/ic/ - Artwork/Critique

Some western / indie publishers of Manga:

Saturday AM ( https://www.saturday-am.com/ )
> Digital indie magazine, seems to be on the up-and-up
> Open submissions for long-form series; also distributes series currently being published elsewhere.
> Regularly publishes one-shots, making it a good potential outlet for already-finished work.

Noir Caesar ( https://www.noircaesar.com/ )
> Focuses on black (specifically African-American) content, but seems willing to publish anyone good enough.
> Seemingly series-based only.
> No "magazine" style updates; series are updated on their own schedule.
> Seems less regular than Saturday AM, but also seems larger in terms of readership.

Oni Press ( https://onipress.com/ )
> Technically indie, but at this point large enough by comic standards to be mentioned in the same breath as other publishers.

Antarctic Press ( https://antarctic-press.myshopify.com/ )
> Longtime large-indie publisher of OEL / manga-esque books.
> Seemingly taking submissions at present if http://www.antarctic-press.com/html/submissions.php is anything to go on.

Yen Press ( https://yenpress.com/ )
> Started out as a small indie publisher of original / Korean material, and has grown reasonably popular since.
> As of 2016, it is also one of the western arms of the Kadokawa Corporation, with Kadokawa owning a 51% stake.
> Editorial inquiries can apparently be sent to yenpress@yenpress.com, however, they apparently are not open to new submissions at this time.

Viz Media / Viz Originals ( https://www.viz.com/originals )
> *The* western manga publisher.
> Currently in the exploratory stages of setting up an English label.
> Submissions are open and several books have been announced. However, progress on the label seems to be moving very slowly.
> Still might be worth a shot anyway.

Shrine Comics ( https://shrinecomics.com/ )
> Small indie manga publisher
> Seemingly attempting to make the transition to physical volumes
> Allows crossposting to other sites

Other open comic publishers:

Dark Horse ( https://www.darkhorse.com )
>Dark Horse still welcomes your submissions, and all submissions will still be reviewed, just as they always have been.
>All unsolicited story/series proposals must have a full creative team on board. Writer-only proposals will not be reviewed.

Image comics ( https://imagecomics.com/ )
>Image Comics only publishes creator-owned material. They do not contract creators; they’re only interested in publishing original content for which you would retain all rights.
>Image Comics publishes creator-owned/creator-generated properties and THEY DON’T PAY PAGE RATES. Image takes a small flat fee off the books published, and it will be the responsibility of the creators to determine the division of the remaining pay between their creative team members.

Drawn and quarterly ( https://drawnandquarterly.com/ )
>Please email a low resolution PDF with at least 20 pages of comics and cover letter to submissions. Do not send dropbox links, scripts, or proposals. Please read our submissions FAQ.

Fantagraphics ( https://www.fantagraphics.com/ )
>submission page: https://www.fantagraphics.com/pages/faq

Top Shelf Productions ( https://www.topshelfcomix.com/ )
>Regarding submissions, we're easy. Just email us a download link of what you'd like us to review. NOTE: We cannot accept cover letters, plot synopses, or scripts unless they are accompanied by a minimum of 10-20 completed pages (i.e., fully inked and lettered comic book pages).

Additional publisher lists:
> https://jasonthibault.com/definitive-list-comic-publisher-submission-guidelines/
> https://writingtipsoasis.com/best-independent-comic-book-publishers/

Current Contests:

Tottori: https://www.pref.tottori.lg.jp/mangacontest/

Magic international manga contest: https://www.shibuya-productions.com/en/magic/magic-international-manga-contest.html,73

Webtoons: Call to Action
webtoons.com

How (You) can help /mmg/:

> Know about a contest or a publishing opportunity? TAG THE OP and post a link.
> Have a new resource? TAG THE OP and link / mention it for inclusion.
> Have a link / DL for a mentioned resource? TAG THE OP and mention what you're supplying a link for.
> SCREENSHOT / PASTEBIN effortposts that help you for posterity.

>>6193034
And before someone asks me the source of the op, it’s from Witch Hat Atelier (ch.1 p.38)

Why nobody submits decent manga to this site and how did they let this dognigger stay in number one for so goddamn long?

The manga is not even that good

https://medibang.com/comics/

So... futher upon more research in the international japan manga contest made by the japan embassy, is not just one, so i wonder if they all have the same winners, or do each embassy has their own 3 winners to present

>>6193067
>dog nigger #1
fucking kek

>>6193045
good choice

Are there any mangaka with a weekly schedule that aren’t fucked life or workload wise? I know the Fairy tail mangaka has extremely fast speed, one week he put out like 3-4 weekly chapters, so I imagine it’s much easier for him. But If I wanted to live a relatively normal life while doing a weekly series, how much assistants am I looking at?

>>6193222
it's all pretty much fucked, but if you're not a slave to their system you could just do half the pages needed per week. Webtoon artists only do the equivalent of 10-12 pages a week

>>6193224
To be fair, there are a small minority who probably consistently get 7-8 hours of sleep per day and have time for social shit and hobbies, but they are the minority.

A big thing about serialization is editing and “checking”. A lot of time is spent talking to editors, having them check ideas, then “fixing” shit. While there’d be less quality control, I imagine a independent creator or someone with a extremely restricted editor would have less stress and work

I Have No Hand, and I Wanna Draw
but i wanna wait a few days more, so i wanted to ask about guides for backgrounds and effects while i look on my own, also tips abouthow snd maybe where i can better my engrish

>>6193222
How does Mashima do it? His art quality is similar to One Piece but his production rate is much faster

I was planning to use my 3 miraculous days off to progress a lot but alas, I am forced to be social. Which I shouldn't complain about but damn.

So anyways have my work in progress.
https://tapas.io/series/Wings-Of-Daera

>>6193414
Ok this meeting begins at 8pm but it involves wine, you guys think I can leave by 12pm.

>>6193415
Just wanna draaaw muthafucka.

>>6193418
Alright enough ranting.

Please read my comic, its cool and its gonna be amazing
https://tapas.io/series/Wings-Of-Daera

Everyday I understand more and more the "below average art" line more and more, now i took off my glasses for a minute and then i remember that they are fuck up, they make me see everything shorter, but i thought that if i used 3d models i would compensate that, but it seems that i was wrong

Thoughts on monospace typefaces for text in a more serious, sin city style work? A lot of more traditional "anime" fonts look too cartoony for my liking.

It ain't much to look at, but it's the start of yet another one shot, the longest I'll have done yet.
Maybe it might go faster, cuz I'm gonna color it this time.

How the fuck do I stop the tapering/shoe lacing on clip studio paint. Do I need a different brush other than the standard?

>>6194040
Explore the sub-tool and pressure settings, anon. Try stuff out.
If you want to get rid of tapering specifically then raise the minimum size in the pressure settings.

>>6193737
I think it can work

>>6193067
because it's peak on god

>>6193737

Do you have a similar picture for Japanese fonts?

>>6193420
How come the 2nd chapter is released in chunks instead of all at once like the 1st? Also is this a decent platform to release stuff? I've never heard of it before.

Was wondering if anyone had resources on scans of deleter screentone sheets? Preferably background ones, not just dot grey tones? I found some on deviantart, but they are a bit hit and miss with their resolution.

>>6193373
20 years of drawing manga everyday

>>6194337
Okay let me put my thoughts on this since it can help others (then again I have 30 readers and my max was 120 so I'm not some audience expert).

1. You release the first chapter all in one go. The reason why is because you want to hook the readers and going page by page doesn't tell them what's the story and the characters about right away. Think on how you usually read the first chapter of a manga to see if you are intrigued by it or not. Plus, if the series is not released, no one is waiting for it (well, generally) so you have all the time you want to work on the chapter.

2. You release the rest of the series in smaller, regular updates. I hate this because personally I'm a very organized guy who'd rather release by chapter, yes, HOWEVER. If you want eyes on what you do, having your series show up in the update feed every week consistently has better chances of attracting views and interest. The same way a series is better discussed if it releases episodes at a time.

The second part of that is that making a chapter takes too long and its painful to wait so many months to release it.

>website
Tapas fucking sucks!
Its all bishie stories and korean manwha there. Just like webtoons. But unlike webtoons the uploading is extremely comfortable and it allows for a lot of more freedom. So, is it good? No, but I like it.

Objectively I guess comicfury is the best site (but lacks audience). I'll post there soon. I post on pixiv and webtoons too, I wanna expand to every possible platform because I think this story deserves it.

>>6194404
>Objectively I guess comicfury is the best site (but lacks audience). I'll post there soon. I post on pixiv and webtoons too, I wanna expand to every possible platform because I think this story deserves it.
Objectively Mangadex is the best. They have a decent reader there with preloading. It also has the most readers outside of Webtoons, and a lot of them are actively looking for new stuff to read. I say this as somebody who used both MD and Comicfury.

>>6194404
>>6194411
Cool thanks for the tips. My initial idea was to make 20 page chapters and attempt to make one a month, however I was just gonna post on Instagram. I'll have to look into these places.

for those who already do webcomic and semi manga stuff, how realistic is to make one chapter 15/20 pages every week, or alterantiverly 40 pages every month?

assuming blacka nd white palettes, takes way too much in colors

>>6194415
You should definitely be posting them on more than just one platform. Shitloads of people only browse one platform. Some platforms are a pain to upload to, but keep in mind that every platform you ignore is a decent chunk of readers who will never see your work. At least try to get all the platforms you can upload to quickly and easily.

>>6194418
Speaking from personal experience:
15/20 pages a week is very very difficult to do consistently. Requires making serious concessions on the level of detail/artwork quality or hiring people to help draw it, unless you're some kind of superman.
40 pages a month is around one and a half pages a day (factoring in taking a few days to storyboard the chapter) which is certainly doable and doesn't require significant concessions in the art unless you were planning on making immaculate paintings every page, as long as you're dedicated and able to stick to the grind each day.
Realistically though, updating once a month is simply not enough for online distribution. People WILL simply forget you exist between uploads. Not ideal. Better to split this in half, fortnightly 20ish page chapters. Same amount of work, more frequent uploads.

Sorry for asking again and again, but what are your schedules for drawing, anons? Do you schedule your practice, then draw manga around that, or do you schedule your manga-drawing time, and schedule your practice around that? I have a lot of anxiety over my skill so I do a lot of studies, but because of poor time-management I rarely get anything done. I understand that's a problem, but I also feel like drawing shitty pages is pointless. I know that's wrong, but I can't help but want to do everything right.

So, basically I want to know, how do you balance art-making and studies? Or do you just throw out studies altogether and hope drawing comics can improve your skills? I feel like if I just draw comics alone, without studies, I'll plateau really hard.

>>6194751
Well, i do have a severe anxiety problem too, so I know how you feel too, first try to calm down your anxiety, believe me when i say that anxiety can really fuck up you body, if you get overwhelm for it you will regret it, and a lot
Anyways these days i have thinking a lot about how to do it and i think that for calming the feeling of not doing something, or not progressing, i will make a list about the things that i will draw in a comic, then study and practice them as lot

>>6194751
studies are important but if you never get to the comic making then you are not really learning to apply what you've been studying.

In my case after work I schedule one practice hour, then dedicate most of my time in writting, lots of trial and error, but when you give yourself a deadline then its easier to plan a schedule around it

Anyone else have a hard time finishing pages?
Whether it be in color or greys or tones it's just something I can't seem to figure out.

I've lined a dozen+ pages (out of 18) but haven't been able to do a decent looking "second pass" on any of them, they're all like 85% done

>>6194832
for me it's usually these reasons:
>i don't find the result satisfactory for some reason or another
>i don't know EXACTLY what i want
what happens then is that you just want it to look "better" but don't know how to accomplish that.

and i do mean EXACTLY, down to the small details. for example, you might think you want your work to look like this and that author, but even then you probably don't want to copy them down to a T. so how do the parts look like that are supposed to be "your own"? not to mention you have to tailor it all to your own story, focus on each moment, each page, readability, empathetic response, suspense, writing, how to build up moments, how to space dialogue, pacing, etc etc. all of it.

all you can do is to keep thinking about it, keep trying and maybe do more research. until you do know EXACTLY what you want, whether it's through experimentation or other methods.

TLDR; you aren't satisfied with the result.
and there is no esoteric reason behind why you can't figure it out. it could be one thing, it could be a hundred thousand things.

>>6194794
>>6194807
I think, at the end of the day, I don't draw enough, but if I drew enough it wouldn't matter as much how I divided up my time. I've got to draw more.

Are there any good resources out there (books, videos, etc.) on how to proper manga-style linework and shading?

>>6195170
1.) Look at an image like that
2.) Replicate the lines as practice.

Its as simple as that to start.

>>6195178
Prove it by posting your work, homosexual gentlemen.

>>6195178
this

>>6195279
faggot

>>6195170
master copies

>>6195170
There's no tutorial that will help you more than just copying the manga themselves.

>>6195279
Here.

>Want to draw a character literally bathing in shredded paper bits
>Multiple times throughout a page
Ambition comes at a price.
My fucking wrist.
If I was more experienced, texture wouldn't be so hard.

>>6196028
Please take care of your wrist, or elbow if you get a tingling or your two last fingers

>>6195567
Nta, your work would look better if you werent lazy.
Guys hair is just scribbled on. Furniture is scribbled in. Futon is only has one direction its moving instead of back and forth which would happen if youre gyrating.
You have the skill, but youre very lazy.

>>6196645
Yeah like if everyone were going to focus on the furniture

Not him, but sometimes you have to rationalize your critique anon

>>6196681
>sometimes you have to rationalize your critique
Nobody ever does that here. Ive read countless nitpicks, and now its "youre too nitpicky". You have to be him, because what youre saying "s and advocation for being lazy.
The furniture, the hair, the motion lines, and the poorly drawn onamonapia are all pointing to rationilizations of being lazy. Draging the whole of the image quality down and not improving.
I thought thats what these threads are for?

>even if it was just drawma I missed tankabon talk again.
dammit

>>6196991
>onamonapia
I disagree on this. the issue isn't the way it's drawn, it's the lack of sfx. needs more of the subtle sounds in the smaller panels like bed squeaks, ect.

>>6196645
very silly.

>>6193373
>assistants
>20 years of exp of knowing the fastest way to work
>doesnt get hung up in the artist mindset and treats it like a job
He has a youtube channel, check it out

>>6194418
Every week? If you dont have a day job, its doable. If you do, without assistants, it prob wont happen consistently without you burning out hard

An mc has several dead siblings, is it necessary to introduce the audience to them if they're not intended to be relevant?

>>6197093
>not relevant
You answered your own question anon

This shit is like a Where's Waldo page.

>>6197097
I guess I'm more asking if I should make the dead siblings relevant?

In all the stories I've read the mc having mudered siblings is like a huge deal. More wondering if it would be weird if it wasn't?

>>6197119
If they're not going to impact the larger story as a whole, nah. If they are than yeah. I.e Sasuke and Itachi was the focus, not sasuke and his cousins

>>6197117
I hope there is a communist waldo waiting to be found

>>6197007
when do these come out?

>>6197181
this was mostly concept work at the time. figuring out the cost/work it would take to make. I no longer have the funds to order the books from a printing company. so unless I find out how to print them myself and print by order then idk. at this point Id completely redraw that front cover too

>>6197194
I found the website via tapas and seeing the video you sent, I can find a near future printing issue. The margins/gutters. While the book viewer may appear to show the full image, in reality about a quarter of an inch will be lost in the gutter and a half of an inch warped. A quick fix is rearranging it so the pages have at least a half a inch gap from the left/right edges.

But anyways! Try using real manga cover layouts for ideas :D It helped me design mock covers

>>6197203
the page sizes also change since the first volumes contents were developed over 3 years. pretty sure the size I render at is still wrong.

>>6197204
A normal DPI to save B/W pages at is 600 DPI with whatever size you want. Which is normally 5 x 7.5 In for Viz Media manga (which I recommend). Color Pages should be 300 DPI mainly because they don't need to be as sharp as B/W, but you have the option to choose it 600 for it.

For picrel, I noticed the image was absurdly large in terms of inches. Almost 5 feet tall. Meaning you'll have to do a lot of scaling and resolution changes to get it working for print.

Also, here is an idea of how badly not accounting for margin can be. Don't fall victim to it!!

>>6197117
what program are you using for the references?

>>6197220
I'm just drawing over a screenshot I took of a little scene I made in Sketchup.

>>6196645
>Guys hair is just scribbled on. Furniture is scribbled in.
Yeah, I did that because I like the scribbly look.
>Futon is only has one direction its moving instead of back and forth which would happen if youre gyrating.
It's not gyrating, it's sliding across the room.

>>6196991
>motion lines, and the poorly drawn onamonapia
These are the parts where I did get lazy though. 'ate drawing SFX, simple as.

>>6197123
OK. Thanks.

>>6197228
>Sketchup
thanks.

>>6197123
Nah. Outside of the fact that the mc's secret brother is the one who kills them, we really didn't plan on making them important.

Thanks for advice.

>>6197270
Oh.
Well, I understand cutting corners and such, I do it too, but I try not to cut corners to a point it brings my drawings down and quality of the page. It's like when I was a beginner drawing hands behind the characters back, but more sophisticated due to time constraints.

>>6197209
>A normal DPI to save B/W pages at is 600 DPI with whatever size you want.
That's something that any author is going to have to hatch out before they even consider going to print, even if that's years down the road.

I don't know why you're proposing Viz in particular, as there are so many mainstream English Manga distributors now, and the sizes themselves are all over the place. And a good number of people here are shooting for the moon anyway, and aiming for Japanese publication/contests/etc.

If you're trying to self-publish, like you're just some rando trying to print off 200 copies of your book to sell online or at cons or something, most places don't want 600 dpi, even for black and white. Some flat out won't even accept it. Some will, but its generally not what they want. On top of that, most places that allow you to print small runs have very different physical book dimensions too. Most are around that Viz size, but may vary by 1/8th to 1/4 of an inch on any side. I think one of the only places that prints at exact, or similar size to Viz is maybe Ka-Blam.

>>6198190
I recommend Viz mostly for its size, plus they're the most main stream manga company in the west. Imagine buying a manga made from an anon here and it's smaller or larger than the average manga here. This is more so a marketing thing anything, if you can get the manga to be flush with other manga, it'd make it feel more professional.

Also I just checked 5 random websites and they all offer Viz size.

>>6198534
That makes sense, sure, I'm just saying there are many different manga sizes these days. Even things like Viz's own hardcovers and signature series manga are larger than their SJ releases (and such.)

Also, not sure what sites you checked, because most I've seen get close, but usually not exact. I'm genuinely interested in which ones you've seen, because that was the size I was considering aiming for, though I've also considered doing my books more Japanese manga style, with the softer covers and dust jackets and such. Its surprising how small Japanese Jump tanks are.

>>6198534
>>6197209
yeah viz's size seems to be the default, it's what I intended to print when looking for a pritning company. however If I had a choice id go for the larger book sizes seen by kodansha or viz's signature line. they only end up costing an extra 3/4 dollars compared to viz releases here in the states.

Since many of you guys are using this term without understanding what it means, I'll explain.
Dpi doesn't mean shit. When you say it alone. It only make sense when you're saying it WITH actual PHYSICAL dimensions.
For example 7x8inch 300dpi. Then you know you can print it at 7x8 inch using that dpi.
Dpi is something used for print. If you have picture 1000x1000 pixels it's always going to be just that. Never mind if you saved it ar 150 dpi. 300dpi etc. The resolution is not going to change. It's just something like Metadata hidden in picture. Info for the printer.
Make 1000x1000 picture and save it using 150 dpi and 600 dpi. And see for yourself which is going to be better quality. Spoiler - they re the same.
There is zero point talking about dpi without stating also physical dimensions of a file. Just say what resolution it is. It's always going to be just that.

>>6198662
yeah I was talking the PHYSICAL dimensions of my page. I was very confused at the "5 foot image" bit.

>>6198662
>Since many of you guys are using this term without understanding what it means, I'll explain.
No, most of us are assuming that the people surrounding us here aren't dumb enough to see the disconnect. Not the other way around, as you seem to think.

>>6198687
>>6198666
I wasn't talking to anyone specific and haven't red all the thread. Just wanted to write that out because its grinding my gears reading stuff like
>how big is document you're drawing in?
>yeah it's pretty big like 600dpi dude

>>6198687
>most of us are assuming that the people surrounding us here aren't dumb
You're in a place where people ask if they need to draw to get better at drawing.
DAILY

>>6198704
keked hard

>>6198702
No one said anything like that. In fact, the first person who brought it up made a clear distinction between DPI and the physical size:

>>6197209
>A normal DPI to save B/W pages at is 600 DPI with whatever size you want. Which is normally 5 x 7.5
>with whatever size you want.

He literally told the guy there are two parts to the equation. Besides that whole first post you can be summed up by saying "Just take 300 or 600, and multiply it by the 5" by 7.5" (Or insert your physical book size there instead)

Its painfully simple.

>>6198662
DPI is for print, dots per inch.
The lower the number, the worse the image quality, no matter how large it is. Plus DPI is important when it comes to inches digitally. If you make a 72 DPI image 5 x 7.5in, it's not the same as a 300 DPI 5 x 7.5in. It is super important to understand how DPI works for print. Also we're talking about print, so DPI is imporant in this context.
>>6198666 I said 5 foot image, because when you convert the raw image into a 300 DPI one, it'll have extreme measurements. If you were to print that image without proper scaling, it'd require that amount of space.

Oh, also, its pretty important to all of this that people also understand Live area, trim, and bleed, because if you're going by those dimensions, once the books are produced and you're losing some of the page when the books are bound and cut down, you may find yourself losing artwork you didn't want to, or worse, text you didn't want to.

I wish I had any actual manga to post but I'm still focused on getting work out thats needed so I can vacation. here's a warmup of my ero manga girl

Would anyone be alright with looking over a 50 page storyboard and script? I'm not done with the story yet but I would like some feedback on it so far but it's 50 pages so I understand it if no one has the time or patience to read or care and it's a bit dialogue heavy sometimes, haven't got to the action scenes so it's just character introductions and interactions.

>>6200109
these threads are slow so you're free to post anything, feel free to even spam your pages. All work is welcome. I might not be able to read it today, or even tomorrow, or even the day after that, but I might get around to it eventually

>>6200148
ok, warning beforehand it's kind of cringey, corny, cheesy, embarrassing, whatever- yeah. I don't have writing experience but that's why I am here, to get better. I find it difficult to write for the third character especially because she's supposed to be wise and insightful. Silly and childish characters like the protagonist I think I'm more suited at because it is easier for me to self-insert into that personality but it just comes out really cheesy. Any pointers would be cool. I know writing isn't as important in graphic novels (when it comes to sentence structure and literary devices) as it is in prose narrative but I also want to get good enough to write short stories in prose. Still deciding on what hat to give the protagonist. The pacing might be too fast in the beginning for relationship development between the characters but I thought dragging it out would be too annoying and I want to get it done under 200 pages. For composition I noticed a lot of my shots are pretty boring and too similar to each other, only close-ups or midshots. I guess maybe I should have done more shots to include background. I'll try to do that when they get to the exploration and fight scenes.
https://pastebin.com/y5nRneWJ
https://imgur.com/a/7M3sSBv

How do you come up with name for your characters?

Name generator?

>>6200413
Welp, i like to use the meaning of kanji, that japanese way of making up names, but since an anon said that it was too cringe, i'm kinda loss on it

>>6200405
wait the pages are out of order... never mind ignore the imgur link. I'll see if i can get it in pdf for catbox

>>6200413
I usually come up with the name by thinking of colors or if they sound interesting to me. Then I design the character based around the feel of the name.

>>6200405
>>6200425
fixed storyboard here:
https://files.catbox.moe/u2mdde.pdf
script:
https://pastebin.com/y5nRneWJ
also forgot to check the last thread. Thanks anon Your art looks preddy awesome. I really like her expression lots and I'm glad my stuff motivates you...

>>6200442
I like the first one more

>>6200413
just like naming a child

Now to color it and just do a few hundred more pages. Easy!

>>6201020
what is this for? I really like your work anon

>>6200442
Left hat
>>6201020
Amazing anon

>>6201020
Great job anon

The hardest part of this shit to me is pacing. I feel like it’s hard to get that right balance, where you’re not too slow with it, or your not going too fast or rushing. Especially when you want to balance action and slower character moments. What manga do you think have very balanced pacing?

I think a big part of it is paneling and what you choose to focus it on though. For example, some mangaka seems to often use like 5-8 panels per page, with packed speech bubbles, others have less and a lot of those panels just end up being large facial expressions lol

>>6201312
HxH has excellent pacing.

>>6200417
Who gives a fuck what other people think. If it helps you be more invested I say go for it.

>>6201020
The perspective on the vehicles is slightly broken - the gun is seemingly in perspective with the rest of the environment, but the body is comparatively tilted and raised, as if we were seeing it from a 3/4ths perspective rather than the angle the road would imply. This happens to ome extend with all the vehicles, except the right most one, although the eyeline height implies that. Interested in seeing how you'll color this, since your lines are so fine that the occlusion will have to be handled by the colors alone.

>>6201758
Yeah, I noticed the vehicles got a bit fucked. I screwed myself over by not setting up the scene better initially.

>>6201020
nice, what's the story?

>>6201076
>>6201979
I'm trying to do a graphic novel of the screenplay I wrote about the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing. This scene is a flashback to the assassination of the Egyptian President in 1981.

>>6201987
Sounds interesting, I hope you post the finished comic when done.

>>6201020
Nice establishing shot but does anything happen in this scene or will it just be talking heads and speech bubbles?

>>6194230
>>6193737

>>6202365
Japanese, as in, the symbols unique to the language?
No. I don't know a single japanese font.

>>6201324
Thanks for the example! Considering I want to make a battle series. This series will help with progressing my pacing!

wanted to work on manga a bit at the end of my work week. traced myself for another panel. I'm having a good weekend break now

I can't into paneling. Even if I look at popular manga for reference it's just too hard.

I think that my hand and my elbow is 95% cured now, but I got really depressed to draw something yet, so I came here to ask about how to better my engrish, i mean how to express myself more or learn more expressions, since I still remember what those anons said about the script

mecha panel

>>6203862
I have an idea mecha manga but high detailed mech took me forever to drawn so i give up

>>6203885
yeah, It's hard work to make mecha look good. I just don't have enough patience to make every line with a ruler and pay attention to symmetry and perspective and all that lol

>>6200413
I make a name to fit the character for main characters. For side characters, I come up with a cool name then design a character around them.

How do you write an interesting/ compelling protagonist? My protagonist has an interesting power, and I know how his power's abilities could react to different situations but I can't think how to have the protagonist react. The current idea is that he is roped in to a situation where he and a team blessed by angels have to stop a group cursed by demons from destroying ending the world. Being caught up with having to save the world doesn't seem like a compelling motivation for a protagonist.
Are there any good resources for character writing?

>>6201758

>>6203885
There's a reason there aren't a whole lot of mecha manga out there.

>>6203919
Asking in the wrong place here anon, I don't think anybody here is in a position to give advice on writing compelling protagonists. The only advice I'm confident in is to give them a short term, immediate goal ("get that thing!") and a long term goal that will guide those short term goals ("gonna sell that thing to get money to buy medicine for my dying sister..."), but that's more advice for the work overall.
So if you're having trouble thinking of how the protagonist is going to react to the situation, then just think about what his short term goals and his long term goals are and how he can go achieve them. Maybe he isn't "roped in" to fight demons, but agrees to do so on the condition that the angels do something for him in return?

Got a question for those who do trad, what paper material do you use? I'm thinking about cutting up some bristol sheets though I'm pretty bad at keeping things neat.

>>6203986
If you're not a professional (which you are not, if you're asking this question), then just use cheap printer paper. You're going to be drawing garbage on many thousands of sheets, don't waste money on bristol paper for that.

>>6203989
okay thanks got it. Yeah I just checked bristol is expensive, even more than the A4 manga paper.

>>6203919
I'm just gonna repost what I said/my example about character motivation in relation to plot because compelling protagonists are often compelling because of their relation to other story elements.

>create a character motivation that directly ties into the plot you've set up, a lot of manga, especially shounen start with a major goal in mind for the protag to work toward.

additionally write your character to be proactive about their goals, and drives the plot forward through their own actions. or more darlingly (and applicable to making any character interesting). a character who is able to change the status quo of your story through their actions.

>>6203919
Character Writing is a very creative process, your best resources are stories you enjoy and not any form of guides. Because every author has a drastically different take on what a good character is. For me, it's thinking like the character and figuring out how they'd react to that situation by simulating it in my head. It's also important to understand why people react to things the way to do (some psychology research or studying helps).

When writing a main character, don't try to make them interesting for the sake of making them interesting, write them for the sake of the story. Goals are important for the larger plot and general pacing, but a main character shouldn't just be working towards their goals generally speaking. A quick example is Luke Skywalker, his original goal ended up being irrelevant to the entire movie (which was to become a pilot like his friend). Which is to say, engaging main character is one that reacts along side the audience. If the main character knows everything, then it isn't engaging for the audience. Even if the main character knows a lot about the world, writers purposefully put that knowledge to the test.

Right now, you have the right idea of him being roped in (i.e. forced) to be fighting demons. Push the mystery factor of the situation onto the main character, so the audience can grow with him.

Writing the emotions of the character is the same as writing the problem there in. You wrote that situation because you wanted to see how they react. Yet, you wrote the situation thinking about how they react instead of how will they react. Understand your characters before writing about them.

>>6204022
let me fix the wording near the end

"You wrote that situation because you wanted to see their reactions. Yet you wrote the situation first then how you wanted them to react instead of how will they react."

For trad do you make your own speech bubbles or do you add them digitally? And how do you go about making two page spreads, do you just turn the paper horizontally or do you align it with another sheet?

>>6204153
I do it traditionally for speech bubbles, mostly because it helps me visualize the page better.

You can turn it horizontally but most creators choose to align it just because it's more page space to work with.

some work that got done today. I will probably redraw the painter to be more inline with the other panel's quality. I only just now looked at it again

is the premise of (an undead, amnesiac) protagonist working with some mage, killing other undead people with tragic background stories interesting at all?

the genre is supposed to be fantasy/mystery

the gist of the story
>an undead/sort of zombie character is killing everybody indiscriminately
>protagonist is asked to take care of the problem (like some mercenary) by their presumed boss with special sword
>protag finds out they can't kill him easily; digs deeper for a solution
>meets some granddaughter of the village, thinks she won't find love because she is ugly
>finds out the reason this guy is locked in a memory state/emotion; killing everyone is for his one-itis, who was bullied and mistreated by the village. he was an outcast himself
>he kills a particular bully and ends up getting killed himself by someone else
>the woman over the years ends up marrying some other guy and moved on with her life but life is better since his impact and she already died some time ago
>granddaughter is descendant of one-itis
>protag tries to tell zombie to move on, realizes he's beyond listening to reason
>protag's solution is to bait zombie with granddaughter of his oneitis who looks like her
>protag kills zombie through piercing his heart with the special sword
>zombie hallucinates that oneitis comforts him in his death, but it is just granddaughter who help his passing out of sympathy
>mage boss says good job but hints protag is in a similar situation where they are also a kind of zombie

>mage was shit-testing protag on their memory and loyalty to him
>it's later implied protag has a form of amnesia
>also later implied that mage boss is the main villain
>mage boss eventually puts protagonist a situation where he pits them against their own loved one to kill, so that protag would never rest in peace
and the story would keep rolling from there.

i'm trying to aim for a bittersweet ending. thoughts?

What are some good manga brushes for procreate?

>>6204560
le bully flashback

>>6204560
How does that have anything to do with fantasy genre?

How do I make that my digital looks as soulful as my traditional? I have been thinking this for weeks now, and I still can't get a grip to it

Trespassing

>>6205392
/IC/ needs to knock it off with the "soul" shit. you achieve soul by giving a half a shit about your work. and having confidence in the quality of your creation. soul shows in the confidence of a work. you can't fake care with style.

>>6205060
ok what is your suggestion for conflict? i just needed something to teach the audience about how their universe works and why these things are happening

>>6205061
there's undead/ghost people and you kill them with magic swords and a necromancer is behind all this. idk what else you are supposed to call this. i know i didn't describe the setting very much but it's not tokyo or anything. i wanted to draw more naturalistic settings with some unique looking towns and villages but that's only to lend the vibe.

>>6205543
Ah, yeah sure, i think that I should rephrase it, what i mean was that idraw like shit in digital, but even if i trace, the lines doesn't get the same feelings that I get in traditional

>Finish story
>Start drawing pages
>realize story is a literal-rip off of something from childhood
>tfw already planned everything out
>increasing shame
does anyone else know this feel...

>>6205691
at least you have a story. hopefully it's interesting.

>>6205691
Sonic is ripped off Dragon Ball which is also ripped off Journey to The West + Terminator + Superman

If you ever feel ashamed please let this image be your guide

>>6205691
I wish I could finish a story.

>>6205691
the hero's journey was perfected centuries ago, bro. the northman's ticket success proves its still the way to go. don't feel bad about it.

>>6203592
>>6205392
>>6205645

Imagine if instead of asking all these questions on this thread you actually worked on your art.

Wild how I can always tell it's you because of your anime reaction images and attitude.

>>6205866
I have been drawing little by little, but i stop right away if I feel my arm bit weird
as for the digital, I'm really asking since I mostly wanna know how to get the most traditional feeling, but i haven't find a way around of it, and I can't be drawing too much on it or i'll fuck up my arm again

Also I hope that you notice that i mostly try to ask things that could help someone else too, so if you could still being a bit bitchy about it and try to ignore, i would be thankful

>>6205917
how are we supposed to help you if you can't help yourself.

>>6205645
>>6205392
Then why not draw traditionally? If you want a traditional feel in digital you just need to practice your lines. You should loosen up your grip too and be careful about your posture if you're hand is hurting. Tinker with your pen pressure settings or stabilizer, I think adjusting them to your tastes may also help more with less sterile linework.

>>6204237
Hm, thanks for the answers. I will probably draw the speech bubbles in pencil but will do the final in digital, because I'm afraid of making a mistake. As for horziontal pages, I'll try using two first and see if I like it or not.

>>6205392
>I have been thinking this for weeks now, and I still can't get a grip to it
>thinking for weeks
have you tried, I dunno, drawing? Experimenting? Tracing? Analyzing what you drew and iterating on that? Scanning some trad lines and attempting to copy them digitally? Jesus fuck man

Over the last year and a half I made like over 100 drawings for my story and only now I realized that I actually did anything. All that time I felt like they were only prototypes, or tests, or some irrelevant, unimportant doodles. It's... weird as hell. Thinking I'm doing zero progress with anything, just doodlin and testing stuff and then realizing I actually did over a 100 drawings that tell a basic story. I know its not a lot, but it feels like a lot because up to this point I thought the number was 0. They were all for videos tho, so now I'm thinking how to edit them to make some sort of primitive comic out of that and print it to see how it feels reading it while flipping the pages and everything.
But like... now it actually feels possible I could make my own comic. All this time it felt impossible, like a gigantic daunting task but... I can actually do it.

don't mind me, just wanted to get this out of my head somewhere

>>6206897
Are you me? I felt this exact way after I finished my first chapter

Where can I post my ero-manga or doujins? sadpanda and all that are uploaded by other people right? Do I just post the full thing on the pixiv thing? I know they have an inline manga reader

Fantasy warrior panel

Does anyone have good info/tutorial/guide on how to make good speech bubbles, and spread the text nicely? I always have trouble with that, i had one but i lost it ages ago.

>>6207049
The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering by Nate Piekos

>>6206973
e-hentai is good and accept western stuff. I dump full years worth of content as galleries there

>>6207049
Google "how to make manga pdf" then try to find the volume 7 "amazing effects" i don't know if that is what you're looking for, but that have something like that

>>6206551
Thanks, I will try to look into the adjustments, but since i oftenly i fuck it up i try to keep into the default zone

>>6206891
I'm thought that the trying part would be implied, but I have trace and I still didn't convince me, and i don't have a scanner

>>6207060
>>6207198

Thank you, i'll get 'em both!

>>6207198
I don't know exactly what you mean by traditional though, but frankly I think it's impossible to imitate a traditional work style on digital. Personally I just make my pen pressure very light and set stabilizer to 0 because then it allows me to glide my pen very easily, which makes it feel smoother than stabilizer (slows down lines) and heavy pen pressure grip but even then you still get a delayed response so it will never be as smooth and precise as with trad. That's the closet I can get to the "feeling" aspect, but I know some people do other things as well like using a sort of layer or screen on top of their tablet while they draw but I don't know much about it. When it comes to the look I don't think anyone besides highly-skilled artists can make digital lineart that can be seem deceivingly traditional. I don't mean to be mean but I don't think you should worry about trying to imitate a trad-style until you actually finish up a hundred pages or so, or clock in 1000s of hours in digital lineart because most of it is just training and a technical thing. Your lines will improve the more you draw.

If you really want to have the traditional feeling (I don't blame you, I do trad too because it's so much faster for me and i dont get autistic like i do with digital and drawing for hours in front of a computer screen feels awful) you can "scan" photos quite decently if you understand how to take okay pictures and use any photo editor. Here's an example video I found
Skip to 4:30:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l-yO5SeoF8
There was also a tutorial thread a week back or so where an anon shared a tutorial of how to make photos seem "scanned" rather professionally using layer properties and levels and hue changes, so kind of similar to the vid I linked but somewhat different methods. I forgot to save it but it might pop up again, or just ask around. I would say don't worry too much until you've gotten into a consistent workflow, just draw for now.

>>6205691
Every story is derivative of another, dont fall for the originality trap

Kinda confused why this even got so many(you)s
>>6205702
Not really, it's a simple one. It's okay I suppose. Safe but boring story maybe?
>>6205834
True, but Journey to the West is a cultural icon and classic while mine is almost a direct rip off of a very specific game. I'm probably just being silly, but I asked someone to read the story for me so I'll see how it goes and I might revise some things depending on the response. Most of the shame just comes from the fact that I hold the game very dear to me.
>>6205835
Well that's just because it's a short and simple story. I think it's fairly easy to finish one if your goals are feasible enough. If you have the beginning and ending figured out you just need to cast the stepping stones along the way, but longer stories are a totally different beast.
>>6205836
>>6207519
Not so much plot but specific story elements, ending, dialogue/themes almost mirroring from the inspiration. There's speeches the characters give that are almost aligned with a character of the original game's philosophy.

>>6207551
Anon Tarantino lifts whole scenes into his movies, and is heralded as a movie making genius. You'll be alright

>>6207551
Would be a good read for you.

>>6207551
>it's a short and simple story.
Still better than nothing. I worked up the courage to finally write and wrote for 3 hours 3 months ago and haven't dared to open that .txt file again.

>>6207497
>frankly I think it's impossible to imitate a traditional work style on digital
its just pixels bro. If you can take a photo of it and it looks good enough as a photo displayed on a screen then that can be replicated in digital art.
>>6207198
>don't have a scanner
take a photo then, that's essentially what a scanner is anyway. Import it into your drawing software, zoom in like 2000% and try to replicate just a couple of millimetres of trad lines in digital (on the same canvas, photo of trad lines on one side and right next to it your digital attempt at recreating it). Then zoom out a little and try a bigger amount.

>>6205543

>>6209001
Wont most of the glasses girls face fall in the gutter if it gets turned into a book?

>>6209019
I'll fix it, I could have just reorganized the sketch better but I planned on readjusting them a bit before color. peter is cut off on the left. they're all on separate layers so it won't be too destructive.

>>6209193
>On separate layers
Good shit anon, unfortunately im stuck in the traditional world so whenever i fuck up like that, its basically scrapping the whole piece lol

Great line art btw

>>6203862
Did you take that background straight from Sidonia, anon? Don't lie now.

>>6209001
Just wanted to say that I caught up with all the released chapters of Devil’s Moon and I enjoyed it a lot. Dorothy is my favorite character. I’ll definitely buy the first volume when it’s available. Keep up with the good work anon!

>>6207551
everything we do is influenced by other things whether we are aware or not, maybe you'll tell the story better or put your own spin on it. it doesn't really matter and don't be too worried about it, finish it.

Do you guys think it's a good idea for mangakas to learn to paint?

>>6211103
Do it if you want but it's by no means a requirement. Plenty of successful mangaka never touch paints for their manga, while some do.
It's generally a good idea to try different mediums out to see what you like though.

>>6211103
aside from colorspreads, how would it even help you?

>>6211104
>>6211106
wonderful. FUCK painting then

>>6210149
wonderful. I'm glad you liked it. I hope chapters 1/2 weren't too much of a slog. I don't know what the readers consensus is for those pages, but I consider them a barrier to entry based on the quality difference from them and chapter 3 onward.

>>6211115
>>6211106
>>6211104
benjamin zhang bin has done several painted comics the most famous is just called "Orange"
but ye, it makes the work take longer and is only worth it if its something you just really want to do as part of your aesthetic
benjamin is a pretty quick painter and very good even doing work for marvel and blizzard, but still it took him a few years to finish a single book
if you want to paint instead of the typical line drawing go for it but only if its something you really like and want to be your overall aesthetic as an artist

>>6211172
anybody who paints their comic is kinda nuts imo. I respect it but it's like watching an American volunteer to fight for Ukraine

>>6211156
It’s just my opinion but I don’t mind chapters 1 and 2. They serve as a good introduction to the characters and the main plot.
Of course the quality improves afterwards but I don’t think they are a barrier at all.

A common mistake I see in beginning chapters of webcomics is that they’re not easily readable, so I usually drop it because it’s too much of a struggle to invest time into (especially when English isn’t your first language).
But Devil’s Moon doesn’t have this problem. The paneling is easy to follow, characters are drawn with different poses and expressions, there’s backgrounds, the pages are not cluttered, the humor is good, and most importantly: the dialogue flows well and feels natural.
You can understand what’s doing on right away and that’s what kept me invested in reading your webcomic. I wasn’t bored nor wanted to stop reading because the pages were so easy to follow that I kept continuing to read until the last chapter available.

>>6211460
>I don’t think they are a barrier at all.
well thats good, I don't hate those chapters I just know they can be improved. especially considering a tezuka-contest rewrite of it chapter 1 is sitting on my harddrive.

>the dialogue flows well and feels natural.
I get told this a lot and I guess I need to accept I got good at it somehow. I suppose I over analyze the shit out of my dialogue cause when I write anything that doesn't read like an actual conversation, or is over-comicbookie, it makes me lose my marbles

I am here to remind you guys again to keep linking your stuff so I can actually some day read it.

Like this!
https://tapas.io/episode/2613227
https://wingsofdaera.cfw.me/

>>6211597
>He actually has stuff to link
Couldn't be me

work morning
good hard

my 4th or 5th day of manga study(beg tier)
scene from berserk

it's a fun break from loomis, still a lot to resketch(like a foot), but it's 11:10pm and time to fap

>>6212753
what happened to your line weights??

>>6212761
you should quit loomis and just study Berserk, along with Bridgman, hogarth, and Morpho. Anatomy + Master copies are the way to go

I don't like how it turned out. I think if I really decide to stick this thing out, I'd just hire a colorist instead of doing it myself. Anyways, the more I look at this, the more little problems I find, but I can work on those issues in the future. I'm not going to fuss over this page anymore and just keep moving forward.

>>6212837
for the actual manga I use a larger pen size and let the line weights kinda happen. for illustrations like these and my nsfw stuff, I line it like this and then add weight later. it's slower but bad line weights seem more noticeable in color. though I have been slowly getting used to lower and lower line weights. I used to draw at 15-20px now I can comfortable do 6px.

>>6212844
I think it's pretty good. I would usually recommend just doing black and white but the color really helps the readability of the page. great color choices on the plants and grasses aswell

>>6212844
For such a relatively down to earth concept as what you're going for, you may find more success by desaturating your colors and making them more sunbleached.

>>6212393
>He actually has stuff to link
>Couldn't be me
lmao same. Tho I think I'll just go the route of an anon artist, posting my pages in random chans

You guys ever regret a character design? I feel like this shit is gonna be a nightmare to draw in motion/fight scene

>>6213090
Yeah, all the time. Every time I drew Quickdraw I cursed myself for giving him that longish wild hair.

>>6213099
>I cursed myself for giving him that longish wild hair.
Hairs the freaking worst, do you do the individual strands or more blocky?

>>6213101
Blocky when I'm drawing, but when I want to render shiny hair then I hatch down the length of the hair. I haven't figured out how people make those long wispy strands look good in ink.

>>6213090
>Decide to do a series following almost exclusively robotic characters
>Can't excuse being slightly off model or off shape as flexed muscles or squished flesh
>Also have to bullshit expressions with lighting and shadow since their faces can barely emote

>>6213127
lmao why didnt you just go the Evangelion route and have them be Bio-mechs to ease up on the detail lines and stuff?? either way RIP your wrists drawing all that

>>6213106
I think it just comes down to really good pen/stroke control, personally the strand by strand thing, though it looks good, is way too much of a nightmare to do for a comic

>>6213131
>lmao why didnt you just go the Evangelion route and have them be Bio-mechs to ease up on the detail lines and stuff??

I have never watched Neo Geo Beach Gelato in my life - I should be crucified, I know - but I actually prefer the machines being mechanical. It makes the parts when they act human stand out more, and gives me an excuse to spend a fuckin obscene amount of time drawing details that prolly make it look worse in the end. It makes me attached to these characters, and justifies my scratchy as fuck pen.

I very much believe that you get better with every line you put down, and that forcing myself to draw all this bollocks has made me improve rapidly.

>>6213206
>It makes me attached to these characters, and justifies my scratchy as fuck pen.
Based, as long as you have passion for it. Do you have any pics of your work?

>>6213090
yes I like to design zany stuff sometimes. I don't mind taking more time to draw it but I'm really starting to wonder if certain poses are even possible when considering the size of the size and design of some of the armor pieces because it's hard to know if It's an issue of plausibility or just my lack of skill to draw an armor piece in a certain perspective or foreshorten it. I was even thinking of learning 3d modelling just so I can have a reference to know. I'm probably going to ask /mg/ another time since I'm drawing a comic right now. I was even thinking of asking /k/ but I think it would trigger all of them because it's fantasy armor but it could be funny I guess. I have gone to /k/ before for assistance with finding some decent armor galleries.

>>6213253
>if certain poses are even possible when considering the size of the size and design of some of the armor pieces
For sure, I'd imagine something like a shoulder piece would move vastly different just from the shape alone (Say something like a smooth orb vs a sharper edge type armor). I like drawing detailed pieces as well but Mech is its own kind of detailed hell. Is your story only featuring like Humanoid gundams or are their animal variants similar to Zoids?

>>6213240
I've been drawing since late 2020, so I've got a shit ton. The number I consider worth anything more than performing an autopsy on? Almost none. I'm still trying to find that middle ground between fidelity and readability, and make breakthroughs pretty often, so I tend to look back on recent work and think it looks bad.

Here's something I made back in July. Outside of my usual art style, but it works.

>>6213240
I've been drawing since late 2020, so I've got a shit ton. The number I consider worth anything more than performing an autopsy on? Almost none. I'm still trying to find that middle ground between fidelity and readability, and make breakthroughs pretty often, so I tend to look back on recent work and think it looks bad.

Here's something I made back in July. Outside of my usual art style, but it works. And this time I'll actually attach the fucking image.

>>6213256
not mecha but I do have something like a golem robot though I'm not very good at mecha and the character I want to rework is just a human in fantasy armor. OP of /mg/ made the thread kind of all-encompassing with the idea of mechanization and I did ask him what he thought about armor falling under the thread and he was okay with it.

>>6212753
3 hours of sleep.
not good morning.

which part is most time consuming to you?

script? outline? Inking? coloring?

>>6214052
Outline/script

I'm pretty quick once I actually start drawing, but the planning stage stops me dead

>>6193034
So, i might be kind of stupid, but for the Magic manga contest, how do these deadlines work?

Are we supposed to send the form first until the 14th and then the manga until the 25th?
Are we supposed to send it together? and in that case, why do they have two entirely separate dates for it?

>>6214227
Ask them. They have contact details so that you can just ask them.

>>6214227
Send it together before Oct 14th

how do you come up with an idea for story?

For black and white comics/manga, what's a good ratio of black:white? What are ways of adding more black if a page has too much white?

>>6215269
>For black and white comics/manga, what's a good ratio of black:white?
Depends on the tone you want to convey.
>What are ways of adding more black if a page has too much white?
Drawing on it.

>>6215284
Should I not worry too much if some pages are mostly white then?

>>6215295
Does it look unfinished?

>>6215304
Not to my eye

>>6215342
Does it fit the tone you're going for?

>>6215353
I'd say yes, the pages I'm thinking about are set outside in the middle of the day, in a grassy field.

>>6215356
Then no, you shouldn't worry about it.

>>6213978
lookin good, but do get some rest
probably not a good question to ask but did you used to post on hyw years back? your style reminds me of someone that had a one piece inspired comic back in the day

>>6215358
Alright, thanks anon

>>6215362
I napped shortly after the post. Im still struggling to sleep again today though.

Yes I was the author of delruby dawn, the project that proceeded this one. Pam was the protagonist from that series, and was brought over to this one. I do not feel welcome in hyw after years of stalking. And threats from idea-guys.

>>6215415
good to see you're still going at it despite all that then

>>6193034
found another contest that is for 4-koma https://kitakyushu-mangataisho.com/en/

>>6216093
>*No works in CMYK format or 2-gradation (monochrome) will be accepted.
>Works in color or monochrome and any language are acceptable.
What's the difference on this

>>6216563
I think they're talking about the formatting of the file itself vs whatever color palette you choose to use.

good evening
work hard today

>>6213978
using a copic color swash genuinely feels more limiting than b/w vs color.

>>6193737
it's whizbang for me

>>6211597

https://tapas.io/series/AECAST

Here you go, anon. This is Ch. 1 of my comic, chapter 2 is currently in the works. Unsure if you've already read it, but you asked for links so here you go.

Are there any tips to streamline the process and make working on a comic easier/faster?

>>6217103
Yeah, make a thousand pages.

>>6216650
I'd show her other ass cheek slightly

How do you guys stay motivated? My goal (being published in Japan) is so far away that I am unable to focus on drawing because I don’t think I’ll ever make it.
When I see my work I find it horrible, and I get bored of demotivated after 3 pages. Unable to finish a single one shot.

I don’t even know if I really enjoy making manga. Yet I don’t see myself doing anything else because this is the format I wish to tell my stories.
I fucking hate myself for not drawing and pitying myself instead of practicing like the others.

>>6217440
>My goal (being published in Japan) is so far away that I am unable to focus on drawing
So set closer goals. What can you do today to move toward your greater goal? Have you drawn any comics today? Did you study any japanese?
Perhaps you set goals you can do in just a few hours. Say, reading a volume of a manga raw, storyboard a few pages, and finish a page in that day.
>When I see my work I find it horrible, and I get bored of demotivated after 3 pages. Unable to finish a single one shot.
Well, unfortunately, you're just going to have to learn to stomach it, because obviously you're not going to improve if you can't bring yourself to actually make anything and get some real practice.

>https://koneensaatio.fi/en/grants-and-residencies/ai-comics-the-first-graphic-novel-generated-by-artificial-intelligence-in-the-world-produced-and-published-in-helsinki-2/

It is ogre. You will never make it, you were not only born in the wrong place but too late too, after hard day of waiting for robot to fuck up so you can fix its mess you will go back to your pod to read computer generated manga 10 times better than anyhting human could create that will aos subtly indoctrinte you to keep on working unpaid overtime, eating bugs, living in a pod and not commiting suicide.

>>6217440
I have the same goal, and i just give a shit how far is set, i hava a fucking shitty and terrible life, so it's either try this or become one, so i won't give up until i have tried and fail in every possible way to make it

Also, music helps me a lot, i still remember when i was rushing that sma entry back in january, that last night was fun as fuck because i just draw what i wanted while i was listening starway to heaven, also i find myself losing motivation very ofter, but if i just stay quiet and keep listening music i get hyped up enought to go back to try it even harder

>>6217440
>>6217457
He's right. I just set a timer for 10-30 min and focus on one task for that time. That timebox is the only time of the day I feel totally focused, destressed, and happy, and once the timer's up I get anxious again, so I set up another timebox and work.

Still feels like my goals are so far away though. When we all make it we should meet up at a maid cafe and exchange sotries

>>6217804
I love Susumu Hirasawa + Tatsuro Yamashita

>>6217440
he forgot to fill a couple of sketchbooks with gesture, stiff af

>>6216650
previzing background with these colors make me want to redo the colors. really hard to find a balance here.

>>6217904
Based Hirasawa enjoyer. What is your favorite album?

>>6218014
Oh man i feel like a fraud. I just got into him so I only know about Techniques of Relief, but I 100% plan on listening to all of them

>>6218026
Don’t worry, we all begin somewhere.
If you like his music you should check his side works:
Kaku P-Model (solo stuff with a different name), P-Model (his old band, more experimental) and Shun (very old stuff, very experimental). He also released a guitar album called Ice-9 (and he’s currently working on another one).
Technique is one of his most liked albums among the fans although I don’t have a favorite nor one I dislike.
I know you didn’t ask but here are some of my favorite songs:
- Sign II
- The Girl in Byakkoya
- Strange Night of the Omnificence
- QUIT
- Antimonesia (Kaku P-Model)
- Island Door
- Human-Le (Kaku P-Model)
- The Great Deceiver of Saint Horseshoe Planet

His music is my first source of inspiration.

>>6217974
The background and shadows add a lot to your illustration. It looks very nice so far.
If I was you though I would have added a bit more shadow on Hilda’s leg and changed the side where the light touches Medli’s face (it’s on the left whereas all the other characters have it on the right).

>>6213106
Frienddddddd its u!!! QuickDraw was amazing, fuck u for not finishing it. Wanna create a comic together?

>>6218074
ty very much <3 I will listen to these

Is copying Berserk a good way to learn how to draw manga?

Just that I'm a 31 year old with no friends, no gf. Thinking maybe try to make a webcomic or manga that starts as a webcomic.

>>6218128
it's a very good way to learn. You can learn everything about drawing manga by copying, actually. Copy Berserk, and draw your manga simultaneously

>>6218128
>Hey should I copy this style of Manga that killed its Author
Gee anon, I dunno

>>6218399
dying for your work is the most based thing an artist can do

>>6218092
>QuickDraw was amazing, fuck u for not finishing it
Sorry :(

>Wanna create a comic together?
I'm busy (got hired), but did you have anything in mind?

>>6218128
Copying what you like is a good way to learn how to make stuff like it yeah.

>>6218399
Pretty sure he died of aortic dissection, not drawing Berserk.

>>6218128
I learned how to draw by copying my favorites fellow 31 year old with no friends or gf.

>>6218128
if you can already draw and are copying just to learn how to construct a manga specifically, sure, pretty based choice actually

if you are /beg/ at drawing and are asking if copying berzerk will improve your art, well, it will help but better to just go with good ol fundies

>>6218463
its easy to get addicted to fundamentals though due to the positive feedback loop early on. you have to know when to focus on what you actually want to do or else suffer years of diminishing returns as you quickly run out of things to learn but always have something else to grind

>>6218468
Yeah, I think that's how people become art teachers, grinding fundies while losing sight of why you wanted to draw in the first place.

>finalize character designs
>make reference sheets
>figure out paneling
>write the script
>and of course, actually drawing it out - sketching, inking, coloring (if not b&w)

wew, there's so much that goes into comic making, it's a bit overwhelming but I just gotta remind myself to take it one step at a time

>>6218433
>I'm busy (got hired)
Neat!!! As an artist?

>but did you have anything in mind?
I've always wanted to make a psychological horror/thriller comic

>>6218089
ill do a couple more pages and come back to it. if Im content enough with the colors ill go ahead with it as is.

>>6218128
you should try to learn a more resourceful style. berserk is made with a team of artists that can replicate murias style. it would be a major challenge to copy

>>6218433
>(got hired)
the ero manga job!?

>>6218407
take it from the works-12-hours-a-day guy. this is a horrible mindset.

>>6217974
>>6213978

You should be more cognizant of your hands, face shapes and eye placements. they are almost consistently askew. and it really dampens your art.

take an extra 30 mins after lining and look for errors.

>>6218550
>12 hours a day guy
what does this even mean? you draw 12 hours a day and hate it?

>>6218550
my creative habits are destroying my hands. I've been trying to bring down the drawing time to help it but I still need to pay my rent so.

don't push this mindset.

>>6218577
I haven't been the same since someone said some of my faces make my characters look like they have fetal alcohol syndrome.
also that medli is traced from my face so idk what to tell ya with her.
also
>got rid of peters bug eyes

>>6218541
>Neat!!! As an artist?
Yeah, I'm doing the layouts/pencils, character designs and inks along with another guy. Can't post it/talk about it much though cos NDA.
>I've always wanted to make a psychological horror/thriller comic
Do you wanna get in contact and talk about it more? Like I said I probably won't have much time but I always wanted to collaborate on a comic with somebody.
Shoot me a DM on twitter (@octagone_comics) or discord (@Octagone#5236) or we can just continue discussing here if you'd prefer.
>psychological horror/thriller comic
Cool, but did you have a specific idea in mind? A theme or idea you wanted to explore? A loose idea of a story, or characters?

>>6218550
>the ero manga job!?
Nah SFW comic project, pretty ambitious.

>>6218592
>SFW comic project, pretty ambitious.
that's a bigger W honestly. good shit

>>6218585
fetal alchol is polite, i'd say full developed down syndrome is more accurate.

I dont know who peter or medli is, spend some of those supposed 12 hours on learning to draw hands.

>>6218599
>idk who peter is
>only edited one male
I really don't know what to tell you

>supposed
okay now you can just eat shit. don't come to me and imply I'm not working cause I'm not meeting your standard.

I'm not trying to spaz out like last time but ffs man.

>>6218599
>>6218603
both of you shut the fuck up and draw

>>6218603
all im saying is the alleged time spent does not meet the quality of work. alot of artist tend to over embellish their estimations of time spent because they believe spending more time on something increases its value.

If you are spending 12 hours a day drawing, then you have stagnated; surely you would want your hard work to actually accumilate to something. If you aren't thats also fine. it doesnt matter to anyone but yourself.

it's come up multiple times but as soon as anyone DARES try and criticise your work or position you jump on the defensive.

see where you need improvement, strive for better. stop being a petulant child.

>>6218625
I utterly reject this shit anon.

I keep getting told I'm stagnating, I'm told my work isn't culminating into anything meaningful. but the fact that I'm literally two different artist is completely ignored. I have other aspects of my art I have to focus on. I AM studying. I AM improving. It's just for the coomer-shit aspects that actually make me money. what makes me money is practicing cellulite, legs, ect. you CANNOT ignore that portion of my career when considering my goals or my improvement path. you just can't. you want improvement, go talk to laundrymom, not otakubasket. until the day comes where I'm able to make both worlds work together, this disconnect will ALWAYS be a factor when considering my growth as an artist. but right now, I walk two different roads at the same time.

I replied to you in a jokey manner intentionally. I admitted I understood this issue. I was trying to meet you half way, if I came off as immediately defending myself, that's not the intention. but don't give me shit for holding my ground when you devalue my time.

there's some hands. I did a general page to identify ones I suck at the most, clenched fists and flat ones. then started with clenched.

>>6218648
I admire your work ethic, but the other anon did a redraw for you (which really improved it) so I think it’s a shame you are getting all worked up. Its a blessing when someone is willing to go so far to be upfront with your weaknesses, and there’s nothing to be ashamed about stagnating; every intermediate and pro artist will go through months of stagnation, even if they’re practicing a lot. Please don’t be so angry with us

>>6218648
Awesome dude, but how long did it take you to write all that shit to some anon who literally couldnt care less? Just say "fuck you" and get back to work if your time is something you value.
>walk two roads at the same time
The longer you wait to choose, the harder the full commitment will be in either direction. Choose which one is your dream or find ONE road that combines the best aspects of both. Your art is inconsistent because your soul is inconsistent.

>>6218658
I'm not angry anon, I'm frustrated.

more than anyone else here, I've laid out every challenges I face, I've laid out my goals. but those are ignored. why am I considered the angry one when I get insults like "I'd say full developed down syndrome is more accurate." or telling me I'm wasting my time. that's not a blessing.

>>6218665
I came to manga general because I was searching for that answer anon. I never found the answer cause I had to get back to work. I don't blame anyone here for not finding that answer for me but the fact I never found it has to be considered.

>Choose which one is your dream
manga. but once again. manga doesn't make me any money. I don't have a life anon. I only have barely making bills with coomer art. manga is all I have left AFTER that. please fucking understand that. please.

the last time this happened I poured out whatever "soul" I have onto the table, in order to tell you how challenging this is and why I act this way when I struggle.

>>6218674
If your situation is truly that dire finacially then you need to force yourself to put away all distractions and work yourself to death. If you're just panicking because you "feel" like there's no way out then you need to force yourself to breathe. Gonna be real with you, I don't think your art is good enough to pay bills by drawing commissions/porn alone if you're living by yourself so if that is the case then well done and I feel bad for you. But if you're living with your parents or something and feel like the walls are closing in, relax a little.
Now, as for grinding I think you should stop doing pages of this or that and try making a finished drawing of something you WANT to draw. Make it challenging but not so much that you beat your head against the tablet for 3 days and then give up. Ideally you want to do stuff like your multitude of characters all at once or one or two with a background in perspective, maybe even from a hard angle. The most important thing about this is to ENJOY the process. If you're not enjoying the work, then you might as well be working a 9-5 that you hate, youd at least get paid more consistently

>>6218689
>try making a finished drawing of something you WANT to draw.
I had done this in april. I wanted to find myself again, at least as laundrymom. so I drew hayo-cinemas uwasa no hito character, the reason Iaundrymom focuses on milf characters. it helped. and gave me the confidence to push toward working on OCs more. I've been doing less fan art, something that really was draining me. but I think that's still a plus for myself as laundrymom, not otakubasket. the blog post text has more context
https://laundrymomart.com/index.php/2022/05/19/uwasa-no-hito-tribute-set/

just a couple days ago I got to do one of my OCs for patreon, and I couldn't be happier with the result. I can't stop staring at the backgrounds I made for that project. but once again, I think this is all a positive for laundrymom, not otakubasket. hell, this spread was supposed to be more of a personal piece.

I've considered dropping color so I can focus on figure and tones, the latter of which other brought up because of my inability to focus on manga. however color is a big selling point in porn. stuff like this makes finding this "answer" so difficult.

outside of art, I'm trying to make time to do youtube videos again as otakubasket, it was always fun to distract myself from work with it, but these days it's harder to do.

>you might as well be working a 9-5 that you hate, youd at least get paid more consistently
I work a seasonal tax job now and it has it's pros and cons. It caused me to stagnate even in nsfw, to the point of refunding several commissions. but making money was easier. I have trouble keeping jobs because of my creative desires so I only do this seasonal one.

once again, I don't come here angry, just frustrated at the problems my circumstances created.

>>6218648
this is a rubish take. because you choose to post under two monikers doesnt mean you are two seperate people, your porn is the exact same as your manga in quality.

I struggle with my work, i'm not infallible, no one here is.

Everyone has issues and dramas, but weirdly you are the only one making excuses and making it everyone elses problem, if only sympathy could pay the bills.

>>6218700
I don't want to hear shit about being a child or wasting my free time replying here when this guy spent their time drawing this.

I'm not gonna bother convincing you if you wont listen. fuck you.

>>6218707
No time spent at all my man. took me like 2 minutes, its alittle shy of the massive 12 hour endevours you take, but I guess I just dont have that bleeding heart drive.

>>6218697
>website dedicated to porn commissions
Seems like you're much more interested in this than making a manga. Off top, you're never going to get the same revenue for a manga that you'll get from being successful in commissions, as it's a lot easier to guzzle cum for $20 than it is to pay bills by drawing something you care about every day. It's possible, but not while you're trying to do both. You want to be happy doing art but making money makes you happier than making art you love, or you love porn and the fact that it makes you money, which I think to be the case based on your website persona. You should stop doing porn altogether and focus purely on what you love or accept that you love making porn and start challenging yourself there that instead. Make a one-off doujin or something, if you absolutely must have both worlds. Manga has to have a story where things happen, we already know what happens in porn stories so that ought to narrow things down a bit.

>>6218728
>interested
why are we going in circles anon. we've established it's not creative interest. it's financial. we've established that if manga made me money id be doing it over porn. and we've established I desperately want to make manga even if I have to make porn. you even said porn makes more money than manga. of course what makes me money is going to get more attention. not to mention, this website only exists because of how risky, and fragile other social media is, not because of "dedication."

>>6218738
We're going in circles because you're stuck in a thought loop of anxiety and I'm stuck not being able to sleep worth a fuck tonight. Everything about what you're saying tells me that you like to think of yourself as "desperately wanting to make manga" but not acting it out. If you wanted it bad enough you'd starve yourself for it, you'd risk financial instability for it, you'd stop doing anything porn-related altogether for it. I'm exaggerating, but only somewhat. Look at how actual mangaka live in japan. They work tirelessly day and night, literally destroying themselves on the GAMBLE that they will get serialized and get paid to make their dream project. Even the ones who make it like Miura or Togashi continue to draw until their bodies become useless and they can't do the one thing they love more than life itself. I'm not necessarily saying you should abandon all earthly tethers and kill yourself for your manga idea, but what I am saying is that you ought to show a little more respect for the thing you're wanting to do.
>Money money money money money
You're making more than me every month on patreon alone and I'm drawing what I want every day in hopes of making it. I'm lucky and grateful for the people in my life who are willing to support me in my pursuit, but I also live rather conservatively and pay for most of my own shit with savings I made from having a full time job for a year. Be a little more appreciative of the fact that you have so many people willing to give you money to draw shit that you apparently don't even care about. Maybe those same people would be interested in a more serious project

>>6218755
>and I'm stuck not being able to sleep worth a fuck tonight.
thats a mood. I showered and played some dark souls.

I think the answer may start with the color I mentioned. it would provide me a way to focus on more things. I've invested a lot of time into rendering that could be spent in places that would improve both sides of myself. whats up with marina dude was able to build a following on mostly b/w. someone mentioned making a doujin one-shot. I've tried doing before but have been afraid to dedicate to when I was focused on fan-art shit. now may be the time.

>>6216849
Aytan a cute.
That was a fun read! I love the art, it gives me a slightly retro vibe I find incredibly comfy. I did not like however that the dialogue could get at points too exposition-y, I think its better to let the reader discover a few things about the situation on their own as things go. That aside, definitely count me in for the ride.

I'm intrigued by the selection ceremony, how the magical machine seemed to stop for a while when Aytan went in and interrupted it. The whole class system is a bit off to be honest, I suppose the mages created the machine to read the natural affinity of a magic user and then provide the tools?

still working on this bitch btw

>>6219663

>>6193067
dognigger is unironically kino

>>6217440
god Fujimoto's art is so clunky and awkward but it still looks so good
I fucking hate and envy that man fucking asshole

i want to add screentones to my pages but krita's filter is buggy as fuck, should i just bite the bullet and crosshatch everything?

>>6220442
Just get a screentone image and add it on another layer. EZ

>>6212844
Seconding that anon who said the colors are too saturated. Also I think the crowd is too dark. I suppose you intended for the characters to be in the shadow of the overhang, but imo it hurts the readability of the page, makes the reader's eyes focus on the vehicles in fucked perspective, and makes the efforts you put in detailing that crowd seem like a waste.

https://imgur.com/a/Oio0clq
Finished 6 pages and script. heh heh heh now I realize how silly my fixation with art style was. For the time being I won't think about style and just focus on technique and skill first. Like learning how to into values, render, and draw good lines cause the hatching is wonky. Also for most of the pages I have trouble doing anything with the backgrounds. Any pointers overall would be appreciated. I don't know what to do about my type-setting.
>>6200592
>>6201129
thanks

>>6218674
im rooting for you. I know you'll make it.

probably would have been a good idea to time to see if this actually saved me time.

>>6220563
thanks

>>6220556
i like the backgrounds alot

>>6220556
>https://imgur.com/a/Oio0clq
Holy shit this is amazing, Love the artstyle. Reminds me of Ghibli

>>6203919
>How do you write an interesting/ compelling protagonist?
Really boils down to not making them perfect and giving them both a clear goal as well as a clear weakness. (I.e Batman: Wants to stop crime/Has no powers so he has to use his wit and gadgets to overcome borderline superhuman foes.

Spiderman: Wants to live up to the man his uncle thought he could be, His weakness besides water/symbiotes is that he's a teenager with wants and desires but the strength of a superhuman. So ultimately his conflict is that of a Moral one, To choose to use those powers for good instead of evil

Once you understand your characters goals and weaknesses both physically and moral, everything else should start coming to you organically about them. The Character will tell you who they are as you write

>>6220874
Really? Thank you, I guess my main gripe is usually I just don't know what to do with backgrounds so I just resort poorly-planned out marks. For example on page 2 first panel I feel like I really was at lost for that panel and I regret putting the light wash there. Page 1 last panel's perspective was hard for me too. Of course the answer is to know what to do is just to read more manga or comics, but it's funny that when I actually read manga I never dissected the decisions or reasons behind certain scenes and never asked myself why did the artist chose to draw a scene in a certain way. So even if you read a lot of manga, sometimes it's easy to just draw a blank and forget everything.
Really dig the rendering and the way you use the tones here looks great.
>>6220967
Thank you. Interesting, ghibli was never my intention to be quite honest. I can see it though, and the protagonist is very young and on the chubby side, so he does look like a ghibli character with the baby face.

>>6220556
>>6221070
I love your work anon, the style is very unique but I think you are spot on about the backgrounds, the panel with the window feels a little empty, it is important to note that when working on backgrounds we have to make them feel that these are spaces where people live, adding stuff like furniture, messy books lying around, weird trinkets etc. can make a huge difference. I know it's only the first 6 pages but I would like to see more about the world your characters live in so I hope we can get more exposure on that. I do look forward to reading more of your work!
btw if you are looking for some recommendations in manga to study I think otoyomegatari or dungeon meshi would be good!

Steampunkish Wild West or 0 AD Fantasy setting? Which one has more appeal?

>>6221430
They both have appeal to different audiences, anon. You're asking about something that is primarily a preference.

>>6221070
>For example on page 2 first panel I feel like I really was at lost for that panel and I regret putting the light wash there.
that's fine, lots of mangaka do that. we don't often notice the throw away panels when we're engaged with the story

>Really dig the rendering and the way you use the tones here looks great.
something about it is off to me. I really don't know what I would want to do, I don't think what I do with devils moon will work for porn. I tried referencing plus sized elf and hayo-cinema but nothings coming out right

>>6219661

Thanks anon for giving my work a read and for staying interested. Lol, everyone likes Aytan and fiesty girls.

Yes, you're not the first one to say that the dialogue/exposition was a little rough in specific places. I'd never done a comic before in any kind of fashion, so my introductory chapter had a a lot to chew on at once for the reader, I'll admit. I've been working harder to make things flow more smoothly for chapter 2.

As for your questions regarding the giant eye's actions and how mages are chosen for their specific class, that's a secret until later!

Thanks for reading, again.

>>6220556

Ho Lee Fuk do I enjoy this, anon. Good work.

>>6220556
Are you trying to make your dialogue look like a fan scanlation? The font doesn't fit the balloon style, and it's not even the same color as the rest of the art. Either lighten the text or darken the lineart, because it kind of cheapens the whole picture.

Also, you're using vertical-oriented balloons but English text, which is horizontal. I know you want it to look like a "manga", but there are some things that just don't work in crossover. Study some English language comics to get a feel for the proper balloon shape.

>>6221634
There are vertical bubbles in that very page.

>post on art board
>get shit on
>post outside the art board
>get praised and showered with words of motivation
what the fuck

>>>/a/241504784

>>6221768
but what could it mean!

>>6221768
They are sucking his dick because he is a jap or pretending to be a jap.

>>6221768
Its only cause he said he was jap. Had he said anything else those self hating weebs would've shat on his work

>>6221768
It looks unfinished, even for an amateur. I don't want to shit on it, but it looks like a sketch layer or rough storyboarding. They have potential to grow just from the fact that they had the audacity to post their work for others to see. That said, I guess I ought to post my own work since I'm critiquing others.

>>6221794
>>6221841
I'm sure that /a/ is like that with anyting that doesn't looks like shitpost, they are very nice with other people effort

New Thread:
>>6222036
>>6222036
>>6222036
>>6222036

>>6216650
blonde chick is the biggest element and her face ruins it, if you fixed it the entirety of the image would be better