Making Comics

This week, we discuss an in-store appearance (3:15), finishing inks for a comic and moving on the flatting and notes for the colorist (11:20), revisiting a project once thought complete (19:00) and hitting on a surprise revelation, thinking through a crowdfunding schedule and prepping a Kickstarter, and prepping variant covers and commisions (32:30) before this week's episode: the speed versus...

This week, we discuss font size and the right amount of dialogue to put on pages and panels (7:25), understanding the genre and potential audience of your story (23:20), checking in on a comic script (30:45), making a first-draft outline of a new comic (32:10), and the middle of a kickstater (44:00) before this week's main topic: writer's block (49:15).

This week, we talk about incorporating new pages into a novel (6:00),working your way through a Kickstarter (10:45), writing a page outline for a single issue (17:30), lettering in a similar, but slightly different way (26:05), and a dose of inspiration that inspired a high-level project outline (38:15) before this week's topic: making your art cinematic (49:45).

This week, we talk about the pre-work for Kickstarters (4:00), editing your way through a late draft of a book (13:30), creating a new logo (19:10), working out the high-level structure of a new ending (26:35), receiving original cover art (34:00) and a note on clear communication with artists (39:10) before we read a letter (42:50) and get to the inevitable topic you've all been waiting for:...

This week, we review feedback on a comic script (2:30), working your way through a Kickstarter and making choices on promotion (9:00), staying on your page goals (16:45), and a Metal Swap Meet recap (27:00) before we get to this week's topic: knowing when you're finished with a project (33:45).

This week, we talk about preparing for and launching a Kickstarter (11:50), approaching the end of a comic and larger arc continuity (18:00), taking chances on format (31:00), sending your story off to readers (36:50), getting a cover back from an artist (42:00), pondering a potential future project (46:20), and being a creator and not your creations (61:45).

This week, we discuss maintaining your page goals (4:10), ensuring the individual story scripts of a larger arc mesh well (9:55), soliciting opinions from your trusted creator network (17:40), preparing to write the final issue of a comic series (27:30), and revisiting a previously "finished" work (39:00) before we get to this week's topic: pitching your book to publishers (50:20).

This week we discuss finishing a comic script in non-traditional work spaces (3:45), maintaining the three pages per week pace (12:20), setting up your Kickstarter for success (16:50), finishing a parody cover (21:00), and revisiting a story that's been on the shelf for a year and making delicate edits (29:20) before this week's topic: planning for your story's success (40:20).

This week, we talk about sustaining your higher level of productivity (4:40), working on a comic script in whatever way you can (12:30), bringing the best part of your story forward (19:10), choosing the right page layout (31:00), and shelving your daily writing goals to relax and allow ideas to come to you (35:10).

This week, Scott and Keith recap tabling at a horror convention (5:15) and discuss finding your pitch (10:00), sticking to your production goals for art (26:10), incorporating notes into your work and story pacing (33:00), and drawing pencil pages (41:00) before this week's main topic: creating complex characters (48:00).

This week, Scott and Keith discuss what might be a higher permanent level of productivity (3:50), how your past scrapped ideas can become your next good idea (14:00), how AI is now your competition and how knowing what it can do can create a baseline for your own work (22:00), fine-tuning your pages with your colorist (29:30), and figuring out your product mix for a show (34:10) before we get to t...

This week, Scott and Keith discuss pruning your activities when necessary (4:30), hitting a higher level of productivity with your art (11:15), getting a calibration on submissions (24:30), working withyour arists / colorists on changes and feedback to artists (35:45), and working on the story skeleton for a new comic (43:40) before the main topic: how to approach action in your comics (47:30).

This week, Scott and Keith talk about thumbnail pre-work for a month-long panel gauntlet and good goals versus bad goals (7:05), working on a side gig that relates to your creative work (15:15), finding the inspiration for potential work (24:15), sharpening the look of a future cover (27:50), getting the coloring right on your comic (34:30), fitting your productivity schedule to your life and not...

This week, we talk about capturing the essence of your story with your cover (4:10), asking your colorist for corrections where needed (11:20), getting the first wave of cover ideas back on your book and realizing what's good within those ideas (18:30), doing advance work on a comic and adjusting to somehing unexpected (33:40), and receiving a test page for your comic and discussing fit for th...

This week, Scott and Keith talk about receiving the original art for a commissioned comic cover (4:20), using a place with less distractions to your advantage (11:50), hacking out the details and your choices in naming a new character (22:40), finishing the script on a comic (32:20), getting notes back on your comic (40:45), evaluating a story to see if it should be a comic or prose (48:40), and g...

This week, we talk about switching up the way you work and violating a 'rule' with intention (7:30), finishing a comic (13:40), thinking through the future of selling your comics and trade paperbacks (18:45), and using a future opportunity to finish your work faster (35:45) before this week's topic: those times when a dual-prong strategy makes sense for your projects (39:50), when to p...

This week, Scott and Keith talk about getting close to the end of a comic (3:30), trying out a tip to work through creative block (11:20), getting original art back from one of your covers (17:45), taking a break in your story to map out the story's direction (22:30), improving your skills with gesture drawings and head sketches (30:25), and getting inspiration from positive feedback (34:00) b...

This week, we sit down post- San Diego Comic Con to discuss re-dedication to your daily / monthly word count (5:00), channeling productive energy from working the table at SDCC (10:30), how the warmup sentence exercise has morphed into something more useful (15:20), tallying up the sales from SDCC (22:30) and ordering stock of your stuff (26:50) before this week's topic (36:00): a vendor (Scot...

This week, we sit down on the verge of SDCC and talk about adjusting your productivity goals around your schedule (3:55), selling at an in-store event (6:00), staying warm with sketches and commissions (14:40) and writing warm-ups (18:50), and doing the large-thinking character work before commencing work on a comic (27:15) before we get to this week's main topic: re-evaluating your creative g...

This week, we talk about completing a comic script (5:00), hitting your daily drawing goal (9:10), getting interior art back from a new artist (14:45) and a cover artist (17:10), getting fan feedback on a comic (20:40), doing commission work for SDCC (23:10), and riding the momentum on a project (28:20) before this week's main topic: removing limitations (39:20).

This week, we talk about doing work (but not finishing) panels so they can be finished later (5:30), writing with the energy of a new project (9:00), working on pre-show commissions for SDCC (14:00), doing big thinking past the current issue of the comic you're working on (19:15), and flatting colors for a page (30:40) before this week's topic: copyrights (38:30).

This episode, we recap our in-store at Comic Book Hideout in Fullerton CA (4:00), then discuss how details are their own easter egg (17:10), jumping straight from your basic skeleton to writing a comic script (24:50), and shipping out Kickstarter packages (33:20) before we give our feedback (42:05) on some comics we've received from listeners and offer tips that apply to all creators.

This week, Scott and Keith discuss making changes with your artist (4:25), the right way visually start a story (12:10), understanding change deadlines (21:45), getting product reinforcements in for Kickstarters and upcoming shows (25:40), and doing deep story-within-a-story work (29:30) before we tackle this week's topic: extending a story (37:00).

This episode, we welcome artist Dave Law (Space Odditorium, Wolf Punks) and discuss bringing real-life elements into your comic for authenticity (6:00), attacking different scenes in different ways in a comic script (11:05), ensuring dialogue corresponds to panel size and how learning from the greats can backfire (16:10), juggling multiple projects as an artist (21:20), digital versus traditional...

This episode, we begin with a convention recap (5:00), bouncing a story off your editor in the formative stage (30:45), ordering product for a convention (35:05), working your way to your story's ending (47:45), and finishing a splash page (52:35) before this week's main topic: leaning into conflict (58:10).