Episodes
Themes
The concept of a “theme” is something that comes up in writing when we’re talking about character motivations or plot in a longform narrative comic, and it’s basically a word or concept that’s at the core of what you’re trying to say in your story. So we’re going to talk about what themes are, how they come about, and how you can use them!
Blorbology
If you are on any social media platform with artists, you may have heard the terms “OC”, which stands for “original character”, or “blorbo” which stands for… I don’t know, I think Tumblr just made that one up. The terms evolved because creators needed a way to talk about freeform character concepting. Whether they’re part of a fanfiction or just the guy you always seem to end up doodling in your sketchbook, it’s often the case that in the process of drawing and experimenting with scenes for these characters for fun, they really can develop cool backstories and deep emotional meaning in the creators’ minds, and that’s what we’re calling “Blorbology”.
Update Schedules
Many webcomics work in a serialized fashion, updating with a page a week or batch of pages every so often, and this is something we probably borrowed from newspaper comics and issue format comics. With that, we wanted to talk about what it’s like to keep up with our own schedules, expectations with retaining readership, and the process involved with sticking with something that works for you.
Tragic Backstories
Let’s not lie to ourselves: we’ve all been in the misery pit before, thinking about the poignant and tragic beginnings to our character’s stories. Tragic backstories are a trope for a reason: painful experiences can add depth and catharsis to characters. But how do we make them resonate with our audiences emotionally?
Finishing a Webcomic
Webcomics can come to a stop for a whole host of reasons. Sometimes creators don't get to choose those reasons, as life or other circumstances can get in the way.... BUT let's say it's smooth sailing and everything goes to plan. At some point, you will reach the end of your story or a natural stopping point. However you choose to tie up all those loose ends can take a little effort that you don’t always anticipate!
Join our hosts as they discuss the hows, whys, and whens of their webcomic endings.
AI is Bad, Actually
Welcome, fellow artists and storytellers, to the vibrant world of Screentones, where the lines between imagination and reality blur with every stroke. Join us as we delve into the colorful palette of comics, exploring the intricate layers of storytelling, character dynamics, and the magic of visual narrative. Whether you're a seasoned creator or an eager enthusiast, prepare to be immersed in discussions, interviews, and insights that ignite your passion and ignite your creativity. This is Screentones, where every pixel holds a story.
Patreon (with Bob!)
Joining us today is Special Guest Bob, the creator of Into the Smoke! Join us as we talk all about Patreon!
Patreon is a site where you can get your readers to financially support you on a subscription model. You make an account on patreon.com, send your readers over to give you any amount per month they want, and you can post bonus content for your readers that’s either free to access OR behind a paid tier. It can be a really nice way to put a little money in your pocket, but it’s also really easy to overwhelm yourself, too, so we’re going to talk about what we’ve learned about navigating it!
5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started
Starting a webcomic can be a huge endeavor. Whether it's your first comic or your fifth, the beginning stages of webcomicking can be the best of times and the worst of times. It may surprise you to know (though hopefully not) that we here at Screen Tones have all started webcomics and so, we want to share our favorite tips for getting started. And what better way to do that than with a nice, neat numbered list! Let's dive into the 5 Things We Wish We Knew Before We Started Webcomicking!!
Jam Session! What Are You Reading?
Join our hosts as they JAM about the comics they're reading right and maybe you'll find a new comic to pick up. The only way to find out is to listen now!
Discipline
This episode is not for the faint of heart. We’re talking to the creators that have decided they want to make a webcomic at all costs and are ready to put in the work! Webcomics require so many hats and unless you’re part of a team, you’re wearing all of them. Discipline is what will help you stay organized, push through the less enjoyable parts of webcomicking and ultimately help you bring your idea to fruition.
Work Life Balance (with Chesca!)
Today we’re going to be discussing the delicate balance between our work on comics and our busy lives, and... maybe all of the extra stuff between! Featuring special guest, Chesca, the creator of Litter Box Comics!
Join us as we discuss difficulties and tips around creating balance between your work and home life, with a bonus perspective of being a parent and keeping up a webcomic.
Rewarding vs Fun
Working on webcomics can take years, and what once started as a cool shiny story idea may not seem as interesting as it used to. Trying to find fun in a story, and taking regular breaks like we talk about in our hiatus episode, is essential for keeping yourself out of burnout territory. But! We all need to feel, on some level, rewarded by the process of making webcomics, too. And that might not come from the sources you immediately think of. So let’s take a deeper dive into these two elements!
Jam Session! RSS Feeds
The acronym RSS comes around in webcomic circles, there have been people talking about it for years, and if you don’t know what it is, you might feel kind of out of the loop and scared about it as a creator. So we’re going to break it all down as simply as possible, because it’s actually really cool technology that you probably don’t have to worry about at all.
Crowdfunding Your Webcomic
Crowdfunding can be used by webcomic artists in a lot of ways, from bringing large scale projects to life, getting print runs together, which we talk about book printing in another episode, so check that out. But today we want to talk about the planning process. What should you do (or avoid) along the way to make it work as smoothly as possible, what kinds of things are attractive in a campaign for your readers, and what expectations should you have? Our hosts are here to share their tips and tricks for crowdfunding!
The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/