paper was sheer brilliance to me, and then being able to share this new world with others by making photocopies of each, well I was sold.
What part of the process is the most challenging or frustrating to you?
FRUSTRATION = FLATTING. GOD I HATE FLATTING. (Flatting for those who don’t know is the first step in coloring where you lay down the basic colors on the page before adding shadows, tones, lighting, effects etc.) It is so time consuming, and well you know how much I love speed – I just need this thing to be done so I can present it to the world! So when I can, I find someone to do that for me.
The most challenging part of comics I feel is layouts. Figuring out how to put down on paper what the writer wants to see, and doing it in fresh and innovative ways. Layouts are the foundation of any comic. There have been times when I don’t draw them out first, but they still exist in my mind, you can’t get away from it!
If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring comics creator, what would that be?
You can’t be a comic book artist if you don’t make comics. And you WILL NOT GET BETTER if you don’t do them. Learn to live with your work, the things you draw in 5-10 years will look so much better than most of the work you do now, so just have fun! LET GO OF PERFECTION. JUST DO.