Freelance Freedom #100

Whew! Already up to one hundred Freelance Freedom strips. Seems like only a few months ago I was scattered and behind, and rushing to get FF #50 done. Now I’m scattered, behind and rushing to finish up the article for #100. Some things never change.

We’ve seen Freelance Guy evolve over a couple years, and while his appearance has changed, it is starting to solidify, depending on how much attention I’m paying that week to his features. Thanks to the reach of the interwebs, Freelance Freedom is going global and has already been translated in Spanish, Chinese and Russian. Thanks to everyone who has made that happen. Hopefully it can stay relevant to creatives around the world in another hundred strips.

For FF#100, Joel thought it would be a good idea to let the readers ask some questions about the strip. There was definitely a variety of questions, and some overlapped others, so they’ll be answered together in the best way I can.

Enjoy!

N.C. Winters
www.ncwinters.com

pavs:
There are few nice mac apps (Comic Life) available that any amateur can use to make comic strips with little effort, especially useful if you are not an artist. What apps do you use to make your strips and what design process do you take when starting off a comic strip?

Rolf:
Do you use some kind of touchpad for your drawings?

Al:
I really enjoy Black and white. Contrast and using greys. If you did use B&W. How would that change the design. Since you use color. How do you decide how you will use it.

PS: I enjoy your color strip as it is.

DPencil Pusher:
I can draw on paper and scan but I’m looking for the fastest way to digitally ‘ink’ my drawings. Any suggestions?

N.C.:
As in today’s comic strip, I really am pretty old school about the comic process. I used to do a comic strip in college for three and a half years and almost every strip was done 100% digitally with a Wacom tablet and pen. It was great and saved a huge amount of time, but the pen and tablet broke over the years and I never bothered replacing it. When I started with Freelance Freedom after years off from making comics, I used what I’d been using for my illustration: good old pen and paper. I use Sakura Microns: expensive, but I like the feel and line quality. Once the comic is drawn in pencil and then inked, I erase my pencil lines and scan the drawing into Photoshop. From there I have a series of actions and templates that are used to make the comic ‘come to life’. It’s one of the most tedious aspects of making the strip. I really enjoy drawing the most, though getting to the very end of a new finished strip is very rewarding. One of these days I’ll go all digital again.

The coloring of each strip is actually done in just greyscale, with a color overlay layer which I change every week. How do I decide on which color to use? I try and pick a new color that I haven’t used in awhile. The nice thing about making comics on paper is that I can do them on my lunch hours when I’m at contract jobs. As for design – I try to go as simple as possible, though honestly, I’m still making it up as I go along. As far as digitally ‘inking’ your drawings, I’ve heard that some comic books now go from solid heavy pencil right to “ink” through contrast and effects in Photoshop. Seems like a good solution to me.

Raph:
Where do you draw your inspiration from? For characters in your comics? For comic styles? In your work in general?

Adrian Rodriguez:
How do you get started in your character design? I was thinking of starting to design characters for clients and such and I have drawing experience, but I wanted to get a push in the right direction.

N.C:
Also as in today’s strip, I get most of the content from my years working as both a freelancer and in agency and print house environments. Almost everything you’ve seen has actually happened, though I may have appropriated some experiences from my friends and old co-workers. As for the characters, I try to make all my different strips look a little different, but I’m trying to focus on a consistent style for each one. Again, I make this stuff up as I go along and trust my instincts for what will and won’t work. I try to design a character that I’ll enjoy drawing over and over again. I’m sure you’ll find much better information and advice from ‘how to draw comics’ books and by looking at the masters. Great books to check out are Understanding Comics and Making Comics both by Scott McCloud. Honestly for me, I don’t read comic books, but am a fan of the classics – Calvin & Hobbes, Peanuts, Dilbert etc. As far as technique goes, I’m kind of winging it. I’ve always been drawn to working in pen and ink and find it a good translation to digital.

Inspiration for my work in general? I’ve always been drawing. Seriously. Forever. I draw almost every day and find it the absolute best way to get your drawing chops together and perfect the art. If you have a concept or character to work on, just start drawing. I think too much can get mucked up just thinking about it. Getting the concept started right on the paper, even if it’s incomplete, is how all my best work gets done. You can always tweak the design, and that’s what erasers are for! Draw every single day.

Sean Hodge:
Would you consider doing a tutorial or article on creating comic strips over on our tutorial site Vectortuts+? I’m a big fan by the way. We have loads of people over there that would love to learn from your experience and techniques, including me. I’ve been practicing comics, but the biggest problem for me is finding the right humor. Any comments on developing the comic’s humor would be welcome. Thx. Keep up the great work!

N.C.:
I’d love to do a tutorial or article, though since I use all Photoshop for the comic, I should probably do it on psdtuts! I do a lot of vector work, and Illustrator is great for that kind of stuff. I still want to start a new comic that’s all done in vector, somewhat like the fabulous Red Meat comic strip. If only there was a need for a comic strip over on http://vector.tutsplus.com… Collis?

As for the humor, that’s always the toughest part. Some of the strips do well, some are…less successful. The trick (for me) is to try and whittle the joke down to it’s simplest form- it seems to both help the comedy and the utilization of the strip format- speech balloons, etc. The less copy you need to use, the better. Again, just in my opinion.

artiste:
Do you have any plans to publish the Freelance Freedom strips as a book or on apparel? I would be first in line to buy a Freelance Freedom T-shirt!

N.C.:
I would love to publish Freelance Freedom in a book someday. I’ve chatted very briefly about this idea with the powers that be. For now, I’d love to get a few more comics down. Maybe by number 365 I’ll publish a tear off one-a-day calendar. Add it to the list of too many things I’m already behind on! Some day I’ll probably sell all the original Freelance Freedom strips too, though of course, they won’t have any text. Any one else interested in purchasing Freelance Freedom gear?

Mat:
What does “NC” stand for?

N.C:
I get this one a lot. There’s no exciting story behind my name, it was an abbreviation for my real name given to me by my relatives before I was born. I am named after my father, and my relatives all thought it would be easier to distinguish me from my father. It stuck, and has been my moniker ever since. My real name is Norman Charles Winters, but only my mother and very select few people ever call me Norm. I would probably never answer to it in a crowd.

Fabián Fucci:
What’s your typical timeframe for producing a single strip?

N.C.:
I have a couple little idea books that I’m constantly jotting strip ideas down in. That’s honestly the hardest part: the idea and then the text. Once those are fleshed out, the rest is just drawing, filling in and the digital work. It probably takes about an hour to an hour and a half to do a full strip.

djmouka:
I’m a big fan of your strips. I’m missing more girls in the comics. Do you think you can draw more woman characters?

N.C.:
Sure! You should check out some of my paintings – almost all women!

Marco:
Do you have any issues to draw something like hands, feet, proportions? What are your biggest problem areas when drawing?

N.C.:
Hands are always tough. So are feet, randomly. I think a lot of people try to hide the hands because they are hard to draw, but I try to put them out in front. I actually like drawing hands. Does that mean I think I draw them well? Not anywhere near as well as I should. The biggest problem areas are the relationships between multiple characters. Spacing, composition, angle, choice of frame and dynamic panels are all things I am constantly working to make better. I think my comics often rely too heavily on bottom-heavy drawing, leaving room at the top for text. This is something I am trying to change, and again, where reading some good material on the subject would help.

Ahmad Alfy:
You use Mac, Windows or Linux?

N.C.:
I’ve used both Mac and PC (Microsoft) my whole life, though I just recently made the transition to all Mac. I’ve never been one to say “Macs are better than PCs” though I really do enjoy the stability of a Mac in general better than a PC. But I’ve used both for years with little difference.

Jasper:
Be honest, do you have any hidden cameras to gather material?

N.C.:
Just the ones I have planted in your house!

smashill:
What’s your take on art such as works by Damien Hirst, Marcell Duchamp or Joseph Kosuth?

N.C.:
I’m not as big a fan of the works of these artists, though the ‘sliced animal’ works of Hirst are visually striking. I’m more a figurative painting fan. Some of my faves include Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Phil Hale, James Jean and Mark Ryden.

Rafie:
What if you take the human out of the cartoon strip? What object you would replace it with?

N.C.:
Hmm, honestly never thought of that. I first thought this was a strange question, but as I try to answer it, it’s actually making me think. I guess I would go with an animal of some form. Yes, most likely a squirrel, as I am a big fan of squirrels.

Kuldar Kalvik:
What do you eat for breakfast?

N.C.:
Um, it varies, but the most important item is iced coffee. And it is always ICED coffee. Even when I lived in New York, in winter it was still iced coffee. The baristas all thought I was a little odd and they were correct. Another big item is omelets or eggs of some form. Oh, and often a danish of some form to go with the iced coffee. So, if you hate your heart, eat like I do!

Steve:
What kind of career did the freelance dude have before he began freelancing?

N.C.:
Freelancer Dude used to work in the corporate world in various art departments. He got burned out, turned to freelancing and never looked back. Ironically, he’s dealing with a lot of the same client issues, but now he can turn the client down if they get too obnoxious.