I don’t generally read other web comics. I mean I read PvP but that's about it. Today I got sidetracked though and ended up looking at about five or six different strips and I came to a conclusion... I don’t bitch nearly enough about how hard it is to make a comic strip.
I get mail all the time asking me for advice on how to start a web comic and I usually say the same thing to everyone. It's the same advice that I got from another artist when I was just a kid. “Draw every single day and when you get work, never miss a deadline.” In my opinion you either love to draw or you don’t. I always find it a bit strange when I see people (especially the ones that do this full time) bitching about what a hard job they have. I will admit that this can be a tough job sometimes. It certainly isn’t for people who like a steady income or job security. But it still doesn’t get any better than drawing for a living.
So here is my advice to anyone starting a comic strip. First off, do it because you love it and because you feel like if you don’t get all the ideas in your head out on paper you might just explode. Second, make comic strips that YOU like and that YOU think are funny. Don’t listen to anyone else, remember you are doing this for yourself not them. Third, if you make a schedule like three times a week or, God help you daily you stick to it. The best way to keep people coming back to your site is to update when you say you will without fail. You start missing days and people will stop coming, I guarentee . Don’t feel like you have to do a daily strip either. We aren’t all cartooning robots like Kurtz. If all you can do is three a week, then do three a week but don’t miss a beat. Last but not least, no one wants to here you bitch and moan about how your dogs kept you up last night so you didn’t have time to draw strip. This is either something you can do or it’s not. I swear to God sometimes I think Piro is about three sad girl drawings away from a complete breakdown.
Anyway, that’s my advice. Take it for what you will. I’m not saying I have all the answers or even that there are answers when it comes to web comics and art but if this is really what you want do, then I think you could do a lot worse than following some of those tips.
-Gabe out
