What does it take to become a comic book artist, create an independent comic, and find your place in the comic book community?

On this episode of Talkin' Comics Podcast, AJ sits down with Mark, an independent comic book artist from the Nashville area, to talk about learning to draw, developing comic art skills, creating original stories, and finding inspiration through other creators.

Mark shares how he began teaching himself to draw during 2020, why the Proko Art of Storytelling course became an important part of his artistic development, and how learning techniques like thumbnailing, composition, lighting, and visual storytelling helped him approach comic pages differently.

Host: A.J. Reimann https://linktr.ee/Talkin_Comics_Podcast

Guest: Mark Tutaj @marktutajdraws https://globalcomix.com/a/marktutajdraws

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⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Meet Mark: An Indie Comic Book Artist

01:08 – Learning to Draw During 2020

02:41 – Teaching Yourself Comic Art

03:54 – Proko's Art of Storytelling Course

05:11 – Thumbnailing and Improving Comic Pages

06:54 – The Journey from Beginner to Better Artist

08:12 – Drawing Together and Finding Inspiration

10:04 – Learning to Let Go of Artistic Perfection

11:36 – From Cartoon Strips to Comic Book Art

13:35 – Drawing Backgrounds and Building Environments

14:23 – Creating a Christmas Horror Comic

15:45 – Turning a Script into a Finished Comic

16:58 – A New World War I Monster-Hunter Series

19:03 – Patreon, Free Issues, and Independent Comics

21:02 – Substack, Memberships, and Creative Extras

24:11 – Mini-Series Ideas and Bonus Content

27:13 – Why Marketing Your Comics Matters

28:52 – Finding Your Creative Marketing Voice

29:37 – Meeting Creators in Person

30:51 – Building a Supportive Comic Book Community

33:21 – Finding Fans Beyond the Creator Community

35:38 – How Comics Bring People Together

36:06 – Mark's First Favorite Superhero: Batman

36:23 – Remembering His First Comic Book

37:24 – Reading Comics with Your Kids

38:29 – Choosing a Comic Universe and Superpower

40:05 – If Mark's Life Were a Comic Book

40:48 – Discovering Wondermark and Vintage Art

41:45 – Final Thoughts and Where to Find Mark

#ComicBooks #IndieComics #ComicBookArtist #ComicBookArt #ComicBookCreator #HowToDrawComics #IndependentComics #HorrorComics #ComicBookCommunity #CreatorInterview #TalkinComicsPodcast

Music licensed through Soundstripe.

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