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Abt_Nihil at 4:50AM, June 20, 2016

I actually quite like inking, and prefer it hands down to coloring. Coloring takes the longest, and it mostly just consists of filling in shapes. That's the only part of making comic pages I truly consider "work".

VinoMas at 12:43PM, June 19, 2016

Great article! and Illustrations!

rawdale at 9:52AM, June 19, 2016

I find with each strip, the part of the creative process I find to be rewarding or tedious changes. Usually depending on my mood. I find the coloring to more often be tedious as that is what takes me the longest. But it can be one of the most satisfying parts of the process by the end as it is when the strip really comes together. But I typically love the inking most of all as it really defines the look of the strip the most. I don't do tight pencils most of the time so this is where the illustration becomes realized. The inking is like sex- it's great just as long as you're in the mood for it and totally there in the moment.

Genejoke at 2:34AM, June 19, 2016

Favourite parts are... 1,Rolling the story around my head and bringing it together. 2, the first steps of creating the visuals, be it layouts or character design, even location design. 3, nailing a great panel, the ones that really pop. 4, finishing it and unleashing it on you poor lot.

Amelius at 10:47PM, June 18, 2016

Aw gosh! (░◕‿‿◕░) I'm delighted to hear the recommendation worked out for ya! Hmmm, favorite part... for me, it's when I get to finally work on pages that I've been planning for years and revealing the payoff of all the hints/clues I've dropped in. World-building behind the scenes is another part of the process I enjoy, just researching different mythologies and folklore for inspiration. Artwise, I love making new brushes constantly and trying them out, and if they're good enough I post them up for others to use :)

Mika_yi at 6:28PM, June 18, 2016

I draw on normal paper, so I ink on that paper too. Not a big fan of inking. I'll draw then ink and mess up on the inking, normally I use white out but it makes it hard because o inking over it I get Fusterated that I end up having to redo the whole page. I could draw then ink on the surface but it tends to be a lot of work for me. So I like drawing. My favorite is hair and eyes. I love drawing that or any liquids like water cause there is no true form so when it splashes or falls it can be very creative. As for coloring I tend to be lazy and not want to, but there are times when I do the outline on the surface the. Color it with a different style the. I Normal do can be fun, but the same time time consuming and tiring. As much as I enjoy coloring by traditional means I can get unmotivated if I mess up and need to redo it. :(

KimLuster at 3:06PM, June 18, 2016

Yeah, weird that I find inking relaxing... but, it just feels like I'm just 'polishing' what was already planned out (which was the hard part), so... yeah... weird! :D

HippieVan at 9:28AM, June 18, 2016

@usedbooks: I had forgotten about wardrobe design! I love that bit too.

usedbooks at 9:13AM, June 18, 2016

I admit that inital writing can be tedious and forced, but catching and surfing a wave of inspiration is fun. When I let myself immerse in the world and characters, it feels more like being a conduit than a source. I hate getting caught up in trying to get from plot point A to plot point B. If I stop being goal oriented and go to "How would this character react?" cause and effect, it works magically.

Bruno Harm at 9:03AM, June 18, 2016

Writing jokes is fun, when I have them. The rest of the time is full of agonizing desperation trying to come up with something that's at least vaguely amusing.

usedbooks at 8:25AM, June 18, 2016

I love character design, wardrobe design, setting/world design, and scripting. Scripting is probably my favorite. It's when I get to immerse myself in the characters, get into roles, and play make-believe. I also like writing backstories and world stuff that doesn't go in the comic. Basically the drawing part is methodical and tedious and much less imagination/creation stream for me. I don't dislike it, but it's more mechanical and less "fun." The only part I like about creation is realizing afterwards that I did something really well or an effect looks good.

bravo1102 at 11:24PM, June 17, 2016

The only thing I like to do is sitting back and reviewing a finished page. That and getting the initial inspiration. Everything in between is a hate filled chore. Then comes the worst part, seeing how few views it gets after posting and listening to the unearthly quiet of the comments section.

Banes at 1:36PM, June 17, 2016

Nice looking pics, Hip! Looking forward to your comic when you start putting it up! I enjoy the dialogue phase the most, which I often do late in the process...though I've played around with doing borders and dialogue FIRST, then drawing everything last.

HippieVan at 12:10PM, June 17, 2016

@Bruno Harm: Totally hear you on that part where you can imagine the comic being better than it actually will be, haha.

HippieVan at 12:09PM, June 17, 2016

@ashtree house: Lazy Nezumi is amazing. I mean, it's not magic and it can only do so much, but it's a great help all the same. And thank you! I'm working on a comic now for DD, but I promised myself I wouldn't start posting it until I finished a certain number of pages and it turns out I'm slower than I thought. :P

HippieVan at 12:07PM, June 17, 2016

@KimLuster: I can't believe you find inking relaxing, haha!

KimLuster at 9:55AM, June 17, 2016

Lazy Nezumi is, of course, of little help to those of who still ink with... Ink! :P :D I do find inking to be one of the more pleasurable as it's more relaxing, just tightening up what I've already conceived with pencil (which can be the most agravating cuz I sometimes have to erase soooo much...). Coloring (with watercolor) can be tedious, but mostly by then I'm seeing the end of the tunnel and want to get the page done!!

ashtree house at 9:19AM, June 17, 2016

*Googles Lazy Nezumi* OH..MY..Goodness.. where has this been all my life?? I DESPISE inking. I used to do it traditionally with ink, but am too shakey and always messed up my lines and had to fix it in post anyways. So I started digitally inking and it sucks. This tool looks amazing though, I am going to look into it more. My fav part is coloring too, especially shading and highlights! Hippie, I really like your style! You are not currently working on a comic on the duck, are you?

Bruno Harm at 7:24AM, June 17, 2016

I love sketching. thumbnailing. and scribbling dialogue on notebook paper. At this stage you can visualize the comic looking far better than it actually will end up :P That being said, I love stepping back from the screen after I've uploaded the final result, and really seeing it up in lights for the first time.

Ironscarf at 4:18AM, June 17, 2016

My two favourite parts are the concept stage, where I walk for miles watching things unfold in my brain and the initial drawing phase, where the things I've seen in my head begin to materialise on the page. I used to hate that part the most, staring at a blank page but now I can't get enough of it, changing things around with endless possibilities. Once I've pinned it down, it's all work from then on - still fun to do, but tempered with the feeling that I could've done so much better. It's all good though, because that feeling spurs me on to the next page with renewed determination. That final dialogue part is definitely a late bonus (providing you left enough space to fit it all in!).

PaulEberhardt at 2:35AM, June 17, 2016

Speech bubbles are what I consider the hardest part for me, which is why I tend to drop them altogether - no matter what I do, if their content is not drawn in the first place they almost always turn out to be the wrong size. I imagine this is one thing that'd be a lot easier in digital art. // Like Ozoneocean I enjoy adding the details and with me that's mostly when I'm inking. I love it when the mess my pencils sometimes are turn into a clear picture. Colouring takes me an awfully long time, but it does come naturally. I hardly ever hesitate for more than a second when choosing a colour. That's partly because I have a pretty clear picture of what whatever I do should look like before I even start pencilling. I guess, a good deal of comic making is the one in the mind, when your mental film projector is running through a reel, if you know what I mean, and if that's not my favourite part it's a close second to finishing. I totally dig pencilling too, mind.

Ozoneocean at 1:25AM, June 17, 2016

What I like most is the final part of the drawing- when everything is FINALLY looking good and all I'm doing is adding details and fixing up lines. Everything before and after is a pain!!! That's not true actually- my other fave par is when I'm basically almost finished the colour and I'm just adding details, fancy effects and honing the look. I quite like finishing off stuff, it's like polishing a new creation :D

MOrgan at 12:34AM, June 17, 2016

Dorothy Parker “I hate writing, I love having written.” ;-) Seriously though, when I can get my brain to focus on drawing I love sitting down with paper & pencil and creating. Sadly my brain has been refusing to cooperate lately.