November To-Do List

November To-Do List

It's time to get started on (*choke*) the penultimate month of 2024.If you plan to offer new merchandise for the...
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ComicLab Ep 359 — Should your readers be your writers?

ComicLab Ep 359 — Should your readers be your writers?

BlueSky is beginning to feel like Twitter did ten years ago! Engagement is up, conversations are genuine, and follower counts...
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Understanding social media

Understanding social media

Social media is among an independent artist's most frustrating elements. We struggle for engagement, wage constant battles with "The Algorithm,"...
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Writing humor

Writing humor

Writing comedy is a challenge that is made even more daunting by the fact that humor itself is completely subjective...
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CMYK vs RGB

CMYK vs RGB

If you're saving your comics in RGB mode, you may be making a potentially expensive mistake. The content you are...
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ComicLab Ep 358 — “Help! I’m not funny anymore!”

ComicLab Ep 358 — “Help! I’m not funny anymore!”

Cartoonists Dave and Brad share some thoughts with a young humor writer trying to find their Funny. Also: Is BlueSky...
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ISBN — a beginner’s guide

ISBN — a beginner’s guide

An ISBN is a 10- or 13-digit number used to identify a book from a specific publisher. Once your book...
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How to write a Halloween joke

How to write a Halloween joke

On Substack, a cartoonist was struggling with writing a Halloween joke. He was experiencing a common problem. He was stuck...
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Webcomics Confidential: Size doesn’t matter

Webcomics Confidential: Size doesn’t matter

when it comes to your audience, size doesn't matter. A small and engaged readership beats a huge, lukewarm audience every...
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ComicLab Ep 357 — Innovation fascination

ComicLab Ep 357 — Innovation fascination

Having wrapped up his 16th Kickstarter, cartoonist Dave Kellett shares some insights about setting realistic expectations, avoiding paid advertising, and...
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Draw larger

I took a question on Twitter recently: “Would it be wrong to draw my comics on A4 paper? I find it hard to fill big spaces.” My answer was, of course. that he should do what they felt comfortable doing. 140 characters doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for art advice. But it made me think that perhaps some news artists might not appreciate a basic rule of drawing…

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by on August 26, 2021
Posted In: Webcomics Confidential
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ComicLab Ep 192 — The ideal career path for comics

Today’s show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we’re talking about the ideal career path for comics

Questions asked and topics covered…

  • Kickstarter strategy of “fun” Stretch Goals
  • Ideal comics career path 
  • “Pro-am status”
  • Is “do a good comics” really all there is?

Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!

by on August 26, 2021
Posted In: ComicLab
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Crowdfunding: First comes the crowd, THEN comes the funding

Many of people who attempt crowdfunding get disappointed when the numbers just don’t materialize. That may be a result of a backwards approach to the endeavor. Because the fact of the matter is simple: If you haven’t already built an audience, you’re going to have a hard time achieving your crowdfunding goals.

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by on August 24, 2021
Posted In: Crowdfunding
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ComicLab Ep 191 — Juggling multiple projects

Today’s show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we’re talking about juggling multiple projects.  

Questions asked and topics covered…

  • Juggling two projects
  • Sound effects
  • Patreon solves VAT dilemma for its creators
  • Running out of Patreon rewards

Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!

by on August 19, 2021
Posted In: ComicLab
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ComicLab Ep 190 — Exhibiting at your first comic con

Today’s show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we’re devoting a special hour-and-a-half episode to advice for exhibiting at comic conventions!

Questions asked and topics covered…

  • Exhibiting at your first comic con 
  • Hidden costs you need to be aware of
  • Why Dave does comic conventions
  • What Dave won’t do at shows
  • Hot Nerd Summer — how to safely do comic cons
  • Four strategies if you’re going to exhibit
by on August 12, 2021
Posted In: ComicLab
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Guide for first-time comic-con exhibitors

As conventions re-open, there are a lot of people who are anxious to get back into the swing. And that includes folks who are planning to open at their first-ever show. If you’re a first-time exhibitor, this guide is for you.

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by on August 11, 2021
Posted In: Conventions
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Writing Creativity icon

Writing humor

Writing comedy is a challenge that is made even more daunting in the fact that humor itself is completely subjective and impossible to define. Here’s some thoughts on taking a clever idea and pushing it until it’s actually funny.

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by on August 10, 2021
Posted In: Writing
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Preparing for a post-social-media future

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that we’re headed for another major pendulum swing for webcomics. Social media — which has been a mainstay for independent artists to promote and publish their work — is grinding to a halt. As the major platforms continue to restrict their algorithms in an effort to force people into purchasing more views for their posts, creators are weighing their options. Some are choosing the “pay to play” option. But others are taking their game elsewhere.

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by on August 9, 2021
Posted In: Marketing / Social Media
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ComicLab Ep 188 — Finding your voice as a writer

Today’s show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, Dave shares his strategy for meeting his Kickstarter goal in the opening days — and juicing the algorithm — by using Patreon!

Questions asked and topics covered…

  • Reaching a Kickstarte goal in the opening days — using Patreon
  • Finding your voice as a writer
  • Schulz Museum
  • What if comic cons never came back
  • TikTok
  • Lettering for Web vs print

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ComicLab is hosted on Simplecast, helping podcasters since 2013. with industry-leading publishing, distribution, and sharing tools.

by on August 7, 2021
Posted In: ComicLab
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