Episodes
Drawing from Photo Reference (with AdorkaStock!)
Drawing anatomy and poses can be tricky, but there's some excellent tools out there for referencing poses like the awesome stuff that Sarah makes at adorkastock.com. But how DO we do it in an effective way? Let's talk about it!
Alternate Formats
Webcomics are pretty great in our opinion, but they're not the only way to get a narrative story out into the world. Prose has been an option forever, but today, with so many new technologies, there are so many more options available! You could use anything from video games to podcasts to tell a story. But each option has its own pros and cons depending on what sort of project you're building, and today we're going to talk about them!
Plotting a Webcomic
Coming up with characters and scenarios is one thing, but when you're working in a longform narrative comic, you're going to want to think about a plot. Planning out your plot in a webcomic is a unique challenge compared to some other mediums, so today we're going to talk about it!
Themes
The concept of a "theme" is something that comes up in writing when we're talking about character motivations or plot in a longform narrative comic, and it's basically a word or concept that's at the core of what you're trying to say in your story. So we're going to talk about what themes are, how they come about, and how you can use them!
Getting Started (2025 Edition)
Whether it's your first and only webcomic or one of many that you're planning, preparing to launch a new comic can take a lot of thought! You'll be thinking about things like organizational aspects (which is getting your art and story plans ready), technical aspects (which includes hosting that works for the scope of your comic), the timing and how you get the word out once you're finally ready to launch.
Writing a Synopsis (with Eli!)
A synopsis is one of the most powerful tools we have for hooking potential readers into our story. But sometimes summing up your big ideas into an understandable, compelling short statement is really challenging! So we’re here to break down the elements, look into what you do and don’t need, and hopefully give you some good ideas to work with!
5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started
Starting a webcomic can be a huge endeavor. Whether it's your first comic or your fifth, the beginning stages of webcomicking can be the best of times and the worst of times. It may surprise you to know (though hopefully not) that we here at Screen Tones have all started webcomics and so, we want to share our favorite tips for getting started. And what better way to do that than with a nice, neat numbered list! Let's dive into the 5 Things We Wish We Knew Before We Started Webcomicking!!
Discipline
This episode is not for the faint of heart. We’re talking to the creators that have decided they want to make a webcomic at all costs and are ready to put in the work! Webcomics require so many hats and unless you’re part of a team, you’re wearing all of them. Discipline is what will help you stay organized, push through the less enjoyable parts of webcomicking and ultimately help you bring your idea to fruition.
Work Life Balance (with Chesca!)
Today we’re going to be discussing the delicate balance between our work on comics and our busy lives, and... maybe all of the extra stuff between! Featuring special guest, Chesca, the creator of Litter Box Comics!
Join us as we discuss difficulties and tips around creating balance between your work and home life, with a bonus perspective of being a parent and keeping up a webcomic.
Romance (with Meg and Alli!)
Ever wondered about the allure of romance? The potential of a fiery relationship between strangers? The highs and lows, the exciting and the enticing? Well you’re in for a treat because we’re going to be discussing Romance as a genre and tool in webcomics.
Season 2 Trailer and Cast Intros
We're getting excited for Season 2 to start dropping next week, so come and meet the cast and crew again!
References
References are basically any visual aid that helps you draw something. You can use photos, 3D models, live models, or do a little pre-development work to draw reference sheets for characters or vehicles or outfits you know you’re going to be using in your pages. In webcomics, we’re drawing panel after panel, and stopping to find or make good references can be a step you gloss over in the interest of getting the page out. But long-term, there are a lot of benefits that you can get out of working them into your process.
Clip Studio Paint
Clip Studio Paint is a art program with a lot to offer to webcomic creators. It was once known as Manga Studio before being rebranded a few years back. It’s available on Windows, Mac, and iOS, has a few different tiers with varying features available, and goes on sale very often. Today we're going to dive into what we love about this great application.
Spoilers
Spoilers: planned future events in a serialized story that have not been released yet. Every creator handles spoilers in different ways. Some have no qualms about sharing spoilers and details about future events while others keep things closer to the chest. There is no right way to handle spoilers; our hosts are here to discuss the many options for webcomic creators!
The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/