Growing up I can remember playing  in my imagination. It was an adventure everyday. Adventures that took me places and help me figure out what direction I wanted to go in life. My imagination gives me hope and allows me to dream big… Our imagination is a gift, a very precious gift one that when not used can be lost to us. We forget how powerful a gift it can be.  So maybe playing outside, or with legos, blocks, action figures, is ok. It is a gift that can push us forward and help us solve complex issues and most importantly make life enjoyable. So dream big, embrace your imagination and let the adventure always move you forward.

This piece is also part of a very special project called the sunday’s comic project. You can find more information on this project here… Sunday’s Comic Project on Face Book.

Keep creating

trav

I was sitting here looking at the title of the comic and realized that I have drawn over 646 pages of one story. I don’t plan to stop either. I am in awe over how this story has evolved and how I have grown as human being because of it. A tale of dishwasher, who now finds himself in a cold dark world carrying a sword that is fighting to control him.

The coloring has been a new motivator for me. I know the transition has been tough for some, but I also know that the story is soooo much better because of it. I don’t know where my future is on the books at the moment. (Don’t worry I am not stopping the story and it does have an ending) I just don’t know if I will be able to speed the timetable up or if I will be stuck at 2 pages a week (front and back) for a long time.

As you can see I am determined and I am not giving up. I really enjoy telling this tale. I love where it is going and I love that I am a part of it. I am also happy that I am able to share it with you. I am supper appreciative of how several of you are supporting it on a monthly basis. You are helping me find more time to keep it going. Thank you so much for what you are doing. You don’t have to I know, but I am so grateful that you do.  If i get this set up right I will be able to update the bean 5 times a week. But that is going to take a little extra support from you as well. So for now, I can only manage one new page to the story and old page of the story colored.  I just have a family to feed:) I would though ask if you enjoy this tale to help share it. We can use all the help we can get.

I also am grateful for my supportive family. They have watched this tale grow and struggle. I am a lucky man to have them as they deal with late nights of me drawing comic pages and creating this wonderful tale.

Thank you again for everything.

Keep creating and keep Creating

trav

Just got back from the festival of books. I am pretty worn out, but i still got the update up. It was a fantastic fun festival.

Working on finishing the edits this week and hopefully in two weeks i will have abook ready for print.

trav

This is this months art give away.

The collector, the evil – red rock troll that captures our hero the bean.

One lucky person at the $20 level or higher will get this piece. If you want to be in the running- Just change your reward level and you will have an opportunity. Remember you can cap your pledge! I am not offended or hurt either if you cap your pledge. That is understandable. You can set your pledge for only one update and still be eligible to win the art.

Thanks again for your support- You guys are making it possible for the bean to one day be released in Full Color.

Keep Creating trav

This is the big week- SDCC- There is a lot going on and I will be a little scarce, but updates both in color and b/w will still happen.  If you happen to be there- stop by the booth and get a free sketch.

Also keep creating

trav

Yet in a time when Indy comics are getting harder and harder to produce and get out there. Mind you that diamond is no longer really friendly to the small guys, there must still be an outlet for those of us that have  fantastic tales to tell.

Yet too often too many incredibly good webcomics fall by the wayside, because their creators cannot keep up with the pace or demands that they set up for themselves. Which is a shame. You see more webcomics are truly a labor of love.

The other problem one faces is having to weed through all the crap to find the really strong ones. With the power of the web, a story can reach a huge audience, but we forget that we are competing with many other artists trying to do the same thing. So how can you make your webcomic survive and how can you as a struggling illustrator manage to make a little income at the same time? Well let’s break it down….

1. DEADLINES AND RELIABILITY- I cannot stress this one enough. Set realistic deadlines. Bean updates once a week, every monday and then two color updates tuesday and thursday (I have embarked on the biggest project of my life coloring Bean from page 1). My readers know that there will be a new part of the story on those days, they expect it and so I must honor that. If I kept changing the days without telling people… people loose interest. IF I MISS DAYS WITHOUT AND EXPLANATION PEOPLE STOP READING! See too many comic artist start missing deadlines for what ever reason and push the updates further back. You want to upset your readers, don’t be reliable. If you want your readership to grow, update when you say you will. There are many programs out there that will let you automate this process so you can be several weeks in advance.

2. WORK WITHIN YOUR LIMITS. Honestly, if you can produce 5 colored pages a week and that’s all you had to do, then updating 5 days a week is fine. Yet most artists are pretty slammed so 5 colored pages a week can be quite overwhelming. Work within what is realistic. My main goal is to finish my tale in b/w first and then go back and color it (or find someone else to color it for me so I can do another tale). I realized I can produce several pages a week- between 8 to 10 at times in b/w, yet I cannot do this consistently. I have other obligations and I LOVE being married and I LOVE being a dad. So I must juggle a bit. So I found that making sure I update twice a week was very workable and now I have an 80 page buffer just ready to be uploaded. Which brings me to the next point.

3.CREATE A BUFFER! They(newspapers comics) say you should have 6 weeks of strips in the hopper. I am a strong believer of that. Do not try to update the same week you do that perfect page you are working on, you will only set you up for failure.

4.QUALITY OVER QUANTITY! There are no print deadlines with webcomics except the ones you make for yourself, yet keep them! So take your time, make it look good. If we can prove that there are incredibly well written and drawn stories out there, more and more will flock to find them. Yet that takes a little faith in an industry that pay artist very little. That’s why I like a twice a week update. It allows me to take time to create a good story with out feeling rushed as well as lets me cover my other freelance jobs at the same time.

Other updates though are important- I love having a separate art gallery to let my imagination go wild. It gives people something to enjoy why they wait.

5.KEEP YOUR STORY FOCUSED- I recommend to start with an ending and then work your way to that point. It’s all about direction. Epics are fine when they have a focus to get to. Side stories are fine as well but be careful that you do not loose focus. Webcomics that loose focus, loose readers. (more on story creation in another posts).

6.WHY PAY SITES DON’T WORK AND THE POWER OF THE HARD COPY (for the reader): By posting our webcomics online for free, it allows a fan base to built. People from all over the world can enjoy your stuff… and yes they get it for free, so where is the money aspect of it. If you use a site that charges admission for your work, it drives fans away and you end up making very little and risk a much smaller fan base (I have a few friends, who are very talented that ran into this trap). I say utilize the hard copy. Small print run, keep it clean and professional and sell it online and at conventions. If your fans love your story, they will love the hard copy even more.

You still need to eat and 95% webcomics are done in the evenings late at night as a labor of love. People do not realize how much time is put into a dream to make it a reality, and how many of us struggle to make ends meet and still produce an incredible story.

SO HERE IS THE REALITY CHECK! A lot of people will just read the story online. You will also notice that many people promise to buy your books, family and friends etc… but when it comes down to it those numbers are really small. Yet the person that finds your webcomic and takes the time to comment, return daily, etc will be the one that will buy the hard copy. It is the truth.  Yet you can still create income as indy… It’s just learning what options are out there.

The bean was written to be a printed story. It fits this pattern to the letter. I dedicate each book to be 152 pages of the story that is online, plus extras – maps, notes etc….. I have 3 books done and I am now in the process of finishing book 4. I make sure the cover is nice and strong and that it is something my fans would want and enjoy. It is a tribute to them, because the Bean will not always be up here.  Each book has been funded by Kickstarter- and now the coloring is being funded through patreon. These sites and are personal stores allow people to help keep our webcomic stories up and free to the masses.

As when search comics I am the same way, if I find a web comic that I really enjoy, I will pick up the hard cover.

7. MAKE YOUR SITE FUNCTIONAL-and use a good tracking software to see hits etc. Unique hits are more important that regular hits. A unique hit number is a more accurate representation of how many people are reading your comic. So if your website gets 500000 hits and has only 12 unique hit, that means only about 12 people and one might be your mom, are reading your comic. So focus on getting the unique hits up.

8. GETTING YOUR NAME OUT THERE- This is a weird one. Trends change all the time. You will find, even if your story is picked up for print, that you still have to push the advertising yourself. You will have to make contacts, you will have to come out of your shell and start meeting people. Start submitting your links, make deals with other webcomics you like (mind you some creators are really picky what they will showcase, for me it is quality and age appropriate material) to host one another links. Find time to promote someone else, you might be surprised to see the favor returned. This game though is always changing… Social media is changing and Facebook is not as creator friendly as it used to be.

you can link to the bean with this image

9. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE- I am a dad, I know what I want my kids to see online, so I make sure my work follows in that vein. I also know my audience loves reading fantasy and likes certain things, so I make sure I please my audience, while not loosing the integrity of my original vision. Basically do not sell your dream short for a few hits. If you keep true to your vision your audience will find you.

10. HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT? This is my biggest thing. Do not tell me how bad you want it. Show me. Put the time in to your work.  What are you willing to sacrifice to make that dream work. I love video games, I rarely play them because I would rather tell my story. Family is first, my dream is second, because my dream would be nothing if I destroyed my family in the process.  Yet I still sacrifice to make the dream happen, I love entertaining and when they go to bed, I sit up and draw. When it fails (which bean did 3 times before now) do you get back up and rework to make it work? Only you know  SO honestly how bad do you want it?

These are just 10 simple things that have made my world a reality. I have had so much fun creating this and I know if others are inspired to do the same, the world of webcomics would be as strong as print. Fans would come and that labor love would pay off.

So keep creating, keep dreaming and keep drawing.

trav

So close to 600- wow and then we continue on.

Also there will be color updates this week as well. I love how color makes the Bean’s world so much richer. Also thank you to those new patreon donors. You are making the coloring of the Bean possible. If you want to join in and be part of this great adventure just click the patreon link.

keep creating

trav

The Bean in color – really?? Can it happen?

Yes I am going to color the Bean. Patreon.com is a way that can make it possible. It allows you to help fund the coloring and get some cool rewards in return for your support.  It’s new way to help fans become patrons of the arts and little costs, help creators finish projects and be part of the entire process.

“The Bean” (all 590+ pages and growing) has been published as a black and white comic since its beginning. It was nominated for an Eisner in 2011. I have published 3 volumes of the comics in black and white but have come to realize, that my readers would have a greater visual experience and the story could become more powerful if “The Bean” was to be produced in color, the way I originally envisioned it.

This has been a labor of love for many years. Unfortunately, it has been a hobby and I have not been able to focus on more than one page a week. There are bills to be paid and mouths to be fed. Yet I still believe in the dream and even in the tough times, I have always updated and given Bean’s story to the world for free.

I want to finish Bean’s story and have it be read and loved. I want people to be able to imagine themselves there with Bean in his adventures in full color, just how I first envisioned it. A full color epic story about the transformation of a young boy in to someone more than he ever imagined himself to be.

So why am I here on Patreon?
All through the ages, people with vision have supported the arts. These are people who know what it takes to produce excellent work and to help the artists be able to produce great works of lasting beauty that everyone can enjoy. These are people who want to make a difference in the lives of others, not just in the artists they support, but a difference in the whole world as they contribute what they can so that the artist has time and money to create works that will benefit and change the world for the better. I know that out there somewhere, there are extraordinary people with vision and means who would be willing to contribute a little each month to help see that “The Bean” gets finished in a timely manner in full color. I know that the story of Bean will change hearts and change what people think is possible, just as Bean changes with the help of those he comes into contact with throughout his journey into a greater individual.

The more money contributed to this campaign, the more this will allow me to finish this incredible package and offer you more in return. It will allow me to dedicate more time to finish “The Bean” books and go back and produce color versions that will inspire and delight the readers. Your part in this journey, starts with the first step to become involved with Patreon. You can help make a difference in the world with your generous support.

At this time of my life, I am committed to dedicating my time to making this world a better place for all to enjoy. I am committed to telling the stories of inspiration and hope, illustrating them with imaginative artwork, and helping people to find their own happiness and joy through service and imagination.

What and When are the updates?
With the help of flattener Darne Lang, we will update the color pages from the beginning of Book 1 twice a week. I will continue to add 1 new inked pages to Bean’s current story every week.  There will now be weekly comic updates 3 times a week. The more money that is contributed, the more pages will be completed. My ultimate goal would be to update Bean’s story with both color and b/w pages 5 times a week.

Bean will always be free to read online, but those special people who become a patrons, in addition to helping complete this project, will also have special access to the parteon blog where there will be original sketches you can print out to enjoy, preview art, special contests and opportunities to comment, chat and be the first to preview the story pages before everyone else get to see them. Your feedback, as a patron of the arts, is very important to me and many times the story has incorporated the ideas that you have shared with me. As you contribute, there will be opportunities for you to be able to receive a copy of each new book as it is printed, depending on your level of contribution.

Thank you so much for your support in Bean’s story over the years. I have appreciated that you have shared his story, contributed to the funding and strengthened me to keep moving forward. I am very excited to finally be able to see Bean move in such a positive and incredible direction. I could never have come this far without your help, your encouragement, your financial support, and your belief in the power of changing the world through following your dreams. I promise to continue to make this adventure of a humble dishwasher an incredible ride. Please commit your financial support today to keep this dream alive. As little as one dollar can get you started as a Patron of the Arts.

Keep creating, keep dreaming and keep believing.
Travis Hanson

Well hello, and what an incredible week it has been as I find my direction and follow the dream. As you can see I have joined Patreon and if you want to help support the coloring of the Bean comic, please do so. Patreon makes it easier for me to color and tell the story through your donations. Just a dollar a color update (which you can cap is all I am asking). It’s pretty cool as it is letting artist and creators tell their stories.

I will still upload for free- for anyone that wants to read this story. Yet it does costs me to produce it and if you want to help take a little of that burden off, please take a look at my patreon project. Supporting me through patreon will also help me bring it back to two or three days a week for updates.

The top pledge and is 30 min mentoring sessions on anything that has to do with kickstarter, artwork, story telling, layout, webcomic design, self-publishing you name it. I am here for you.

Thank you again for all your help, your love and your support.

trav-

hi all – just back from wondercon- it was a good show- more on that later… once i get settled in- Right now its the last day (meaning monday and part of tuesday  if you want to be a part of my new book- Tanner Jones and the Quest for the Monkey Stone.  Just click the picture to check it out.

So much going on. The Bean is in full gear right now as well as my other story which is kickstarting right now. Book 4 should be finished by the end of the year. I am excited with it’s direction as I start chapter 16 soon. Thanks again for all the incredible support.

keep creating

trav

Talking Shop: Webcomics…

Well “Bean” has officially hit the 4 year mark (568 pages, 3 graphic novels, and working on the 4th). I am pretty pleased with how it has evolved and the direction it continues to go in. Has it been easy? Honestly… Yes and No. Over the last two years of figuring out how to make this webcomic work, I have found a wide variety of things that have worked and some that do not, and still others that I am just trying to figure out.

I figured though that it was time to chat a little bit about it and hopefully add a little encouragement to those that are just contemplating starting out and/or are in the beginning stages.

1. Realizing it’s more than a hobby- Many webcomic artist start their projects for a variety of reasons. Most of the time, it is looked at as a hobby and then treated as such. This usually results in boredom after a few years or even a few months and the idea forgotten. Lack of deadlines and general lack of commitment can kill a webcomic pretty quick. There is huge potential for webcomics out there it’s just what are the creators willing to put into it. With the era of newspaper comics coming to a end, and yes it is ending, the value of webcomics will increase in a few years. Those that take the opportunity seriously will do very well, those that cannot commit will struggle and make excuses, that simple.

2. Keep your schedule- The worst thing that can happen to me in the world of webcomics, is to come across a fantastic comic with a strong story and art, and that it is on hiatus. This kills me, I know that I am not alone here. It also shows poor planning by the creator. I believe creators need time off, I take time off all the time, yet my readers will never know it, and this why….

the Buffer- Newspapers require 6 weeks of backlog. Even before they start pushing it, the artist must have a reserve for them to draw from. There is wisdom in this.  6 weeks of updates gives you cushion, it allows you to take breaks over the holidays, it allows for problems. I recommend you keep this reserve stocked. I have enough bean strips to last to 5 months at 3x a week updating schedule. If building the reserve means, holding off on launching the comic, then it is well worth the wait.

auto updates- I use easil for my comic platform. It allows me to automate my updating on the comic. I usually update 30 to 40 strips at a time in an afternoon. I love it. This allows me to take time off, without affecting the updating schedule for my fans. I recommend it. It comes back to your initial promise to them, that you would update on these dates regardless…once you start missing, your audience starts to falter. Not a lot, but over time it can be an issue and your rep can suffer.

3.Committing – this one is personal. I do not know how many artist tell me they just do not have the time. That usually means only one thing, you really don’t have the heart to do this. That’s a harsh statement, yet it is true. If you want it bad enough – show us… put the effort in. I have 5 kids, a good wife, a great art career that does not involve bean, and still I make time to make my story happen. It comes down to a few things-

Finding time- If you look at your day, you might wonder how do I find the time to create a great story. It really can be a unique balance and sometimes, there is a lot going on. Yet how much of that time is spent socializing, game playing and tv watching. There is a place for that, yet if you want to do a webcomic, you need to limit it. You will realize that time is there. Stay up a little later, draw during lunch in your car, or at the dr.office.  Make the time and you will be surprised how much you can get done.

4. Positive influences- Webcomics get flack, sometimes even telling someone you draw a webcomic, will get you a raised eyebrow of skepticism, due to the amount a low quality work out there. Yet, as more and more pros start to realize the incredible potential of webcomics to market their work, the stigma that the web is a place for 2nd rate illustrators who couldn’t make it in the real world is fading and beginning to fade rather quickly. There are some incredible webcomics out there, by a generation of incredible artist who get it. They are committed, they put the time in and they are open to helping one another out. They understand. You might not get the support at home or from your friends and peers, but there are places where you will get support- you just got to show up and ask. Don’t be pushy and be willing to give as you receive. The worst thing is for an artist to just take and take and never be willing to help another. A incredible forum is makinggrahicnovels.com. They have everything there, from design to cons. They get it and are willing to help out.

5. Getting Traffic- This one is unique. You have to find those that will be interested in your work.

the Audience- You need to know your audience, learn them and cater to them. If your story is all ages, then keep the art to all ages and the comments appropriately.  If people expect one thing and end up getting something else, they leave. Your art should match. Promoting a kids comic, and then plastering semi-naked cheese cake in your gallery, will prob slow your traffic way down. That’s because you don’t understand your audience.

tracking software- I prefer google analytics, but there are other programs out there. It allows me to see where traffic is coming from, how many unique hits, what pages are viewed and sooooo much more. There is power in this information, that will allow you to better build your site and make your comic more productive.

Top web sites- I have mixed feelings. I am not a fan of ranks based on traffic- That’s not important to me. I have a link, you can vote, but you want people to stay on your site and most of these links take people away from comic. So I have scaled the voting aspect way back. Yet these sites have huge advertising potential. Topwebcomics has a fantastic advertising system for webcomics. It’s low costs and it is effective. Sometimes if you want to grow you need to be willing to spend a little.

Power of invitation- Some of the best advertising comes from fellow creators or fans, be willing to reward them- more art, link exchanges even a review of their work. If people like your work, your story and your continuity they will promote you, but you have to be committed and if you miss updates and such, they talk.

There are many more ways to bring people to your worlds, these are just some aspects of it.

6. Good Art, Good Story, Good Presentation– Learn your craft- Learn from other successful webcomic designers and see what works. You gonna have a few trials along the way but roam a bit and find layouts you like and then adapt them. One thing I am working with is fixing the Art section and archives of my site. That is an area I have struggled with and now I think I have figured out how to fix the art section, I feel better about the direction of what is going on. This takes a little learning and it is trial and error, but there are many who have figured it out and you can learn from them. Using the layout of a successful site is fine, the building blocks, taking the art design is not cool SO DON’T DO IT!

Don’t be afraid to break the formula. There are a lot of how too books out there, with good information. Yet, every comic, and every dream is different. A lot of these books come from a print aspect of comic creation. The web opens doors for so much in design and layout.

7. Why constant updates are better than one-shot web graphic novels. The serial comic, which can be produced into a graphic novel later, allows the reader to keep coming back. The Web-Book Graphic novel, where the whole thing is put up at once, is old school print mentality. One book, one month etc. You want people to continue to visit your site. You want them to keep coming back. If you update a page or two or three a week, then they have a reason to come back. Fans become comfortable with you. A web-graphic novel kinda limits interaction and when on a monthly or bi-monthly updating schedule… it is easy to be forgotten. Your are always struggling. If you want your traffic to grow, give them a reason to stay, to hang out, to enjoy your creation, which in turn motivates you to continue.

A serial can always be converted to a graphic novel at a later date. These make for better reading in my opinion and is one reason why I chose to bean as a serial epic than a monthly graphic novel.

8. Failure is not bad – Failure happens. You can do two things – Quit or use it as a building block. I prefer the later. Bean went through 4 different variations before I finally found success. It was tough, tears were shed, and I wanted to quit. Yet there was a drive deep inside that would not let me. It was my baby, my dream and so I figured out a way. Be willing to adapt and make changes, just because traffic is low or no one comments, does not mean it’s time to throw in the towel. It means that it’s time to reevaluate and figure out how to fix it make it better. The cool thing about bean is I found way, it took 12 years to do it, but I found away.

The main thing is keep going, don’t tell me you want it show me, and pick yourself up when you fall. Because if you want it bad enough you will make it happen.

I know we talked about a different aspect of webcomics than the art part. Yet this is an extremely important part of the webcomic and making it successful. This is what I have found that works for me. Every situation is different, yet there is a key theme–– Show me you want it, don’t just tell me.

Well I have talked your ear off. I hope to see more creative storytelling there. Everyday I find something knew and I am encouraged by that. So if you thinking about joining the fun, then prep yourself to do it right and you will just fine.
Keep creating and let the magic flow.

trav