Jzz
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Comic process
🕑 Added 2024-07-01 15:34:04 +0000 UTCI thought this question might interest many people here!
Since the answer is a bit complex, I need to go into details. So, here's a deep dive into the process of making a comic!
First of all, I have to determine who the main character will be. For NSFW stories, after meeting with the artist, I usually let them choose the characters they like the most by organizing them into this tier list. Only S and A tier characters will be selected because I don't think it's worth spending time on characters the artist doesn't care about (with a few exceptions).
Once I have a list of characters, I try to pick the ones that inspire me the most and those that could best fit the artist's style. While doing this, I either already have stories in mind, or I improvise a concept for a short story that could be interesting. This usually takes me a few minutes.
From there, I present these concepts to the artist to get their approval. If they really like one, I then need to figure out how the story will unfold.
If I'm already familiar with the character, I can start the writing process immediately.
If not, I have to dive deeply into the character's lore and everything related to the source material to try to stay true to it. This can take a LOT of time, weeks, sometimes months. But I firmly believe that this respect for the source material makes a significant difference. Maybe even the closest thing to what could be seen as my style of writing. Ironic.
In the writing process, once I know the concept and the characters, I ALWAYS start with the ending. What's the point of the story? What is it all about? Never just sex, that's sure.
By knowing the end, I can work backwards to find the beginning. All I need to do is identify a flaw the character has that hasn't been resolved in the official story. The ending is the resolution of that flaw, and thus, the beginning highlights that flaw.
And yes, this means that I know the ending of every story even if it will take years to complete. For example, I already know the ending of "The Bad Girl" (and "The Princess of Love" for those who know). I believe that unless someone is a super genius in storytelling, writing a story without knowing the end is the best way to get lost along the way.
So, we have the ending and the beginning. What about the in-between? Well, that's the concept itself.
From there, my job is to organically connect the concept with the story. Depending on the complexity, this can take anywhere from 15 minutes to days, sometimes even weeks or months. If it takes too long, I usually think the concept doesn't work and scrap everything to start over with a different angle.
I also have to consider the official lore of the characters. For NSFW comics, it often happens that the selected characters aren't officially a couple (yet). Depending on the depth of their relationship, I need to find ways to make it seem natural. This can be super easy and barely an inconvenience for some (like Diane x Wolf, Robin x Marian, or Freya x Fratley), or it can be a total pain (like Tigress x Po, or Fox x Krystal). If it's easy, it obviously doesn't take long. On the other hand, for challenging pairs like Tigress or Krystal, it can take months to just find the right angle.
Once I have the rough outline of my story, I need to figure out how to divide it into comic pages. This usually doesn't take me long because, with experience, I have easily a good idea of how many pages a story might take. With my approach to storyboarding that is.
To ensure the page count is accurate, I use a template of 9 small comic pages on a single page (can be more than 9 if needed). Allows me to have a bird eye on the whole thing.
I first write what is supposed to happen on each page, then very roughly sketch the storyboard with stick characters. Depending on the length, this can take several hours because I try to figure out the page compositions early on, involving a lot of trial and error.
Once that's done, I show it to the artist. After getting their approval, we work on the cover, which also allows us to learn how to work together. The idea is to complete the cover first so it can be used as an advertisement, teaser, and proof that we're serious about the project. This is crucial, especially if we plan to seek funding from people who haven't heard about us before.
And you know how easy it is to promise to make an awesome comic, only for nothing to be made in the end.
Once the cover is finished, I start advertising it. And once we have enough backers and are paid, we can start working on page 1. In the meantime, I've usually created a cleaner version of the storyboard with a placeholder/final script (I like to keep the script flexible until the page is released). The script typically takes me a few hours to write. Storyboarding a page in a cleaner way can take me from less than an hour to several hours, depending on its complexity.
Then, the artist creates a sketch based on my storyboard and shows it to me. This is the supervision phase. I correct and edit things as needed, which can take anywhere from a minute to a few hours, depending on the complexity. Once we agree on the sketch, the artist takes over to finish the page. Each artist works at a different pace, so I can't provide a precise timeline, but the goal is usually to complete at least one page per month. We may also need to make some corrections and edits once the page is colored, which again can take a few minutes to a few hours.
Assuming I don't go back to make minor adjustments later (which can happen, haha), that's the process. This accumulation of many "few minutes to few hours" tasks is why I can work on multiple comics simultaneously. Letting an idea simmer in the background while supervising other comics at the same time is part of my workflow.
I guess the question was asked because of the Renamon comic in progress. That comic is a total exception because it's not a regular comic but a "Roleplaying Comic" (or a "Choose Your Own Adventure" type of story). It's like crafting an entire role-playing campaign, meaning I need to know as much as possible before it even starts, so I can adapt in case the readers/players go off script.
For SFW comics, the process isn't that different, but usually, I already have a story in mind and simply hire an artist with a suitable style to execute it, rather than collaborating with an artist based on their favorite fan characters. So, most of the pre-production work is already done; it's just a matter of testing the artist and then sending them the storyboard. This can be very quick.
In conclusion, on average, it often takes several months from finding the concept to completing the first page. Even if we move fast, the quickest we could complete everything would be around a month. Typically, it takes 4 to 6 months from the first conversation with the artist to the first completed page.
That's why I thought replying in the comments wouldn't be ideal :o)
I hope this answers the question o/
Comments
ykwhatimherefor
thanks for the insight, honestly it’s a lot more simple and streamlined than i expected. i guess that’s what comes with experience though. getting to know the creative process makes the final product even more enjoyable🔥
FastTquick
This is a great explanation you have. I have a feeling your process would serve as a template for anyone else who wants to get into writing fanfiction/comics.
