[gary_the_snail]

Hey all. I've had experiences with the Earthsong forum guys and you guys seem pretty nice, so I've decided to ask my question here.

So, I'm starting a webcomic. I want it to be in the sort of format that Earthsong is-- the long page thing, as if it was going to be published. I was wondering what a good size to draw it at would be and what some good final dimensions for the page could be?

Everyone who answers gets a free (virtual) cookie.

Thanks!

[electricpanda]

Um, it really depends on a lot of factors. Generally, it's better to have it at (in my experience) about 4x the size it will appear as on the final product, and having at a high (200+, I usually have it at 300) dpi helps too (although if you don't plan on getting it published, you don't need it to be higher than 72 dpi).

And 800x600 is the standard size for Earthsong-style formats, I think!
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Dubbed Pants by AsA, via the way of the electric pants.

[Squeeself]

Eh, you don't need a 4x size. While it's a good idea to do a larger dpi than you're likely to encounter if you're not sure of your final product, there's rarely a need for larger dimensions. (If you NEED something larger, it's likely for a specialized purpose such as promotional material, in which case you'd be making it special anyway.) Most important is to get your aspect ratio chosen, as that determines your composition. Not sure what standard print comics are but, a vertical 1.3 format (.7 I guess) seems about right just by looking at some that Squee has. That's like 6x8 inches?

If you're planning on doing print (or want to leave the possibility open), 300 dpi should be your minimum dpi. 600 dpi is what Squee would recommend though. Of course that's a ton more space required...

So yes, the right way to do it is to 1) Pick whether you want a vertical or a horizontal format. 2) Pick the dimensions for print. Best would be to go to a store and look at the dimensions of stuff there that you like. Remember, depending on your style of comic, many comics have unusual aspect ratios and will put multiple strips per page (not very popular in graphic novels though). 3) Make your comic at 300-600dpi in the dimensions you chose. You can then downscale to 72 dpi for web. 4) Draw your comic at around the same dimensions as it would be in print, at least when you first start out. Helps you get the feel for the final look until you're used to it. Plus, it allows you to scan it in at exactly the dpi you'll be working in. Scanning at a higher dpi is good, but there's not reason to actually work in higher dpis than your final product, so can be a waste of time if you have a slow scanner like me XD

[electricpanda]

I said four times larger not because of any technical reason, but it makes your lineart A LOT smoother and helps to cover mistakes. Seriously, I make so many botches on my pieces, but they're practically invisible when they're four times smaller. It makes lines go nice and clean, too, hmm yes.
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Dubbed Pants by AsA, via the way of the electric pants.

[Asa]

I don't have technical experience, but I can give you some tips for what readers like to see (usually):

1. Clean art. I personally like clean, smooth lines, like Pants said, because wavery art is unprofessional. Make sure you know how to use the space you give yourself; don't leave too much white space or cram too much in.

2. A solid story, if you're going the plot-based route. Make sure you know where your characters are going so you don't write yourself into a corner.

3. If you've got the time and inclination, extra material for your readers to peruse while waiting for the next installment is always nice.


So yeah, just some things I've noticed are common between the webcomics I like. Especially in graphic novels the art is more important than the story, so that should be paramount, in my opinion.

Good luck!
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[electricpanda]

Yeah - make sure you know where you're going and what you're going to do when you get there as well. Good art will draw a reader in, and good writing keeps them in. Having only one will not save your webcomic, by many people's standards.

Oh, this is kind of off-topic now :p
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Dubbed Pants by AsA, via the way of the electric pants.

[PurpleCactusPlant]

Am I the only person who thought that someone was making a web comic out of cookies?
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[Nem]

I thought of this:



Heh-heh <_<

As important as anything else make sure you design the website it's going to go in properly. None of those awful flash thingies and so on. If you can make recurrent elements reference a single page which you can then alter rather than having to alter every single page of your comic that's also handy if you ever want to change things around.
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