Need Artists!

[Blackaby]

Its a rarity for a multiple person project to thrive.

Its a sad fact, but its true. In many cases, friendships become broken, promises forgotten, and as I've found, someone WILL let you down, whether or not they mean to. I've lost my first editor this way.

I've been working with our artist on a bunch of projects - from writing to illustration to websiteing to our comicy thing now - since she sent me some fanart back in 2001. I still don't see why these kind of artist-writer relationships don't work.

[ChaosBurnFlame]

Its a rarity for a multiple person project to thrive.

Its a sad fact, but its true. In many cases, friendships become broken, promises forgotten, and as I've found, someone WILL let you down, whether or not they mean to. I've lost my first editor this way.

I've been working with our artist on a bunch of projects - from writing to illustration to websiteing to our comicy thing now - since she sent me some fanart back in 2001. I still don't see why these kind of artist-writer relationships don't work.

I didn't say it always fails.

I say its a rarity when it succeeds.

[McDuffies]

I feel that multiple people projects often fail because in webcomics, everyone expects to work on his own vision, something of his own. That's the least you can ask for from a hobby, after all - from effort you aren't being payed for. In talk with a few people on this subject (and in my own experience on "Comic Writer X" where I was a co-writer and co-artist), I got impression that writers rarely have regard of artist's vision: they deliver them finished script and expect them to draw a comic without having any impact on what the comic is all about. Plus, writers (specially beginners) tend to crowd the script with material that is inattractive to artist: dialogue scenes, explanatory scenes, etc. Nothing that artist actually likes to draw. Writer expects standard system used in professional comics to work, because this system favours writers (in terms of efforts, though not in terms of salaries). Artists, if they are any good, wouldn't be doing it on net and for no money, if they wanted to work according to this system. I heard a lot of writers complain: "Artist didn't respect the deadline/deal/left me hanging". I've never heard any writer ask himself: "What can I do to make artist more interested in this project".
Consider the case we're presented with here: You put three, probably nearly finished scripts as offer, expecting the artist to shut his mouth and do what he's told. If you expect artist to do that, the least you can do is pay him (which some writers in webcomics actually do).
When webcomics were younger, such partnerships started with two pals sitting in basement and one day deciding to do the comic together. So you'd get the comic where writer and artist were mostly equal (PA, Megatokyo, Mac Hall); Artist had his part in conception of the comic. Right now, most of webcomics that are collaborations are mainly works of writers who switch artists: as one gets fed up and leaves, they find another one. Writer does most of PR, he talks in front of the comic much more than artist, his name is credited first. I don't find this particulary fair unless writer was veeery popular before the start of the comic.
In any case, there's a lot of writers wondering around, looking for artists while artists decide to rather write their own stuff even when they're not able to put down a coherent storyline. There's a lot of cases where artist loses interest quickly and wonders off leaving a writer in the role of betrayed idealist. I suggested a few reasons why this is happening and therein lies the solution to the problem.
It would be very interesting to see how exactly the colaboration between Blackaby and her artist works, the mechanism of it, exchanging of ideas and stuff. Perhaps it is a usable model of writer/artist collaboration.

[ChaosBurnFlame]

I didn't mean, or intend any sort of offense at all, forgive me.

I just wished to state that from what I observed, that it was a rarity for a multiple person team in webcomics to succeed.

Like in my case with my editor....

Great guy, was friends with him for years... then just after one month of editing, he disappeared off the net... finals and such, he didn't want to let me down, but he did.

And another example, the webcomic 'Shift'. As I stated, the original artist was extremely talented. But when issue #2 of the series started, the artist was switched, the original became a pro.

Its just that, as I've learned, the one person you can depend on for your own vision is yourself.

[Blackaby]

It would be very interesting to see how exactly the colaboration between Blackaby and her artist works, the mechanism of it, exchanging of ideas and stuff. Perhaps it is a usable model of writer/artist collaboration.

Net would be more interesting Should also mention that while we have one main artist, we also have elite guest artists who do once-offs which mean they only have to suffer me OMFGing for a short period. Uh what I've learnt from comicing is that The Artist Is Always Right. Generally. Except on the off chance they're wrong. But that never happens.

I dunno about the mechanism thing tho, I guess we're just good at working around each other. I'm aware I have a lot of failings as a writer, mainly because I have no ability to visualise anything. Like, no imagination whatsoever. Viger has heaps, so I can leech off her and act like I am madskillzed.

I came up with the basic concept but Viger made it not suck. Well not such as much. She also created half the characters. (If you know us both, you can probably tell which ones we made ) I do the research and writing to shape the plot, but my scripts are usually really dumb. So Viger draws the stuff that makes sense and cans the rest. Viger also writes in her own jokes where she wants to. I do the lettering for it so that I can do both the changes to the original script & hers and kind of meld both of them together. Yeah. Like putty. We email a coupla times a week to see where things are at.

Viger is always credited first on everything, because she does the most work and she is sexier than I am.

I dunno if we're a useable model because a lot of our emails to each other about planning and the like go like this:

Me: OMFG WHERE IS TEH ART
Viger: OMFG IT IS IN THE DIRECTORY
Me: OMFG IT IS TEH AWESOME
Viger: OMFG
Me: HABIBxBLACKABY 4EVAR
Viger: OMFG NOOOO

[McDuffies]

You do prove my theory: that such collaboration will work only if communication and exchange of ideas, suggestions and wishes is two-way street.

[Blackaby]

You do prove my theory: that such collaboration will work only if communication and exchange of ideas, suggestions and wishes is two-way street.

While I agree this is true, I do believe a healthy appreciation of manlove also helps.

[Mercury Hat]

You do prove my theory: that such collaboration will work only if communication and exchange of ideas, suggestions and wishes is two-way street.

While I agree this is true, I do believe a healthy appreciation of manlove also helps.

Just like any relationship, really.

[McDuffies]

You do prove my theory: that such collaboration will work only if communication and exchange of ideas, suggestions and wishes is two-way street.

While I agree this is true, I do believe a healthy appreciation of manlove also helps.

Just like any relationship, really.

Do I interpret this right that War is interested in manlove?

[Mercury Hat]

You should know by now that ours is not a perfect relationship so... no. Sorry to disappoint.

[RPin]

It seems Ghastly has settled it. Either go draw your comic or prepare yourself for some serious ass-fucking.

*puts the strap-on*

[McDuffies]

With you it's always about ass-fucking.

[Ghastly]

Ass Fucking: The cause of, and solution to all life's problems.

[RPin]

Ass Fucking: The cause of, and solution to all life's problems.

Are you sure you're not talking about alcohol?

[Dr Legostar]

Ass Fucking: The cause of, and solution to all life's problems.

Are you sure you're not talking about alcohol?

one can often lead to the other.

[DOOM2099]

. . . . .

[RPin]

Ass Fucking: The cause of, and solution to all life's problems.

Are you sure you're not talking about alcohol?

one can often lead to the other.

As a brazilian saying often states, "the ass of a drunk man knows no owner".

[Mr.Bob]

Wheras the owner of a drunken ass shoud really stop giving his donkey cognac.

[McDuffies]

My donkey only drinks pure klekovaca.

[Sincerely]

I do not have a donkey. Thankfully.