Comic Lab

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss the importance of audience building before a crowdfunding.ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Do I really need a fan base to launch a Kickstarter?Four-panel longform story comicsThe Four Cs used by a $1b software start-upBalancing SFW and NSFW storytellingSelling plushies and stuffed animalsToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.Listen to Comic

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar devote the entire show to discuss the biggest mistakes they made in their career. Also: Brad is launching a six-week session for creators of NSFW comics.Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.Listen to ComicLab on...Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyPandoraStitcher

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett talk about how to balance good storytelling with your own personal taste.Questions asked and topics covered...Balancing storytelling and personal tasteLine weightTop webcomic list sitesToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.Listen to ComicLab on...Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyPandoraStitcher

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett discuss the pros and cons of livestreaming your comics-creating process. Questions asked and topics covered...LivestreamingGiving advice to someone doing negative social mediaShould you use your own personal email address on newsletters?Visual humor / non sequiturs vs punchlinesToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.Listen to ComicLab on.

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett discuss mistakes that comic creators are making on Patron that are costing them money. Today's show is brought to you by Wacom, the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! Questions asked and topics covered...Stop saying "Support me on Patreon!"People want things for their money — stop talking about what's in it for YOU, and start talking about what's in it for the BACKERS.Get rid of your $1 tierThe $2 level is a Support tier. Don't give away rewards at this levelToo many tiersToo much CHATTER in your tiersDon't offer Physical rewardsSocial media messaging  — frequent, consistent and significantInconsistent delivery — Want a monthly pledge? Then you need to offer a monthly reward.Successful Patreon strategies that workHow to UNpublish a Patreon tierEncouraging a young cartoonistPro Tips: 15 Things to Post of Patreon When You Don't Know What to Post on Patreon: Great ideas for exclusive rewardsToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar talk about how understanding self-publishing can make or break your career in comics. Today's show is brought to you by Wacom, the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! Questions asked and topics covered...Understanding self-publishing can make or break your career in comicsDividing your readers into groups -- early vs late... active vs passiveKickstarter conundrumToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and th

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar talk about using exclusive Patreon rewards as merchandise. Today's show is brought to you by Wacom, the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! Questions asked and topics covered...When to turn exclusive Patreon rewards into merchandiseClosing loopholes in a storyThe trials of an Eisner judgePlanning a new character designSurviving the ebb and flow of a freelance lifeToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patrioneon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc an

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and  Dave Kellett talk about building tension in your writing. Today's show is brought to you by Wacom, the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! Questions asked and topics covered...Building tensionWhat do we WISH our listeners would ask?What did Brad learn at newspapers?Torn between commissions and comicsLosing Patreon supportToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patrioneon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the creat

Cartoonists  Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar talk about writing a great title for you book. Today's show is brought to you by Wacom, the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! Questions asked and topics covered...Writing the title for a bookWriters on social mediaBrad's prediction on KickstarterVertical scroll for NSFW comicsDigital rewards vs physical rewardsToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patrioneon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the c

Cartoonists  Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar talk about how to improve your art by flipping it over. But... do you fix on the flip, or do you flip, flop and then fix? We're flummoxed! Today's show is brought to you by Wacom, the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  Questions asked and topics covered...These flippin' comics are driving me crazy!Generic or niche?UPDATE: TopatoCo becomes the first Kickstarter competitor of 2022Bonus panelArtistic Identity CrisisToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patrioneon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-

Cartoonists  Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett talk about how social media can make you crazy. Today's show is brought to you by Wacom, the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we talk about building a comics career from unrelated 10-12-page storiesQuestions asked and topics covered...Short comic storiesAdding animation effectsHow much work should be done before the Kickstarter?Subscription-based social mediaCreating a pilot episode for your comicToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patrioneon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tie

Cartoonists  Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar talk about how social media can make you crazy. Today's show is brought to you by Wacom, the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, we're playing the Bad Tweets game — once we can identify lazy social media, we can focus on strategies that work.Questions asked and topics covered...The Bad Tweets GameUpdate: Dave HATES being a small-business shipperUpdate: Dave is going to a SciFi convention!How to respond to a complimentStarting an epic storyline.Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett discuss the recent self-immolation of Gumroad on Twitter — over NFTs!  Today's show is brought to you by Wacom, the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  After Gumroad, we'll be talking about cartooning after retirement.Questions asked and topics covered...Gumoad's NFT problemUPDATE: Dave comes out of the podcast closetUPDATE: Bruce Willis got his own category in the '21 RazziesUPDATE: Facebook loses users and reports a $1 billion lossDrawing boardscartooning after retirementNumbering comic-update posts on your websitePossible Gumroad alternativesItch.io — Digital download site popular with indie-game developers. Allows NSFW content. Has published a strong anti-NFT stance.DriveThruComics — Old-school digital download site previously endorsed on Webcomics.com. Allows NSFW content.Ko-Fi — An early Patreon competitor. Does not allow NSFW. Published a strong anti-NFT stance.Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patre

Cartoonists  Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett talk about how social media can make you crazy. Today's show is brought to you by Wacom, the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! Questions asked and topics covered...Social media is making me crazy!How do I get maximum impact on my first post?Wordless comicsHow to handle two protagonistsSpreading yourself too thinToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the cre

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar tackle one of the great debates in comics — Is fanart legal? Today's show is brought to you by Wacom! Wacom is the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! Questions asked and topics covered...Is fan art legal?Should you allow others to do fan art of your characters?Is posting on Reddit worth the effort?Distributing PDFsShould I leave Tumblr?Studio snacks! What are the best comics-friendly refreshments?Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guig

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar share their predictions for the new year! How will Kickstarter, Patreon, Cryptocurrency, NFTs and Substack fare in 2022? Today's show is brought to you by Wacom! Wacom is the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! Questions asked and topics covered...Prediction: KickstarterPrediction: Patreon will launch a Kickstarter competitorPrediction: Cryptocurrency and NFTs will recede... for different reasons!Prediction: Substack creators who took the signing deal in 2021 will grapple with their "Day 366"Prediction: Comic conventions will attempt a comeback... and have disappointing resultsPrediction: Paper shortages and shipping delays will continue to vex creators' ability to create physical goodsPrediction: Because of the preceding prediction, Patreon's base of creators will take another big jumpIn a couple years, "Sheldon" will turn 25 — does Dave Kellett have any special plans?What would your character actually *do*?Today is a great time to bump up your Co

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar share their thoughts on Kickstarter's recent announcement that they're switching their service to blockchain technology. Today's show is brought to you by Wacom! Wacom is the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! Questions asked and topics covered...Kickstarter's blockchain announcementDave's plans for SDCC 2022What if you DON'T want to "make a living from comics"?Social media networking vs Comic con networkingToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewar

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom! Wacom is the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  This week, Erika Moen joins us for a show dedicated to questions about creating NSFW comics! If you've ever wanted to make sexy comics for the 18+ crowd, this show is for you!Questions asked and topics covered...Erika Moen's new project focusing on her mental health journeyHow to build a comfort level with NSFW workThe importance of good art in 18+ comicsHow to draw a vaginal orgasmThe legalities of NSFW publishingAudience building for a sex oriented comicGetting feedback on your adults-only comicToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-t

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom and Comicraft! Wacom is the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  And you're not going to want to miss Comicraft's Jan. 1 sale when all of their fonts are $20.22 each at Comicbookfonts.com This week, Dave and Brad share their plans for the coming year.Questions asked and topics covered...Comicraft saleBrad's plan for 2022Dave's plan for 2022Kellett's Law of Word Balloon XsBolding punctuationToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus $5-tier rewardsBrad Guigar is the

Today's show is brought to you by Wacom and Comicraft! Wacom is the maker of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One!  And you're not going to want to miss Comicraft's Jan. 1 sale when all of their fonts are $20.22 each at Comicbookfonts.com This week, we discuss the role that clothing plays in character designQuestions asked and topics covered...Should my character wear clothes?Changing my name... should I change my brand?Guide to a first-time collaborationDrawing backgroundsToday is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to livestream recording sessions — as well as an archive of previous livestreams!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.$10 — Gain access to the ComicLab livestreamed recording sessions (including an archive of past livestreams), plus