this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2025
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No Stupid Questions
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There is no such thing as a Stupid Question!
Don't be embarrassed of your curiosity; everyone has questions that they may feel uncomfortable asking certain people, so this place gives you a nice area not to be judged about asking it. Everyone here is willing to help.
- ex. How do I change oil
- ex. How to tie shoes
- ex. Can you cry underwater?
Reminder that the rules for lemmy.ca still apply!
Thanks for reading all of this, even if you didn't read all of this, and your eye started somewhere else, have a watermelon slice ๐.
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Someone recommended Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, and I'd second that. It's an in-depth look at how comics work, stylistically & philosophically, and presented in comic form.
For actually drawing, any tools will work. I started drawing stick figure comics in spiral school notebooks. They were crude, but they helped me improve my storytelling, pacing, and layouts. I copied the drawing styles of my favourite artists. I found a "how to draw" book that worked with my brain (there are so many out there - take the time to read through a couple chapters to make sure their instruction style resonates with your learning style). YouTube is good for tips, but comics are a static medium, so I feel print is a better medium for learning.
Read all the comics. Break down what works in your favourite titles and what could be confusing or ineffective. Study their timing, which story elements they use (and what they leave out). Track how the pacing changes for dramatic or comedic effect. McCloud's book will give you the tools to analyse comics.
While you read and study comics, keep practising your art. There is no finish line - your art will change and evolve as you do, and you will probably never be satisfied with it. That's okay. Just keep moving forward. Try new things. Keep what works and move past what doesn't. Be proud of your achievements but not precious. You can always do better, but know when good is enough to move on.
Stuff I didn't listen to Back Then:
If you drew it once, you can draw it again. Don't be afraid to erase and try something else.
Draw everything, especially stuff you hate to draw (hands, props, cars, buildings, perspective). Eventually you'll have a better understanding of how things are constructed and how to simplify them in your art.
Reference is not cheating. Don't trace other people's work, but keep inspiration around as you draw. Poses, lighting, colour, perspective, facial expressions - all of it.
Don't chase perfection. Drawing a hundred imperfect things gives you more experience than trying to draw one perfect thing. It also helps you think faster as you create and recognise/avoid dead ends faster.
You can draw comics on anything with anything that will leave a mark. A friend of mine drew a comic with a stick dipped in ink and coloured it with scraps of fabric.
Back Then I went from notebooks to sketchbooks to Bristol paper (the classic comic paper). These days I use Procreate on an iPad Mini 6. Sometimes I sketch poses on receipts and sticky notes, take a photo with the iPad and import it into Procreate to finish. The more you create, the more you'll dial in your style and preferred media. You will find a workflow that works for you, the same way your style will evolve into its own thing.
TL;DR: Draw everything you can on anything you can. Try all of the tools to see what works. Read and study all the comics.
I appreciate your shared thoughts and experiences a lot. Thanks
(Sorry for writing a novel. And rambling.)