How To Create A Webcomic

MidnightXCross

How To Create A Webcomic

A web comic is a comic that is read online. Web comics are released on the internet and can be published as a series or in shorter comic strip formats.
Another term you may come across is web manga, which generally refers to web comics that follow more of a manga-inspired format or style.
If you're thinking about creating your own web comic, there are a few important things to consider before you start drawing.
You'll want to think about your format, where you're going to publish your comic, your story and characters, and how you're going to storyboard your pages.
Let's take a look at each of these!

Choosing Your Web Comic Format

The first thing you want to do is choose your format.
Most web comics uploaded online today use a vertical scrolling format. This works particularly well for reading on phones, as the reader simply scrolls down to move through the comic.
However, if you're uploading your web comic on your own website, you may have more options. You could choose to have your web comic work more like a traditional book, with pages that turn from right to left or left to right.
Some web comics, especially those created in yonkoma or four-panel style, are uploaded as standalone pages rather than long vertical episodes.

TIP!

Think about where your audience is most likely to read your comic. If most of your readers will be using their phones, a vertical scrolling format may make the reading experience much easier.

Where Should You Upload Your Web Comic?

Once you've decided on your format, you'll need to decide where you're going to publish your web comic.
There are two main options: you can upload your comic to a web comic platform, or you can host it on your own website.
Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of each option so you can decide which one works best for you!

Option 1: Uploading to a Web Comic Site

One of the biggest advantages of uploading your web comic to an established web comic site is that you already have an audience there.
People are visiting these websites because they're looking for web comics to read. Many web comic sites are also organised into genres, which can make it easier for readers who already enjoy your type of story to discover your work.
There can also be a level of trust involved. Someone who already uses a web comic platform may be more comfortable reading a comic there than clicking through to an unfamiliar website.
Another advantage is that established platforms may have systems in place to make it harder for people to simply right-click and copy your artwork.
And finally, it's generally easier for beginners. If you're completely new to creating web comics and want to get started straight away, using an existing platform can remove some of the technical work involved in setting up your own website.

EXAMPLE

Imagine you've created a fantasy romance web comic. Uploading it to a platform with a fantasy or romance category means that people who are already browsing those genres may have a chance to discover your comic.

The Downsides of Web Comic Sites

Of course, there are some disadvantages too.
The first thing to be aware of is third-party terms and conditions. When you upload your comic to another company's website, you're agreeing to their rules. These aren't necessarily bad, but it's important to understand what you're agreeing to. The company may also update or change its terms in the future.
There is also usually less customisation. The platform will already have its own layout, design and features, and you'll generally only be able to customise certain parts of your comic's presentation.
Another limitation is communication with your audience. If you want to send readers previews, updates or other news through a newsletter, a web comic platform may not give you the same level of direct communication that you would have through your own website.
And, of course, there's competition.
There may be lots of other creators uploading comics in the same genre as you. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as having lots of readers in one place can be helpful,but it does mean that you'll need to find ways to make your comic stand out.

IMPORTANT

Before uploading your comic to any third-party platform, take some time to read its current terms and conditions. Pay particular attention to areas relating to your content, copyright, licensing, monetisation and how the platform can use your work.

Option 2: Hosting Your Own Website

The second main option is to upload your web comic to your own website.
One of the biggest advantages of doing this is customisation.
You can customise the way your website looks, including the logo, background, colours and overall design. With the right knowledge, you can also customise how your web comic itself is displayed.
For example, if you don't want to follow the usual vertical scrolling format, you could create a page-turning experience instead.
There are some web comic platforms that offer alternative formats, but many will generally expect comics to be uploaded in a vertical scrolling format. On your own website, you have much more freedom.
Another major advantage is that the website is fully under your control. You're not relying on another company to host your comic or deciding how your content should be presented.
You can also connect a shop if you want to sell merchandise.
If you're planning to sell prints, stickers, books, clothing or other products based around your comic, having a shop connected to your website can make it easier for your audience to find your merchandise.

The Downsides of Your Own Website

Of course, there are some disadvantages here as well.
The first is that it requires more technical knowledge.
If you're using something like WordPress, you may not need to know how to code everything yourself, but there is still more setup involved than simply uploading your comic to an established web comic platform.
It can also be harder to protect your artwork from copying. There are ways to make copying more difficult, particularly if you have the technical knowledge to implement them, but no website can completely prevent someone from saving or reproducing something that is displayed online.
There can also be additional costs. Depending on how you set up your website, you may need to pay for hosting, a domain name, website tools and other services.
And finally, promotion can be harder.
When your comic is on your own website, you need to encourage people to visit your website. An established web comic platform already has an audience searching for comics, whereas you'll need to build that audience yourself.

THINK

Which matters more to you right now: having access to an existing audience or having complete control over your website?
If you're just starting out, an established platform might make things easier. If you're more interested in building a larger online presence around your comic, your own website may be worth considering.

Other Places to Publish

If your web comic doesn't quite fit on a typical web comic platform, but you also don't feel ready to create your own website, there are a few other options to consider.

Tumblr

Tumblr can be useful if you want to add a little more customisation to the way your comic is presented without having to build an entire website from scratch.

X

If you're planning on creating yonkoma, or four-panel comics, X can be worth exploring. There is a community of creators who share short manga and comic formats there, particularly in Japan.

If you're creating short, funny or highly shareable comics, Reddit may also be worth considering. There are communities, known as subreddits, where people share comics and illustrations.
The important thing is to think about the type of comic you're creating and where the people who would enjoy that comic are already spending their time.

TRY IT YOURSELF

Before choosing a platform, write down:
Who is your target audience?
How will they read your comic?
Do you want complete control over the design?
Do you want to sell merchandise?
How much technical work are you comfortable doing?
Your answers should give you a better idea of which publishing option suits you.

Developing Your Web Comic Story

Once you've decided where your web comic will be released, it's time to think about the actual story.
The very first thing you want to do is develop your plot.
When you're creating your plot, make sure the story is something that you would genuinely be interested in for a long time.
Web comics are a pretty big time commitment. You may be working on the same characters and story for months or even years, so you want to make sure it's something you actually enjoy.

Create a Hook

You also want to find a hook.
A hook is a writing strategy used to keep readers interested in the story and encourage them to continue reading.
One way to create a hook is to start with a basic plot and then introduce an intriguing twist.
For example, imagine a story about two childhood friends who secretly like each other but are both too afraid to admit it.
That alone could be the basis for a romance story.
But what if one of them is secretly a time traveller who has been going back in time again and again, trying to find the right thing to say?
Suddenly, there's an unexpected element that makes the reader want to know more.
That's what a hook can do. It gives your reader a reason to keep going.

COMMON MISTAKE

Don't assume your hook has to be incredibly complicated.
A hook doesn't need to introduce ten characters, a huge fantasy world and a complicated mystery. Sometimes one unexpected detail added to a simple story can be enough to make readers curious.

Create Your Main Characters

Next, you want to create your main characters.
When you're creating a web comic, it can be helpful to create main characters who look and feel good together.
You want to create characters that people would enjoy drawing, talking about and seeing interact with each other.
There are a few ways you can do this.
You could give your characters personalities that interact in interesting ways. Perhaps one character is extremely serious while the other is constantly making jokes. Or maybe they're both stubborn, but in completely different ways.
These personality differences can give you lots of opportunities for interesting interactions.
You can also create character designs that complement each other. Think about their colours, silhouettes, clothing and overall visual balance.
Another option is to force your characters to work together towards the main goal of the story. This can be particularly interesting if they don't get along at first.
Readers may want to keep reading simply to see how these characters are going to work together.

Know Your Genre

You also want to understand your genre.
Web comics often have certain expectations depending on the genre. That doesn't mean you can't be unique. In fact, you should absolutely look for ways to make your story your own.
However, it's useful to understand what readers of your chosen genre already enjoy.
I recommend thinking about this as roughly 60% audience and 40% you.
Spend around 60% of your attention thinking about what would appeal to people who enjoy your genre, while keeping around 40% focused on creating something that you personally enjoy.
Why?
Because you need to enjoy making your comic.
There will probably be times when you're tired, stuck or questioning whether you should continue. If you don't actually enjoy the story you're creating, those moments can become much harder.
At the same time, thinking about your genre and your potential audience can help you create something that people will want to read.

TIP!

Think of your genre as a set of expectations rather than a set of rules. Learn what readers enjoy, then look for ways to add your own ideas and personality.

Plan Before You Publish

Before you start creating your web comic, I recommend planning several chapters.
You want to have a general idea of where your story is going so you can avoid plot holes and reduce the chance of getting writer's block later.
I would recommend creating around five storyboards or written plans for five chapters before you begin creating the comic itself.
It can also be helpful to actually create a few chapters before you start uploading.
Web comics are often released according to a regular schedule. If you start uploading immediately and then become overwhelmed or burnt out, it can be difficult to keep up with that schedule.
Having a few chapters prepared in advance gives you a buffer.
You can also use this time to work out how long each chapter takes you to create and choose a publishing schedule that is realistic.

STEP BY STEP

Develop your main plot.
Create your hook.
Design your main characters.
Decide on your genre and target audience.
Plan around five chapters.
Create a few chapters in advance.
Work out a realistic publishing schedule.
Begin uploading once you know you can maintain that schedule.

Know Your Ending

You don't need to have every single detail of the ending planned.
However, having a basic idea of where you want the story to finish can be incredibly helpful.
Knowing your destination makes it easier to plan the middle of your story because you know what you're working towards.
You can always change the ending later. The important thing is to have some idea of the direction you're heading in.

Storyboarding Your Web Comic

One of the most important parts of creating a web comic is knowing how to storyboard.
Most web comics are published in a vertical scrolling format, so for this section we'll focus on storyboarding for that style.

Set Your Canvas Size

To begin, you'll need to set up your canvas.
To keep your artwork high quality, I suggest working on a larger canvas and resizing it later.
For this example, we'll use:
Width: 2,400 pixels
Height: 10,000 pixels
Resolution: 600 dpi
Working at a larger size helps you maintain high-quality artwork, which you can then scale down when you're ready to upload your comic.
You may need to make your canvas taller if your episode requires more space. Alternatively, you can divide the comic into multiple files if your computer or drawing program struggles with a very large canvas.
The exact settings you use will depend on your workflow, your drawing program and the requirements of your chosen publishing platform.

Web Comic Panel Styles

There are lots of different ways you can use panels in a vertical scrolling web comic.

A draft of an introduction webcomic panel layout.

Introduction Panels

Introduction panels can help establish the scene.
For example, you might begin with a wide background showing a forest, city or room. Then, in the next panel, you could move closer to your character.
You can also place dialogue over the artwork to help introduce the scene.

A draft of a transformation webcomic panel layout.

Transforming Panels

One of my favourite ways to use the vertical scrolling format is to make the image change as the reader scrolls.
For example, you could start with a character walking through a forest. As the reader scrolls down, you could show the tree roots beneath their feet.
Then the roots could gradually transform into the character's hair.
This technique can be used in lots of different ways. You could use it with tall buildings, full-body character designs, gradients, environmental transitions and many other visual ideas.
The important thing is to think about how the vertical space can become part of the storytelling.

A draft of a separated webcomic panel sequence.

Separated Panels

Another technique is to separate an image or scene into multiple panels before revealing the final image.
This can be a great way to introduce a character or create anticipation before a reveal.
You can also use this technique with text rather than artwork.

A draft of a standout webcomic panel style.

Standout Panels

Standout panels are designed to draw your reader's eye towards a particular character or moment.
One way to do this is to bring a character outside of the panel frame.
This can help make the character feel more prominent and can be used with a wide variety of panel layouts and styles.

TRY IT YOURSELF

Choose one scene from your story and storyboard it in three different ways:

Using a standard panel layout.
Using a transforming panel.
Using a standout panel.

Compare the three versions and see which one makes the scene feel the most interesting.

Think About Reading Direction

When you're creating your storyboard, it's really important to think about reading direction.
Draw an imaginary line through each panel and through the dialogue.

An example of reading direction in a webcomic.

Ask yourself: Is it easy to know where the reader's eye should go next?
If the answer is yes, your panel layout is probably working.
If the reader might look at the wrong panel, skip over an important piece of dialogue, or become unsure about where to go next, you may need to change your layout.
This is one of the reasons storyboarding is so important.
You don't want to spend hours finalising beautiful artwork only to realise that the reading order is confusing.
Create your storyboards first, read through them, and make changes before you finalise your pages.

COMMON MISTAKE

Don't judge a storyboard only by whether each individual panel looks good.
A web comic is a sequence. The panels need to work together and guide the reader naturally from one moment to the next.

Finalising Your Artwork

Once you've read through your storyboards and you're happy with the plan, it's time to finalise your artwork.
When it comes to creating a web comic, consistency is one of the most important things.
You want to find a style that you can create consistently over time without burning yourself out with too many details.
Balance is key.
You might choose to colour your web comic, or you might prefer to finish it using black-and-white shading, similar to manga.
There isn't one correct style. The important thing is finding something that looks good while still being manageable for you to create on a regular basis.
Remember, your web comic is something you're likely going to create many times over. A style that looks amazing but takes you several weeks to finish one page may not be practical if you're trying to publish every week.
Once you've finalised your pages and you're happy with your artwork, it's time to start uploading your web comic to your chosen platform or website and sharing your creation with the world.

IMPORTANT

Your best web comic style isn't necessarily the one with the most detail. It's the style you can maintain while still enjoying the process of creating your comic.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Creating a web comic involves much more than simply drawing the pages. Before you begin, think about where your comic will be published, how readers will experience it and what kind of story you want to tell.
Remember to:

Choose a format that suits your audience and your story.
Compare the advantages of web comic platforms with hosting your own website.
Develop a story that you genuinely want to work on for a long time.
Create a strong hook and interesting main characters.
Consider your genre while still keeping your own creative interests.
Plan several chapters before you begin publishing.
Have a general idea of where your story will end.
Storyboard your pages before finalising your artwork.
Think carefully about reading direction.
Choose an art style that you can create consistently without burning out.
Create a realistic publishing schedule and prepare some content in advance.

Most importantly, remember that creating a web comic is a long-term project. You don't have to make everything perfect from the beginning. Find a process that works for you, create something you enjoy, and give yourself the time to improve as you go.

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Comic , Vertical Comic , Artwork , Drawing , Storyboard , Panelling ,