inkdick: january 31 2009 nuts
So Melanie a few days ago gave me a heads up that the place she works, The Peanut Shop, is hiring. So I thank her for that. She says the hours and pay aren’t that great though. And it looks like it’s a very touristy place filled with old ladies. But it’s a job and seems that this place is one of the few places that are actually hiring in this town. And anything is better than what I have right now which is nothing. So I applied. We’ll see what happens. A job is a job at this point.
And no disrespect to web cartoonists who make a living by selling t-shirts based off their webcomics. If anything, I’m just a tad bit jealous that I can’t make money that way, so kudos to those of you who can do it. And double kudos to you who make a living off of it and don’t have to work a non-comic related day job. I’d fucking LOVE to make a living off inkdick, but usually jorunal comics don’t lend themselves to merchandise. I mean, I’m not sure how many people would want to walk around with a drawing of my mug on their chest, let alone pay fifteen to twenty dollars for it. And I don’t think my friends would want me using them on t-shirts and mugs to make a quick buck. I mean, Amy the Mug. Brett the Coaster. Andy the Mousepad.
Well, let me ask the question: WOULD you actually pay fifteen to twenty dollars if I plastered my inkdick self onto a t-shirt? Maybe something nicely screenprinted onto a brown tee with the words ‘tragic hero’ underneath? Eh? EH?
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:02 am
I would buy a t-shirt with MY inkdick face on it, and wear it every day, everywhere. I would be SO COOL…right? RIGHT?!
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:04 am
Maybe you just need to make Inkdick reach a wider demographic, get genuine cross-appeal in all four quadrants. Here’s a hint: would it kill you to have some ACTION in there. Kids these days don’t want to hear about how some poor schmuck can’t find a job and is depressed. They want excitement, maybe have Pranas buy a Hummer and him and his buddies can drive around Savannah looking for some tail. While you’re at it, fly his ass to a nicer city. “Entourage” has great appeal, why not move Pranas and his crew of horny buddies to Los Angeles! It could be a webcomic equivalent of “Entourage”! And the name’s gotta go. Every day I hear people saying “what kind of name is that, Piranha?” From now on, he’s “Steve”, or “The Stevenator” to his buddies. Trust me on this.
You can ignore my advice if you want to be a broke, penniless pauper of a cartoonist, or you can start makin’ the big bucks, kid. It’s up to you, but I leave you with two words:
KID SIDEKICK.
Think about it.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:38 am
i would for sure pay you $20 for a shirt, especially if it’s you just standing there naked like in the first panel of ‘hand towel’. there are so few shirts nowadays with penises on them…
penis or no penis, i’m totally in.
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:00 am
There’s lots of ways to make money of your comic, be it a journal one or not. and journal comics are recognizable to most people. Everybody gets down once in a while, or likes hanging out with friends, and whatnot. Maybe the’ll buy prints, or your book at a con, or a button that said “I’m down with Pranas!”. Check out “how to make webcomics”, by the guys of Halfpixel. Very informative and common sense stuff.
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:01 am
You gotta branch it out into all sorts of weird vicarious stuff too, though. Like, the million or so Achewood shirts aren’t just pictures of the characters, or logos, or whatever; they also include random catchphrases / fun designs that are somehow tangentially related to one strip, or something, and thereby may have a more broad appeal.
I suggest you make a shirt that’s like a 5 x 5 grid of panels, and within each panel have a closeup of one of the pranas penises that have appeared in the strip. On the back it can say INKDICK in gigantic fucking letters that ideally would bleed off the side of the shirt.
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:04 am
seriously. I defy anyone who saw said shirt not to run home and google “inkdick” asap
February 3rd, 2009 at 5:16 am
If you made a shirt with that last panel on it, that would be AWESOME!
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:37 am
Beggers can’t be choosers.
February 3rd, 2009 at 8:28 am
well as long as it isnt a picture of you nekked again. haha
February 3rd, 2009 at 8:55 am
Oh I’d def wear a t-shirt! and if you made mugs… oh I’d have to keep at least one at work (since I wouldn’t be able to wear the tshirt there) and at least two at home. =)
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
You know if you opened a Cafe Press store it could be a really cool addition to the site.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:46 pm
what if you made a simple inkdick calendar? you know every month be a single panel about you dealing with something of that month. ex. halloween is soon panel for Sept. ????
I think it be cool.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Pranai~~~
.
just GET OFF your ASS!
.
Just DO SOMETHING!
.
great ideas above!
.
btw: I WOULD buy a $15 off-white or grey or tan T-shirt!\
.
ps: mount some of your ORIGINAL strip panels,
and offer them with your signature @ $50 -$100 apiece.
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I hope you know that Max guy because the comment he left was one that an ass hole would leave, dont change anything just get your name out there. Go to photobucket.com up load some of your stuff just a panel or two get a tag code for it and then go to all your friends on myspace and what ever you are on and leave them in the messages on there pages. Ill take a shirt with amy on it only beacuse she looks like my wife. can you have here saying something like “your getting on my fuc%ing nerves” or shut the F@#k UP! that would really bring it home for me thanks
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:55 pm
You need to meet my friend Irony some time, Phil, she’s really nice. :P
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:13 pm
oh yea Max why is this? Do you know him personaly or do you just give shitty advice to everyone ?
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Ther is something to say about being real and not selling your self out, people can relate to him because they have or are going throu the same stuff
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I’d buy another drawing if I ever got the first one. Ahem…:D
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Hey Phil, I appreciate you standing up for me but it’s ok. Max is a very close friend and I knew he was joking.
Although, he may be on to something…a kid sidekick would REALLY punch this strip up and make me millions! YEAH! :P
CafePress, eh….probably no. Last time I checked their shirts are on the poopy side. I’d rather go through someone who’d make higher quality shirts and prints than make an inferior product to make a quick buck.
A calendar? Hm. Maybe. But I wouldn’t make something like that until later in the year so I’d be closer in time to 2010. So maybe this holiday season?
Yeah, Remblo. I have that book. Still working my way though it. Already picked up some good tips from it. Still need to pick up more stuff from the merchandise sections though.
Other good ideas all around. Thanks folks!
Oh, and just for the record it’s 3 people FOR my penis on a shirt (Amy loved Issac’s idea) and 1 AGAINST my penis on a shirt. Hm. Interesting…
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
d’oh. I am still working through the iDonates (I feel like an asshat for letting them go for so long). Arlene, your drawing was actually one of the first ones that got done and has been done for a while. Yet I haven’t mailed it out yet. Hmm. I think I’ll get off my lazy butt and mail it out this week (along with an extra surprise to make up for the long wait). Sorry about that. :(
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Sorry Max didnt know, anyways your kind of far but i used to work for a company called Screen Works here in ohio, i know its far but they do business for indaviduals and big companys and there prettygood and cheep they can print tee shirts, mugs pretty much anything— just putting that out there look around some times you can get the local school to do it as a class project and really get it cheep I used to do this in school anyways really Max sorry
February 3rd, 2009 at 5:04 pm
It’s all good, Mr. Phil. :)
February 3rd, 2009 at 5:05 pm
http://www.screenworksinc.com/ Screen works Inc
February 3rd, 2009 at 5:33 pm
While the professionals make it all look so easy one may wonderr how to break into the business of drawing and selling comics. Here’s some help. It all comes down to WRITING! Hone your skills as a writer first and as an artist second. A creative writing course with an involved professor can help. I say this because good writing carries more weight than good art. Creating characters that will hold your audience’s attention day after day is not as easy as it sounds. Humor is subjective but a good story with humor carries its own weight. For instance, Bloom County was a strip that was not consitantly “funny” per se but carried it’s stories well by giving us characters that were well defined and strong enough to pull us into their world so that we wanted more. Start first with your characters. Where do they live, what so they do , who do they associate with, what are they like? The characters make the lasting impression and keep the readers coming back. Author Steve Alten suggestes to create characters that you like and that are as human as possible. They need strong points and weaknesses. They need likes and dislikes.
Once you have established who your characters are and their relationship to one another your strip can begin to evolve into story lines. Good interaction between characters can stirr up associations for hunor.
Determin what time period your characters live in. Are they in the present, do they live in the past like Alley Oop? Are they living in the future like Captain Murphy? Where do they live? Where do they work? All these factors give your strip a life of its own.
Technical help and help with the submission process can be found in a few good books that I highly recommend. THey are out of print but can still be found online through amazon.com.
1. The Secrets of Professional Cartooning by Ken Muse (an animator on Tom and Jerry and a comic strip artist)
2. The Total Cartoonist also by Ken Muse.
Great books that are extremely helpful!
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:27 pm
“I’d buy another drawing if I ever got the first one. Ahem…:D”
ditto
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:30 pm
OK, I would buy a tote bag with a Inkdick cartoon; preferably the one when you say goodbye to your brother before he leaves for Dix for deployment to Iraq. Do you say $50.00? I’m in . . . I am serious.
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:32 pm
PS. There are some great ideas from you buds, too. Hi Max!
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:56 pm
I saw that Larry’s Giant Subs, on the corner of Whitaker and State downtown, was hiring. I’m not sure how you feel about working in the food industry but at least it is another opportunity.
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:59 pm
I have no qualms (I did spell that right, right?) with promoting your comic; I’d buy it. But even though you have a small, steady fan group, it’ll take more than T-shirts to make a living off of your comics. Maybe test out some merchandise with us. If we won’t buy it, more than likely new fans won’t buy it either. See what works. Since you don’t have a job (and I may run the risk of sounding like a parent) what about continuing Rocket Tonic or maybe starting another small webcomic? It’s a thought.
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Oh, and as for job prospects, Savannah is running dry now, but it’ll start picking up mid-late Feb, and will start going again in March, all St. Patty’s Day-cockery aside.
lol You could consider being a tour guide, especially with the tourist season approaching. You could drive a hearse or something. :\
BTW you goin’ to the SCAD job fair?
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:52 pm
A t-shirt with you saying ‘ew old ladies’ could be pretty funny! But then again you might get bashed with handbags wearing it…
February 3rd, 2009 at 10:07 pm
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/starslp/missionz/comic.swf
I’ll give you a prize if you make your next journal comic with this
February 4th, 2009 at 12:20 am
“I suggest you make a shirt that’s like a 5 x 5 grid of panels, and within each panel have a closeup of one of the pranas penises that have appeared in the strip. On the back it can say INKDICK in gigantic fucking letters that ideally would bleed off the side of the shirt.”
omg i’d SO buy that. maybe even two.
February 4th, 2009 at 1:40 am
You should think about doing some commissions. Why not offer them here on the website?
This might be some inspiration…
http://yirmumah.com/
February 4th, 2009 at 2:56 am
I’d buy an inkdick T-SHIRT and other clothing. Depending on the design. Perhaps you could put my logo, if you ever get to drawing it. The regular drawings are great too. My favorite “character” is Pranas.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Sure, I’d buy whatever.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
No worries. I figured you were swamped. I look forward to receiving it.
February 4th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
shawamped….kawamped…”BS”!!!
.
u need to CATCH up on prior commitments:
meaning: get those drawings out to ALL the folks that “donated” 2 bail u out!