Outlining your story is easily one of the most important parts of the process, and one that can sometimes be overlooked. For years, I thought I could get away with having a general idea and then jump into writing it and letting it evolve as I went along. It’s maybe no surprise to those who…
Author: Stephanie Cooke
Important Questions to Ask an Editor Pre-Contract Signing
ECCC Online: A Guide to the Unofficial Back-up Con
Today, ReedPop announced that following a slew of cancellations from guests, exhibitors, pros, and fans, they would be postponing the convention until the summer, hopefully once COVID-19 concerns have been squashed. ECCC has grown not only into a fan favourite, but a pro-favourite and one of the biggest shows of the year that creators rely…
How to Prevent Con Crud at Conventions
Con crud is a very real struggle for creators. With thousands upon thousands of people all contained in the same building, it’s easy to imagine how quickly illness can spread amongst them. Creators are interacting with guests all day long, talking, shaking hands, hugging, etc. without a second thought about it. Most creators who’ve been to…
The Freelancer’s Cookbook: Anoosha Syed’s Butter Chicken Recipe
Today’s recipe comes from cartoonist, Anoosha Syed: After I moved out and had to fend for myself, my mom started to send me voicemails of her going over some of her favourite recipes. This is butter chicken (murgh makhani), easy-breezy to make in 15 minutes, healthy and filling and cosy and perfect for busy…
The Freelancer’s Cookbook: Easy Marinara
Today’s recipe is from Ally Rom Colthoff who has kindly shared her recipe for marinara. I make this recipe a lot. Its primary ingredients keep for a long time, making it perfect for times when you’ve just gotta work with what’s already in the cupboard. It’s also extremely versatile and easy to change…
Free and Cheap Adobe Alternatives for Creators
Quick Links for all the software mentioned here: Freeware and/or Open Source: PS: GIMP | Krita | Photopea | MyPaint | Paint.NET | Sketchbook | Fire Alpaca | Medibang Paint AI: Inkscape | Vectr IN: Viva Designer | Scribus AN: Blender | Open Toonz | Pencil 2D | Wick Editor | Synfig* LR: RawTherapee |…
Tutorials and Helpful Guides for Colourists
Color with Kurt Kurt Michael Russell has an instructional web site as well as an instructional YouTube channel to help colourists at any level better navigate the field. While Kurt’s YouTube channel allows you to watch videos for free, there are options available for “memberships” ($4.99/month USD) that come with exclusive perks. The full courses…
Writing: Helpful Tips for Getting Started
One of the most common questions among creators in any field, but especially writing, ask How do I get started? It’s common because not a lot of folks really talk about how hard it can be to break into the industry and land published work, especially if you’re not able to draw your own stories. It’s marginally…
What Is Comic Book Editing?
Whether you’re here because you want to be a comic book editor or whether you’re just curious about what exactly it can entail, welcome! For this piece, I’m going to speak about my personal experience as a freelance editor, which can differ from what is expected of an editor at a comic book publisher. Maybe…