Creating Comics

writeworld:

writeworld:

Anonymous asked: How does one write for a webcomic or a comic in general?

This is a loaded question. Comics combine visual art and the written word to create something unique, and it’s very difficult to give tips on how to make art of this kind without being a comics creator myself.

With those facts firmly in mind, here are my general bits of advice about learning to create comics. 

  • Read comics. Read graphic novels and Sunday paper strips and webcomics. Just as reading other writers’ work can improve a writer’s style and understanding of the art, so too can reading other comics improve a comics creator’s style and understanding. 
  • Read The Comic Books series by Scott McCloud. The books are Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, Reinventing Comics: How Imagination and Technology Are Revolutionizing an Art Form, andMaking Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels. 
    Understanding Comics really helped me take a closer look at the way I read comics, their function and method and form. It is an interesting, fun, easy-to-read book that is crammed with great tips for comics creators. 
  • Study fine art, good writing, and pop culture. Study fine art to get a grounding in the style and composition. Study good writing to find examples of story structure and the importance word choice. Study pop culture to understand what and how people consume the art around them. From music to advertisement to movies, videos, and memes on the internet, tapping in to pop culture will help you find topics to write about and a niche to nestle into.
    My strategy has always been to find the story that needs to be told to your generation and hold yourself responsible to tell it. After all, only you know what that story is and what it can be. Go and share it with the world. 

So, how do you learn to create comics and webcomics? To quote my favorite line in the Bleeding Cool series (see below), “You teach yourself. You find a way to put in however much time and effort is necessary to gain whatever you need to gain.” (x)

Here are a few great resources on creating comics:

Thank you for your question! If you have any other writing-related questions or any comments about this post, hit us up!

If anyone is a comics creator and would like to chime in here, we’d love to include your thoughts! Submit  or message us, and we will add your advice to this post!

-C

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