Lost my job yesterday and I’ve always wanted to take a decent punt at making comics. This means so much to me while I go through this recovery. Thanks man.
just found this! makes much sense! I myself have been drawing comics for several yrs, and while I do have around 30 odd books out, it has been so sporatic! being 60, having a 50 hr a week job makes it difficult, yet I do not do it for fame or money but for love of the artform. my advice from the start in this adventure has been to tell all, its best to have at least 3-6 issues done BEFORE you even mention the launch. that way you have a cushion in which to work from. but always be consistant! if you launch, be sure you keep producing work. it does not matter if its monthly, every 2 weeks, every 2 months, whatever! just keep it regular! love the post!
As in indie artist, taking the craft serious I’m super glad i found your page. Art has saved my life, and your videos are extremely motivating and informative. Thank you 🙏🏾
This really hit home for me Trent. Last year I launched a webcomic on webtoons. I thought I had a decent amount of pages stocked up. I was going to post an episode once a week. Well, because I wasn't familiar enough with the format. My first few issues we're short. Once I finally got dialed in I realized that I burned through all of my back stock. -still having to stick to a weekly update, I was quite now drawing 5 pages in one day. Colors and letters on another. All while working a 40 hr week with. Two kids and a wife. My art and writing both suffered. At least I'll be more prepared next time.
Mike... I feel your pain. What you described sounds like it was hard on you. But be proud of the work you've accomplished, learn from the experience, and don't lose hope in your creative efforts. If you really want to do the comic thing, pace yourself, and don't expect a return. Also... I know that you didn't ask for advice, but if you have kids, be a DAD first. No amount of success in comics or career can possibly replace a good relationship with your family.
This was the freshest piece of content from this channel in a while. It’s so valuable to talk about the realistic side of pursuing any endeavour, but especially an artistic one. A lot of us artists hiss and shy away at business and reality due to its harshness and detachment from creativity, but as you mention, they are so vital to doing something on your own like a comic or a indie video game. Thanks for talking about it, money and marketing don’t have to be a bad thing with the right intentions and the hard work to back it up.
I kinda agree lol Nothing wrong with talking about experience as a professional but there was a large amount of name dropping and humble bragging here.😬😂
I've already worked like 2 years on my web manga and never had thought about anything you just said in this vid. tbh this is probably something I could have needed at the start. thanks
You've got a lot of good advice Trent! Yeeeeessss creating some buffer pages is SUPER important. Keeps the comic flowing, and the author from needing to take a bunch of hiatus. Though I would say you don't need to make 5 pages a week. Many of my favorite webcomics on Tapastic and Webtoons upload 1 to 2 pages a week and still have a pretty big following. I would say it also has to do with what you were saying about social media, where they'll post random doodles and illistrations they make to Instagram or Twitter to keep interacting with the fans without needing to create so many pages a week. It's also a form of advertising in and of itself! One of the most effective form of advertising I've seen for webcomics is when a comic artist gets a shout out by a bigger comic artist, because they did some amazing fan art or became friends with them through social media. I don't think you need to put your life on hold to make a comic, I would look at it more as a hobby at first, and transition into it as a job when you've gained enough of a following(or at least when there's enough interest to start selling your book through kickstarter or you own website). Though this is just coming from an avid webcomic reader who has endured the rise and fall of webcomics for the last 6 years :P
As a person also trying to climb back into comics I agree with a lot of this. You have to build up a backlog of content , you need to push to get people to see your stuff. RUclips, Twitch and other media platforms are important to use for leverage (as a fan of Creed as a kid it's, cool to suddenly find out "Oh hey, Trent has a youtube channel, Lemme follow it!"), so study how to use them effectively. It does help to have a job, but you'll end up tired and unable to keep up your art schedule (even if it's an art industry job) unless you're really laid back about it, but that generally means you take forever to get the product out and you lose motivation, so it's a tough balance. An important thing to remember is to keep at it, unless you're actually harming yourself by dong it, because it's never an overnight thing.
Your right! I felt that it was important to talk about everything that goes into making a comic since so many people think its as easy as "someone gives you a pile of money to make something great and they do all the work!". NOPE! A lot of work goes into making a comic. It's AMAZING when someone actually succeeds at it. I didn't even GET to the part about how to make good content! That's a whole other beast!
I agree! That's exactly my situation. Working a dead end back breaking job cause you're to stay afloat and nobody wants to give you a job cause you're overqualified or whatever the stupid reason may be. Always something.
I'm a new subscriber and watching your video gave me the push to continue in comics bro ,I'm working on my first indie comic and it's not easy as you said in the video and I appreciate your advice bro ,thanks bro.
Yeah successful comics usually have the same three factors in common: 1: Well known Protagonists. 2: Renowned Writer/Creator. 3: Large funding. Art style will pretty much cause zero impact, consumers want to understand the narrative through visuals, but that isn't the focus, it's just a vehicle to deliver the real product: the tale. One willing to publish comics need decents funds or eventually it's inevitable call it quit and go back to work on something else, bills to pay. If main characters are unknown, money must be spent to make them known; Batman sells because he is Batman and he's Batman because he sells... If nobody knows writer/creator, well that's a decade of personal marketing quest right there, better start now. Consumers don't like stories from unknown writers, but art is passable just have to be good enough. For example majority of Manga creators live below poverty line for an average 12 years before their book finally hit big, launch toys and anime series so then they can finally be rich and retired. The key is: these creators never quit, ever. And the funding for the facts mentioned above... If you don't own any source of passive income, before diving into full time comics, you will quit because you'll have to.
It’s not just Creed. Uncle E said you were a good person that treats people with respect. Everything he said about you was positive and he told it to people rejected and blocked by their favorite artists and writers.
Ethan said that? What a lil shweetie pie. I didn't understand part of your comment about "he told it to people rejected and blocked by their favorte artists". But I think you're trying to say that he stood up for me? Well I can certainly appreciate that. I don't agree with everything Ethan says, but I respect the hell of him for his work and his achievements.
We come as fans from being rejected by many Comicbook & Film companies who massively block us for supporting or not supporting changes in IP. There was a time when we could agree & disagree but at most agree to disagree now we are mostly slandered and accused of racism, lol me a Puertorican disabled vet dicen ni que soy un Nazi. He says you are a professional I don't think he spoke of your politics i don't know what they are but I do know that if Ethan recommended you, you will probably treat us in a professional & kind manner (by what i've experienced watching you're like physically a tough guy but a sweetie to clients and fans & a person with a good ear that doesnt take politics or competition personally.
Yes. Anyone that treats me well, will be treated well in return. I just... block the haters really. Shitty, or abusive attitudes toward me or anyone else on my channel are not welcome.
Trent Kaniuga that is wise, some people lump us in with mean people who say bad things just because we decided to support a project they don’t approve of. I would understand you muting&blocking people who treat you, your fans or your staff badly for your kind words to an old friend I’m with you 100% people have called me horrible things for sharing my support for Cyberfrog.
Dudeee, I enjoy Ethan's content so much, that name drop was such an awesome surprise. Yup I was expecting most of what you said :D still going for it hahahahaha
You do Creed! Here I just randomly had this pop up in my feed since I look up alot of things about making comics! I loved Creed back in the day! Subscribed!
Legit just took a bunch of notes on this video. You're really giving me a nice push for the series I want to work on. I'll definitely keep in mind what you said about us showing our comics and you checking it out (that really radical of you to do that tbh). Maybe you'll see me back here one day :)
Speaking about "Stream of content" I like the idea of including concept sketches or extra pieces like character bios n' stuff within the books. The sip of soda to your popcorn as it were.
Thank you Trent!.. i listen to you everyday while i do my artwork,.. you inspire and motivate me.. your advice's keep me in line with my goals! thank you so much for making all these videos. God Bless you and your family!
4:00 from what I’ve heard (though this seems to apply mostly to webcomics) is that 1 Page a week is ideal. You make sure a minimum of one page a week is done/posted/published and that’s typically what’s expected. Now in more traditional or weekly comic industries? Well, weekly is like 1-3 CHAPTERS a week and traditional is closer to weekly than what I typically hear for how much you should make in regards to comic pages.
Anything under 4 pages a week and your audience forgets that your comic even exists after a few weeks. Its a tough business that requires a lot of hard work and dedication.
Hey Trent.i work in comics, have done for years over at DC, also owned my own comic company where I created a comic called Bazooka Jules. It was never huge, but it’s oddly well known and I still get a lot of people asking for a re release.... and as you say here, truth is, a lot of people don’t understand what it takes to rerelease these projects in the light of having to work, or at least stay afloat as well. Taking the risk to just take that leap... it’s not easy in light of other commitments. Everyone here’s these stories of cyber frog, and the other crowd funding successes and assume, hey, I want to see *insert name of old indie comic they like here* why don’t they just head on over to Kickstarter or indiegogo and release it again. Because as you say, there’s a lot more to it than that... and those run away successes are exceptions to the rule, rather than the norm... Bazooka Jules is something, like you discuss here, I am slowly working my way back to... and if you don’t have the free time for one reason or another, that’s the best way to do it, crowd funding or not... Anyway, just thought I’d add my two cents to the discussion... it is there for the taking, oif people approach it sensibly. Treat it as much like a job as a passion project and peoples I’ll be able to get there books out there and make a living out of them.
I’m a big fan of Ethan Van Sciver, got myself a copy of Cyberfrog. Maybe that’s why the algorithm sent me here. Maybe it’s because I’m aiming to be an indie creator. Either way, your advice sounds excellent and you might just have earned yourself a fan.
Oh my goodness what perfect timing-- I was in the start of redrawing my comic (in a way that I'm actually proud of), and hearing something like this at this point of time feels like a boost and a refreshing eye-opener. At this point of time I've made 10 pages within the week (though that's prone to change when I go back to school in September), I know getting into the proper workflow and mindsets of things will allow me to make pages throughout the year, despite me last year and the years before being unable to continue due to self dissatisfaction with my comic work and being unwilling to continue. Though I'm not too crazy on fame from my work nor generating lots of money from it, but I mainly care about making people happy with it and being my work come to life. Congrats to you and your friend!
Shpahtel Lapsta i get what you mean. By a long shot I am not a perfectionist, but thinking back on it I wasn't making the pages to the best of my ability. I added no backgrounds, the character designs were inconsistent, the panels were repetitive, and the text was often hard to read. I believe in not being perfect being just right, but I was being mediocre. I can't be proud of something I didn't put my abilities and my understanding fully. So I must go back and start fresh to tell a story in a way it deserves to be told in, with actual effort.
Man I love your works. I find it very inspirational. I've struggling for a while since the 2008 economic crisis which led to my being homeless after losing a career job. As of now, slowly rebuilding my life and seeking to break out on my own. It's tough but I know it can be done.
Sorry to hear about what you went through man. Comics are a hard business to break into. If you've got bills to pay, I'd say it's an uphill pursuit to try to make money in comics. I'd recommend finding other ways to sell your art or writing, or work for someone that can guarantee payment for the work.
Indeed it is! Definitely tough. I am originally a graphic designer by profession which I was in the game for 17 years running til 2008 when I was laid off. It was rough. As of now, I am slowly rebuilding myself working odd jobs here and there. Took a while but finally the ball is rolling slowly but surely. I had to save money to get a refurbished desktop which is 2012 Mac Pro Quad Core which I will be upgrading soon. Also I am ordering a digital drawing tablet which I NEVER HAD. I'm trying to put together something to where I can venture out on my own and do my own thing. Anyways just know that watching your channel has inspired me to push myself to the next level skillwise. Thanks for sharing your tutorials and advices on your channel. Keep up the great work! I enjoy your videos!
Seems like good advice to me, a lot of things I wouldn’t have considered. Have had ideas for a story since forever, I’m sure not unlike many others, and perhaps it’s just that I’m too easily influenced by every new piece of media that interests me to ever settle on one to get it out, always thinking I need to change it or flesh it out more. One big thing has been deciding whether I should just try my hand at straight up writing a book, which might take less “work” in one way, but doesn’t interest me as much, and is harder to tell if I’m actually decent at it or not. Fortunately my funds aren’t relying on any of this, but the question then becomes if it’s worth it to me to just put out there for free or still try to sell it.
I'm telling you, I think RUclips or Google more read your thoughts! (This is kinda creepy honestly). I've been thinking about your art style since I first saw it on EVS' channel. So I was going to look through his videos to find your name again and omg this video was right there on my feed! ((CREEPY!!)) Still, I'm so glad that now I can watch your videos and that you're still around, you've been an inspiration of mine for a while now!
I’m serving full time in the navy and using my spare time to work on projects that I’ve always wanted to manifest. Just gotta keep at it. I appreciate the video Trent, thankyou for you as always !
Enjoyed this - realistic and encouraging at the same time. I feel most people who want to make comics are not motivated primarily by money, and as a result, do not necessarily develop a well thought out business/marketing aspect of their project. But for the investment of time required, it's hard to maintain output over the longterm if the project does not contribute to your 'material survival'. Anyway - enjoying the videos - thanks for the great content!
This was some great word! I'm currently writing a webcomic called Ninja Squad la Deluxe, which I post on Line Webtoon. I need to work on consistency, as I post monthly (ish). Debating on whether I should pause and build a backlog, or burn the midnight oil, maintaining this monthly pace as long as I can. Thanks again for the awesome tips, Trent!
Everything you said is spot on. I wish I had stockpiled content for my comic and waited about a year or two for working on it before jumping right in. I mean it wasn't to bad but once I got my job my whole production schedule fell to ruin and I was not able to maintain consistent updates. Had to stop the comic because I didn't have the energy to keep it up while working at the same time. Its something I really want to be back into eventually and I might just redo the whole thing since I didn't get to far into it.
Great video! I've been working on a comic for about 3 years now. Writing is re-writing! I am a member of SCBWI and I go to conferences to rub elbows with editors and peers. There is a big market in traditional publishing for comics written for 13-15 year old boys to help keep that demographic interested in reading. My goal is to get an agent by the end of the summer and if that doesn't work out, I'll definitely use your advice and stockpile an internet launch! You have a finished product that you could probably just shoot to a couple of agents/publishers to ship your book out and act as distributors. Since its already done, the best case scenario is that you make EVEN MORE money off your book(because they would pay you an advance even though the work is already done so you would just get a sweet bonus) and you'll have some rad physical copies laying around. Your comic has already seen a HUGE online audience and publishers would love to throw a little capital into something with proven track record and act as a distributor. Just work out the contract so you own your characters/story in the end. Worst case scenario, you wasted a little money on stamps when sending your story out. DM me if you have any questions about proposal packages for agents/publishers.
I want to make comics and it feels so great to hear his advice because that’s exactly what my plan was. Make 8 months of content ahead of time and then start releasing it 5 pages a week. Because it would be hard to release that many and work my job and do doodles for insta/twitter to promote it. I’m even considering to finish a story. Spend 8 months releasing it (8 chapters) and meanwhile work on the next book so that when they one is done releasing I can immediately start releasing the next story!!
Thank you for the amazing tips in this video, it was very informative! I'm trying to get into the world of comic making, I started a webcomic called The Beast of Heimin Sanctum that I post on Webtoons and I'd say it's going well, but I definitely need to work up a bigger backlog. I also am working on another graphic novel project, so it's hard to juggle with both, but I'll take the risk and go at it. I found your videos recently and they've been very helpful in getting me motivated to keep going, so thank you very much!
Love your work mister ! Thx for the tips ( in my 20's i tried unsuccesfully to put mywelf in my local comic book industry ) and yes, to be able to do so you must be 100 % focus on it, wich i wasnt at the time. . . . Have a great week. Waitin for the next video
Really enjoyed this vid, Trent. I was huge fan of Creed back in the day and I had the pleasure of meeting you at a comic Con in SoCal a few years ago. You were amazingly patient and kind. Good luck to all of your current and future endeavors!
I wish I had your talent. Loving watch your drawing and your style! Also props on working on a project for 25 years. That takes a lot of hard work and commitment.
True words Trent, please don't think I'm belittling the amazing amounts of hard work you had to put in to get where you are. In truth that's a talent all on it's own.
Trent, I can't believe how much CreeD has influenced me and my art. I was 16 in 1997. I wore JNCO jeans with elephant, kangaroo wide baggy pants. I was heavily influenced by the graffiti from late 80's till present, Ninja Turtles, Heavy Metal (on MTV), and He-man vs Skelator. I miss those days when media was fking awesome.
Found Creed when you where doing Cranial Disorder. Loved it back then but my copies have been lost to time. So glad you got your digital version. Looking forward to picking that up. Thanks for creating it back then.
Trent Kaniuga I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I think it’s a fine piece of character design. I also think that, today, your editor would strongly suggest you lighten the color of the face. It’s the same situation with Mr. Popo from Dragonball Z. It’s different times now and some people really latch on to things like that. They don’t care about your intent, they just see things and go berserk.
i want to ba able to draw and share my work with others, to get feedback and critique and also bond with others to inspire new ideas- not much has happen for 20 years of that sort...
Can the next guide be battle painting? I can't find any guide to paint battle. I mean, they show how to draw a group of fighting figures, but not how to make thousands of warriors with flags and stuff in background. Can you teach me how to draw huge battle, like Battle of the Pelennor Fields from watched from Minas Tirith?
DUDE! That is also my problem, too! I struggled to draw huge battle scenes, but can't seem to have the skills to do it. I am glad I am not the only one, man. Thanks for asking!
I've seen a page a week being common among Instagram and Tumblr uses with a respectable amount of followers. I think it has a lot to do with platform as well and what the culture is there in terms of expected output.
Oh man! I know you! I bought the Creed comics and they were part of my inspiration to follow the path of the comic 24 years ago! Now I am just publishing my own comic independently, and it has been somewhat providential to find this video. Amazing!
I think the hardest thing is getting your content out there on top of MAKING the content. Posting it isn’t enough. You need to be a writer, artist, publisher, social media manager, designer, and marketing expert. I’ve been working on my comic EARTH NEXUS: Origins for a year now, posting weekly. I’m now posting 7 full colored pages per week- a new record. But I have almost no traction anywhere because all my time goes to making the content. Something I have to work on… but one thing is certain- there’s time. If you have the pages, a good story, and potential, it’s ok to focus on those things. Cuz when it comes time to promote, you’ll have a shit ton to pull from.
This reminds me a lot of that old game Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles. I think it got cancelled and there's virtually no way to find the old cast members of the game. it was gonna have a tv show too. bummer. gonna head to your store and pick up the collection of creed though, this redesign is right up my alley.
Just found this video and you answered almost all the questions I've had over the last months. Thanks Trent! BTW just in case... I'm making my own comic at the moment, I've got 4 issues already planned out with all the sketching and thumbnails done for the first one. Now I'm inking it, but I'm still pretty slow (I guess I just gotta practice a lot). Do you got any advice on getting faster at inking digitally?
This helped a lot because I put so much pressure on myself to do so many pages in a certain amount of time when I already have a full time 50+ hr/week job; it put a lot of things in perspective. I'll try to go the stockpile route. Thanks.
My group is making a comic book right now, tho we're calling it a graphic novel :P 140 or so pages... And yeah advertising and getting the word out is going to be the biggest challenge :)
@@TrentKaniuga Oh I meant in terms of attention and being known. Most webcomics (especially on Tapas) get updated once a week and garner a lot of views and subscibers very well. But many of them do make money, not just from the comic itself, but merchandise and comms that come out of people knowing them from their comics. It might not be the majority, and regardless of the quality of their actual work, there is no denying that comics (such as Lore Olympus) have mass appeal and do bring the creators money. Even ones presented here as animated comics on RUclips (like Hazbin Hotel) gain a huge following.
I know this was posted about a year ago but I have a question. I'm a highschool student studying for art n stuff and I wanted to make a comic. Should I stockpile all of the content and release at a schedule? Perhaps a volume of the comic or half a volume? And is there a way to make money from comics? I don't want to price the work too high but I do want to say I made something of it, even if it's mediorce pocket money.
Hey Trent! Love love love your art style! I created my own comic and was wondering if I could send it to you and get your input! would really appreciate it!
He's amazing! I've been binge watching his content. Already I've gone from 1k words per week to 18k words per week without sacrificing much more of my schedule.
Thanks again SO much for the advice. From a guy who trying to make a TCG, comics, TT games, video games, and anime (or, sort of anime), o and is it possible try and do to much at once?
I'm actually making a webcomic on the side of my job (visible here www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/gods-great-game/list?title_no=60920 ) and I completely get the part where you say goodbye to your social life if you want to meet the fans expectations. Still, I'll finish this story because it's my first one, and do better on the next. Thanks for your insight, and thanks to whoever goes to see my comic
I'm a comic book writer, nothing published as of yet, but I'm interested in creating digital comics, I have scripts written, and I need to know the process, and the estimate/average price for the artist, colourist for digital flatting, and a letterer. I've written graphics novels, and some, but as I mentioned earlier, I have no artist or anything, I know how to grind one, I just need a guide or process of doing this correctly.
Glad I clicked on this video, I started doing art pretty late in my life (started in the 11th grade, go figure) and ever since I did no other job ever felt better for me. I will have my depression phases in my life where I won't do art for a somewhat long period of time, but every time I eventually get back in the swing of things. I know it's gonna be hard for me, especially considering the fact that I'm starting out small AND I probably won't come out on top every time, but I'll get there one day. Sadly, I haven't made my own webcomic series yet (besides, it's pretty weird anyway), but I will someday when I finally move out of my parents house. I'm 21 years old now and I'm glad I took this career path.
You may never see this, but how exactly do you get started with an indie comic? I have vague ideas for comics but I have no idea how to even get the ball rolling on fleshing them out. I have a couple of books on storytelling that I'm starting to go through but those are more focused on movie scripts.
I've been thinking of doing comics for a long time but never thought my art was good enough until now, where i think it's decent enough to put up on the web. I'm still planning this huge story right now and am trying to tie big pieces of the plot together. I'll most likely make it into a comic after i'm done with plotting. What do you think of publishing comics on a platform like webtoons? is it a good idea? if the webtoon team likes someone's comic enough they'll get featured (and paid). do you think its worth a shot? I just want to do it for fun though, not as a job cuz it won't make enough to pay rent.. just curious about what you think of webtoons.
Hello I'm a follower of yours I love your videos Unfortunately I do not control English but I think I'm learning several concepts thanks to your videos, you could make a more detailed video for this technique in clip studio I do not understand the process
i have a plot that im just working on writing down and getting to make sense. can a comic be just one book or does it need to be a series? I still dont know if i want to make it longer and focus on smaller things in multiple books or have the whole thing wrap up sooner in one
Lost my job yesterday and I’ve always wanted to take a decent punt at making comics. This means so much to me while I go through this recovery. Thanks man.
Hope it goes well for you!
how's it going?
How's it going?
Coldseid any updates?
You failed didn't you?
I’m really addicted to listening to this channel during this lockdown period
same!
Same
just found this! makes much sense! I myself have been drawing comics for several yrs, and while I do have around 30 odd books out, it has been so sporatic! being 60, having a 50 hr a week job makes it difficult, yet I do not do it for fame or money but for love of the artform. my advice from the start in this adventure has been to tell all, its best to have at least 3-6 issues done BEFORE you even mention the launch. that way you have a cushion in which to work from. but always be consistant! if you launch, be sure you keep producing work. it does not matter if its monthly, every 2 weeks, every 2 months, whatever! just keep it regular! love the post!
Absolutely terrific.
Hey papa Ethan
As in indie artist, taking the craft serious I’m super glad i found your page. Art has saved my life, and your videos are extremely motivating and informative. Thank you 🙏🏾
This really hit home for me Trent.
Last year I launched a webcomic on webtoons. I thought I had a decent amount of pages stocked up. I was going to post an episode once a week. Well, because I wasn't familiar enough with the format. My first few issues we're short. Once I finally got dialed in I realized that I burned through all of my back stock. -still having to stick to a weekly update, I was quite now drawing 5 pages in one day. Colors and letters on another. All while working a 40 hr week with. Two kids and a wife. My art and writing both suffered.
At least I'll be more prepared next time.
Mike... I feel your pain. What you described sounds like it was hard on you. But be proud of the work you've accomplished, learn from the experience, and don't lose hope in your creative efforts. If you really want to do the comic thing, pace yourself, and don't expect a return. Also... I know that you didn't ask for advice, but if you have kids, be a DAD first. No amount of success in comics or career can possibly replace a good relationship with your family.
Trent Kaniuga well said. I plan on doing a shorter story next time, just so I have a finished product.
@@liesinred1 WHAT WAS THE WEBTOON'S NAME ?
@@joecooper8527" the glass crown. "
Its It's really not good.
This was the freshest piece of content from this channel in a while. It’s so valuable to talk about the realistic side of pursuing any endeavour, but especially an artistic one. A lot of us artists hiss and shy away at business and reality due to its harshness and detachment from creativity, but as you mention, they are so vital to doing something on your own like a comic or a indie video game. Thanks for talking about it, money and marketing don’t have to be a bad thing with the right intentions and the hard work to back it up.
The amount of humble bragging in this video is too damn high lol
Not really humble bragging if u can back it up no ? Maybe idk
I kinda agree lol Nothing wrong with talking about experience as a professional but there was a large amount of name dropping and humble bragging here.😬😂
I've already worked like 2 years on my web manga and never had thought about anything you just said in this vid. tbh this is probably something I could have needed at the start. thanks
You've got a lot of good advice Trent! Yeeeeessss creating some buffer pages is SUPER important. Keeps the comic flowing, and the author from needing to take a bunch of hiatus. Though I would say you don't need to make 5 pages a week. Many of my favorite webcomics on Tapastic and Webtoons upload 1 to 2 pages a week and still have a pretty big following. I would say it also has to do with what you were saying about social media, where they'll post random doodles and illistrations they make to Instagram or Twitter to keep interacting with the fans without needing to create so many pages a week. It's also a form of advertising in and of itself! One of the most effective form of advertising I've seen for webcomics is when a comic artist gets a shout out by a bigger comic artist, because they did some amazing fan art or became friends with them through social media. I don't think you need to put your life on hold to make a comic, I would look at it more as a hobby at first, and transition into it as a job when you've gained enough of a following(or at least when there's enough interest to start selling your book through kickstarter or you own website). Though this is just coming from an avid webcomic reader who has endured the rise and fall of webcomics for the last 6 years :P
As a person also trying to climb back into comics I agree with a lot of this. You have to build up a backlog of content , you need to push to get people to see your stuff. RUclips, Twitch and other media platforms are important to use for leverage (as a fan of Creed as a kid it's, cool to suddenly find out "Oh hey, Trent has a youtube channel, Lemme follow it!"), so study how to use them effectively. It does help to have a job, but you'll end up tired and unable to keep up your art schedule (even if it's an art industry job) unless you're really laid back about it, but that generally means you take forever to get the product out and you lose motivation, so it's a tough balance. An important thing to remember is to keep at it, unless you're actually harming yourself by dong it, because it's never an overnight thing.
Your right! I felt that it was important to talk about everything that goes into making a comic since so many people think its as easy as "someone gives you a pile of money to make something great and they do all the work!". NOPE! A lot of work goes into making a comic. It's AMAZING when someone actually succeeds at it. I didn't even GET to the part about how to make good content! That's a whole other beast!
I agree! That's exactly my situation. Working a dead end back breaking job cause you're to stay afloat and nobody wants to give you a job cause you're overqualified or whatever the stupid reason may be. Always something.
I'm a new subscriber and watching your video gave me the push to continue in comics bro ,I'm working on my first indie comic and it's not easy as you said in the video and I appreciate your advice bro ,thanks bro.
Yeah successful comics usually have the same three factors in common:
1: Well known Protagonists.
2: Renowned Writer/Creator.
3: Large funding.
Art style will pretty much cause zero impact, consumers want to understand the narrative through visuals, but that isn't the focus, it's just a vehicle to deliver the real product: the tale.
One willing to publish comics need decents funds or eventually it's inevitable call it quit and go back to work on something else, bills to pay.
If main characters are unknown, money must be spent to make them known; Batman sells because he is Batman and he's Batman because he sells...
If nobody knows writer/creator, well that's a decade of personal marketing quest right there, better start now. Consumers don't like stories from unknown writers, but art is passable just have to be good enough. For example majority of Manga creators live below poverty line for an average 12 years before their book finally hit big, launch toys and anime series so then they can finally be rich and retired. The key is: these creators never quit, ever.
And the funding for the facts mentioned above... If you don't own any source of passive income, before diving into full time comics, you will quit because you'll have to.
It’s not just Creed. Uncle E said you were a good person that treats people with respect. Everything he said about you was positive and he told it to people rejected and blocked by their favorite artists and writers.
Ethan said that? What a lil shweetie pie. I didn't understand part of your comment about "he told it to people rejected and blocked by their favorte artists". But I think you're trying to say that he stood up for me? Well I can certainly appreciate that. I don't agree with everything Ethan says, but I respect the hell of him for his work and his achievements.
We come as fans from being rejected by many Comicbook & Film companies who massively block us for supporting or not supporting changes in IP. There was a time when we could agree & disagree but at most agree to disagree now we are mostly slandered and accused of racism, lol me a Puertorican disabled vet dicen ni que soy un Nazi. He says you are a professional I don't think he spoke of your politics i don't know what they are but I do know that if Ethan recommended you, you will probably treat us in a professional & kind manner (by what i've experienced watching you're like physically a tough guy but a sweetie to clients and fans & a person with a good ear that doesnt take politics or competition personally.
I think he thinks you're cool I think it's obvious in how he speaks of you & i agree I think you are cool.
Yes. Anyone that treats me well, will be treated well in return. I just... block the haters really. Shitty, or abusive attitudes toward me or anyone else on my channel are not welcome.
Trent Kaniuga that is wise, some people lump us in with mean people who say bad things just because we decided to support a project they don’t approve of. I would understand you muting&blocking people who treat you, your fans or your staff badly for your kind words to an old friend I’m with you 100% people have called me horrible things for sharing my support for Cyberfrog.
Dudeee, I enjoy Ethan's content so much, that name drop was such an awesome surprise. Yup I was expecting most of what you said :D still going for it hahahahaha
This was a lot of good info that I hadn't heard before. Thanks!
You do Creed! Here I just randomly had this pop up in my feed since I look up alot of things about making comics! I loved Creed back in the day! Subscribed!
Legit just took a bunch of notes on this video. You're really giving me a nice push for the series I want to work on. I'll definitely keep in mind what you said about us showing our comics and you checking it out (that really radical of you to do that tbh).
Maybe you'll see me back here one day :)
Speaking about "Stream of content" I like the idea of including concept sketches or extra pieces like character bios n' stuff within the books. The sip of soda to your popcorn as it were.
Thank you Trent!.. i listen to you everyday while i do my artwork,.. you inspire and motivate me.. your advice's keep me in line with my goals! thank you so much for making all these videos. God Bless you and your family!
You are very impressive, I had to subscribe at first glance. Love it
4:00 from what I’ve heard (though this seems to apply mostly to webcomics) is that 1 Page a week is ideal. You make sure a minimum of one page a week is done/posted/published and that’s typically what’s expected. Now in more traditional or weekly comic industries? Well, weekly is like 1-3 CHAPTERS a week and traditional is closer to weekly than what I typically hear for how much you should make in regards to comic pages.
Anything under 4 pages a week and your audience forgets that your comic even exists after a few weeks. Its a tough business that requires a lot of hard work and dedication.
I really appreciate your candid thoughts on this topic. They are excellent, realistic things to keep in mind for the future. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Trent.i work in comics, have done for years over at DC, also owned my own comic company where I created a comic called Bazooka Jules. It was never huge, but it’s oddly well known and I still get a lot of people asking for a re release.... and as you say here, truth is, a lot of people don’t understand what it takes to rerelease these projects in the light of having to work, or at least stay afloat as well. Taking the risk to just take that leap... it’s not easy in light of other commitments.
Everyone here’s these stories of cyber frog, and the other crowd funding successes and assume, hey, I want to see *insert name of old indie comic they like here* why don’t they just head on over to Kickstarter or indiegogo and release it again.
Because as you say, there’s a lot more to it than that... and those run away successes are exceptions to the rule, rather than the norm...
Bazooka Jules is something, like you discuss here, I am slowly working my way back to... and if you don’t have the free time for one reason or another, that’s the best way to do it, crowd funding or not...
Anyway, just thought I’d add my two cents to the discussion... it is there for the taking, oif people approach it sensibly. Treat it as much like a job as a passion project and peoples I’ll be able to get there books out there and make a living out of them.
It's been so long without your timelaps videos please continue with them and more comic knowledge,thank you
I’m a big fan of Ethan Van Sciver, got myself a copy of Cyberfrog. Maybe that’s why the algorithm sent me here. Maybe it’s because I’m aiming to be an indie creator. Either way, your advice sounds excellent and you might just have earned yourself a fan.
Oh my goodness what perfect timing-- I was in the start of redrawing my comic (in a way that I'm actually proud of), and hearing something like this at this point of time feels like a boost and a refreshing eye-opener.
At this point of time I've made 10 pages within the week (though that's prone to change when I go back to school in September), I know getting into the proper workflow and mindsets of things will allow me to make pages throughout the year, despite me last year and the years before being unable to continue due to self dissatisfaction with my comic work and being unwilling to continue.
Though I'm not too crazy on fame from my work nor generating lots of money from it, but I mainly care about making people happy with it and being my work come to life.
Congrats to you and your friend!
Shpahtel Lapsta i get what you mean. By a long shot I am not a perfectionist, but thinking back on it I wasn't making the pages to the best of my ability. I added no backgrounds, the character designs were inconsistent, the panels were repetitive, and the text was often hard to read. I believe in not being perfect being just right, but I was being mediocre. I can't be proud of something I didn't put my abilities and my understanding fully. So I must go back and start fresh to tell a story in a way it deserves to be told in, with actual effort.
Shpahtel Lapsta some of the respurces you link I've actually used to better my skills. Thank you!
Man I love your works. I find it very inspirational. I've struggling for a while since the 2008 economic crisis which led to my being homeless after losing a career job. As of now, slowly rebuilding my life and seeking to break out on my own. It's tough but I know it can be done.
Sorry to hear about what you went through man. Comics are a hard business to break into. If you've got bills to pay, I'd say it's an uphill pursuit to try to make money in comics. I'd recommend finding other ways to sell your art or writing, or work for someone that can guarantee payment for the work.
Indeed it is! Definitely tough. I am originally a graphic designer by profession which I was in the game for 17 years running til 2008 when I was laid off. It was rough. As of now, I am slowly rebuilding myself working odd jobs here and there. Took a while but finally the ball is rolling slowly but surely. I had to save money to get a refurbished desktop which is 2012 Mac Pro Quad Core which I will be upgrading soon. Also I am ordering a digital drawing tablet which I NEVER HAD. I'm trying to put together something to where I can venture out on my own and do my own thing. Anyways just know that watching your channel has inspired me to push myself to the next level skillwise. Thanks for sharing your tutorials and advices on your channel. Keep up the great work! I enjoy your videos!
Wow what a tough journey, I wish you all the best for the future!
Rendou Most definitely and shall I succeed in all that I do. That’s real. Thanks for the encouragement!
Rodney Williams yeah mate, I know you can do it. Go get em!
Twilight Monk is awesome. Everyone should pick up that book. I love Creed too.
Thanks man! Again, this was soo inspiring
CREED! I loved your comic... what drew me to the comic was your art. It had a manga/urban feel to it.
Seems like good advice to me, a lot of things I wouldn’t have considered.
Have had ideas for a story since forever, I’m sure not unlike many others, and perhaps it’s just that I’m too easily influenced by every new piece of media that interests me to ever settle on one to get it out, always thinking I need to change it or flesh it out more. One big thing has been deciding whether I should just try my hand at straight up writing a book, which might take less “work” in one way, but doesn’t interest me as much, and is harder to tell if I’m actually decent at it or not.
Fortunately my funds aren’t relying on any of this, but the question then becomes if it’s worth it to me to just put out there for free or still try to sell it.
This video my introduction to you and your work. When Creed hits ComiXology I am all over it. Its exactly the kinda thing I am into.
I'm telling you, I think RUclips or Google more read your thoughts! (This is kinda creepy honestly). I've been thinking about your art style since I first saw it on EVS' channel. So I was going to look through his videos to find your name again and omg this video was right there on my feed! ((CREEPY!!)) Still, I'm so glad that now I can watch your videos and that you're still around, you've been an inspiration of mine for a while now!
I’m serving full time in the navy and using my spare time to work on projects that I’ve always wanted to manifest. Just gotta keep at it. I appreciate the video Trent, thankyou for you as always !
Enjoyed this - realistic and encouraging at the same time. I feel most people who want to make comics are not motivated primarily by money, and as a result, do not necessarily develop a well thought out business/marketing aspect of their project. But for the investment of time required, it's hard to maintain output over the longterm if the project does not contribute to your 'material survival'. Anyway - enjoying the videos - thanks for the great content!
"Ain't No slouch brother " lol
I am happy am not the only one resurrecting characters and stories from my childhood. This is great
This was some great word! I'm currently writing a webcomic called Ninja Squad la Deluxe, which I post on Line Webtoon. I need to work on consistency, as I post monthly (ish). Debating on whether I should pause and build a backlog, or burn the midnight oil, maintaining this monthly pace as long as I can. Thanks again for the awesome tips, Trent!
Great tips and illustrations!
Once again, very helpful!
Everything you said is spot on. I wish I had stockpiled content for my comic and waited about a year or two for working on it before jumping right in. I mean it wasn't to bad but once I got my job my whole production schedule fell to ruin and I was not able to maintain consistent updates. Had to stop the comic because I didn't have the energy to keep it up while working at the same time. Its something I really want to be back into eventually and I might just redo the whole thing since I didn't get to far into it.
Great video! I've been working on a comic for about 3 years now. Writing is re-writing! I am a member of SCBWI and I go to conferences to rub elbows with editors and peers. There is a big market in traditional publishing for comics written for 13-15 year old boys to help keep that demographic interested in reading. My goal is to get an agent by the end of the summer and if that doesn't work out, I'll definitely use your advice and stockpile an internet launch!
You have a finished product that you could probably just shoot to a couple of agents/publishers to ship your book out and act as distributors. Since its already done, the best case scenario is that you make EVEN MORE money off your book(because they would pay you an advance even though the work is already done so you would just get a sweet bonus) and you'll have some rad physical copies laying around. Your comic has already seen a HUGE online audience and publishers would love to throw a little capital into something with proven track record and act as a distributor. Just work out the contract so you own your characters/story in the end. Worst case scenario, you wasted a little money on stamps when sending your story out. DM me if you have any questions about proposal packages for agents/publishers.
I want to make comics and it feels so great to hear his advice because that’s exactly what my plan was. Make 8 months of content ahead of time and then start releasing it 5 pages a week. Because it would be hard to release that many and work my job and do doodles for insta/twitter to promote it. I’m even considering to finish a story. Spend 8 months releasing it (8 chapters) and meanwhile work on the next book so that when they one is done releasing I can immediately start releasing the next story!!
I wish you lots of luck! It's not an easy task to make a comic. Run with your passion!
Dude! I love Galexy Edge
Thank you for the amazing tips in this video, it was very informative! I'm trying to get into the world of comic making, I started a webcomic called The Beast of Heimin Sanctum that I post on Webtoons and I'd say it's going well, but I definitely need to work up a bigger backlog. I also am working on another graphic novel project, so it's hard to juggle with both, but I'll take the risk and go at it. I found your videos recently and they've been very helpful in getting me motivated to keep going, so thank you very much!
Great stuff Trent. Hope you are doing well. This is Roman. I found you through Ethans Channel giving you a shout out.
Love your work mister ! Thx for the tips ( in my 20's i tried unsuccesfully to put mywelf in my local comic book industry ) and yes, to be able to do so you must be 100 % focus on it, wich i wasnt at the time. . . . Have a great week. Waitin for the next video
Really enjoyed this vid, Trent. I was huge fan of Creed back in the day and I had the pleasure of meeting you at a comic Con in SoCal a few years ago. You were amazingly patient and kind. Good luck to all of your current and future endeavors!
I wish I had your talent. Loving watch your drawing and your style! Also props on working on a project for 25 years. That takes a lot of hard work and commitment.
it's not talent so much as hard work. I wish I was talented. It would make all of this hard work so much easier.
True words Trent, please don't think I'm belittling the amazing amounts of hard work you had to put in to get where you are. In truth that's a talent all on it's own.
Not at all! But i DO wish it was easier regardless!
Words of wisdom and warning.
Great stuff, thanks for the video
Trent, I can't believe how much CreeD has influenced me and my art. I was 16 in 1997. I wore JNCO jeans with elephant, kangaroo wide baggy pants. I was heavily influenced by the graffiti from late 80's till present, Ninja Turtles, Heavy Metal (on MTV), and He-man vs Skelator. I miss those days when media was fking awesome.
Found Creed when you where doing Cranial Disorder.
Loved it back then but my copies have been lost to time. So glad you got your digital version. Looking forward to picking that up.
Thanks for creating it back then.
Love the video, love the style. I really hope nobody tries to give you crap about the sunflower.
Jake Amo what’s wrong with the sunflower? He was in the original creed book from 1994.
Trent Kaniuga I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I think it’s a fine piece of character design. I also think that, today, your editor would strongly suggest you lighten the color of the face.
It’s the same situation with Mr. Popo from Dragonball Z. It’s different times now and some people really latch on to things like that. They don’t care about your intent, they just see things and go berserk.
This was an interesting listen, very informative. Also love the intro music.
Man, this guy's deep. Especially the bit about popcorn.
i want to ba able to draw and share my work with others, to get feedback and critique and also bond with others to inspire new ideas- not much has happen for 20 years of that sort...
Can the next guide be battle painting? I can't find any guide to paint battle. I mean, they show how to draw a group of fighting figures, but not how to make thousands of warriors with flags and stuff in background. Can you teach me how to draw huge battle, like Battle of the Pelennor Fields from watched from Minas Tirith?
DUDE! That is also my problem, too! I struggled to draw huge battle scenes, but can't seem to have the skills to do it. I am glad I am not the only one, man. Thanks for asking!
I've seen a page a week being common among Instagram and Tumblr uses with a respectable amount of followers. I think it has a lot to do with platform as well and what the culture is there in terms of expected output.
Hey just picked up ikeda. Cheers for these videos too !
You rock! Share your best times for each stage!
really good advice! great video
Oh man! I know you! I bought the Creed comics and they were part of my inspiration to follow the path of the comic 24 years ago!
Now I am just publishing my own comic independently, and it has been somewhat providential to find this video. Amazing!
I think the hardest thing is getting your content out there on top of MAKING the content. Posting it isn’t enough. You need to be a writer, artist, publisher, social media manager, designer, and marketing expert. I’ve been working on my comic EARTH NEXUS: Origins for a year now, posting weekly. I’m now posting 7 full colored pages per week- a new record. But I have almost no traction anywhere because all my time goes to making the content. Something I have to work on… but one thing is certain- there’s time. If you have the pages, a good story, and potential, it’s ok to focus on those things. Cuz when it comes time to promote, you’ll have a shit ton to pull from.
Wow. 7 pages a week is a strong effort! I wish you luck!
OMG please bring it back we we would all love it i bet evs would even promote it
Trent, please go on Ethan's show! Creed and Cyberfrog where an inspiration when I was a kid!
This reminds me a lot of that old game Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles. I think it got cancelled and there's virtually no way to find the old cast members of the game. it was gonna have a tv show too. bummer.
gonna head to your store and pick up the collection of creed though, this redesign is right up my alley.
No! No! No! Creed will sale! We love Creed! We want Creed! There's nothing out here like Creed in comics, done as well as Creed. #WeWantCreed
Just found this video and you answered almost all the questions I've had over the last months. Thanks Trent! BTW just in case... I'm making my own comic at the moment, I've got 4 issues already planned out with all the sketching and thumbnails done for the first one. Now I'm inking it, but I'm still pretty slow (I guess I just gotta practice a lot). Do you got any advice on getting faster at inking digitally?
This helped a lot because I put so much pressure on myself to do so many pages in a certain amount of time when I already have a full time 50+ hr/week job; it put a lot of things in perspective.
I'll try to go the stockpile route.
Thanks.
Got here by chance, found great advice!
Cool stuff you should interview Dave rapoza and Dan Warren sometime they make some awesome books
ill have to send you some concepts of my manga when I get some stuff done :)
My group is making a comic book right now, tho we're calling it a graphic novel :P 140 or so pages... And yeah advertising and getting the word out is going to be the biggest challenge :)
a signal boost, just 'cause? subscribed.
Nice. I love Sketchbook Pro
I see a lot more anime influence in your current works over your older stuff. Just an observation ;)
Dude has three fingers and eyes that stare into my soul o.o
13:44 to be fair, MOST web comics start with updating at least once a week and do fine on sites like webtoons and Tapastic/Tapas.
If by "they do fine" you mean that they make 10 cents per day... then yes.
@@TrentKaniuga Oh I meant in terms of attention and being known. Most webcomics (especially on Tapas) get updated once a week and garner a lot of views and subscibers very well. But many of them do make money, not just from the comic itself, but merchandise and comms that come out of people knowing them from their comics. It might not be the majority, and regardless of the quality of their actual work, there is no denying that comics (such as Lore Olympus) have mass appeal and do bring the creators money. Even ones presented here as animated comics on RUclips (like Hazbin Hotel) gain a huge following.
I know this was posted about a year ago but I have a question. I'm a highschool student studying for art n stuff and I wanted to make a comic. Should I stockpile all of the content and release at a schedule? Perhaps a volume of the comic or half a volume? And is there a way to make money from comics? I don't want to price the work too high but I do want to say I made something of it, even if it's mediorce pocket money.
Hey Trent! Love love love your art style! I created my own comic and was wondering if I could send it to you and get your input! would really appreciate it!
Thank you sir.
+1 for Chris Fox's writing books! Check out his RUclips page if you haven't seen it!
He's amazing! I've been binge watching his content. Already I've gone from 1k words per week to 18k words per week without sacrificing much more of my schedule.
18K? .... Wow! F'n beast! :-)
great insights
Thanks again SO much for the advice. From a guy who trying to make a TCG, comics, TT games, video games, and anime (or, sort of anime), o and is it possible try and do to much at once?
Gonna Watch this Later!
I'm actually making a webcomic on the side of my job (visible here www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/gods-great-game/list?title_no=60920 ) and I completely get the part where you say goodbye to your social life if you want to meet the fans expectations. Still, I'll finish this story because it's my first one, and do better on the next. Thanks for your insight, and thanks to whoever goes to see my comic
I'm a comic book writer, nothing published as of yet, but I'm interested in creating digital comics, I have scripts written, and I need to know the process, and the estimate/average price for the artist, colourist for digital flatting, and a letterer. I've written graphics novels, and some, but as I mentioned earlier, I have no artist or anything, I know how to grind one, I just need a guide or process of doing this correctly.
Glad I clicked on this video, I started doing art pretty late in my life (started in the 11th grade, go figure) and ever since I did no other job ever felt better for me. I will have my depression phases in my life where I won't do art for a somewhat long period of time, but every time I eventually get back in the swing of things. I know it's gonna be hard for me, especially considering the fact that I'm starting out small AND I probably won't come out on top every time, but I'll get there one day. Sadly, I haven't made my own webcomic series yet (besides, it's pretty weird anyway), but I will someday when I finally move out of my parents house. I'm 21 years old now and I'm glad I took this career path.
You may never see this, but how exactly do you get started with an indie comic? I have vague ideas for comics but I have no idea how to even get the ball rolling on fleshing them out. I have a couple of books on storytelling that I'm starting to go through but those are more focused on movie scripts.
It could sell if you asked our boi Uncle Ethan to shoutout your IndieGoGo campaign
I've been thinking of doing comics for a long time but never thought my art was good enough until now, where i think it's decent enough to put up on the web. I'm still planning this huge story right now and am trying to tie big pieces of the plot together. I'll most likely make it into a comic after i'm done with plotting. What do you think of publishing comics on a platform like webtoons? is it a good idea? if the webtoon team likes someone's comic enough they'll get featured (and paid). do you think its worth a shot? I just want to do it for fun though, not as a job cuz it won't make enough to pay rent.. just curious about what you think of webtoons.
4:27 the tips start
Hello I'm a follower of yours I love your videos Unfortunately I do not control English but I think I'm learning several concepts thanks to your videos, you could make a more detailed video for this technique in clip studio I do not understand the process
There isn't a link to your books. The one you out is the same as the Amazon list of equipment you use.
i have a plot that im just working on writing down and getting to make sense. can a comic be just one book or does it need to be a series? I still dont know if i want to make it longer and focus on smaller things in multiple books or have the whole thing wrap up sooner in one
Have you ever done 3D? Or is it a too slow process for you to go with the flow?
Very cool! When are you going to start your Indiegogo?
I'm writing novels and making games now. I'm not sure If anyone would show up for an old dinosaur like me to do comics again.
You never know, it would be cool!
My comic which is just to help me get used to drawing digitally but I still have fun with, is called icoexist and it's on webtoons.com
"Focus on one thing"
My ADHD: *pats back* good luck buddy ☺👋
Me: 👁👄👁💧