Why do we hate thought balloons?
Comics educator and author Scott McCloud calls them the “bulgy Edsels of comics iconography.” Indeed, cloud-like thought balloons are spurned by most comics artists. Let’s talk about why that is… and...
View Article24-Hour Comics Day
24-Hour Comics Day is in a few weeks — October 6th, to be exact. Here’s what you need to know… The content you are trying to access is only available to members.
View ArticleInktober
Inktober was launched by Jake Parker in 2009. He started Inktober as a way of challenging himself to improve his inking skills and as a way of developing positive drawing habits. It has risen steadily...
View ArticleTime and Time again
Today’s guest post is from Josh Jackson, whose work can be found at A Certain Mister Jackson. A few thoughts on time management… The content you are trying to access is only available to members.
View ArticleHitch It / Ditch It: Legends of Fomora
This is the final Hitch It / Ditch It critique of this series. The concept is simple: I’ll take a look at your webcomic and identify one thing that you should consider improving. And then I’ll identify...
View ArticleDrawing tip: Arms
During a recent livestreaming session, I broke into a quick anatomy lesson. This is an aspect about drawing arms that many comics artists miss, and adopting it into your process can vastly improve your...
View ArticleClip Studio Paint tutorial: The “Blocker Layer” Method
Clip Studio Paint presents a tremendous working environment for a cartoonist. Most your work is done in panels that neatly crops your lines inside the panel borders. And, overall, that’s great. Except...
View ArticleClip Studio Paint tutorial: Highlights for Black Hair
Drawing a person with black hair can be tricky. If you’re not careful, you can end up with someone who looks as if a stack of vinyl records melted on their head! This three-minute Clip Studio Paint...
View ArticleLettering a whisper without sacrificing legibility
Cartoonists make a lot of unnecessary mistakes when they try to show a character using a quiet voice. They’ll use grey letters — or worse, they’ll shrink the lettering. These aren’t great choices...
View ArticleFinding the right format
I think it’s one of the pervasive mistakes made by webcartoonists today — they’re doing strips when they ought to be doing longform comics. It’s an easy mistake to make, after all. Most of the...
View ArticleLivestream Chat: Draft Layers in Clip Studio
The ability to create Draft Layers — and apply Draft Layer settings to entire folders — is a huge part of what makes Clip Studio special. Here’s a brief tutorial to get you pointed in the right direction!
View ArticleLivestream Chat: Re-using sketches
It’s possible to speed up your drawing process without becoming one of those “copy/paste” artists. Here’s a guide to working smarter — and faster.
View ArticleLivestream Chat: Drawing Arms
When we draw arms, we remember the wrists, the elbows and the shoulders… but we often forget there’s more! During his recent livestream chat, cartoonist Brad Guigar discusses the clavicle, and the...
View ArticleClip Studio Paint — sale
Clip Studio paint — software I strongly recommend for comics production — is currently on sale for 50% off. The sale ends June 25 at 8 a.m. GMT.
View ArticleYou should have a Library Card
Everybody assumed libraries would just …disappear … in the age of the Internet. But they’re still around — and in many communities, they’re just as vibrant and indispensable as ever. And for a working...
View ArticleWhy do we hate thought balloons?
Comics educator and author Scott McCloud calls them the “bulgy Edsels of comics iconography.” Indeed, cloud-like thought balloons are spurned by most comics artists. Let’s talk about why that is… and...
View ArticleClip Studio Paint tutorial: Highlights for Black Hair
Drawing a person with black hair can be tricky. If you’re not careful, you can end up with someone who looks as if a stack of vinyl records melted on their head! This three-minute Clip Studio Paint...
View ArticleClip Studio Paint tutorial: The “Blocker Layer” Method
Clip Studio Paint presents a tremendous working environment for a cartoonist. Most your work is done in panels that neatly crops your lines inside the panel borders. And, overall, that’s great. Except...
View ArticleWhen to ditch digital lettering
The vast majority of us use digital lettering for our comics — and it looks great in word balloons and thought bubbles. But what about using it for other lettering inside your comic? For example, take...
View ArticleDetritus — why you need it in your comic
Let’s talk about one of those savvy touches that can help take your art to the next level. And, ironically enough, it’s not all about creating a neater, more tidy image. It’s about adding detritus. The...
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