Ok, I confess: after I suck on my daughter and kiss my wife goodnight, I get into a small studio in the back of my house and… I start to draw comic books! I’ve been illustrating “The Adventures of Jasmin” for about 11 years now. These Indiana Jones-type stories about a girl (who may or may not be born after my daughter) and her parents never get attention Marvel Comics or other comic book publishers may perceive it, but it really doesn’t matter. He is not trying to sell them. I am reading them for my daughter and her friends (and if anyone else happens to be wandering).
My daughter’s swash-buckling dye in the dye and the heck in the process pleased my daughter, and we also met a whole lot of other comic book publishers and publishers like myself, both in person and online. Most of them are very dedicated to me – and no doubt hoping to come up with the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Superman or any other concept that will easily translate into comics and movies and generate million dollars! My reasons are not so deep. I do what I do because I enjoy doing it. And you can!
I will not teach you how to draw, nor will I tell you whether what you draw is good. Whether it’s his staff or a super-hero cut that would make Batman jealous, it’s all up to you! And whether you want to tell a story that’s no more literary than “The Hulk CONLOC…” or something that Hemingway marvels at, that’s also in your hands. What I can do is point out some resources that have helped me get more enjoyment out of what I do, without breaking the process! And really that’s the most important thing!
A good starting point for a fugitive comic book artist/publisher is to follow the links on Yahoo. Follow “Entertainment” to “Comics and Animation” and then open the link with “Small Press Comics. There are more topics.” of choice and one of the most interesting is titled “FAQ – Small Press Comics” by John MacLeod. This is an old site and hasn’t been updated since 1999. I’m not sure if John still draws comics for that matter “https://e -info.vn/tag/pencil-drawing”>pencils you need to use and the size of paper you want to draw, etc. All good stuff “There are no rules!” leonardo-da-vinci”>Leonardo Di Vinci envy And again about the writing – make it as simple or literate as you want. Heck, it’s your comic!
A quick word on the matter. I recently did all my artwork on paper, that is A3 size, because it fits properly on my scanner. But then again, are you doing this for yourself or the older publishers? The industry standard is a working space of 10-by-15 on an 11-by-17 piece of illustration board. This standard comic runs earth day coloring pages art and story. But your comic book can be as long as you want it to be! But there is another great thing about being “independent”.
O-k, so you’ve got a stack of paper, a couple of pens, a few pens and a stylus and connected yet another case of “Lots O’ Strength of Man” (or whatever the character/book is called) and now it’s time to write the damn thing! Fear not, because if you go to Blambot.com, you can help yourself to a ton of comic book comics that you can download to your computer and use for your own! You can use fonts ranging from them to titles, special effects, and word balloons. You will need to make sure that you are more professional regardless of the lottery. By comparison, there are plenty of comic book, font files that you can pay for, but why pay when you have something decent or free?
Another great artist/publisher-wanna-be site is digitalwebbing.com and it really is a fan’s paradise. They publish their comics and promote the heck out of them, but they also have a great link called “Talent Search Engine”. Here you can find independent publishers of all kinds looking for pencilers, inkers, letterers and colorists. There is a link for “Submissions” and another for “Collaborations”. All plus points and points contacts for all major (and not so major) comic book publishers are posted. There are also fan forums where you can post your work, compare tips and tricks and even get critique. It’s absolutely a fun place where you can learn a lot and maybe even find a job (which, by the way, probably pays a lot if not at all).
Well, at this stage you have to do some planning. Small comedy press means this – press running which ranges from 1 – 100 or so, often done. into the photography apparatus. Nothing is over my head, and I did it for fun! Another independent publisher is trying to make money! The track has no less than 1000 to 1500 comics and these comics are for sale! AAAK! But I am amazed at the fact that in ancient times they separated what they “can” from what they “cannot”. Printing your comic at a conventional printer – even one that specializes in comics – can cost a lot of money. About $150.00 for one book. Neither does advertising and shipping and anything else that comes with it. What more can I convince you why I do it, why I can please no one but myself? Of course, my daughter and the other neighborhood kids.
But thanks to computer technology there is hope. “Print on demand” – digital printers that specialize in small press runs. A few well-known ones are comiXpress.com, lulu.com, and cafepress.com. Very affordable and all work with TIF files or JPGs. The great thing about these print-on-demand shops is that you can print one copy or you can print several hundred. At a fraction of the cost of a conventional printer. Check them out, and you’ll know that suddenly epic “Stickman” adventures have become a lot more affordable!
So you see – you can find a way to make your own work “public”. I say loosely because it really depends again on what your reasons are. If you do even a random search on Google or Yahoo, you will notice that the publishers are far more independent than mainstream ones. There are a lot more conflicted comic book artists doing what they do because they have a passion for the art form. But don’t stop here, there are many other links to be found on the internet that deal with other aspects of comic book making – such as drawing, inking, writing and painting.
So jump into the fire and do something you’re passionate about. At least you’ll meet other authors who are just as enthusiastic!
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comiXpress.com lulu.com digitalwebbing.com Jack Kubert’s World of Viverra
