It’s time to get started on (*choke*) the penultimate month of 2019.
If you are planning to offer new merchandise for the holiday-shopping season, get moving now.
Patreon CEO Jack Conte has announced an independent million-dollar endowment to fund Super Patron. It funds a single $50,000-per-year grant for artists. Creators should submit an application using whatever medium they prefer, as long as the experience lasts no more than three minutes. The deadline is Nov. 22, so get crackin’.
The applications will be evaluated by a panel of judges that includes comedians Hannibal Buress and Grace Helbig, cartoonist Danielle Corsetto, YouTube star Molly Burke, and True Crime Obsessed podcast hosts Patrick Hinds and Gillian Pensavalle. Whoever wins will get a monthly stipend throughout 2020. From the site:
FREE FRIDAY: This post from the Webcomics.com archive is available without a subscription as a sample of the content subscribers get regularly. To find out how to get access to this consistently updated repository of webcomics know-how, click here.
Sometimes simple boldface lettering just isn’t enough. Sometimes I want a character to shout so loud it pops out of the word balloon itself. Using Clip Studio Paint, I can make that happen.
Here’s a video tutorial with step-by-step instructions…
Now you’ve got an “exploding type” word balloon that really delivers on expressiveness!
This episode of ComicLab is sponsored by Wacom! In this week’s show, the ComicLab guys discuss pandering. Is it pandering to create comics that your readers are more likely to respond to? Then, a listener asks if Dave’s aware that Clip Studio Paint doesn’t have a CMYK mode? And does it matter? Finally, Dave receives a tweet from one of his readers explaining why he couldn’t possibly become one if Dave’s Patreon backers, touching off an epic rant on fan behavior.
BUT FIRST… Dave tells Brad about the time he met Paul Rudd… and sparks flew.
QUESTIONS ASKED…
Limited-edition ComicLab enamel pins are now available at newevilbook.com and sheldonstore.com!
Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com
Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.
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Originally, a non-backer coming to your Patreon page would be greeted with your video in a prominent position. Under that was your written solicitation, and along the right-hand corner, a column of reward tiers. Patreon is rolling out a change to that. In the new format, the video and the written outreach are downplayed under a prominent display of the reward tiers. Here’s why they did it — and how you can use the new landing page to full effect.
The content you are trying to access is only available to members.
In the early days of webcomics, a preferred method of promotion was the ol’ link exchange. “I’ll link to your comic if you link to mine.” Today’s crowdfunded business model requires a little twist on that old axiom.
Exposing your patrons to someone else’s Patreon campaign isn’t only a good idea, it’s great content!
Here’s what I mean. I found one thing to be unquestionably true for me: The more content I post, the more pledges I get.
This is especially true for exclusive posts (as I discussed in my piece on scarcity).
So, every once in a while, I search Patreon for people who are doing something similar to what I’m doing.
Then I approach the person about a content trade. I’ll post something of theirs exclusively to my patrons. (Something they’ve already offered to their patrons.) And they can post something from my Patreon archive for their patrons.
It’s a win-win.
We both get content that we think our patrons will enjoy. We both get an opportunity to expose our work to the people pledging to the other person.
And, of course, when both of you promote the exchange on your own social-media networks, it’s twice the promotion.
I know the fear. “They’ll like the other person better, and ditch me in favor of them.”
I can tell you from experience, I get a lot of new pledges who are continuing their pledge to the other person. (I know, because I always click that button to see who else they’re supporting.) For me, it has been a “rising tide lifts all boats” situation.
This episode of ComicLab is sponsored by Wacom! In this week’s show, the ComicLab guys discuss “The Webcomics Business Model.” What is it, anyway?? Also, social media has evolved, but many independent creators haven’t kept up. And finally, should an aspiring cartoonist go to art school?
BUT FIRST… Brad’s son asks the Big Question: “Why is Brad talking to his wife as if she’s Dave Kellett?”
THIS WEEK…
Limited-edition ComicLab enamel pins are now available at newevilbook.com and sheldonstore.com!
Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com
Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.
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 a newspaper headline. Should that be lettered digitally? Should a sign in a store window? What about a roadside billboard.
All too often, in these instances, digital lettering sticks out like a sore thumb. This is especially true for artists who employ a loose drawing style. I think I’ve found a useful solution.
The content you are trying to access is only available to members.
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 when you want to break that border. Then, you have to plan ahead. This three-minute video tutorial walks you through an excellent strategy for taking your composition game to the next level.
As the video states, it’s a good idea to set up your layers in advance to facilitate this strategy on the fly. My standard comics-page template has all of these layers pre-formatted and in position, so I’m ready to go every time I start a new page. Here’s a look at how my layers are positioned…
Please note: The first part of the video is left silent intentionally.
This episode of ComicLab is sponsored by Wacom! In this week’s show, the ComicLab guys discuss Kickstarter’s decision to fire workers who tried to unionize. Also on today’s show, the USPS has decided to remain in the Global Postal Union — much to the relief of small-businesspersons everywhere, and a question-asker wants to know how far Dave and Brad write in advance. Next, eBook-publishing is hot, but are Amazon and ComiXology delivering for independent creators? Then — how do you maintain satisfaction after achieving a goal, and how much should creators engage with fans when they misinterpret the story?
BUT FIRST… Dave has a case of the post-Kickstarter blues
QUESTIONS ASKED…
Limited-edition ComicLab enamel pins are now available at newevilbook.com and sheldonstore.com!
Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.
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