Webcomics Confidential: Understanding Writer’s Block

Webcomics Confidential: Understanding Writer’s Block

How often are we presented with the image of tortured creative souls, staring plaintively at the tools of their craft,...
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ComicLab Ep 365 — Maybe You’re Not Funny

ComicLab Ep 365 — Maybe You’re Not Funny

In this episode, Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett share insights on the creative process of writing humor, emphasizing that humor...
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Something worth sharing

Something worth sharing

With Twitter going down the tubes, I decided to re-focus my efforts on social media. I wanted to see if...
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Maximizing the potential of Bluesky Starter Packs

Maximizing the potential of Bluesky Starter Packs

If you're one of the millions of new users on Bluesky, you're probably becoming familiar with Starter Packs. This was...
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Webcomics Confidential: What size should your webcomic be?

Webcomics Confidential: What size should your webcomic be?

Beginning cartoonists often ask what size they should make their comic. Many are looking for "standard" sizes. The answer is...
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ComicLab Ep 346 — In Over My Head

ComicLab Ep 346 — In Over My Head

What happens when your story gets too big for you to handle? Are you the right person for the job?...
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How many social-media posts per day?

How many social-media posts per day?

According to a Very Popular Influencer, one should post on social media six to eight times daily. I disagree, and...
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Detritus — What it is and why your comic needs it

Detritus — What it is and why your comic needs it

Let's discuss one of those savvy touches that can help take your art to the next level. And ironically enough,...
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Webcomics Confidential: T-shirt psychology

Webcomics Confidential: T-shirt psychology

Nobody wants to buy a T-shirt featuring your character or logo. It's not that your original character is terrible. Instead,...
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ComicLab Ep 266 — A minor problem with a comics major

ComicLab Ep 266 — A minor problem with a comics major

Does an aspiring comics artist/writer need a college degree? And, if so, which degree is best? Next, a listener asks...
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Mailbag: Making a Profit on a Book

If you have a question for the Mailbag, please feel free to use the Question? button at the top of the site.

Q. I’m nearing the end of the second year of my webcomic. I’ve been thinking about compiling my first book. Unfortunately, Lulu, with whom I hoped to publish, says it costs $13.60 for a (pretty weak) 32 page book in color!

My question is: How could I ever turn a profit with that? Can you recommend any publishing alternatives (self-publishing or otherwise) that might help me?

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by on December 22, 2010
Posted In: Uncategorized
38 Comments

Mailbag: Consistency in lettering changes?

If you have a question for the Mailbag, please feel free to use the Question? button at the top of the site.

Q. I’ve been doing my comic for a little over a year now, and during that time I’ve changed my font once, the font size a couple of times, and most recently… I’ve decided to go to ALL CAPS for the dialog.

I want to go back through and redo all the dialog and corresponding word balloons, so they still fit the changed text. The reason for this is to have a consistent look for an eventual print product.

Since the comics have been on the web for months, should I also change the copies that are on the web? Should I do it as soon as I’ve completed the update to the files or would it be better to wait? Is there a good reason to keep the “as is”?

I’ve gotten better at balloon placement/creation during the course of my comic, so there are some earlier comics that are pretty “meh” to downright dreadful in terms of word balloons.

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by on December 21, 2010
Posted In: Uncategorized
13 Comments

Page Bleeds

If you’re printing a book in color, you’ll likely be asked by your printer to set up “bleeds” for the pages. It can get confusing, so let’s go over some of the basics.

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by on December 16, 2010
Posted In: Business, Tech
1 Comment

Creating a Favicon

This is one of those little touches that helps to elevate a Web site’s professional polish.

A favicon is a small (16 x 16 pixels) custom-made symbol that appears in your reader’s browser (in the address bar) when they visit your site. It also gets carried over to other places like bookmarks, tabbed browsers and shortcuts.

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by on December 15, 2010
Posted In: Uncategorized
11 Comments

Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship: Deadline is tomorrow

The deadline for the Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship is tomorrow.

  • $5,000 monetary award
  • Trip to the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Weekend.
  • Applicants must be college students in the United States, Canada or Mexico that will be in their Junior or Senior year during the 2010-2011 academic year.
  • Applicants do not have to be art majors to be eligible for this scholarship.

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by on December 14, 2010
Posted In: Uncategorized
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