Character Design Hot Seat: Nathan Nit and Juggles

This is the next in a series of discussions of character design. Rules are the same as all Hot Seat discussions. I'll open up with a few remarks, and then the members at large can take the discussion further. Up first, Nathan Nit, and then Juggles from A La Mode. 

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Self-Employed Mortgage Loan

Today's post comes courtesy of Webcomics.com member John Bogenschutz:

For anybody who draws a comic they have thought about, at one point or another (if not all the time!), wanting to make it their full time job. That’s the goal right? Fortunately, I have been able to do my comic full time for the past year and a half, and I couldn’t be happier.

 

Well, except for the fact that when you are self-employed getting a mortgage loan is even tougher than if you have a “real” job.

 

For the last 5 months my family and I have been trying to get a loan so we can move back to the Cincinnati area, where my family is from and where we will be in a more central location for music education conventions (where I exhibit with my comic). We found out last week that we were denied and told that we should wait another year until we get back our 2013 tax returns (which will show a more favorable return than 2011).

 

I am typing this article for you cartoonists who want to make your living as a cartoonist to help you avoid the same pitfalls I fell into, if you want to get a mortgage loan.

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Saturday Archive Dive: Booth Etiquette

Today's Dive into the deeper archives of Webcomics.com take us to May 9, 2011, when we discussed Booth Etiquette.

There are a few points of booth etiquette that you should be aware of as you’re exhibiting at a convention.

No poaching: You may never — ever — address an attendee while he or she is speaking to another exhibitor. Interrupting a discussion between an attendee and an exhibitor is unforgiveable.

No blocking: It’s important to get as much vertical display space as possible. Placing a tall banner stand behind your chair is perfectly fair. And so is erecting a display that stands above your table. But when you start blocking your neighbors’ ability to see down the walkway you’re treading on dangerous turf. If you have this kind of set-up, you should ask your neighbor’s permission — and be prepared to improvise if they say they’d rather not be blocked by your display.

Stay behind the table: You might think that standing in front of your table, handling out flyers and barking for your table is a great idea, but I guarantee your neighbors don’t. You’re disrupting the traffic flow, and you’re probably causing more than a few people to re-think how badly they want to walk down your aisle. Stay behind the table, where you belong.

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Friday Archive Dive: Load Your Highest-Paying Ads First

Today's Archive Dive is from April 25, when I shared some tips for optimizing Google AdSense.

Here's a nifty trick to get your most best-performing ads -- the ones with the highest click-through rates -- in front of your readers' eyes first. According to Google, this has a noticable affect on ad revenue...

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The Best of Webcomics.com - April 2013

If you aren't a subscriber to Webcomics.com, here's what you missed in April.

Site Posts

Who's the Fool? Are lame April Fool's Day comics worth it?

Hot Seat: Character Design Our next series of critiques will focus on character design

Gary Tyrrell: Inside the 'Committee of Six' The NCS divisional awards caused a lot of heated debate. Fleen'sGary Tyrrell was a member of the screening committee for the online division, and he explains the process from the inside.

Lame obit cartoons Everyone rolls their eyes at them, but can you do it better?

Introducing a new character What's the best way?

Webcomics.com Poll: Pageviews and income

WordPress under attack Webcomics.com sent out the alert that there was a massive attack on WordPress sites... then we told you how you could protect yourself.

Bill Day respondes to plagiarism attacks

Webcomics Bootcamp at Philadelphia Comic Con. I'm running a bootcamp for webcartoonists at Philadelphia Comic Con. Webcomics.com members get special pricing.

Amazon eComics Amazon releases a special app for building digital comics, but is the pricing prohibitive?

Google Analytics unveils "Universal Analytics"

IndieGoGo clones of Kickstarter projects

Square for iPhone introduces the Item Library This feature, long a staple for iPad users is finally included in Square's iPhone app.

How Many Pageviews = Success? It's the most often asked question in webcomics (with "what sizes should I print my T-shirts?" being a close second).

Private Forum Topics

High-resolution monitors: Is 72 dpi enough?

Taping your work

How to preview CSS Web sites offline

DeviantArt publishing comics on iOS devices

Are ads on longform-comic sites worth it?

What's the ideal strip layout size for mobile?

Selling digital goods at cons

Script Frenzy

Comic Rocket and ad networks

JAVA update for Mac messed up Chrome?

Cintiq alternatives

Someone else is using my comic's name! Please advise!

Do I need a seller's permit if I make my own T-shirts to sell on my site?

Webcomic blogging: I've run out of things to write

Web store recommendations

Fear of the chargeback (using credit-card readers at conventions)