So You Want to Create a Comic Strip?
Where do you begin? All creative endeavors start with an idea. But where do you get this idea? This new strip of yours has got to include characters, a setting, written and visual styles, but a comic strip can’t rely on any of those things alone. It’s got to have a reason for being and that reason is your own unique voice. You are more than just an artist who can draw funny cartoons, you have a viewpoint to share with the world. That is the core of your idea!
One of the biggest mistakes cartoonists make when starting a comic strip is… thinking that their grand idea is based on a single comic ingredient, for example, a character. Let’s say you got this character who is a bird. (Gee, where did I imagine that?) You like drawing birds. You came up with a good one that works at burger joint and is obsessed with motorcycles. Now you’ve got a character design and some ideas about his life. This has promise, right? Well… perhaps, but not really. The mistake is that this is not an idea, rather it’s what should be the result of an idea. The same goes for settings, genres, drawing styles, etc.
Coming up with an idea isn’t easy and it’s arguably the most important step at the beginning. You need to ask yourself questions about what you want to say in your comic strip.
- What in your own life and experiences do you want to share?
- What values are important to you?
- What things do you find humor in?
- What subjects are you passionate about?
Answering these will help you find your unique voice and begin to steer you toward the core idea behind your new comic strip.