Comics for Beginners

In this podcast episode I talk to writer/artist Paolo Parisi in a crowded cafe in his home city of Rome. We touch on the Italian comics scene, festivals, underground comics, the relationship between music and comics and the flip side … Continue reading →

Why is it sometimes so hard to keep a schedule when creating content for the web? And how can we set a system in place to circumvent our fleeting motivation? That’s what I try to answer in this episode.

  Making comics is fun – but also hard and lonely work! What do you do when you are dissatisfied with your story or your art? How do you stay motivated, when no one seems to care? How do you … Continue reading →

Inspired by an article Molly Crappable wrote on freelance life, I sat down and had a discussion with myself about what it takes to survive as a one-man army. If you’re a struggling freelancer or considering becoming one, this episode … Continue reading →

No time is more approriate for a little self- examination than the beginning of a new year. Sparked by a rather painful personal relationship issue, I dig deep and look on the dark side – not just only my own less-than-perfect psyche but … Continue reading →

I got an email from a VIP subscriber who had a bunch of questions regarding his process. What program or software do you suggest for paneling or arranging the images with boarders on a computer? How much bigger should I do … Continue reading →

“I find that art is 90 percent fear!” Artist, teacher and CEO of MakingComics.com, Patrick Yurick, visited Copenhagen and I got to show him the better parts of the city. We also managed to record a podcast on his view on the … Continue reading →

“Think about things in terms of story. Anything else is just flourish and self-promotion” I talk to artist Ben Dewey about art, music and the Faustian aspect of working crappy jobs while pursuing a carreer in comics creation. Besides being the … Continue reading →

“There’s a reason why they punish prisoners by putting them in solitary”. Steve Lieber, long time comics pro and the current artist on The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, speaks highly of the studio environment. And as a founding member of … Continue reading →

As you may know, my first monthly book Thomas Alsop is out from BOOM! Studios and is doing very well. Hooray! But how do you get there? In the first episode of this podcast, I discussed the three biggest mistakes … Continue reading →

How vital is feedback from others to the creative process? How do you be constructive about it and avoid contaminating relationships? What feedback do you ignore and who do you ask? These are some of the questions I tackle in … Continue reading →

How good do you have to be at drawing before you start working on your first comic? What if you’re not talented enough? And how do you make the most of whatever talent you have? These are some of the … Continue reading →

The rabbit is out of the hat! BOOM! Studios is releasing the first issue of creator-owned book Thomas Alsop in June 2014, an occult New York story, written by Chris Miskiewicz and drawn by yours truly. Bleeding Cool did a … Continue reading →

Jason Little is a Brooklyn-based indie comics creator, most famous for his Bee books, such as Shutterbug Follies. Although his style is colorful and uses clean lines, the books are NOT for kids – something the US audience seems to … Continue reading →

Working out of your house can be tough – especially if you have a demanding family with little or no respect for your need to be drawing comics all the time. In this episode I offer some tips how to … Continue reading →

Seth Kushner (http://www.sethkushner.com/) is a photographer and writer, known for his awesome portraits in Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics and his Schmuck series and photocomics on Trip City. Nathan Schreiber (http://www.nathanschreiber.com/) is an Eisner and Harvey Awards … Continue reading →

In this episode I share some tips and suggestions for becoming a better artist. Drawing every day and everywhere is one thing, but what if you find yourself hating the end result? How do you get good at drawing and … Continue reading →

Last week I taught a comics class at the Animation Workhop in Viborg. This week’s podcast is a summary of some of the things I taught – and learned myself! The main theme is choice: what kind of choices you … Continue reading →

Emmy-award winning artist Dean Haspiel gives some insights on the craft and business of comics, the benefits of being part of a studio community and his current work on the series The Fox with writer Mark Waid. Dean also shares … Continue reading →

At the French festival Quai Des Bulles (http://www.quaidesbulles.com/) I talked to seasoned comics professional Peter Snejbjerg (http://www.snejbjerg.com/) known for his work on Starman, Books of Magic, A God Somewhere, Preacher, BPRD and the recent French album series World War X. … Continue reading →

Another comic convention, another trip abroad for this tired cartoonist, reporting semi-live from Saint-Malo, France. This episode is mostly impressions from day 1 and some tips from locals on where to go for conventions in France. For more on the … Continue reading →

At NYCC I talked to Seth Peck about the Bad Karma writing collective, the succesful Kickstarter campaign behind the book Bad Karma Vol. 1 and about the importance of having partners in crime. For more info on Bad Karma and … Continue reading →

We’re often told to listen to the voice inside ourselves. But what if that voice is preventing you from working on the thing you love most? This morning I went back to the New York Comic Con to talk to … Continue reading →

I met Jim Zub, writer of Skullkickers, Samurai Jack and the Pathfinder comics at the New York Comic Con and grilled him about why he is letting everyone in on the secret to making comics. Turns out it’s all because … Continue reading →

At cons like NYCC you hear a lot of chatter about “breaking in” to comics. In this episode we get three different perspectives on the subject: from writer Kurtis Wiebe (http://kurtiswiebe.wordpress.com/), artist Rick Parker (http://rickparkercartoons.blogspot.com/) and colorist Jose Villarrubia (http://www.mica.edu/About_MICA/People/Faculty/Faculty_List_by_Last_Name/Jose_A_Villarrubia.html). … Continue reading →

Last week I talked to animation director and first time graphic novelist Craig Frank (http://www.frankfilm.dk/) about his succesful Kickstarter campaign for his upcoming book JFK Secret OPS (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/256252644/jfk-secret-ops-the-graphic-novel) and his experience with making comics for the first time and how … Continue reading →

Most of us struggle with finding time to work on our comics. In this episode I go over some productivity tips and mind hacks to help you get more stuff done. Let’s go to work!

Writer/artist Palle Schmidt talks about his methods for coming up with story ideas, writing in his underwear, talking to himself and how to solve story problems with the use of balloons! What are YOUR story generation tips? Please share!

 After 4 days of Comic Con, fatigue is starting to set in. My friend and collaborator Chris Miskiewicz (www.welcometotripcity.com) skipped out today and dragged ourselves to the park instead, and in this podcast episode we chat about going to … Continue reading →

 Eisner Award nominated artist Joseph Remnant (www.josephremnant.com) talks about why he got into comics and what makes him keep going. Great insights and advice from a very humble and very talented writer/artist. Check out the Remnant illustrated book Harvey … Continue reading →

Artist and writer Reilly Brown (www.reillybrownart.com) is known for his work on Marvel books such as The Amazing Spiderman, Cable & Deadpool and his creator-owned Power Play (www.powerplaycomic.com). In this episode he talks about robots, monsters and pottery! Great insights … Continue reading →

Interviews conducted at Comic Con in San Diego. First Eisner Award winning Nate Powell (www.seemybrotherdance.org) talks about making comics in two-hour chunks while taking care of his 1-year old daughter. Apologies for the bad audio – totally my fault! Secondly … Continue reading →

From Writer/artist Palle Schmidt: “The 3 biggest mistakes I made in my comics career”. The first Comics For Beginners Podcast!