What's your drive?

Kris X · Post by **Kris X** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 4:24 pm

1. I have no job.
2. I have no emotional outlet.
3. It keeps me from going insane until college starts up again.

Princess · Post by **Princess** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 1:36 am

Get on portalofevil.com (just kidding)

I wanted to do more with my illustrations- making comics seemed like the next step.

Tenma · Post by **Tenma** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 11:41 am

I seem to be in the minority on this one, but I have no need/addiction to drawing or ideas I have to get out of my head for fear of hemmorhage. And it's only recently that I've begun to even remotely enjoy the art process that goes into creating the average comic.

I do this because I like comics. It's the best medium available to me to tell my stories in for several reasons, one of the main ones being how precise you can get. With movies, you have to rely on actors, props, etc, to present your story for you. With books, you have to rely heavily on the reader's imagination, which certainly won't match up with your own exactly. Comics and animation are more direct routes to getting your story into someone else's head.

There's also the fact that I can't animate, and every other jackass in the world makes their own movies and thinks they can write a book. -_-;

Mostly I think what fuels me is the desire to become better at this so that I can accomplish greater things when I'm done with my current comic, and so it isn't such a pain in the ass in the meantime. I'd also like to turn my comicry into something that pays more so I can do what I enjoy and actually live off of it.

Nanda · Post by **Nanda** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 6:50 pm

It was a childhood fantasy of mine to hang out with webcomic artists, and it seemed the best way to realize this dream was to start a webcomic. Now that I've cemented myself in a webcomic community, have friends who are webcomic artists, and actually LIVE with another webcomic artist, I don't need to update anymore.

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 7:42 pm

Tenma wrote:I'd also like to turn my comicry into something that pays more so I can do what I enjoy and actually live off of it.

If you find a way to do that, tell us. Some of us have been seeking that secret for years.

Nanda wrote:...Now that I've cemented myself in a webcomic community, have friends who are webcomic artists, and actually LIVE with another webcomic artist, I don't need to update anymore.

Can I use that excuse for next time I go on hiatus?

Tenma · Post by **Tenma** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 8:18 pm

Black Sparrow wrote:
Tenma wrote:I'd also like to turn my comicry into something that pays more so I can do what I enjoy and actually live off of it.
If you find a way to do that, tell us. Some of us have been seeking that secret for years.

Are you serious? There are several ways of doing it, but they all involve getting good traffic first.

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 8:25 pm

Tenma wrote:
Black Sparrow wrote:
Tenma wrote:I'd also like to turn my comicry into something that pays more so I can do what I enjoy and actually live off of it.
If you find a way to do that, tell us. Some of us have been seeking that secret for years.
Are you serious? There are several ways of doing it, but they all involve getting good traffic first.

Ah. Therein lies the problem.

Col · Post by **Col** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 8:43 pm

In general, I've been drawing all my life, and knew from a very early age that I wanted to make a career out of it. I do it now sort of through graphic design, but my real desire is to make a living off my own work, whether it be painting or comics. Also, I tend to go stir crazy if I don't start putting images down to canvas or paper. Then there's always the satisfaction of showing it to someone and hearing them say they like it. While making art has always been a personal passion, hearing people compliment it has been an even stronger drug. It's what kept me going when I was a kid, and it's that way today.

At the moment, I've gotten back into painting and can't stop thinking about more and more pieces to do, but comics are still in my head too. I can't let go of those characters from Strange Happenings, and I feel like I quit too early with it. Comics are the other consistency in my life since childhood, and I don't think I'll ever grow out of it. It's only natural for me to want to make my own, especially with the ease of presenting it online. Thank God for the internet!

Kasaii · Post by **Kasaii** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 9:52 pm

I am driven by those rare, beautiful moments when someone emails me to say "Man, I read your comic, and it made my day better / entertained me / forced to read through your entire archive in one sitting to find out what happened."

(In short, I do it because appreciation is a better high than drugs.)

In all seriousness, while the above is a major factor, it's also because I love the idea that something I do makes other people happier.

Keffria · Post by **Keffria** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 12:34 pm

This question gets asked a lot. I think I shall post the response I wrote in my nerd-blog.

I draw because it's a creative outlet that doesn't frustrate me and which doesn't have to be a massive undertaking the way my writing always seems to be. Is it an all-consuming passion? Not really. I kind of doodle all over things when I don't stop myself, but I do it because it's fun, not because I feel this burning desire to do so.

Specific to webcomics, I don't like to pretend otherwise: my chief aim in drawing a webcomic is to show other people reasonably pretty pictures, and, yes, to have these people look at them and say 'hey, this is cool' or 'hey, this is cool, but...'. I'm not saying I'm an attention whore; it's just that if I only wanted to draw things, why bother putting them in a public place...?

I think, fundamentally, webcomicking is about two things: (1) Recognition, and (2) Self-improvement. I want feedback - praise, critiques, outright bashing, whatever - and my secret dream is to have someone bump into me and say 'whoa, you're that girl who draws Aldus [or whatever I happen to be drawing at the time]!'. They don't have to say 'you are my GOD!' or even 'I like it' -- I'd just like to be recognized. And at the same time, I want to always be striving towards a level of quality that WOULD provoke someone to say that I am their webcomic-related god.

And that's about it.

Phact0rri · Post by **Phact0rri** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 1:42 pm

princess wrote:Get on portalofevil.com (just kidding)

I wanted to do more with my illustrations- making comics seemed like the next step.

simular to me. I like the idea of drawing the same characters over and over again.

Mo · Post by Mo » Sun Jul 30, 2006 1:47 pm

Nanda wrote:...I don't need to update anymore.