Comic Lab

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom and Comicraft! Wacom is the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  And you're not going to want to miss Comicraft's Jan. 1 sale when all of their fonts are $20.22 each at Comicbookfonts.com This week, we discuss the importance of taking a break for the holidays.Questions asked and topics covered...Holiday contentUsing Blender for backgrounds -- is it cheating?Wholesome comicsCo-creators have left, but want inputBanking woes of the indie creatorToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom and Comicraft! Wacom is the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  And you're not going to want to miss Comicraft's Jan. 1 sale when all of their fonts are $20.22 each at Comicbookfonts.com This week, we discuss all of the hidden challenges in signing a book!Questions asked and topics covered...GestureThe Harold Zoid School of OverGestureUsing licensed charactersNetworking adviceGetting engagement on social media*Harold Zoid reference*Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestre

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom and Comicraft! Wacom is the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  And you're not going to want to miss Comicraft's Jan. 1 sale when all of their fonts are $20.22 each at Comicbookfonts.comThis week, we'll discuss composing a scene inside of a panel.Questions asked and topics covered...Art editingDave's writing processHow to get engagement on social mediaReleasing a book in January and FebruaryVictorian-era Comics HistoryToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom and Comicraft! Wacom is the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  And you're not going to want to miss Comicraft's Jan. 1 sale when all of their fonts are $20.22 each at Comicbookfonts.com This week, we discuss all of the hidden challenges in signing a book!Questions asked and topics covered...How to sign a bookSketches and Artist EditionsBookplatesLosing focus on a projectOffensive humorDave Kellett's Memento Mori Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we discuss monthly drawing challenges — is the participation worth the stress?Questions asked and topics covered...Drawing challengesKaijus and CowboysSteve Jobs on tastemastersPodcaster's Curse - vertical guttersHow to name a character.Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.Lis

Editor’s Note: The documentary “15 Minutes of Shame” is found on HBOMax — not Netflix.Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we discuss writing character motivations. What's the difference between Want and Need?Questions asked and topics covered...Writing: Want vs NeedDealing with a Guilt-TripperNetflix documentary, "15 Minutes of Shame"At what point can you enjoy completing a project?!What would you study?Who is Ken Muse?Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestr

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we wonder whether getting an animated series on a streaming service is the new brass ring for cartoonists.Questions asked and topics covered...Is Netflix the goal?USPS... it's getting worseFacebook and InstagramSchulz Museum is NOV 2022, not this Nov 22ndFinding a romantic parternon-comics stuff that drives your passionFor more information about preparing your comic for an animated pitch, listen to ComicLab #132Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (includin

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, a cartoonist asks about going back to a project they abandoned. Dave shares some strong advice. Brad sings his.Questions asked and topics covered...Going back to an old projectMonster MashConnecting with other creators at a conBuying ads on Facebook and InstragramKickstarter tiers with the same price pointBuilding an audienceToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evi

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  We're going back to Webcomics 101. We'll be talking about using the Web to build an audience.Questions asked and topics covered...Using  the Web to build an audience Lettering dilemmaHow many panels per page?Learning business mathHow to move surplus books The book "Arts & Numbers" can be found here.Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  Help us celebrate our 200th show at ComicLabCashGrab.com ! We're celebrating 200 episodes of ComicLab with a special king-sized episode in which we assemble a list of our best advice — and discuss how to best implement them.  If you want the commemorative magnet with all 20 tips, head over to ComicLabCashGrab.comThe 20 Comics CommandmentsMake. A. Good. Comic. Nothing else we talk about will be very effective until you do.Own and control your work.Ideas aren't special. The execution of ideas is special.You can't get worse at something you do every day.Good writing saves bad art. Rarely does that work in reverse.You can't drive toward your style, you can only see in the rearview mirror.Lettering: Nobody will read your comic...if they can’t read your comic. And for goodness' sake, learn the Crossbar-I rule.Time is the best editor. So edit...wait...edit...wait.If you’re not enjoying the comic, they’re not enjoying

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  Creators of longform comics face unique challenges in building an audience on the Web. Or do they?Questions asked and topics covered...Long form comics"Substandard fan-created content"Kickstarter minus social mediaToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.Listen to ComicLab on...Apple Podcast

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  How to handle death in a comic storyline without offending your readers. Also — facing Writer's Block wile writing a long storyline requires special handling.Questions asked and topics covered...Death in comicsGetting stuck writing a long storyDon't comics writers like prose?Habits and routinesToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  After Brad shared his debilitating bout with Writer's Block in episode 191, he shares how he overcame it, and started creating again. Also, the guys discuss what the shipping crisis could mean for small business this holiday season.Questions asked and topics covered...Writers Block — how to overcome itThe shipping crisis and holiday shoppingWhat exactly is "Small Press" — and how does one qualify?Search “cartoonist” in the the New York Times and you'll get mostly obituaries. Why aren't we newsworthy?!When should a reader step in?Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProT

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we're discussing the recent exodus of top talent from corporate comics to Substack, a subscription-based email-newsletter platform.Questions asked and topics covered...What is Substack? Substack is an online platform that provides publishing, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure to support subscription newsletters. It allows writers to send digital newsletters directly to subscribers. Creators are given a payment for their first year — between $3k and about $150k. After that, the creators take the standard deal, which is based on the number of subscribers they've earned, minus fees from Substack, credit-card companies, etc.What's in this for Substack? Buying users. They currently have around 500,000. Patreon has 6 million. Will this be a turning point for the creators? We'll know in about 366 days — after the advance runs out and they're left with only their subscribers.What does this say a

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we've devoted the entire show to Kickstarter — what's working, what's not, and how you can improve your campaign!Questions asked and topics covered...Kickstarter is the most tangible, real-world, evidence-based way to show how impossibly HARD it is to reach people, even with a focused messageKickstarter Self-loathing vs “people not hearing about it”Traceable Kickstarter linksManaging Kickstarter moneyKickstarter post-mortemKicktraq is almost always hyper-optimistic... here's a better way to project earningsInstagram's is nearly uselessIs TikTok going to be better?Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possi

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we're talking about posting your very first comic, and later we'll talk about how to write a good ending.Questions asked and topics covered...Making that first postMatt Forbeck (@mforbeck) explains why his gaming company will discontinue shipping to the EUQ3 Estimated tax payments are due on the 15thWe found a Writers Room in the wild...How to write a good endingToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier re

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we're talking about building your email newsletter.Questions asked and topics covered...E-mail newsletter managementEnding your comic and starting something newToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.Listen to ComicLab on...Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyPandoraStitcherComic

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we're talking about the ideal career path for comicsQuestions asked and topics covered...Kickstarter strategy of "fun" Stretch GoalsIdeal comics career path "Pro-am status"Is "do a good comics" really all there is?Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.Listen to ComicLab on...Ap

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we're talking about juggling multiple projects.  Questions asked and topics covered...Juggling two projectsSound effectsPatreon solves VAT dilemma for its creatorsRunning out of Patreon rewardsToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.Listen to ComicLab on...Apple PodcastsGoogle Po

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we're devoting a special hour-and-a-half episode to advice for exhibiting at comic conventions!Questions asked and topics covered...Exhibiting at your first comic con Hidden costs you need to be aware ofWhy Dave does comic conventionsWhat Dave won't do at showsHot Nerd Summer — how to safely do comic consFour strategies if you're going to exhibitToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar