A lot of webcomics are made by one person who does all the work alone. But "writer/artist' often seems like an unlikely combo to me. I mean, I love to tell stories, so i write and draw my comic because it gives me a chance to do "all" the storytelling.

But i think if myself as a writer, or at least, I have mostly seen myself that way. I have tended to see myself as a writer who wanted to learn how to draw. Over the years, my art has gotten (perhaps) a bit better, and Im no so embarrassed to say "artist" as well.

Still, I think Im mostly a kind of writer. I say "storyteller" because it sounds cooler, but there you are.

I've got a friend whose a better artist than I am, and we've tried doing comics where i write and he draws, and that was fun, I hope to do a lot more of it. But I dont think I would want to draw for another writer. I mean, what's wrong with my writing?

(See how it makes a difference how I see myself?)

But what about everyone else? Are you a writer who also draws? Or are you an artist who happens to write as well? If you were offered a chance to write for a great artist or to draw for a great writer, would that make sense to you?

I'm a writer, but I really want to be able to present the pictures in my head, so I'm trying to draw too. I don't think I could ever call myself an artist.

I don't think I could write for a good artist, though. Artists make me feel unworthy and intimidated, and I'm just not good or comfortable with joint/group projects.

i'm a storyteller

subcultured
i'm a storyteller

Niiice.

I'm a writer. ('Till I'm an actress, then I will be a writer again, after I've filled that balloon.) Ethan is an artist. (Artists are sexy.)

Well I've always considered myself a writer

but lately I feel like I've been walking around in the "artist" shoes more and more

I guess I'm more of a writer than an artist.

I started off as an artist but I think(or at least I LIKE to think) that I've developed further as a writer. Who knows how many half written stories have taken up space on my hard drive.

Good, good question!

I think because I started my own original series when I was 10 after being enamored with comics for a couple years, it gave me kind of a unique perspective. I probably am an artist first and a writer second but I don't believe in a piece of art without a story behind it.

When I am brainstorming ideas with my wife for Due East, we plan the story first. The art is the finished product and it has to be right or at least convey the main point the story or the dialogue is trying to get across -- or I don't feel satisfied as an artist.

So I think it's possible to be a "true" writer/artist but I think most are one or the other.

Does that make sense? :)

Mmm, I'd say artist. I'll make up characters and draw them, even if they have no story. I can also draw a series of pictures better than upholding a story. (I've only been known to write stories during short-story assignments at school, which I got top-marks for)

But for me, a writer/artist tag-team would be too frustrating and nerve-racking for me. If I were the writer, I would be afraid the artist couldn't understand what I was trying to tell them to draw. If I was the artist, I'd be afraid I wasn't drawing something the way the writer wanted it, and be disappointed in me.

Me and my friend made an 8-strip comic together once, though. We both thought of ideas, I drew, and she coloured. I don't feel like scanning them and putting them on Drunk Duck, though.
The comic seems more for little-kids.

subcultured
i'm a storyteller

Ha! Well I'm a Creator!

ozoneocean

subcultured
i'm a storyteller

Ha! Well I'm a Creator!

Oh yeah? Well I'm a thinker that uses her noodle!

I've always considered myself a writer/storyteller over an artist, primarily because i'm very limited to my resources. Since I make sprite comics, I have to bust my ass a lot to make the comic look as damn good as possible, in order to keep up with the story.

To tell you the truth, I already planned my comic, all the twists, how it ends, who lives and who dies, and the characters in it. However, I find myself introducing new elements, or sporadically coming up with some stuff to make my comic more interesting.

If I could draw half as good as the people here who make drawn comics could, I would make A007 a drawn comic in a heartbeat. However, i'm a total cripple when it comes to drawing. Also, I could never hire someone to draw for me, because they're usually unreliable when it comes to production and schedule.

So yeah, I'm much more skilled at writing and scripting than I am at constructing.

Kneepatch
But for me, a writer/artist tag-team would be too frustrating and nerve-racking for me. If I were the writer, I would be afraid the artist couldn't understand what I was trying to tell them to draw. If I was the artist, I'd be afraid I wasn't drawing something the way the writer wanted it, and be disappointed in me.

I totally agree. I've tried collaborating with several of my friends in the past on storie ideas or comics, but it's never panned out. It seems to be a mixture of mis-communication on the way we invision things. Or simply one of us doesn't hold up our end of job on the project.

Hguyver

Kneepatch
But for me, a writer/artist tag-team would be too frustrating and nerve-racking for me. If I were the writer, I would be afraid the artist couldn't understand what I was trying to tell them to draw. If I was the artist, I'd be afraid I wasn't drawing something the way the writer wanted it, and be disappointed in me.

I totally agree. I've tried collaborating with several of my friends in the past on storie ideas or comics, but it's never panned out. It seems to be a mixture of mis-communication on the way we invision things. Or simply one of us doesn't hold up our end of job on the project.

That's a huge problem; communication. The fact is this; I don't like to communicate, and when I try, I can't think of the right words, so it ends up being simplistic unless I can find refferences. xD
So I'll stick with the idea of making Guest Comic swaps.

I consider myself a writer - writing seemed to come natural to me. On the other hand, I had to work very hard to be able to draw like I can now. It's been about 13 or 14 years now -

I can do both but I like to draw even more than write.

I think I'm an artist, my dad thinks I'm a writer, so I suppose I could call myself sort of both. My art's not particularly jaw-dropping, nor is my writing, but they're both above par, I guess. I do tend to be the kind of person with no weaknesses but no incredible strengths. Heck, the scores on the two sections of my SAT were only 20 points apart.

I guess it's the way I tend to be.

I consider myself an artist first. But I wouldn't mind writing stuff with somebody as my artist either. I can't vouch for myself as a storyteller, but most people say I write pretty good dialogue. I'd be happy in the position of drawing with a writer too.
For the most part though, I'm a control freak, so I want to be penciller, inker, colourist and writer all at once.
I'd like to try working with others though, sometime.

Darth Mongoose
I'm a control freak, so I want to be penciller, inker, colourist and writer all at once.

Same here.

I'm a better artist than writer, but I'm not so bad at both. Obviously I practice art more than writing so that's why I'm better at it. Each time I draw a new pic or do a new comic page I'm practicing my art and getting better, but I don't write stories with nearly the same frequency! So obviously I'm nowhere near as advanced in that regard... If I did, then I probably would be. -the more you do, the better you get.

I'd like to be as good a writer as I am an artist, but the pictures take up more of my attention :(
But I do admire supreme writing skill! The simpler stuff like background establishment, settings, pacing, dialog, description, good use of metaphor, simile, and kenning; all that isn't too hard to come by but it still takes a lot of practice to use them all effectively!
And then there's more complex things like multilayerd narratives, hidden themes etc; all those skills that you just have to marvel at!

I'd love to be able to master the more complicated aspects, but I fear that may grasp of even the simplest ones isn't that great.

Don't get offended; I speak in generalizations when in a forum discussion.

I hold "writers looking for artists" in general contempt.

If you can't draw (and don't even want to learn/try), then go write fanfics. Don't bother artists with your stories/ideas that you don't want to put in the work to put into pretty pictures. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Most artists have plenty of their own dimes. Most artists draw comics precisely because they want to tell their own stories.

Collaborations where they all have input/output in both writing and drawing are another thing completely. Collaborations are fun, though sometimes frustrating.

Anyways, I can draw much better than I can write, even though I can write prose reasonably well (college creative writing classes and all that). By drawing, I also include "storyboarding," "screenplay," etc... basically I can tell the same story with more pizazz with comics than with words.

I'm more artist than writer. In the future I'd certainly consider drawing for a writer... but I'd have to get paid at least 50% of the profits... if not MUCH more considering I'd be working waaay more hours doing what I feel is much more labour intensive work than the writer. I'd only go for that sort of thing when I'd finished RC though. Rainbow Carousel is my story to tell and I won't be satisfied until it's completed. :3

But you know, I don't think my writing is too bad. XD I put a lot of thought into but I know my faults. I enjoy writing, developing my characters and thinking up plotlines but it'd be nice to have someone else handle it sometimes to be honest... XD Like right now, I haven't quite written myself into a corner but I've came to a part I hadn't thought out properly in advance and I'm struggling to write it - I just wish it was done for me and I could just get on with the artwork. XD

@ Wyld:

In that case, where you have an existing story but you're hitting a block, I think it's ok to have a writer onboard. However, almost all "writers looking for artists" are basically ppl looking for somebody to do the work to draw a story they have in mind.

Yeah, you see a lot of those in the community forum. Only the very rare "Artist looking for writer." And you know people are going to jump on that as soon as it's posted.

I'm an artist that wishes she was a writer. >_>

I love writing and creating, but if I had to identify myself between the two it would be artist. I've been writing about as long as I've been drawing, but not as intensively and I don't know the technical ins and outs of it as well as I do art.

Hguyver
Yeah, you see a lot of those in the community forum. Only the very rare "Artist looking for writer." And you know people are going to jump on that as soon as it's posted.

I think it takes more to admit you're not a great writer than not a great artist. I see a lot of great artists who might indeed have a story to tell, but who aren't telling it the best way, and I can't help but think "if only they had an outside writer..."

So the gist of the way things are going here is that Artists are like girls and writers are the boys? lol!

If that's the case, I should become a prostitute...

As I grow older, I prefer to see myself as creator as in writer who created his own world and design his own characters (using real arts) but too lazy to draw his own comic (Courage Chronicles have been a good testament for that).

And right now I am applying to be professional writer for some Malaysian comic company

I checked the back of my shirt and it say's I'm a 60% Artist/30% Writer/10% Polyester blend. It's kind of like a pure Creator, but I don't need ironing as much.)

Seriously, I'm more like an artist that really loves to tell his own stories. I've been offered collaborations and for some reason, it just doesn't feel as "right" to me as doing my own thing.

-Dave

Writer, because I'm incapable of drawing.

Seriously, I think I've actually gotten worse.

Although I started out as an artist, I think of myself as a writer. Mainly because I've actually been paid to do that on a consistant basis, so I figure I can't be too bad at that side of things. Its also partially because I actually do think I can write well when I choose to do so, whereas I have issues about my abilities as an artist.

ETA: I do enjoy doing both though, for reference. :)