Screen Tones: A Webcomic Podcast

 There are a lot of approaches to comedy in comics, and I wanted to get an episode together about that. Humor is OFTEN rooted in all kinds of cultural trends: current events, age groups, time periods, and styles, so it can be hard when people ask about how to learn to write comedy to find a way to talk about it! But Bob and Delphina are going to do their best today to break down at least their experience and approaches, and hopefully that’ll help you too.We hope you've enjoyed our 2025 podcast season of Screen Tones! We're going to be taking a break to recharge and integrate a few changes into our show, and we want to know what webcomic questions YOU have for us on an upcoming special Q&A stream! Send us your questions at screentonescast.com/contact, and hey! We rely on the generosity of listeners, so if you enjoy what we do, please consider dropping by our Ko-Fi or Patreon to help us keep things going. Thanks again for an amazing 2025, and have a wonderful holiday season (Halloween is a holiday, right? Right!)Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescastand Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/screentonescastCheck out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!----Episode Credits:Christina Major (Delphina) - she/her, https://sombulus.com Bob Appavu - any, https://intothesmokecomic.com https://www.demonoftheunderground.com----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

We’re not here to tell you how to live your life. If you want to post every comic page as soon as you’re done with it, that’s valid. But! A buffer of comic pages can help keep your comic on a steady release schedule, set healthy reader expectations, and prevent burnout or stress during the times when you can’t be at your drawing desk as often.  So let’s talk about buffers!SCREEN TONES IS NOW ON PATREONhttps://www.patreon.com/screentonescastCheck out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast----Episode Credits:Ally Rom Colthoff (Varethane) - she/they, https://chirault.sevensmith.net https://wychwoodcomic.com Kristen Lee (Krispy) - she/they, https://ghostjunksickness.com https://www.lunarblight.com Christina Major (Delphina) - she/her, https://sombulus.com ----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

The beginning hooks of your webcomic are what’s going to inspire a reader to keep reading, and there are lots of approaches to starting out, depending on the story you’re trying to tell. Today, we're going to talk about the many ways to begin a beginning.Check out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescastWe're also on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/screentonescast   ----Episode Credits:Rae Baade - they/them, https://empyreancomic.comClaire Niebergall (Clam) - she/her, https://phantomarine.comBob Appavu - any, https://intothesmokecomic.com https://www.demonoftheunderground.com----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

How to stay motivated making comics.  It’s a hard question to answer, so let's jam about it and find some answers! https://www.patreon.com/screentonescastCheck out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast----Episode Credits:Kristen Lee (Krispy) - she/they, https://ghostjunksickness.com https://www.lunarblight.com Christina Major (Delphina) - she/her, https://sombulus.com Star Prichard - she/her, https://thestarfishface.com/ https://castoff-comic.com/ ----Check out Star's latest plushie of Castoff Character Arianna! https://www.makeship.com/products/arianna-plushieThe Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

Webcomics take so long, and while the perfectionist in our brains might tell us that we MUST do everything the long way, I think we’ve all pretty quickly learned that the easier you make the journey for yourself, the better.  So this is going to be some quick lessons we’ve learned that changed our process and made life easier.SCREEN TONES IS NOW ON PATREONhttps://www.patreon.com/screentonescastCheck out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast   ----Episode Credits:Christina Major (Delphina) - she/her, https://sombulus.com Phineas Klier - they/them, https://heirsoftheveil.fervorcraft.de Bob Appavu - any, https://intothesmokecomic.com https://www.demonoftheunderground.com----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

Do you have a bunch of ideas, but you can never stay fixated on just one? It can be tricky to stay focused for a project as long as a webcomic, especially when everything else starts to look SO MUCH SHINIER. But there are things you can do to increase your chances of seeing it through to the end and resisting the Plot Bunnies, so today we’re going to talk about that!SCREEN TONES IS NOW ON PATREONhttps://www.patreon.com/screentonescastCheck out https://www.screentonescast.com/ for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast----Episode Credits:Kristen Lee (Krispy) - she/they, https://ghostjunksickness.com/ https://www.lunarblight.com/ Rae Baade - they/them, https://empyreancomic.com/ Star Prichard - she/her, https://thestarfishface.com/ https://castoff-comic.com/ ----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

Drawing anatomy and poses can be tricky, but there’s some excellent tools out there for referencing poses like the awesome stuff that Sarah makes at adorkastock.com. But how DO we do it in an effective way? Let’s talk about it!WE'RE NOW ON PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/screentonescastCheck out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast   ----Episode Credits:Ally Rom Colthoff (Varethane) - she/they, https://chirault.sevensmith.net https://wychwoodcomic.com Kristen Lee (Krispy) - she/they, https://ghostjunksickness.com https://www.lunarblight.com Miranda Schwemmer -  she/her, https://mirandacakes.art https://intotheswellcomic.com Sarah Forde - she/her, https://www.adorkastock.com https://www.adorkabows.com----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

Does your webcomic contain characters? Maybe even places? Perhaps it also needs.... a title? If any of these things are true, you've probably had to sit down and face the struggle of deciding names for the things in your comic, as well as for the comic itself. These things are important, giving vital information about tone, genre, details of setting, and all sorts of other cues to the reader... But why's it gotta be so hard? Anyway, today we're gonna talk about it!Check out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast----Episode Credits:Ally Rom Colthoff (Varethane) - she/they, https://chirault.sevensmith.net https://wychwoodcomic.com Kristen Lee (Krispy) - she/they, https://ghostjunksickness.com https://www.lunarblight.com Christina Major (Delphina) - she/her, https://sombulus.com ----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

Webcomics are pretty great in our opinion, but they’re not the only way to get a narrative story out into the world. Prose has been an option forever, but today, with so many new technologies, there are so many more options available! You could use anything from video games to podcasts to tell a story.  But each option has its own pros and cons depending on what sort of project you’re building, and today we’re going to talk about them!Check out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast----Episode Credits:Rae Baade - they/them, https://empyreancomic.com Miranda Schwemmer -  she/her, https://mirandacakes.art https://intotheswellcomic.com Star Prichard - she/her, https://thestarfishface.com/ https://castoff-comic.com/ Bob Appavu - any, https://intothesmokecomic.com https://www.demonoftheunderground.com----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

Coming up with characters and scenarios is one thing, but when you’re working in a longform narrative comic, you’re going to want to think about a plot. Planning out your plot in a webcomic is a unique challenge compared to some other mediums, so today we’re going to talk about it!heck out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast   ----Episode Credits:Christina Major (Delphina) - she/her, https://sombulus.com Rae Baade - they/them, https://empyreancomic.com Miranda Schwemmer -  she/her, https://mirandacakes.art https://intotheswellcomic.com Star Prichard - she/her, https://thestarfishface.com/ https://castoff-comic.com/ ----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

The concept of a “theme” is something that comes up in writing when we’re talking about character motivations or plot in a longform narrative comic, and it’s basically a word or concept that’s at the core of what you’re trying to say in your story. So we’re going to talk about what themes are, how they come about, and how you can use them!Check out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast----Episode Credits:Kristen Lee (Krispy) - she/they, https://ghostjunksickness.com https://www.lunarblight.com Christina Major (Delphina) - she/her, https://sombulus.com Phineas Klier - they/them, https://heirsoftheveil.fervorcraft.de Miranda Schwemmer -  she/her, https://mirandacakes.art https://intotheswellcomic.com ----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

Webcomics can be a lonely road to walk if you’re only ever sticking to your own story. But collaborative projects with other creators can really be worth your time! So let’s talk about what you need to think about when starting your own collaborative projects.Check out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast----Episode Credits:Ally Rom Colthoff (Varethane) - she/they, https://chirault.sevensmith.net https://wychwoodcomic.com Christina Major (Delphina) - she/her, https://sombulus.com Renie Jesanis - she/they, https://kateblast.com ----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

One tool that webcomic artists can take advantage of, to help save time and sanity, is 3D models. Whether tracing directly or using them for reference, they can help you visualize complex places, objects, or poses from different angles. So let’s talk about them!Check out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast   ----Episode Credits:Ally Rom Colthoff (Varethane) - she/they, https://chirault.sevensmith.net https://wychwoodcomic.com Rae Baade - they/them, https://empyreancomic.com Star Prichard - she/her, https://thestarfishface.com/ https://castoff-comic.com/ ----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

Blorbology is a term to talk about freeform character concepting. It’s often the case that in the process of drawing and experimenting with characters, they really can develop cool backstories and deep emotional meaning  in the creators’ minds, and that’s what we’re calling “Blorbology”.Check out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast----Episode Credits:Ally Rom Colthoff (Varethane) - she/they, https://chirault.sevensmith.net https://wychwoodcomic.com Kristen Lee (Krispy) - she/they, https://ghostjunksickness.com https://www.lunarblight.com Christina Major (Delphina) - she/her, https://sombulus.com Rae Baade - they/them, https://empyreancomic.com ----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

With the everchanging landscape of the internet, it can be challenging to keep track of the state of webcomics, especially if you are new or are approaching making your first webcomic. This week, we discuss what you need to know when starting a comic and how you can keep the process fun and sustainable.Check out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again​!​!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

This week, the gang talks about what it’s like to keep up with our own schedules, expectations with retaining readership, and the process involved with sticking with something that works for you. Dive in with us as we talk about webcomic update schedules!Check out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again​!​!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Tragic backstories are a trope for a reason: painful experiences can add depth and catharsis to characters. But how do we make them resonate with our audiences emotionally? Today we walk that angsty tightrope over the pit of despair and discuss!Check outhttps://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again​!​!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Today the gang discusses how to draw comic backgrounds and environments that enhance the storytelling of your comic without fretting over the small stuff! Check out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more! The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again​!​!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

There’s so much creativity and energy in the world of animation! With how freeform webcomics are, many webcomikers find ways to integrate animation into their works, and we're here to talk about it! The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again​!​!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Season 4 launches January 15, 2025, and this season with some new faces! Background music: Ocean Soul (Kirby) By Dj CUTMAN is licensed under a Creative Commons License. We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) By The Vengaboys