Comic Artist by Dillon Wanner

5 Resources for the Indie Comic Creator

As an indie comic creator, I'm always looking for ways to make my job easier, more inspiring, and of course more profitable. These are just a few resources that I've discovered over the last couple years that I couldn't have lived without. Each resources targets a specific area of development. 


​1. ART

Every Frame a Painting

Every Frame a Painting is an amazing YouTube channel with educational analysis on the art of editing and cinematography. Though its focus is on cinema, the visual storytelling principles contained within should benefit both comic writers and artists when it comes to framing their works. Here's just one video of many on the channel that I've found interesting and helpful: 

 


​2. DISCOURSE

SKTCHD
http://sktchd.com

SKTCHD is/was a comic journalism site run by David Harper with an emphasis on longform content. Though David no longer puts out new articles, his archive remains a valuable resource for indie creators looking to dive a little bit deeper into the whys, hows, and trends of the direct market. David still maintains his podcast Off-Panel, where he interviews professionals from the industry, including less spotlighted (but no less influential) editors and publishers.

You'll find the podcast here.


Harper has kept the SKTCHD website up as an archive.

​3. THEORY
INTRO TO SCOTT MCCLOUD
https://understandingcomics177.wordpress.com/

Written as annotations for a college class, this blog provides an excellent overview of some of the concepts contained within Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. Designed as a companion piece, the notes explain the basic framework of Scott’s comic theory, the academic standard taught all around the world.

Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics is an extremely valuable resource for comic creators.


​4. PRINT

PRINT NINJA RESOURCE CENTER
http://www.printninja.com/printing-resource-center

No other website goes into the nuts and bolts of printing in as well laid out a manner as Print Ninja’s own resource center. The information is written for the printing newbie, and as such takes its time in explaining concepts that are often filled with industry jargon.

Print Ninja has a ton of printing options. 


​5. BUSINESS

ZUB TALES - The official blog of Jim Zub
http://www.jimzub.com/

​Jim is a well known and successful comic creator who has blogged about both his experiences working with Image and their particular model of creator-owned. He’s very transparent about everything, and has a great archive filled with resources for creators of all levels! 
These are just a couple that we visit on a weekly basis. Have other resources that you use? Share in the comments below!
Back to blog