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To answer this question, first, let’s understand that ‘reference material’ is defined as looking at real photos of or understanding the history of objects, people, or places that may be portrayed or emulated in one’s artwork or storytelling.

MANY, if not MOST, professional artists and writers use reference material as they craft their stories and artwork. They do so in order to render a most accurate representation of the subject.

For example, if one was telling the story of a German World War II NAZI story, they may need to know how to describe or depict a Luger pistol. As simple as the prop is, it’s imperative that it’s accurate … an inaccurate depiction could be distracting, perhaps even disgusting, for a reader/viewer who knew better. Thus, understandably, it behooves a creator to do a little ‘real world’ research on Lugers and keep a file of images and information on hand.

But …

Is There A Good Reason to NOT Use Reference Material?

I know of one artist who rarely (but not never) used reference material … so he claimed in an interview: Frank Frazetta, who is a significant influence for me.

In the interview, I appreciated that he mentioned that in his art, his aim was to be ‘fantastic.’

OK, so, it only makes sense why he would avoid using real reference material for his work. Clearly, he had enough ‘reference material’ in his head to draw from memory or logic, that the less he relied on ‘realistic’ depictions of anything … people, swords, smoke, architecture, etc. … the more ‘fantastic’ his artwork would be.

I like it! But easier said than done?

If you look at Frazetta’s art, I think it’s safe to say he doesn’t lack an understanding/memory of the human anatomy or perspectives/physics. And I think that’s key … and that just takes time to train yourself to see, understand, and replicate perspective, dimension, anatomy, and ‘physics’ … I say physics because every picture has 1.) gravity, 2.) balance, 3.) perspective, 4.) hue, and 5.) light (or absence of light). If you can’t represent that in your artwork accurate enough, your reader is distracted, possibly upset or disappointed (which doesn’t help you win or keep fans, ha!).

SIDE NOTE: I used to teach drawing 101 … ALL of my students … on day one … wanted to know how to do the texturing, shadowing, and fancy stuff … But, I didn’t let them until they could accurately draw still life of a sphere, cone, and box. If they couldn’t do that … even if it took them 15 weeks … forget it, there’s no fancy stuff for you. Ha!

Well, the students didn’t like that. Sadly, the art department relieved me of teaching. Oh well.

I guess I didn’t give them what they paid for … and, oh yeah, I’ve see their subsequent work in the student galleries … they still can’t draw worth (or a) dick!!!

So, take away point … how good is your mental ‘physics’ and ‘anatomy?’ … because if it’s not good, then yes, use reference material, please. BUT … how well can you draw a hand? In various postures, perspectives? From memory? How about feet? … if you’ve got it, well, hey,… and if that’s all you need for your story, well then maybe you don’t need reference material as much, eh? And your work, even if slightly flawed, might be actually better for it.

To be honest, I think there can be delightful magic in the ‘imperfection’ of storytelling … to some degree, I don’t care for ‘manicured, predictable, ideal, safe, typical, ideal, or accurate’ … I prefer a fair degree of flawed, raw, original, and unpredictable … that’s just my preference for storytelling, so I use those devices.

Does My Artwork or History Have to Be Perfect?

Are you allowed to slightly ‘alter’ history or real depictions of real places, people, or things?

Yes! As long as you make it obvious that you are characterizing the facts/reality. OK, I’ll explain further …

When you see ‘caricatures’ of celebrities, let’s say, the intent is to distort features or mannerisms of a certain person, object, or place. The artist certainly makes an effort to maintain a level of recognizability, but exaggerate prominent features, perhaps with satirical intent.

For example, an artist may draw a cartoonish representation of one-time TV personality, Jay Leno, and exaggerate a large chin in the drawing.

Or …

Perhaps the artist wants to create a world of her/his own … and multiple facets of physics and biology could be distorted (Dr. Seuss comes to mind). In which case, the creator can decide what’s real, less real, or more real … as long as they don’t go too far that the reader is confused or in disbelief.

My story, Ogrexx, is set in pre-WWI, Spain. History has been altered significantly, but I feel I have to pay attention to some historical facts. For example, Zeppelins/airships … did they exist yet? Did they use helium or hydrogen? How fast did they go? How high (altitude) can they go? … all of that required a little reference research. But after I had a ‘basic’ understanding of air ships, that’s all I wanted or needed to know … I wanted to create my own little ‘airship’ world that was fundamentally, but not essentially, dependent upon actual physics and history. I can, and want to, improvise from there … even if my depictions weren’t accurate or even entirely plausible. As long as they were close … like Alfred E. Neuman-airship close. Ha!

But, ultimately, that’s the route I chose. There are MANY altered-history stories out there. For a large degree, such stories MUST use some reference material to some degree. It would be hard to ground the reader otherwise, I think.

But when it comes to … how do I draw a Spanish castle? Or a tank? Or a pole arm? Or a bishop’s robe? … I don’t reference anything. I don’t want to. I pulled it from my head/memory/logic. I’m confident that what I come up with with agree with the reader. And at the same time, I don’t aim for ‘generic’ … ugggh … I can’t stand ‘generic’ … no, I still aim for ‘uniqueness/detail’ … which isn’t easy/quick to do, right?

It would be easiest if every stormtrooper in Star Wars looked the same … oh, wait, they do!

But that’s the path of ‘generic’ art … sometimes it’s necessary. It’s ALWAYS easiest. But I resist it as much as I can … even the NPCs are unique in my storytelling. Ha!

As I create my web comic … especially as I’m just starting out … I ask myself the question, “do I need an editor for my web comic?”

Outside of comics, I’ve worked in the graphic design and web design industry for quite some time. So, I’ve been exposed to these creatures called ‘editors.’ Although, I haven’t worked directly in publishing, per se, the work I’ve done in graphic and web design gives me ‘some’ inkling as to what editors do and what value they add/take away from the creative process.

I’ll start with this … ‘yes, you need an editor’ and ‘no, you don’t need an editor.’

OK, great, that was helpful, wasn’t it? … Probably not. Ha! And then, at the same time, entirely!

OK, as I contemplated this question myself for my web comic, Ogrexx, several thoughts went through my head about his subject …

1. An Editor … they want $money to edit my stuff … dang, I don’t have a lot of money for this right now.
2. An Editor … aren’t they the ones who ‘stifle’ creativity and take out or needlessly change the good stuff in the story/art?
3. An Editor … how does one even become an editor? Have they ever created anything themselves? Who are they to say what’s good or bad?
4. An Editor … why don’t I like the idea of someone being ‘above’ me or my art? … Why do I get the feeling the artist/writer is subordinate to the editor? I don’t like it!
5. An Editor … ‘editor’ seems to have a negative connotation to it, right? … to ‘edit’ is pretty much the same as ‘to do evil’ isn’t it? … all I can see/imagine is barrage of ‘RED’ lines through everything I created … “here’s where you are wrong, and here’s where you are less than sufficient, and here’s where you are just “bad, bad, bad, bad, bad … oh, and also, bad!” … oh, the negativity of ‘editing!!’

Hey, I’m creating a web comic! Self-published! Really? Do I really need a @#$&*’n editor?

OK. I’ll settle down …

So What Are Editors Good For?

I don’t use an editor … yet. Maybe some day I’ll have the luxury to hire one. But as I start my web comic, I don’t have the luxury to properly pay a good editor. Nor do I think I’ve matured my comic enough to warrant the need. So, in the meantime, I’ll be my own editor. But what does that mean?

I think … THEE NUMBER ONE PURPOSE/VALUE for having an editor is this … an editor can read your web comic and ‘predictably’ assess, will your audience “get it? And like it?” … That’s it! If your editor can do that for you, and do it well and consistently, then keep them close to you and pay your editor well!

Because there’s a LOT to the editing process.

I’ll explain …

Will My Readers Get It?

As I create a story, I, the author/creator certainly get it, right? I know what’s going on. I know all the background, the setting, the plot, I know where this is going, all the characters make sense to me. The timing/flow of the story works … or at least, “I” think it does. Well, of course, and that’s because I’m the creator. But what about my readers? Will they get it?

A good editor not only puts him/herself in the shoes of a reader, but better, YOUR target reader … what else have they read lately? What storytelling patterns/techniques do those storytellers use? What’s in fashion? What’s out of fashion? What’s too daring? What’s too safe?

A lot of this feedback will have to do with the technical tools/mechanisms/structures used to tell and set the story.

If your readers understand what’s going on, that’s great. Job #1 complete. But, you’re not done … next question is, will your readers like it?

Will My Readers Like It?

Whelp, likely, you like your own creative work, right? I hope so! But how do you know if your readers will like it? Can an editor help you with that? In my opinion, yes and no, an editor can help you with that.

Some editors really only look for ‘technical’ flaws in your craft … the artwork, the grammar, the pace, the mechanics, etc. While other editors may claim to have an understanding of reader preferences and trends. They might be able to tell you what’s been ‘overdone’ or ‘old fashioned.’ Or, they might be able to advise you adding twists to the story to make it juicier or add characteristics to characters to make them more lovable and identifiable.

But, whatever you do, don’t ask your mom, your friend, or even an informal online forum for their editorial feedback … why? Because they are likely biased. They are too likely to tell you what you want to hear (because they like you) instead of what they actually think of your work. And/or, they aren’t a typical consumer of your product … remember, not EVERYONE is into your ‘kind’ or ‘genre’ of work. Right? That’s UBER important!

Another reason is that they are not ‘trained’ to give you the constructive feedback you need.

That’s right … while people always have their personal opinion about what your comic should be or shouldn’t be, that doesn’t mean they are able to intelligibly/academically tell you what it is that your work needs to be. And there! Lies the value of a good editor!

Who Can/Should I Ask for Feedback?

I struggle with this question … well, maybe not struggle, but ponder … frankly, I think it depends first upon why are you doing your web comic in the first place?

Some may want to make an income from their web comic.

If this is the case, then I think the $ highly dictates who you ask for feedback, because the questions will largely orbit around ‘how can I make money with this concept/story?’ … thus, the editing should come from someone who sees the profitability in monetizing your creative work. The feedback will likely be more ‘commercial’ in nature, right?

Others may want to simply publish a web comic for its own merit only. Revenue from the comic is not required or a priority.

In this case, the role of an editor would be more so to provide ‘technical’ feedback first, and ‘originality’ second. For example, if I were to write/create a non-fictional web comic on ‘Emperor Caligula,’ I may seek editorial input and review for accuracy from a reputed historian on Ancient Rome.

The Value of a Good Web Comic Editor

A good editor CAN INDEED improve your work … and wouldn’t that be dandy! eh? … and mainly because they are skilled at pointing out the ’cause and effect’ about elements you use in your work. For example ….

FLOW: your comic progresses too slowly … you have a lot of detail, which is good, because the reader understands what’s going on and who is who, HOWEVER, the pace is BORING! Pick up the pace!!

Or …

TENSE: Grammatically, you have too many errors and inconsistencies … you’re not good at writing narration or talk bubbles. Grammatical errors are distracting! Period. You go back and forth between 1st person tense and third person tense even within the same spread. Just makes it harder to understand what’s going on.

Or …

EMBELLISHED ART: OK … so, I see you like to make a lot of lines … not only that, but you do not believe in standard square frames … however, your methods make it difficult to understand the storyline flow and your artwork overly dominates the written content of your comic. But maybe needlessly so … all those details you put into the garbage can … does it contribute to the story? I don’t think so. I think you just wanted to draw a killer garbage can when really, it could have just been an ordinary garbage can … the drunk man passed out next to the garbage can was much more important, yet, you gave it less attention.

Who Should You Choose As Your Web Comic Editor?

As of time of this posting, I don’t have an editor for my web comic. I don’t have the luxury, money, or time to do so now. But if I could, I would.

So, in the meantime, I have to ‘edit’ my own web comic … and that’s a challenge. Why? Again, because I’m the creator which means:

1. I already like my own work, right? Ha.
2. It can be difficult to see/read my comic from a non-biased third person point of view
3. I have zero experience editing comics … so, I don’t know what’s worked for others or not

What If I Don’t Have My Own Web Comic Editor?

It can be tempting to ’emulate’ what other print or web comic artists have done, right?

I teach graphic and web design at a local community college. One bit advice I give all my students is that NOTHING should go on the design, web or print, without reason … and “I just like it” is not an acceptable reason.

So I’ve taken that to heart with my own web comic. As I draw and write … yes, it’s a two-part endeavor … I edit my own work … is this line necessary? Is this word, sentence necessary? … if it’s not contributing to the story, I have to remove it. Hey! I just ‘edited’ my own work! … much success!

And, I must not let myself tire of that … I think one thing that’s different about self-published and commercially published titles is that self-published titles don’t have the same ABSOLUTE ‘must-publish-on-time’ demand as commercial publications have, right?

So, in the commercial publication world, … editors serve/contribute another IMPORTANT role … get the shit done and published on time!

As comic consumers, we often disregard/under-appreciate that just about any commercial publication is under significant demands to produce and publish on time. Everyone on the team relies on the sales revenues. So, if a publication is late, sales/revenues are late/delayed. That makes it difficult for everyone on the team, not just the artist or writer. So, naturally, there will be times quality of story or art suffers a bit in order to meet a timeline, right? Obviously, if ever write and artist had ‘forever’ to write or draw the story, well, there’s a good chance every issue of that comic would be abysmally late.

The Reality of Being Self-Published

When you are self-published … you don’t have that (same) demand. But, your readership can lose interest if you’re not timely enough with your publication. We saw that happen with Image Comics in the 1990s when Image was ‘owned’ and ‘edited’ by the comic artists themselves. Some titles were published much more consistently than others. “Spawn” was fairly good, but not perfect. “The Maxx” by Sam Keith was better. But I specifically remember ‘Pitt’ by Dale Keown being quite inconsistent. As a consumer/fan, I became frustrated and eventually abandoned the title.

Could an editor help you stay on time? If you don’t have that discipline yourself? Perhaps. But, if you already have that discipline, well then, you won’t need an editor to keep you to the publication timeline you promise your reader/subscribers.

And, even in the self-published digital comic art world, you don’t think consistent/reliable/anticipated publication matters to your readers, well, think again. Especially if you’re attempting a paid subscription for your content … regular, consistent publication is a MUST! It’s just WAY too easy for a digital reader to lose interest and go elsewhere/not come back ever again.

So, if you are your own editor … at the very least, COMMAND you publish regularly and consistently if you hope to succeed with an online comic of any sort. After that, your self-editing checklist could include:

1. Have I written too many words? Can I use fewer words?
2. Have I written too few words? Can the reader understand enough to know what’s going on?
3. Have I drawn too many lines? Is there anything in the art that’s unnecessary or distracting?
4. Have I drawn enough lines? Have I skimped on details of person, place, or action?
5. How is the pace of the story going? Too slow? Too fast?
6. How is my frame-to-frame transition? Too much/abrupt? Too static/boring?
7. Is my history accurate? Too generalized/stereotyped?
8. Is my drawing accurate? Too generalized/stereotyped?

I’m sure you could add other criteria based upon your storytelling preferences.

For the rest of the editing … what I do is write and draw the panels. Then, I come back to it a few days later. If it doesn’t make sense to me then, or I don’t like the pace of the story, I can then accommodate. If I like it, then I have to trust someone else will like it and the rest will take care of itself.

Final Note

Most importantly, no matter where you are in this process, … new comic artist or venerable veteran, have fun! Don’t OVER edit yourself. You’re less likely to succeed as a web comic artist if you don’t enjoy what you do.

Can there be times it gets to be a drag? Keeping up with timelines, creative ideas, etc.? Sure … there likely isn’t ONE periodical published artist who hasn’t had their frustrations with ‘the routine’ … so, … POWER THROUGH IT! … even it means at times, you’re not able to give it your best … do it, publish it! … after a while, you’ll regain a whole new level and maybe even unique sense of satisfaction. And maybe at that point, you’re really doing your art for you … if someone else likes it, too, well, … that’s nice. But not necessary for me to keep doing the art I love to do.