Indie Creators... united we can achieve more!

Tired of doing it all yourself? Tired of spending hours and hours day after day and making what seems like little progress because you write, draw, letter, and color your own comic book? Well, it can be easier but it takes communication, willingness to be a team player, and likeminded people who want to help each other in order to help themselves.

Use your Strengths where they fit best
This will be the future hub of some great ideas and collaborations from likeminded Indie writers, artists, and creators. A place where guy's and girls who create comics as loners without help come together and help one another to pump out great comics. Maybe you can't find work as a pro but are right there on the verge of making it. This will be a place for those future pros. A place where you step up to the next level by trading notes, finding a writer, penciller, inker, letterer, colorist, editor, web designer, or whatever you need. Sure, it would be great to get paid for every job you do but let's face it, that's not always going to happen until you are dealing with bigger companies. Why not help others and trade off your skills for the greater good of your project?

Not trying to be the next digital webbing by any means. Just trying to help Indie creators who have too much on their plate by matching them up with a creative team... but for this to work we all have to be flexible to a degree and be able to bend and can't be set in stone on doing it "your own way". It's actually quite simple but a lot of writer/artist types try to go at it alone for whatever reason. It's been done this way years and it's how a lot of your big names have made it to fame by using their strengths and teaming up with other talented people. Look at Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore who teamed up to self publish Battle Pope and would later work together on the hit Walking Dead comic. That's just one example but you get the point.

Working together to make a bigger impact!
Maybe you are a writer and meet a great artist but he sees some flaws in your characters costume or how it wouldn't work well in a real fight. You have to take in his suggestions and be open to little changes. That's where he shines and has a better sense of how something looks visually. Just as writers know how to tell a better story than someone who just see's it when he draws it. Maybe you need and editor who can correct your typos and stuff, or a colorist who can make your work look even better. You have to let them shine where they fit best and trust them to do their thing. Vote on it as a whole creative team and see what people thing would work best. That's why there are creative teams and why books succeed more than one with a sole creator.

See your work completed quicker and with a higher quality look
When you work as a team using your strengths where they work best, you get a better looking, higher quality book. Plus it shortens the time you put into it if you were going at it alone. This get's you on to your next issue or another creators project where you lend your talents to help them get their book completed. It all works out if we all do our part but you have to be sure to return the favor to the other members. Joe helps you draw an issue of "The imperfect adventures of Punyman", and then when you finish that issue you help him write or letter his "Hot Babes From Hell" one-shot. Next, since Mary colored both your books you all jump in and help Mary complete her idea for a comic "The Devil's Bride." Suddenly, you have completed 3 published books at the same time it would have taken you to do 1, and you have all used your strengths where they are best utilized and the higher quality will more likely help your work to be successful and you are building a name for yourself by putting out work on a regular basis keeps you productive and shows your presence in the comic book community. So, you get to help the ones that helped you and build your resume. If your comic book succeeds and becomes popular, then you can eventually pay your team if they wish to stay on the series.

Your Own Talent Pool
Once you get enough people to contribute their talents, you have a pool of talent to pick and collaborate with. You may have enough to eventually branch off into 2 teams and more people can get their books out at once. What if you just want to find your strength? Why not apprentice under the guidance of someone willing to teach you some things like doing color flats for a colorist, proof reading a script or comic book before going to press, inking assists, marketing and promotional jobs, or web design for your site. That's the great thing about surrounding yourself with likeminded talent... there's so much to offer that everyone can shine somewhere.

Creative process.

Taking a little time out the past couple of weeks to look at and anylize my creative process. Trying to think outside of the box in several ways. You see... you can't grow as an artist if you continue to go about things the same way over and over. You have to experiment with new tecniques, styles, and the way you think about things in order to hone your skills and step up to the next level.

I have really been doing this a lot lately. Sometimes I find a cool new inking tecnique and sometimes I learn not to do that again, but the main thing is, I'm learning, growing, and maturing to the next level. Everyones taste is different and Indie comics to me is where you get to see fresh new styles and concepts. Great stories are just as important but the art is a big influence to many fans.

 My biggest experiments at the moment are anylizing every line and thinking if I truly need it and if the art really benifits from me using it. Trying to keep it simpler by using less linework and also adding solid blacks to my work. Shodow work can be a tricky thing so I have been focusingon that too. Sometimes overdoing it but learning non the less. It's all a journey and you have to keep moving trying new things to reach your goals. I'll be trying a lot of new things with my art. Until next time.

-Kenny