Can I give a completely different answer? I'd feel I was lying if I said I was an artist who writes, or a writer who does art.

Can I say that I'm a storyteller who tells her stories with pictures? That way, I don't imply that I'm a writer, but I do imply that I make stories.

Hunchdebunch
Can I say that I'm a storyteller who tells her stories with pictures? That way, I don't imply that I'm a writer, but I do imply that I make stories.

Well said! I was going to say something along the same lines, as I feel I am just a creator who enjoys making stories work pictorially or prose wise.

I'm not really an artist or a writer. I'm just a guy who is a little messed up in the head and this is a hell of a lot cheaper than therapy.

Writer who draws. When my comic goes up goes up this summer you guys will see what I'm talking about.

That said, I definitely focus on my art more. I was born with the abiltity to write circles around most of my peers, but I was also born with dysgraphia, a disorder that messes up my fine motor skills. My dream is to get my art up to the point where it matches my writing. I've only been practicing for a few months, but the improvement already has been pretty amazing. My figures actually look human now! 8D

I see myself as simultaneously both and neither. I prefer the comics for a reason. I speak with pictures and paint with narrative. I tell stories with expessions. I show things with dialog. Art and writing combine to form what comics are: sequential art. Sequential art is telling stories with images, by showing a sequence of them to illustrate a narrative. I'm not a writer, I'm not an artist; I'm a sequential artist.

That came out sounding more pretentious than I meant it, but it's completely true.

If I'm an artist, why so much focus on storytelling?
If I'm a writer, why do wordless comics?

If anything, I'm a cartoonist, which includes both in it :D

I'd say I'm a wannabe artist who can't wright but doesn't let that stop him.

Writer who draws... hence my piles and piles of finished scripts waiting for me to get off my lazy face and draw something

Air Raid Robertson
I would definitely identify myself as a writer who draws. My main interest in doing comics is to tell stories, convey dialogue, crack jokes, and explore narrative. I developed a rudimentary level of artistic ability because I couldn't find anyone else to draw my comic book ideas.

The same with me! I draw only to tell the story. I also use my comic to critizice commercial mangas because they all, essentially, repeat the same story.

Air Raid Robertson
I have encountered people on the other side of the divide. These are people who want to be comic book artists for the most part. However, they aren't able to find anybody who will write scripts for them to work with. So, they sort of develop their own stories.

These stories are usually a flimsy pretext for them to showcase their artistic strengths. It works as a highlight reel for great cartooning, but sometimes the plots can lack depth.

Unfortunately most webcomics gives you a weak story. It seems for me that people have a hard time to understand that in webcomics a story is just as important as it would be in a common novel. I would like to engourage encourage people to simplify the art, and use of extra energy to support the story. Please do not hesitate to delete pages when necessary; a real artist need to draft for approval.

I had to think about this, as my first instinct was to say both. I think it's confusing for me since I have formal training as a writer but am completely self-taught as an artist... In the end though, I'm pretty sure I fall in the artist who writes category.

Writer who draws. Definitely. Oh, I have some artistic talent, and I'm learning more every day. But the art is subordinate to the writing, and at heart I'm a writer.---Al

I'd say writer who draws, but with enough know-how to know how to fudge my drawing and make it look decent (and how to use flashy colors to dress up simple lines). Like Al, I'm more interested in telling the story and developing the characters and, given the choice, would gladly pass lineart duties to a more capable artist who could maintain my general cartoony aesthetic.

Im an artist who writes. I start off thinking of certains plots and chacaters and being to draw them. Then I start drawing up short plots from my mind then I begin to write. Well thats what I been doing lately and its pretty good will post soon.