Tips on starting first webcomic

[NottyPony]

Hello! My name is Notty, I am a intermediate artist who really wants to start her first webcomic

I am really curious if any of ya'll have any tips on starting webcomics, I have tried many times but I always lose motivation before I even draw the first page. If any of you guys have any tips that would be very appreciated!

[arcus]

Basic advice: Draft an overview of the plot's beginning, middle and end. Write scripts for each page before drawing them. Start with basic paneling, but start saving comic pages with interesting paneling to study later.

If you use CSP, figure out how the comic tools work. There's a learning curve, but it saves time once you figure it out.

If you're considering printing them down the line, I have a lot more to say.

[rnottelovesowls]

one time i tried making a webcomic. it didn't work out, but here's what i've learned from the experience:

1. don't make this comic with a focus on profit. make it for entertainment above all else
2. as you write its script, get proofreading and advice from friends to improve on it
3. take your time, and don't rush. you don't have to release a new episode every week
4. as an alternative, finish every episode first, and THEN start releasing it on a schedule
5. have fun with it! that's what making art is all about: the enjoyment of it all

[Dan Q]

Not a drawing tip but a technical one: have an RSS (or similar) feed. I've made my decision about whether or not to "follow" a webcomic based on whether or not it has a feed!

(I have to really love a webcomic to configure scraping to work-around the lack of an RSS feed!)

[LucaDoodleDoo]

Your very first ever webcomic? Congrats! Here's my advice

Start drawing.

Don't overthink it, the most important part is to *make the comic*. It's very, very easy to "feel" productive (tons of plot notes, character doodles, reading/watching videos on how to thumbnail comics, you start writing the script, maybe even get to sketching a few pages) and then it fizzles because you're so overwhelmed and perfectionism takes over. You can ALWAYS go back and re-draw stuff you don't like, later.

Fact is, you'll learn most of that stuff as the comic progresses anyway. "Make it exist first, you can make it good later"

[torrent-empress]

I started off writing the stories and then it ended up congealing into a story, I would say try and set aside time every single day to do *something* and make it a habit. That's how I got my first comic going (although life has got me sidetracked like a bitch....) Even if it's just working on thumbnails, or inking or watching a video or something. Just keep working on it little by little. That's the biggest thing. Start working even on test pages.

[tarraxahum]

I think at the "losing motivation at the first page" stage the main advice is make it fun, do it for yourself and don't sweat about it being perfect. Also do not impose any ambitious deadlines or lofty reader goals on yourself.

In my experience the secret is to find something that's so fun for you to draw that you'd do it anyway even if you didn't show anyone at all.

(And then when you actually start - don't put pressure on yourself and pace, pace, pace yourself. Burning out was my worst enemy when I started mine. Still recovering.)

Best of luck! 

[Noah_S]

Don't listen to anyone who says you have to finish a set amount of pages in a week or anything similar. That's how you turn it into work. Do it for fun.