It's come to my attention (thank you, krispy_kream) that I should've made this a community, and not an LJ user. I'm terrible with computers, what can I say?

So everyone please forgive me, and move on over to nacowrimo_comm. I apologize for the inconvenience. OTL

Hi, everyone, and welcome to the first day of National Comic Writing Month, March 2010 version! It's been brought to my attention that other comic enthusiasts have chosen other months to do this very same thing: draw a comic in one month. That makes me excited. We're joining ranks! Comic artists will unite, and the world will be a better place!

But first things first.

Today, you can finally start drawing! That's right, put those pencils to paper and let it all pour out! This also means that you can draw thumbnails, storyboards and anything else you might need to help your script and layout along, so go crazy. Finish those character sketches, tidy up that script!

It's workin' time!

Okay, I'll leave you to it, but I'll be dropping by to give you cheer you on and offer random advice as the month passes. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. That's what we're here for!

Well, that, and some free comics in 30 days. |D

Good luck everyone, and have a great first week!

-crossposted to my dA

Or Happy Happy Fun Day, whichever you want to call it? XD

Two days until the start of NaCoWriMo! Two days to be sure that you have everything you need to make an awesome, professional-type comic! I bet you're all totally ready, right?

Right?

Well, for those of you who aren't, and also aren't quite sure what all is necessary to make a cool comic, here's the short list:

1) A script! This is very, very important. If you're one of those artists who likes to fly by the seat of her pants and just draw whatever comes to mind in the heat of the moment, that's okay. But if you're one of us poor normal people, a script is necessary, even if it's just a skeleton to which you're going to add meaty comic goodness. Trust me when I say that, for most of us, drawing the comic first and writing the dialogue after makes for a tough and messy way to write comics. It can result in way too much erasing. I learned that one the hard way.

2) Drawing tools! Your tablet! Some printer paper (one of our favorite media)! Some of that cool A4 doujin paper! Pencils, pens, styli ( styluses?), rulers, markers -- anything you like to use to produce your fabulous drawings.

3) Reference! (Optional) It's not cheating! Professional artists of all walks use reference constantly, and there is absolutely no shame in that. Leonardo da Vinci, Kaoru Mori and Alex Ross all use reference. No matter what kind of art you're producing, if you need reference, don't feel bad about looking it up or making your friends pose for you. But remember: directly copying/tracing photos/sketches that are not yours and not for public use is illegal!

And that's about it! See, easy, right? Only three things! Wow, I'm so inspired right now, I can't wait to get started!

... but maybe I should finish writing my script first.

Good luck, everyone! See you in two days for the kickoff! 

That's right, NATIONAL COMIC WRITING MONTH. Comin' to you this March, 2010!

Sure, you've heard about Hourly Comic Day (hard for those of us at work) and 24-Hour Comic Day (hard for those of us at -- well, you get the idea). Who hasn't? But why should comics only get a DAY? Why should we comic artists play second fiddle to novelists?

I say, "NO LONGER!"

That's why this year a few of my friends and I are inviting YOU to participate in National Comic Writing Month! As you can see, we have ripped off the wonderful NaNoWriMo acronym. We'll think of a better name later, but for now, it does the job -- and with many thanks to the wonderful NaNo. -bows-

So get ready, all you artists! Now on to...

THE RULES

1) You can do anything you want to get ready for NaCoWriMo EXCEPT draw your comic. That means no thumbnails, no storyboards, no pages. However, you CAN practice drawing your characters.

2) Your comic can be about absolutely anything you want, and it may be any size you want, but it must be AT LEAST fifteen (15) pages.

3) By March 31st, Midnight, PST ('cause we're in CA, lucky for all you East-Coast people), you must submit a PUBLISHABLE comic to this LJ and your dA/blog. Publishable here means, "Wow, this looks like someone was about to submit it to Marvel/DC/Shonen Jump!" You get the idea. Try to be as professional as you can!

A lot of us on this site love comics, and have often thought about drawing one -- and now's your chance! Get out there and do this with the rest of us. You'll be totally glad you did -- and I bet we will, too. XD If you're with us, feel free to post your pledge to dedicate the month of March to your comic! Link to this journal, or leave a comment to show the world your dedication.

GET READY, EVERYONE! NINE DAYS UNTIL NACOWRIMO~!