Comic Lab

Dave Kellett attended Comics Camp , an event hosted by Alaska Robotics , and he's back — filled to the brim with joy and enthusiasm — from this annual retreat/comic convention. You can get on an e-mailing list for [ next year's event here ](http://). He shares stories from the week, including: Ursaphobic Stan Lee Classes taught by fellow cartoonists The importance of play in revitalizing an adult'...

This week, Chris Hallbeck joins us to talk Instagram strategy. He was one of the first cartoonists to see the potentia l in the social media platform, and his comics Maximumble and Pepple & Wren are pure delights. BUT FIRST, Brad shares the story of how much it hurt when he fell out of heaven. You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon $2 —  Early access to epis...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! The guys welcome Mr. Inktober himself — Jake Parker. Jake talks about why he recently turned down a publishing contract... at the considerable risk of being labeled an "artisanal success." THEN, they go into publishing with a company verse self publishing. NEXT the guys share their thoughts on going to conventions. AFTER THAT, Ja...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! Dave talks about his new Kickstarter for Sheldon! We hear about need-to-know features when it comes to the cover design of your graphic novel. FOLLOWING this, Brad and Dave go into their thoughts about buying ads as a way to boost interest in your work. BUT FIRST, the guys bust their guts over birds, squirrels, and Brad’s Honeymoon.  Show...

This week, the guys talk about a LIVE ComicLab session! NEXT we hear about the upcoming ‘Ringo awards and AFTERWARDS, the guys go into how much direction and detail they give to a colorists. THEN they grapple with a question about a Kickstarter for commissions. NEXT, Dave shares his experience selling work on eBay. FINALLY the guys talk about how you can get the most out of your Comic Con weekend....

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! On this week’s ComicLab the fellas talk about writing yourself into a corner. NEXT a question-asker asks "is my Patreon reward tier too high?" And FINALLY, they grapple with this — if they could time-travel back to the early 90s with their current skills, would they have been able to make it as syndicated cartoonists? BUT FIRST,...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! On this week’s ComicLab we have an interview with Tony Cliff, creator of delilahdirk.com Brad has a failed attempt of a formal introduction. DURING the interview with Tony, the guys all answer the question on what they choose as their career titles. THEN discussing their routines when it’s time for deadline crunch. ENDING with the most sop...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! Dave dives in on his full experience at ECCC this year, including some wonderful critters he met and his interaction with a rep from Nickelodeon. Dave answers the burning question — Did he do well enough to justify going back next year? Following this, Brad shares his thoughts on the recent success of Nathan "Strange Planet" Pyle...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! Going back to the discussion of publishers vs crowdfunding: What really brings you success? THEN, selling Patreon rewards on different platforms. ALSO, answering questions about background and comic structure WHILE bringing up the more modern characters seen in comics today compared to years ago. FINALLY, figuring out when it is beneficial...

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics! In this episode, they discuss the secrets of Instagram tagging. THEN ... if a backer asks you to add a crowdfunding platform to Patreon, should you? ALSO... what's the danger of waiting too long for success? AND FINALLY... Rob Salkowitz from Forbes drops by to discuss the changing comics industry. BUT FIRST... Dave tells Brad about th...

Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett are talkin' comics! In this episode, each cartoonist offers a step-by-step guide to their creative process — from the idea stage to posting the finished comic. Then, they take a moment to talk about how real-life struggles can often interfere with our goals as creators — and that's OK. Finally, a Patreon backer asks how soo is TOO soon to launch a new Kickstarter after...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! They discuss what percentage of your readership you can expect to become Patreon backers. That leads into a fascinating trip down Memory Lane as they recall a disgruntled "How To Make Webcomics" reader. Then, they make suggestions on how many tiers a first-time Kickstarter campaign should have. And finally, they make suggestions...

In this episode, Cartoonists Dave and Brad are talking shop. They share which pieces of original art they would most like to have. Then, it's on to tips and tricks for selling prints. Next, Brad revisits the "social media/ fool's gold" discussion. Then, as Brad approached fifty, the lads talk about preparing for old age. That takes a wild turn as Brad shares an AMAZING fact he learned ab...

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics! In this episode, the guys talk about the cartoonist from history that they would have most appreciated a chance to be tutored by. Then, Dave delivers an update on how Backerkit has been working out for him. After that, Dave points out that Brad keeps saying "Time is a continuum," but... what does that actually MEAN? Next, Br...

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics! In this episode, they point out that the Eisner Awards have changed their submission guidelines — and that's great news for short-form webcartoonists! THEN they discuss a tweet by Nate Powell that has everyone talking. This Eisner-winning cartoonist claims his income breaks down to about $455 a month! NEXT, it's all about joke theft —...

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics! In this episode, they discuss what you should do when you realize you've lost longtime readers. Then, where should you work, when you work from home? What kind of day job should you have? And finally... how do some cartoonists produce those amazing sketchbooks? But first... Dave's going to Alaska Robotics' Comics Camp ! SHOW NOTES 00:...

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics! In this episode, Brad makes another lasting contribution to webcomics: Guigar's Law — The first person to comment that they'd buy a certain type of merchandise is the first person to disappear when the merch is offered! BUT FIRST, Brad and Dave fondly remember comic-convention cosplay. Show Notes 00:00 — Spotting the batawang at a com...

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics! In this episode, they discuss best practices for sound effects and promoting longform comics on social media. NEXT, they discuss "Chapter Zero" — what it is, and whether it's right for you. THEN it's strategies for coping with the Q1 slowdown. AND FINALLY, they take a handful of questions from 2018 and drill through them in...

Dave and Brad are planning 2019 — PLUS, Steve McGarry from the National Cartoonist Society drops in to talk about NCSFest in Huntington Beach, Calif, May 17-19, 2019. But FIRST... Brad's teenagers give Dave a look at what's in store for his kids in the future — and it includes sleeping in till noon. Show Notes 00:00 — Teenagers 06:06 — Brad's plan for 2019: Hiring an assistant 20:22 — Dave's plan...

Webcomics pros  Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar talk social-media strategy with Kevin McShane of Buzzfeed, the Lusty Horde , and more ! BUT FIRST, Dave marvels over the exercise craze of the belt vibrator . And that leads to this little-known story about the true-life origin of Marvel supervillain, the Shocker. Show notes 00:00 — The belt vibrator 08:10 — Understanding "sharing statements"...

Webcomics pros  Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar look back over another year in webcomics and discuss what worked really well — and what didn't. BUT FIRST, Dave marvels over the British idiom, " hard cheese ," and that leads to a discussion of British humor in general. Show notes 00:00 — "Hard cheese, old chap." 05:00 — 52 ComicLab episodes in 52 weeks — thanks to our Patreon backe...

Webcomics pros  Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss the Patreon Special Offer — and why comics artists should be using it — RIGHT NOW. Plus... running concurrent campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Is it a little skeevy, or super skeevy? And then, the burning question for the ages... What's it like being the most handsome host of ComicLab? BUT FIRST, Brad finally wins the artificial-Christmas...

Cartoonists  Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! Still reeling from an action-packed weekend at PatreCon, the guys are talking Patreon! For example — should you hide your Patreon numbers or display proudly how much you're earning? And what do you do when a backer expects more than you're offering? And how soon is too soon to launch your Patreon? Also — can a story-driven comic strip lik...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! Redbubble has killed off its support for print-on-demand calendars. Should you be doing the same? ALSO, how to prepare for a portfolio review. THEN, building a digital press kit and approaching comics-media outlets. FINALLY, when a cartoonist has 1.1 million Instagram followers and only about 400 Patreon backers, is something amiss? BUT FI...

Cartoonists  Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! Brad flew out to Los Angeles to attend PatreCon with his podcastin' pal Dave. Today, they talk about what they thought of the conference in general, what they learned, and most importantly how their approach to Patreon is going to change in the immediate future. BUT FIRST... Brad took delivery of the print run of his new book , and everyt...