How to start a comic

Create a full comic from scratch in your own time. Get that comic out of your head and on to paper!

Join how to start a comic

Are you an artist who is always dreaming up stories, characters and worlds?

Have you set the goal to create your own comic one day?

I love that for you! For me, comics are the best way to tell visual stories.

Making your own comics will help you:

  • Become a better artist
  • Become a better writer
  • Grow your online following
  • Build credibility as a storyteller and artist

But most of all: comics allow you to express yourself, to tell your unique story and find your creative voice.

And they’re just plain FUN to make!

 

Ivory kleding
characters in the mountains

so you want to make a comic? that is awsome!

And maybe a little daunting?

Many artists tell me that they love to draw but they have no idea how to write a story. They are intimidated by drawing all these backgrounds. Or they’re struggling with the more technical aspects of making a comic page, like dimensions and font size. Maybe this sounds familiar.

You might have tried many things already:

– Reading books on making comics

– Watching tutorial after tutorial

– Starting and stopping. Starting again and stopping again, etc.

Hi, my name is Henrike and I know just how you feel

Me in 2005

I had always made fun little comics, but ever since I discovered online comics I dreamed about publishing my own webcomic. However, I was struggling so much with what steps to take and the writing of the story that I slipped into a long art block.

I wondered if it was just too hard for me. If I wasn’t a good enough artist and writer to be able to do this. I was even doubting if I was an artist at some point.

Solution

With the help of an art course and artist friends I made online I crawled out of my art block and started drawing again.

And ever since 2009, through a lot of books, articles, videos and tutorials, I have slowly figured out everything I needed to know and prepare when it comes to the art of comics and storytelling and that has allowed me to create a new comic, Recollection City.

I loved sharing the process of creating my comic online, and that’s how I started my blog in 2012.

One of my goals for my blog was to make the comic process more transparent, so people could get started with their comic much faster than I did.

I launched a Youtube channel with the same goal in 2018, focusing on helping others make their own comics a reality and creating a story that they love and are proud to share with the world.

Webcomic

Recollection City launched in 2017

blog

On comics, since 2013

youtube channel

Over 1K subscribers in 1.5 yrs

courses

2 courses on comics and mentoring

if you want to make your own comic too, get the course:

Join How to Start a Comic

when i started out, I was missing a roadmap

What would’ve made this whole process so much easier for me was a game plan. Some resource that would tell me exactly what steps to take and what to think about. That would teach me the basics so I would stop doing what didn’t matter and start creating the things that will make a comic work. A guide that would help me create my own workflow and system for making comics and that would make me more confident in what I was doing.

 

After years of teaching and talking to aspiring comic creators I decided to bundle all the things I learned about starting comics and creating pages and create a course that takes all the guesswork out of the comic process.

Introducing:

a complete guide to create comics again and again

I have distilled everything I have learned and have been teaching over the last 10 years into this course.
It’s the complete step by step on how to start and create your own comics.

Since access to this course does not expire, you will be able to use the course for every new comic you make.

How to Start a Comic:

 

  • Will take you step by step through the entire process of preparing and developing your comic and creating your own pages.
  • Will have clear assignments after each lesson that will help you progress through the creation of your comic.
  • Is go at your own pace. Access does not expire.
  • Comes with a dedicated Discord server to connect with fellow comic-creators.
  • Can be used for both short comics and long-form comics.
  • Will help you write a complete story.
  • Will help you design your comic’s look and feel.
  • Will help you design your characters and world.
  • Has a small crash course on how to make comic pages.
  • Will help you come up with shortcuts and workflows that will make creating pages a smooth process.
  • Has nuggets about time- and project management, originality and style, and some extra bonus information on subjects like composition and colour

My ultimate goal is to give you the tools so that creating your comic is a fun and smooth process. And the confidence that you can create your own stories. That you are a comic artist.

follow the steps and you’ll end up with finished pages

Join How to Start a Comic

Testimonials

“The How to Start a Comic course has been fantastic so far! It’s completely demystifying the comic making process in a clear and easy to follow, step-by-step way.

Thanks to this course, I’ve become part of a great community, I’ve been able to turn a vague idea for a comic into an almost completed script/outline, I’ve designed characters, decided on a style for my comic, set up the technical specifications of my working process and finished comic dimensions, and have created test pages and layouts.

I would definitely recommend this course for anyone who’s looking to start/improve a comic but isn’t sure where to start. 100% worth every penny/cent!”

Adrian Saredia-Brayley

“How to Make a Comic has helped me to organize my time an attention where it’s needed most while making my first comic.

The thoughtfully laid out course flows wonderfully from one lesson to the next. It also acts as a great checklist so you know where in the process you are and don’t feel overwhelmed.

The community has been super supportive as we work towards our comic goals and work through the lessons.

I’m still in the process of making my comics, but with this work at your own pace style of course, there’s no overwhelming pressure to “keep up” with everyone else. Just work as fast or as slow as you’d like.

Would 100% recommend to anyone starting out and feeling lost while making their comic and feel like they aren’t getting anywhere.”

Anonymous Student

How to Start a Comic has 4 modules:

Module 1: Get your best ideas and make smart decisions
Module 2: Write a clear and engaging story
Module 3 - Design your comic
Module 4 - Make your first comic pages!

 

Ready to jump in?

The story part of the course alone is what I teach in my one-on-one mentoring, for which I charge between €800 and €1500.

 

I wanted to give more people the frameworks I have used for my own comic and that I use in my mentoring sessions. So I packaged it all up into a complete guide for making a comic, that everyone is able to follow at their own pace.

 

that’s why you can get instant access to the entire course for just one payment of €297*

(Please note this is in Euro. In USD this is around $308 as of November 2022)

* Including any taxes

Refund Policy

Not sure if the How to Start a Comic course will be a good fit for you?

I 100% believe that this course will feature everything you need to get that comic out of your head and on to paper. But if you’re not sure it will help you, just try it out for 14 days after getting the course, do some assignments and look around, and then email me if you don’t think it will help you make your comic.

I will give you a full refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this course suitable for beginners?

It is! How to Start a Comic takes you from zero to your first finished pages of your comic without skipping a step. If you’ve never made comics before then this is a great place to start and to learn about how to come up with ideas, learning how to write a story and how to develop your characters and comic’s world, as well as dipping your toes into making your comic pages. All the while you can ask for advice from your fellow comic creators in the Discord server.

Do I have to know how to draw or write?

A basic knowledge of drawing is certainly helpful, though I believe everyone can make a comic. We all have to start somewhere, right? This course will not teach you how to draw, but it will give you tips for how to improve your drawing while you’re making your comic. I do think, though, that one of the best ways to get better at drawing is to create comics. As for the writing, the course will certainly help you write your story. And as you will see, you might already be better at writing than you think.

Will access to the course expire?

Nope! You can take this course completely at your own pace. And you can come back to it every time you’re making a new comic.

What is the time investment for How to Start a Comic?

This depends on a few things: how long your comic is going to be, how elaborate it is and how much time you have available. The course itself is 6.5 hours long but the biggest amount of time will be spend on creating your comic. I always advise students to find at least 10-20 minutes every day to work on their comic. Or plan an hour of free time a few times a week to get the work in.

Can I use this course for every kind of comic?

The writing part of the course focuses heavily on creating a story with a beginning, middle and ending. So in that sense it will be harder to apply that to an ongoing gag-a-day strip, for example. (Even though these comics often still have an overarching storyline) But you can still apply the basics of storytelling and character development to these kinds of comics. And the other lessons of the course will also still be valuable to you. But just so you know, the main focus in the writing part of the course is on longer stories that have a definitive ending.

Will this course go into how to promote/sell my comic?

No, this course does not go into promoting your comic, selling your comic to an audience or publisher, or into how to create a website for your webcomic. There will be lessons that require you to think about what your primary goal is for your comic. But the commercial aspect of comics is a subject I might do something with in the future. For now I wanted to focus solely on helping you create a comic.

I already have a comic idea, but I keep getting stuck in the process of making it. Can I use this course to help me with my current comic?

For sure! This course will help you focus your story and will give you new ideas about what steps might have been missing in your process. And, of course, it comes with a Discord server where you can ask fellow comic artists questions about how to proceed, or where you can get feedback.

How will I know the course works for me?

Making a comic takes time and effort. Sometimes a LOT of time and effort. I can’t do the work for you. But the beauty of this course is that it will give you clear to-do’s after each lesson that are designed to help you progress through the comic creation process step by step. If anything, you’ll probably get your comic done faster than if you figure out the entire process by yourself. If you’re not entirely sure, try out the course for 14 days and if you feel like it won’t work for you, email me for a refund.

What is the difference between "how to start a comic" and your other course, "your comic journey?"

The biggest difference is that How to Start a Comic is a self-study course that will help you develop and create your dream comic project. Your Comic Journey is a 10-week mentored course with live feedback sessions that will guide you from blank page to finished short comic in 10 weeks. This comic can only be a few pages long. The comic you will make with How to Start a Comic can be as long as you want and you can do this course at your own pace.

Start your comic today

Join How to Start a Comic

Just imagine where your comic could be a year from now

 

I wasted years of my life trying out new tutorials and different ink pens. Doing online character questionaires and writing exercises. Hoping that those things would give me a breakthrough, somehow. I was frustrated, trying to figure out this comic making thing by myself. I got there, but it took very long.

I created this course because I don’t want that for you. I want you to be able to know what to do. And be able to start immediately. To have fun creating your comic, knowing you have already figured out everything you need beforehand. So you don’t get stuck, anymore.

I want to give you the tips and tricks I picked up over the years. To bust the myths that you might believe in that are holding you back. I want you to be excited about your story and your comic. About your own progress as an artist and a writer.

Just image where your comic could be a year from now.

  • You have a finished story. A completed outline with a clear beginning, middle and end.
  • You know exactly where your story is going and what fun scenes or reveals are coming up that will keep your audience on the edge of their seats.
  • You can already be making comic pages at this point. You’d either be working towards your comic’s completion, or you could be posting pages online for a longer story.
  • You have enough material to be able to regularly share sketches, work in progress or finished panels on social media and build your audience.
  • You’re helping others with your progress, either in the course Discord and/or on social media.
  • Your art will have improved.

You can make comics! I know you can! If I could learn how to do it, then so can you.

I’d love to have you in the How to Start a Comic course and community. Hope to see you there!

-Henrike

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