“I Failed As A Webcomic Artist”

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1. Charles Brubaker

   As someone with two ongoing webcomics, I can relate to how difficult it is to get a following.

   Over the years I attempted several, most of which didn’t last long. I remember being amazed when one of my webcomics lasted longer than a year (it lasted 14 months). Although this pushed me harder on my current webcomics, which has been going for 3.5 years and 1.5 years respectively.

   And this will sound like a business/marketing advice, but developing a niche helps, too. “Ask a Cat” was something I did on the side, figuring that I would only do 5 or 6 strips before abandoning it. Instead, people reacted it to it more strongly than my main webcomic at the time, about a couple of witches. That made me realize that cat lovers were my biggest audience, so I decided to keep at it, ending my witch comic to focus on cat cartoons (my other, more kid-oriented webcomic “Fuzzy Princess” also has a cat lead character). “Ask a Cat” gained further audience when GoComics picked it up three years ago, still running today.

   Webcomics are also a good way to build your portfolio. I’ve been hired to work on freelance projects over the years because clients found my comics online.

   It takes a lot of patience, marketing-savy, and persistence to keep your webcomic going. Having big presence in social media is also a big part. Here’s hoping that Sridhar will find some time to return to cartooning in the future.