Jamais Jochim
Bio
I'm the guy who knows every last fact about Spider-man and if I don't I'll track it down. I love bad movies, enjoy table-top gaming, and probably would drive you crazy if you weren't ready for it.
Stories (246)
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Print On Demand versus Printing
One of the more interesting debates you are bound to have is whether or not you should print your books. Some people like the control that printing gives them greater control over the books, while others like to make it as convenient as possible for customers to get their books in their paws. Because of this, the debate is going to break down along two lines: offset printing or print-on-demand. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Writers
Types of Publishers
There are a lot of different kinds of publishers out there. As such, it may be worth looking the different options available, especially as there is a lot of misinformation out there based on a misinterpretation of how some of these work, usually based on a quick read of the business model. Hopefully, this should help clear that up.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Writers
Successful Collaboration
Sometimes you need to collaborate with someone else in order to make a comic. The reality is that, despite our personal desires, we're not the Renaissance artists that we would like to be; while some of us can write and draw, it's sadly more likely that you're going to be good at drawing or writing, but not both. While learning the skill you're missing is always a possibility, it's probably a better idea to look into some form of collaboration.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Writers
How To Use & Abuse Social Media Effectively
Socially media is a weird place for the etiquette-minded, especially for the businessperson. The problem is that people like to use social media for a variety of different reasons, such as keeping in touch with family and friends, keeping up with what others are doing, and even doing some basic business. Complicating the issue is that people do all of this on the same account, meaning that a small businessperson needs to be aware that any post can be read by a potential customer or client; this is even more interesting if you are a person whose personality is part of their marketing.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Writers
Printers For Self-Publishers
One of the basic derogatory terms by some self-publishers is to call every publisher who asks for money a "vanity press." The idea is that since you are paying them to publish, it's just another worthless scammer; you should never have to pay to publish. This only applies to traditional publishers. The reality is that unless you're working with a traditional publisher most people are going to need to pay someone to be published; not everyone has all of the skills needed to be a successful self-publisher, after all. However, it may not be a bad idea to go through the various types of printers and publishers out there and how they work when it comes to self-publishing to get a better idea of what's available.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Writers
Creating Art for Marketing
When you're thinking about the art for your book, it can be difficult to remember that you're going to need specific art for marketing purposes. That is, you're going to need art created specifically for marketing, such as for posters or logos; this art needs to be created for not just purposes other than the context of the comic and must also be done to different requirements, such as different resolutions, sizes, and even color schemes. This must all be allowed before the marketing for the comic can even begin.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Creating the Best Book Covers
Writers need to realize that the cover of their book is the first thing most readers see, and unfortunately too many readers judge the book by its cover. However, for too many authors, there's a too easy temptation to get into Canva and design a quick and easy book cover. The problem is that they don't understand the individual parts that make up a book cover, the best placement for those parts, and lack the necessary graphics experience to put everything together. It's really not that hard to create a great book cover, and with a few simple tips it should be easy to put together a decent-looking cover that will help sell your book.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Writers
Cinematography Tricks for The Artist
Something that a lot of illustrators forget is that they don't need to reinvent the wheel every time they sit down to draw. They also forget that a lot of different artists have had to deal with the same issues and problems; it may not be a bad idea to look at other disciplines to see what tricks they have that may be useful for comics. The obvious one is cinematography, given that it's also a form of visual storytelling.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Using Panels and Other Layout Options to Effect
Strangely, most artists tend to ignore what panels can do for them, seeing them as just something to deal with rather than a useful tool. That is, they tend to worry more about what goes on the panels than the panels themselves. This is a tragically wasted opportunity as how the panels are defined can add to the storytelling of the comic. While it does require some planning to pull off, that planning can add some really nice visual elements to the comic that are well worth the extra effort.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Why AI Art Won't Replace Human Artists Any Time Soon
Artifical intelligence is beginning to take over a number of more mundane tasks in a variety of different industries, ranging from cleaning chores to industrial tasks. While robots and software are usually created to fill some sort of perceived need, sometimes they are created to explore the limits of artificial intelligence; some of these projects have some interesting applications. AI art is one of these latter, where programmers were curious if they could replicate the human creative process.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Using An Algorithm to Create Art
Recently, art created by computers has become a major debate. Software that can create art from minimal information has become much more sophisticated and is better able to replicate the style of known artists. While there are some issues with the art produced, it is generally pretty good and the art produced is capable of winning art contests. While some really great art has been produced, there are some interesting glitches that have shown up, and so the art ranges from gallery quality to downright nightmare fuel. Suffice it to say that there is plenty to talk about.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
Keeping The Art Simple
Different artists have different methods of drawing. Some prefer the block-of-wood method: They don't know what they are going to draw, but they'll know when they start drawing. Others take a more ordered approach and talk it out until they have an idea of what they want to do. And others just draw whatever they want, hoping it will fall into place. Some of these strategies are better than others, and you need to develop a strategy that works for you.
By Jamais Jochimabout a year ago in Art
