At times, we have ideas that we want to express in the artistic format of drawing. Whether it be just a one time drawing or even a concept for a story, we want to share this piece with others and see how they view this latest creation. Within the world of comic artistry, the trick is to figure out what to do, how to do it and where to publish it.

As a recently published Webtoon comic artist for the series “Tootie Talks,” at first it was a challenge in figuring out where to even start, where could I publish myself and how could I share my work with others. I honestly had to do a lot of digging and looking around to figure out the answers to the small pile of questions that would accumulate in my mind. However, I will be sharing with you a few tips and tricks to help you start your journey as a published comic artist.

Ride the train and get your own Mickey Mouse inspiration!

You don’t have to literally ride a train but every story, or idea, comes from a concept of inspiration or a sudden occurrence. Your main goal is to write it, or sketch it out, and let the ideas flow; don’t force yourself to come up with an idea or you’ll be hopping off the train of thought. I do think that actually attempting to force yourself to think allows you to become disinterested in the idea and you will view it more like a job you did not want to do in the first place.

Take to the storyboard and pin-up your drafts!

Once you have what you want, regarding plot and characters, just start doing the rough sketching. You do not have to offer finished designs within the sketches; I do stick figure doodles so I can get my idea on paper quick then later on, when I’m content with it, I begin to officially flesh it out. Remember, you want to view the full story prior to fleshing out. If you flesh it out early, you might not like the idea of having to go back in and add, or remove, things to the finished project that you didn’t consider prior. It’s all about

following that writing method that we’re taught; creating a skeleton of the story first then flesh it out for the final product. I used to make that mistake of fleshing it out but then, read and end up displeased with having to re-edit and add-on more things to make the transitions flow within the story.

Throw the colors on the palette and show your style!

No need to abuse an actual canvas with paint tossing. At times, people feel that the more details and shading they toss on to their comics, the more it will be noticed. This isn’t necessarily the wholesome truth but you need to consider what you are doing. The formula here is quality over quantity, you want to showcase your own style and work with a color palette that suits both the comic and your artistic style. Doesn’t make sense to put a lot of details and shading into the comic with the lack of a proper story explaining itself, right?

Convert the huge idea into a small comic layout

You have this idea finished and ready to go yet, you don’t even know how the layout has to be. In my case, I did not even know how big or small I had to make the comic to meet the Webtoon guidelines for a single chapter. So I had to really dig around and source out what were the requirements and measurements. Regarding this, Webtoons’ had the answer kind of hidden away on their site and luckily, there is a literal Webtoon chapter that displays how much space and the sizing for the chapter pages. However, here is the information: “The image must be less than 800px wide and 1280px long. You can upload up to 20MB in total. Each file can be up to 2MB.

Only .JPG format is allowed.”

Create a schedule and stick to it

Even though you have already started to get the hang of creating a comic, the idea is to become consistent. Just like a YouTube Channel, you need to set up a schedule of when you are going to upload new chapters and meet those deadlines. Sometimes, if you can’t post a new chapter, it’s always a good idea to offer creative filler. In this case, filler doesn’t have to be involved within the story. It can be a small update of when the next chapter will be, an announcement of a small break from the comic, fan art you receive or even answering questions sent in by your readers.

Toss a lot of ads around and hand out imaginary flyers

Again, not literally doing any of those things. However, you want to advertise your comic as much as possible so others can read it and share. A great way to advertise your comic is within the comic itself. Normally, comic artists put their social media and usernames within their comics so people can follow, or subscribe, to them to get notifications or updates.

Here are a few ways to advertise: Target Facebook promo groups that do allow you to share your comic. Utilize the correct Reddit forums to share your comic chapter link. Create a profile for your comic on the “Webcomic Police” site. Create a profile for your comic on the “TopWebComics” site. Create a profile for your comic on the “TvTropes” site. Post your link within the Tapas forums. Promote your comic on your blog site. Post your updates on your Instagram & Instagram Stories. Post a link to your comic or chapter updates to Twitter. Livestream your comic progress. (I do on Caffeine.tv/bibipatootie22)



Just have fun with your masterpiece

This honestly an ‘obvious’ thing to say but for others, they forget. At times, some people tend to make comics for the wrong reasons then quit or they feel that they aren’t having fun with their work anymore. It’s understandable, I’m constantly sketching and working on the chapters as fast as I can, since I’m one person, but I view it as a fun hobby that I do not find a bother to do. True, I want to entertain others but the goal is also to entertain yourself. I re-read my own comics sometimes because it’s a way of being proud of something that people enjoy.

Remember, It’s your work and you can do whatever you like with it, if you feel you need to change something then go ahead. You feel that you have a brand new idea for another chapter? Then, go and sketch it up. It’s not similar to school where they say “There’s no wrong answers,” yet we all know that’s already a false statement. In actuality, there are no wrong answers in art. Every comic is unique and has its’ own format of doing things, you just need showcase your own.