https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4CDUEBV4Rg In this livestream, I talked about what social-media platforms are working — and which ones are failing. Plus, why...
Kishōtenketsu (起承転結, pronounced "kee-show-ten-ketsu") is a traditional plot structure in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literature and poetry, derived from the...
This episode examines a Bluesky thread where cartoonists self-reported their financial realities. While the original question was thoughtful — seeking...
Today’s show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! What’s your elevator pitch? If you had to sum up your comic for a new reader, could you do it effectively in under 60 seconds?
Are you obligated to accept criticism from… anyone?? Also, we’ll discuss Kickstarter’s new Add-on feature and the benefits of both digital and traditional coloring techniques.
Patreon’s Image Gallery offers the ability to post multiple images. It’s got tremendous potential, but most comics artists are under-using it.
Optimize the comics-reading experience for mobile users
Certainly, this new feature will be good for posting several different images for backers. But it has a second use that is far more practical — especially as the consumption of content veers increasingly towards mobile screens. You can now post your comic in a panel-by-panel format that improves the reading experience on small screens.
If you’re following the Multi-Channel Publishing strategy shared here previously, you’re already prepping your comic in this format for sharing on sites like Instagram and Webtoons. (If not, you now have an additional reason to consider it.
Using these individual panels to post your comic to Patreon backers would give those backers using mobile devises a vastly improved reading experience. Truthfully, you could easily have the best of both worlds. The primary image could be the full, multi-panel comic. This would satisfy overall display aesthetics and the concerns of desktop users. The subsequent images would then be that same comic, divided into a panel-by-panel display.
Better still, you can bulk-upload several images at once with a simple drag-and-drop function. And you can change the sequence of display by dragging an image into its proper position. So, for example, if your panels uploaded as A-C-B, you can click on “C” and drag it into its proper placement after “B.”
Here’s a look at the results, from the screen of my iPhone…
If you’re not sure how many of your Patreon backers are using mobile devices to access your content, this is a great excuse to do a Patreon poll and ask them!
I’ve been teaching at the university level since 2014, and I’ve noticed something alarming. We’ve been giving young people the wrong idea about education. Worse yet — it’s something I’d been doing with my own children!
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It’s difficult for many of us to promote our creative efforts effectively because it feels like bragging. After all, how are ew suppose to extoll the virtues of our own work without sounding conceited? I have a strategy for you that works every time — and makes your outreach a lot less ham-handed. Instead of talking about how great your comic is, talk about your “Pride & Joy” instead.
The content you are trying to access is only available to members.
If there was ever a pivotal year in webcomics, it was 2014. Ad-blockers, social media, crowdfunding, and so much more happened in exactly the right order to deliver independent cartoonists to the best self-publishing conditions we’ve ever experienced.
Impostor Syndrome — what is it, and how can we, as creative professionals, battle against it?
In 2018, an art teacher wrote in to ask why it was that they could never seem to finish a comic. Brad’s response was “Maybe you’re not a cartoonist, and maybe that’s OK.” This week, the art teacher writes back with an update — and it’s a doozy!
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!
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