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Here are 3 Traits and skills I think are super important to consider if you are thinking of doing comics!
1 - The first is Patience! - We spend a lot of time sitting at the desk drawing comics. It can be a shock at first if you are not used to drawing this much... and not used to drawing allllll of the things!
This took me a long time to understand... and I often get students and friends who say they really want to draw a comic... but once they actually do it... they realise it's just not something they have the patience for.
Tip - I think you kinda know if you have patience or not. It's definitely something you can improve through knowing yourself and how to handle the longer stretches of mundane work. If you are trying a comicbook project for the first time though... this is a key thing to set your expectations on in the beginning. It will probably take you a lot longer than you think! And involve a lot more drawing the same thing again and again :)
2 - The Second is a Passion for Story! - This is key if you are trying to use comics as a way to share your own ideas. I know a lot of budding artists who have ideas and want to share them with the world... but to do that you need to want to master storytelling... not just create cool images. No one will care about your awesome idea if you can't frame it within a story... and if you are working alone as an writer/artist, you will probably spend just as much time learning how to tell interesting stories as you will on learning to draw.
Tip - There are a ton of resources on storytelling and writing out there... but I think it's important to find your own personal process for creating ideas and putting them onto the page. If you are working alone as a solo creator... remember that no one else needs to see any part of your process besides the finished product. You don't need to write a script or format your method of ideation in any particular way. It can be visual, or written, or whatever you want. Although Publishers often want to see a script or some form of storyboard to approve before production begins.
3 - The Third is a Love for Drawing! - I think this is important for a few reasons! The first is that we do a lot of drawing as comicbook artists! (Duh!) And you will need to like the process...
The second reason is that the more fun you are having while you draw the more that emotion comes through the page. Often the most unique thing about comics is the direct translation of an artists hand to the audience. We are seeing and living this world through your every mark... so they have to be expressive.
Tip - I always wanted to be an artist but I kinda hated drawing early on. I wasn't very good at it... and I built up a strong 'fear of drawing'.... I liked to 'have drawn'... but I wasn't the kinda person to just sit down and jam. I would be apprehensive and worried about it the whole way through... and a good portion beforehand! It was actually comics which helped me get over this fear ( #exposuretherapy). And I'm really glad I was forced to do so much drawing. Because I notice that now it's something. So I guess my tip is to just sit down and do it... comics are actually the best way to get over a lot of art hang ups... and a great way to learn to draw in general. You just get forced to draw everything... and then keep drawing it again and again.
Happy Drawing!
Tim Mcburnie
Learn Drawing and Illustration from me: www.thedrawingcodex.com
Portfolio: www.timmcburnie.com
www.artstation.com/tim-mcburnie
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