Doing What Works for You.

I occasionally get asked for advice, especially at comic cons and the like, on how to get started in indie comics and how to move forward with it. I always feel awkward answering these questions as I feel like I am far from qualified to be giving such advice as I still see myself as the one that should be doing the asking, rather than giving the answers. However, I do try to give some pointers where I feel I can, which I can some up as follows:

• Firstly, just do it. Just make a start, whether you think you are ready or not. You don't even have to put it in front of an audience, but take those first steps as soon as you can.
• Be clear on what you want to achieve. What is the end goal? Are you aiming for the heights of Marvel and DC, or are you happy sticking with a "career" as an indie self published creator? (If it's the former, I'm not the one to ask for advice!)
• Story is king. Some may disagree with me here, but as far as I'm concerned comics are about storytelling and story has to take priority. You can have the best artwork in the world, but it's nothing without a good and engaging story. Great artwork does sell comics, but good story gets people coming back for more.
• Write/Create for you. Don't worry too much about pleasing others. You want to enjoy making what your making and you yourself are your first audience. Create something that you would enjoy reading first. It's a safe bet that if you enjoy it, there'll be others like you that will as well.
• Study other people's work but don't compare yourself to it. You will learn a lot from other comic creators out there, but don't focus too much on how your work differs from theirs. Just because they do something differently to you, doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. What you do differently is what makes your work yours and unique, and will make you stand out and be recognised. Learn to recognise the difference between something being bad and something being different.
• Listen to criticism, but try and recognise what is worth taking on board. You will receive criticism, ranging from constructive to outright abusive. This is part and parcel of putting something you've created out there for the public to see. Some of this is worth listening to, some of it should just be flat out ignored. It's not too hard to identify which is which, and with time you'll get a good sense for it.
• Do what works for you. There are many ways to create comics, digitally which can be on a PC or a tablet. Or you can be old school with pencil, pen and paper. Or even a combination of the two. There are a multitude of tools out there that you can utilise and practice with. Find the methods that work for you and don't worry about the ones you don't use. Everyone has their own approach, all of them valid, none of them wrong. As long as you are creating a good and enjoyable comic and you can say that it has come from you, then that's all that matters.

It's on those last two points that I want to talk more and why I'm writing this particular blog.

I work pretty much 100% digitally. I sit at my computer with a Huion tablet on my desk and create my artwork in a program called FireAlpaca. When I started making FLUX, I hadn't really done any drawing or art since I'd been at school, around 20 years previous. Art was always my best subject at school, but the time away from it meant I was very rusty. So I started training myself to work digitally, with a tablet that sits on my desk, while I look at what I'm drawing on my monitor. And that is how I now work, and how I produce my best work.

Lately, I've been trying to get back into working with paper. I've lost a lot of the skills I had developed as a kid in school, and admittedly what I create the old fashioned way is rough. But I'm working on it and in time I may get to a level where my digital and paper artwork are on a par with each other. Then again, it may not, and that's okay. I'm happy to classify myself as a digital artist, and acknowledge that I rely on the tools that digital provides. I've found what works for me, to make the comic I want to make.

I have found, however, this draws a level of criticism. At my last two events, I had visitors to my table make comments about digital vs paper, and an almost sneer of disapproval when I inform them that I work 100% digitally. An attitude of "a real artist should be able to do both!" This is an example of criticism that is not worth listening to. Criticising an artist for only working digitally is akin to criticising a pianist for not being able to play guitar, or a violinist not being able to play trumpet. They all make music, just in their own ways. Yes, there may be musicians out there that can play multiple instruments, but there are those that focus and master one. Neither is less skilled or valid than the other. Artists are no different. There are those that focus on one medium such as oils or watercolours. Digital is no different, it is simply another medium for creating art, with its own benefits and drawbacks.

So don't let anyone criticise you for the methods you use (unless it's AI). As long as you can say you are the one that created it through your own efforts and hard work, use the tools that work best for you.