Q&A for How to Make a Comic Strip

Focus on plot, dialogue, characterization, things like that. If you have a really strong story, your drawings will not be as important.

Focus on coming up with an intriguing storyline. A good story can make up for bad art. You could also team up with a friend and have them do the drawings for you.

Focus on the key points of the story instead of the smaller details. You can tell many things just in your drawings.

Think about some things that you like, and base your comic off of that. For example, if you like the Victorian era and superheroes, you could create a comic about superheroes set in the Victorian era.

There is no perfect size. Ir is simply all up to you to decide. You can make all shapes and sizes, including rectangles, circles, and squares.

Yes, but only if your favorite jokes work well in an illustration. You might also want to avoid cliche jokes that many people already know.

As long as you feel is necessary for the punchline. There are many famous one panel comics out there. There are also entire books made out of a single comic, and they are called graphic novels.

Only if you have permission from that book's author/publisher.

That would be consider copyright infringement. The only way you would be able to use your favorite existing comic is if you were to communicate with the original publisher and creator. This will save you the trouble from being charged with copyright.

People edit their own strips before uploading it online. Maybe a little revising, too.

Keep practicing; like any skill, it will improve the more you use it. Your first drafts don't have to be great, you can keep improving on them until you're happy with them. Focus on telling the story through the characters' expressions and actions rather than how refined the artwork is. There are a lot of artists from independent comic publishers such as Top Shelf and Fantagraphics whose work is simplistic, but very expressive.

It doesn't matter. All a comic needs is some pictures with a spark of creativity!

They can be, especially if you make your 'splash page' stand out. If you want to make a superhero comic, try not to use well known superheroes. Maybe use ones that aren't very common in a comic book, or maybe even create your own superhero. How interesting the comic is comes down to the plot of the story line, and how the superhero got their "powers."

Any theme can be interesting if you are creative and passionate about what you create. There is no single, correct answer, as it is a matter of opinion.

Ibis Paint X is free and has a LOT of helpful tools to get you started. You can also make a base through MS Paint and print it off if you're better at traditional art.

It is perfectly fine to copy the style of another artist, but not the plot or story. You should also try to put your own spin on the style.

Comic books are either a bunch of comic strips mixed together, or a very large story about a comic strip. Comic strips are short, and as the name implies, they are shown in strips.

Not every comic is meant to be funny . Some use irony, some use romance. Look at the comics available. They don't have to be funny, but they do need to make a point, such as political or editorial comics.

Almost any photo editing program will work as long as you know how to use it. Popular choices are Paint and Photoshop.

When you have a big idea for a small comic strip, try your best to cut out the small insignificant details and write it down.

It has to have pictures for it to be a comic book. If you want to just write a story instead of making a comic book, go ahead.

Yes, you can, although I would recommend studying some physics first to make sure your jokes are both smart and funny.

Gary Larson is not the only cartoonist to make single panel cartoons. As long as you aren't copying his style, you'll be fine.

Draw your comic strip as big or small as you like! Personally I like to use about 3 squares. If you are just beginning I would recommend drawing on graph paper.

It depends on the price. Some publishers charge a small amount for a single issue, others charge a large amount but you gain access to the whole comic series. It also depends on how popular your comic becomes.

Other people build off of other memes (like Doge) and add text while keeping the image. It is likely not plagiarism as it is already taken from another source. However, if you tried to make money off of it as your own, then it may be considered plagiarism.

The best known websites and apps include Tapastic, Webtoon, and LINE Webtoon, but there are plenty more out there!

The app you use depends on your platform and what techniques you want to use. Recommendations include: Clip Studio Paint, Adobe Photoshop Sketch, and MediBang Paint. You can find other types of apps by searching online for comic strip drawing apps.