CHARACTER SHAPES

I remember hearing about this notion some time ago, on the dvd special features for an animated movie or show. I don't remember which one.

Characters derived from basic shapes can give a very strong impression of their basic personality type. This can help the audience feel ...

A comic titled “Second Coming” featuring Jesus, the son of God, and a new superhero named Sun-Man is looking for a new home now that it is no longer being released by DC Vertigo Comics. The superhero was pulled because online critics called it blasphemous and inappropriate to show Jesus ...

No matter what your webcomic is about, from slice-of-life to epic fantasy to dystopian sci fi, it will have a ratio of action scenes to non-action scenes. This ratio is very important as it affects the pacing of your story as well as how interesting and engaging it will be ...

Comics have always had a special hold on people’s imaginations, with stories immersing readers in fantasy worlds where literally anything is possible. And, unlike books, comics combine the power of words and pictures. The skills of the artist mean that those worlds and other phenomena are there for all ...

Dark things are afoot in the land of Aikonia. The rift between the higher plain has been breached and now staff and students at the magical university are behaving very strangely, dangerously, even murderously… Evil stalks the halls. But who's behind it and what do they want? If something ...

I read webcomics backwards, and maybe you should too. You might be aghast about spoilers, but trust me– almost every reader who happens upon your comic does this too.

I should specify–I don't read the entire archive backwards. It depends on the comic but typically I read back ...

Having discussed a general approach to writing characters with mental disorders (with a lot of thoughtful comments by you further enriching what I had to say!) it's only right that we wrap up this very quick analysis with an example of a story that properly portrays them.

I chose ...

What is a character? A miserable little pile of traits! Except no, there is more to a character than a collection of likes and dislikes. There are varying opinions on the importance of character versus plot, with some authors viewing all characters as a mere tool to drive plot forward ...

So it turns out I'm quite ill this week and I don't feel I have enough focus to finish up my “Writing Mental Illness” set of articles. I promise to do that next week.

For today I'd like to talk about planning, writing and drawing a webcomic ...

Have you ever noticed that among the dead webcomics, a preponderance of them have “Hiatus” on their tombstone? That tombstone being, of course, the final page posted years and years ago with a promise they will be “right back” after a “short break”. There are of course a number of ...