Webtoon Is At Breaking Point - Art Commentary

[@KiyoshiArts]

This is starting to remind of how some manga writers work. They’re constantly on deadlines and they’re also faced with difficulty.

[@ArtisanAsteroid]

It's the exact same thing with the issues of social media added

[@PureCurebyFaith]

and the companies force them to go certain ways about their stories and sometimes force them to wrap everything up in 3-5 chapters which is just plain disrespectful

[@mysryuza]

Not just deadlines, very unrealistic deadlines with little time for themselves and enough self-care.

[@V2ULTRAKill]

Almost all of this only applies to weekly magazines which while a large amount of manga is not all or even most Manga running on a monthly or quarterly cycle frequently have artists easily capable of 2 to 3 serializations while maintaining a healthy social life.

[@zkkitty2436]

animators in anime are dealing with similar health issues, especially due to the popularization of anime internationally and rush to "fill the demand". something has to fundamentally change because people are dying of overwork.

[@EvaHoshizora]

I and a friend tried to make a Canvas on Webtoons, and like... we got 10k viewers just on the "prologue" of the story, and when we launched the first episode: Immediatelly we got people demanding MORE and MORE OFTEN, and neither of us could do it weekly, it was too much work, it was too much art, it was too many panels. And the comments went around to demand longer chapters, better art, more of the world story rather the romance, which was the point of the story. So we only were able to do 6 chapters before we gave up on it completely. If we suffered, I can only imagine how the Webtoon originals creators are treated.

[@GrimReaperNegi]

UnOrdinary comes to mind when you talk about the demand. Weekly updates, a few bit of panels, and okay art. Now that artist seems to to be having problems as well. This whole thing sucks, wonder what secrets Tapas has...

[@EvaHoshizora]

@@GrimReaperNegi Tapas doesn't force weekly updates and pays artists a lot more fairly, specially with the revenue share. However, they do have the weekly updates forced on their Tapas Originals as well; But since they pay more fairly, those artists can hire help. Edit: Webtoon Canvas does punish you if you don't post weekly. You don't get featured and people gets unsubbed forcefully.

[@Ren-bn9tr]

Thats why u need to have a team and not just doing it alone or only two people

[@GrimReaperNegi]

@@Ren-bn9tr If you make it, do you own it? For every villain, monster, etc, a contract will be needed to allows the rights, and uses of said being(s). I think the reason why there aren't "teams" for Webcomics, might lie in the "rights" one has for their creations. I think back on that artist who made one of the heroes in that Ben 10 cartoon. If I remember right, the guy claims he made the hero, and owns the rights to production of the hero, but company said that all rights he had pertaining to the creation of the hero was forfeit to the company, as the hero was made during a thinktank within meetings.

[@EvaHoshizora]

@@GrimReaperNegi It has more to do that we are not paid enough to hire people. We did this for 3 months and got paid a total of $100; With 10k subs and around 200k views per month. People that get paid more on Webtoon do actually have teams.

[@floodattendant002]

i wish that webtoon was like it was many years ago... art hobbyists doing what they love for fun, occasionally for money but not as corporate as webtoon is nowadays

[@Moss1403]

I have been using webtoon for 5-6 years now and it truly saddens me how things changed,even the way the app feels changed :(

[@itsmantras]

Unfortunately happens to alot of services. They start out with it being community driven with no pay walls but as the platform gets more popular, the money hungry corporations start to dig their nails onto it

[@Viva_Cynefin]

true

[@ShermanWilliamsVideo]

@@itsmantras that’s the modern business model. Build an audience, monetize it, sell out fast before monetizing ruins the platform

[@paintbrush3554]

@@itsmantras Capitalism in a nutshell. Everything and anything that people enjoy has to be turned into a machine to extract profit even if its not what anyone except the higher ups benefit from longterm

[@TherealChainsawmaniac]

The conditions in most creative industries are usually not the best but everything turned out alright on my side, full time animation job, producing webcomics as well as even KZbin content, the trick is to pace yourself, know your worth as an artist and never let anyone take advantage of your time. It's easier said than done but it's something to work on, please look after yourself everyone and stay awesome 😎

[@raylynlucas5729]

I wanted to ask when you have a webtoon do you have to copyright each page? I have some arts but I'm going to get it copyrighted before I post it but don't how that works with a webtoon. Also Great job keep up the Awesome work!

[@TherealChainsawmaniac]

@Raylyn Lucas You don't have to copyright it, all creative rights belong to the Author unless you an webtoon Originals creator then I think it's a bit different, since you contracted for a certain time to produce work for webtoon and I think they have a say over your work a bit more

[@raylynlucas5729]

@@TherealChainsawmaniac Wow Thanks!

[@nightslasher9384]

There are moment I thought about donating my organs since my dream of working in the art field is slim. :)

[@TherealChainsawmaniac]

@@nightslasher9384 Na depends on what you wanna do, I've been a senior animator for over 6 years now and I've got no artistic talent at all lol if I can do it then anyone can, does take a lot of work though to get noticed ain't gonna lie but if you work at it, the opportunity will present itself

[@catandrobbyflores]

This makes me remember a canvas creator who had just got her comic to be an original. We were all excited for her but when the launch date came nothing happened. Going to the Twitter account left us with a terrifying message. Very depressing tweets and then nothing. The comic was about vampires, the last remaining witch and had a beauty and the beast vibe, I just cant remember the title. I think it was going to be rebranded as The witch and the beast.

[@Fionapollo]

God that's terrible, i hope she's doing okay...

[@catandrobbyflores]

@@Fionapollo I hope so too. I dug as best i could but couldn't find anything but the tweets.

[@blurryink115]

Are you talking about Roxana?

[@Hello-hello-hello456]

Let’s hope she’s just taking a break from social media and nothing else.

[@catandrobbyflores]

@@blurryink115 no

[@juliegrimes6910]

One of my favorite things about Millenials and Gen Z is wondering “How are these artists I love getting paid?” My generation was obsessed with whether someone was a “sellout”. But I have to ask, does me spending coins actually go into the artist’s pocket or is that all Webtoon’s money? There are several Webtoons that I pay for, and others I shrug and think “Eh, I can be patient.” But if I knew the artist was getting paid directly, I’d likely Fast Pass more often

[@BonaparteBardithion]

There's a similar issue with KZbin and ad revenue and that's a reason why so many content creators make Patreon or other direct sponsor accounts. Some comic artists are also doing similar. Back when webcomics were primarily found through webrings most had a Paypal donation page too, though I assume a good amount of that went to site upkeep. It's definitely harder to track where the money actually goes these days.

[@walnutsss]

The coins go directly to Webtoon, I think one creator mentioned that

[@monbub]

The coins go straight to webtoon. The ads help the artists though. A lot of artists these days are plugging their patreon and kofis because they can't get enough money from webtoon.

[@skullgarden2417]

Original artists are only paid a salary of 800 a week.

[@mati22.]

@@skullgarden2417 dollars?

[@jenna_a]

Tapas Original creator here! I can't speak for the Korean creators, (who have MUCH more demanded of them and my heart goes out to them) but my experience with the platform has been mostly positive. The tapas team have always been super helpful and very understanding when I need hiatuses and even offered bi-weekly updates if needed. The pay is not super great as far as livable wage for my family of four, (I'm a stay at home mom) but I'm making more than I ever did posting independently on canvas and community. With the gaining popularity of webcomics in general, I have high hopes for the industry. Better working conditions for webcomic creators has been a long time coming and overdue for sure, but creators need to be more vocal about their needs- even if it costs them a contract.

[@yukichan177]

the conditions can change if artists put down their terms and maybe also before debuting a new series they can give artists more time to make more reserve chapters so that when series get published they can draw future episodes once in 2-3 weeks and even have time to interacts with their readers

[@tutusketches]

do you think you’d gain more traction on your comic if it went to webtoon originals instead (being a free platform) or are you happy with the viewer numbers on tapas? 😊

[@nibelheimnixxus]

@@yukichan177 On paper yes, but in reality publishers/editors will skip those artists because they want to hire artists who are "easy to work with", which mean artists who can take their demande without asking for much or being vocal about their right for a good work conditions. imo what can make a difference is the big webtoon artists the one that webtoon relies to get the big bucks and pay them good... those artists need to speak up and use their leverage to help improving the work conditions. It's also the editor's jobs to realize that their system are very problematic and literally kills people. As long as they are willingly play blind, then there won't be any changes.

[@jenna_a]

@@tutusketches Well, Webtoon made it clear that I was more valuable building their canvas community than working as an Original creator. LOL I'm convinced they never would have made me an offer. As far as view counts? I absolutely had higher numbers when I was on Webtoon canvas. No question about it. HOWEVER, the Webtoon audience doesn't like to *pay* to read and ad revenue is pennies. Yes, Tapas has lower views, but their audience is willing to pay to unlock episodes. Moving to Tapas was the best move for our situation.

[@MarcoPo]

Siu, creator of tower of God, is dedicated to his work but had many long hiatus because his wrist is suffering from him drawing for the webtoon. He tried to keep going but it keeps getting worse and his personal life wasn't at a high as well. A lot of manga artist love their work or is dedicated to finish the story they put their health and payment aside for the sake of finishing the manga. With the moto of "death by work" being a high honor in their society and cultures motivates people to put suffering aside for work

[@PokaPokasenpai]

As an artist myself, this is just depressing. The artist deserve so much better. On a more positive note, great job with the drawing in this video, the food looks yummy and the colors are nice to look at while fitting with the food theme.

[@strikerwott1222]

Man, hearing all that's happening in Webtoon is really awful and disheartening. I agree with what you said in the video, Webtoon artists really need better treatment, especially if they need higher support. I feel bad for everything the art/creative field as a whole has been going through in recent years. As an artist who's always dreamed of having my own original series, it's really heartbreaking to hear all these artists and creators being disrespected and shot down like this. These workplace environments are unacceptable, and I seriously hope things change soon.

[@Fionapollo]

Literally, it was my dream up till 2020 to pursue animation & that's not looking great either. I hope this year at least something good happens, idk what, but something

[@strikerwott1222]

@@Fionapollo Yeah same here

[@enough2715]

Should go back to underground zines tbh, the internet is going to shit.

[@R83145]

Reminds me of the time I tried to draw manga. I quickly figured out that it took me about 8 hours, i.e., a full working day, to complete a single page, with on average 6 panels in black and white without raster. 40 panels per week seems reasonable. But twice that number? On average? Fully colored? That's crazy... it's sad that artists' work isn't valued nearly enough.

[@zarach9459]

In Japan manga creators have apprentices and assistants who help them, the authors draw in pencil and an assistant inks the drawing, another draws the lines of lines and dots and another does the lettering..

[@rootfish2671]

That's why I call Webtoons "the webcomics sweat shop".

[@Anarchistcharlie]

More people need to do things about this, as unfortunately it has become a matter of fact type thing, especially in Japanese and Korean media. However it is sad how even animators in America which seem to have it good can suffer from sketchy contracts and their medium being demeaned. All around being an artist in the industry sucks at the moment. We need to explain what to do to get changes made, because everyone in the art industry deserves better at the moment. Hope you have a good day, sorry for the rant.

[@Summontowatchoverme]

Canvas creator here, I know you said something about reader fatigue but I still have people that comment on all my updates complaining they should be longer or faster. Most readers don't give a damn and have no idea what we do behind the scenes. Maybe they think it's a compliment but some are aggressive about it. One assumed I quit my webtoon despite it posting on a regular 2 week schedule because they consider that " so much gap since the last episode." Maybe other creators or ex creators who read get it but that's not a majority of who consumes comics. Lucky for me I made webcomics long before I made a webtoon so I know how to pace myself and not give into pressure but I imagine new creators try to cater to the demands. Then the Originals have their own fight to keep up with each other and they're partially setting the standard for the rest of us.

[@PerryPictures]

I'm sorry to hear people are badgering their favorite artists/writers like that :( I know as a reader I get reader fatigue very easily. Real life (as a 35y.o. adult) is exhausting and my 9-7 job is mentally draining. To consume more than one or two comics at a time is too much, and when they get chapters ahead of me as the reader I can feel discourage from continuing those stories because they get so huge faster than I can take the time to enjoy them. I'm not sure how many readers are like me, and how many are the other way; but just wanted to comfort you a bit and let you know some readers really prefer a slower, more casual pace where we can take our time with the artists/writers and not feel rushed to check in or keep up either.

[@vianjelos]

People are like that with youtubers too. But honestly screw those people. If they care about the comic they will wait..if you are being consistant thats the best you can do. 2 weeks is often for people who work full time anyway. I work 45-50hours a week on my real job so Im planning on updating monthly. Usually my chapterd range between 50-80 panels but thats just because I have a very set idea in my head for when a chapter should end so I end up making a lot of pannels. Ive waited monthly for a new manga chapter to come out for my favorite series before, and these were professional manga. If you are into the series you will wait the week, two weeks, month it takes to get a new chapter. I understand when artist are inconsistant that can frustrate fans but Ive seen canvass artist have inconsistant upload scheduals who still have fans because the story is good and hell Berserk is a hugely popular series and it was notorious for its long waits before release. Fans are way too expectant and mainly because they have never created anything in their lives.

[@gaerekxenos]

I'm going to blame this issue on scanlations and in particular aggragate websites that take works. Too many of them only need a bit of cleaning, translating, and typesetting to become "passible" enough for readers to consume, which feeds into spoiled brats asking for much more, much faster -- and even then there are people who ask for more. Each of these roles take a considerable amount of time when done properly as well. Which makes it all the worse for the original artists since planning every strip properly takes some time, with a considerably longer amount of time for drawing each part well on top of that

[@boredfangerrude]

As a reader, most of us don't really know what conditions you're dealing with. Many of us don't mind not getting longer chapters so long as they aren't getting shorter or aren't getting shorter and shorter.

[@annie_Ieonhart]

I've been a professional webtoon artist for almost 7 years and I don't work with Naver Line as soon as I finished my contracts with Neobazar years ago. It was all fun & game the first months but after a year I decided to just end my webtoon since I didn't have fun making comics anymore with a ridiculous schedule which caused me serious sickness, sleep problems, etc. Now with my experience I enjoy my work as a freelance webtoon artist with no time frame & the sickening pressure. Don't ever do business with a webtoon company unless you have a strong team.

[@darkswordraven06]

Not gonna lie this is why it's so important for people, especially young artists to learn how to go into business for themselves. You might not get as much attention or money coming in for your effort in a short amount of time you would like, but time is a numbers game and everyone has to start somewhere. And if you're really serious about what you're doing then you'll build a loyal following more naturally, and work at your own pace writing and drawing the stories you're passionate about about however you wish. You'll be your own boss, and won't have to kill yourself meeting impossible back breaking deadlines, or answering to anyone once you've educated yourself on what to do, but it's all in the effort you make. These companies have proven time and time again that artists are all expendable once they have complete control of their intellectual property, and the moment they can no longer use you they'll throw you out on the curb just to put someone else in your place. Industries like Webtoon are failing because more and more people are starting to realize they don't need them to become successful, and I'm all in support of artists going their own way to becoming more independent.

[@thedaintyseamstress]

Exactly what I was thinking.

[@LoTouSXiong]

I was a former intern at WEBTOON in the US back in 2020 and the editors there seem to care a bit more about the creators' health as they can take a break whenever they want. Also, the minimum panel requirement for the US team is 40 panels per week. As an artist myself and someone who wants to get into the industry, 40 panels is still a crazy amount of work for one person. I agree with you that there’s an over-saturation of content and I think one thing that could help creators is if there's the option to do bi-weekly episodes instead weekly. Since you're still getting paid the same amount because you're still delivering the same amount of content, I don't think it would be too big of a problem. Of course, this wouldn't be sustainable monetarily for creators since they will have to find an extra source of income, but it will give them breathing room in between episodes.

[@eepyinSpring]

This is like one of the big reasons I decided early on that I will never let my comics be on the official side of webtoon. I never liked the idea of a weekly upload, and my comic elitist boyfriend backed my decision to only update monthly. I wanted to be an artist but also take care of myself since my art would suffer if I didn't. But of course I'm not making any money from my art because it took me over a decade of being told "you can't be an artist" before I decided to just do it anyway, and now I have to play catch up with artists who have been online for three times longer than me. The stigma around art and artists is still going strong which probably helps these companies get away with mistreating the people who are the reason they have money in the first place.

[@jess5007]

Hey, I have a similar background. I listened so much discourage for being an artist that I gave up. After around 10 years or more of studying for careers that were not suited for me that I decided to do it anyways. Is hard today, I don’t make a lot of money of it yet and I’m not the young artist with everything ahead of me. It can be scary but I’m glad I’m back to it, it’s my life at the end. Glad to share this experience with other people, I hope one day this community will be stronger and easier to enter.

[@mooniedreams]

Just a few days ago, I'd been reading a webtoon I've followed since it's Canvas days and although I'd noticed a major drop in quality of the panels compared to it's early days as an official webtoon, I ignored it and cracked it down to them just having worked on it for so long that they needed to churn out more panels. Coming to that conclusion alone is pretty bad, making it feel normal that stressful work conditions lead to comics feeling less lively. I ended up letting curiousity get the best of me and looked into the comic a bit more. The comic in question had many hiatuses and sudden silences. I found that the creator, along with having serious health conditions making it hard for them to draw, wasn't even showing interest in the comic anymore, often talking about how they needed to focus on the comic although they had so many new ideas they wanted to make stories about. It made me really sad, because as much as I love the comic, the creator feeling so bad and having such a hard time because of the comic, made me wish for the comic to finally end. I've read the comic for YEARS, but the health of the person making it is way more important to me. The health of creators should always come before their work and it's awful that I've seen so many creators apologize for having to take hiatuses and putting out less work because they're forced to get out a certain amount of work to get paid, because their audience demands more, or because they feel pressure to keep going. As someone persuing a career in the art industry, this is just another thing that makes me worried about my future and many others.

[@Nita-lu6sn]

I have a few like that as well. ;-;

[@Kkubey]

It is very common. I feel like the real issue is that many just start far too many toons. Maintaining one is hard enough. If you don't like a story you made anymore, only way to go on about it is putting it to rest or cancel it completely to give it a closure. If you actually want to go through with a project of this size, you need to stand up for it and not look at all the more appealing project potentials, just like with relationships if you ever want an exclusive and lasting one. I am in computer science, I know that feeling all to well, but you will never finish anything or get anywhere if you keep on spreading your attention.

[@Bacon-lover101]

Even though I haven’t read webcomics in a while, these stories about harsh working conditions were kind of depressing to hear. To say the least. Line WEBTOON, imo, definitely needs to be able to listen to the artists stories, and definitely start setting up fair and more healthier working conditions in order to move forward. Artists should not have to be pushed to near physical or mental exhaustion, just to get their work out there. They deserve a lot better than that. P.S. I don’t know if this would help, but I already went ahead and shared it on twitter.

[@naraku971]

Shades of Japan, I think a while ago Japan said something about strip mining Webtoon Comics for anime content, I wonder how true it is, do you think it could explain these conditions?

[@V2ULTRAKill]

Making weekly shounen jump look like a good place to work is frankly impressive

[@leaglem]

A'ight *cracks knuckles* About WEBTOON specifically, from an ORIGINAL author... The amount of required panels varies with the genre of the webtoon. I know I go over my panel count constantly because it often isn't enough to tell all I want to tell in a single episode, and it would end up either feeling incomplete or just cutting off mid dialogue/scene. That said, burnout is inevitable, especially when it's webtoons taken from independent, often solo creators on CANVAS to ORIGINALS instead of being the inhouse produced webtoons, which have inhouse teams of writers, artists and assistants at their disposal. And even then! Making a webcomic has shifted from an individual task to a studio-like production over the recent years, and as more and more studios spill content out like it's a race, the standards for independent artists rise until they become unachievable. And yet we keep trying, at the expense of our own health. I'm still healthy and still passionate to tell my story, so I won't stop giving my best anytime soon, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm so, so tired. EDIT: as a disclaimer, I can take a break anytime I want. WEBTOON NA is very kind to creators in that respect. However, we are discouraged from it, knowing that the metrics will inevitably go down if we take longer breaks. And if metrics go down, a series faces the threat of being cancelled.

[@Fionapollo]

Thanks for weighing in, Leaf. I'll admit this research is a little lopsided as the survey only concerns south korea and thankfully the rules are a bit different in other parts of the world, but I'm rly glad you spoke on this. It's a shame you're discouraged from taking breaks despite being allowed them. It's perfectly logical why all of this happens on the business side, but it's so unsustainable and just reinforces why things like the upload format and limits need to be rejigged for canvas, originals, & everyone' benefit. You're still doing fantastic with TLD, but please take care ok?

[@leaglem]

@@Fionapollo Yessir, shall do!

[@LoTouSXiong]

As an Original Creator, do you think it would be more beneficial for you if your comic switched to a biweekly release than a weekly one? I know financially you'd be making less since the payout is stretched between longer periods but it's also a less intensive deadline to make. I'd appreciate your opinion if possible. Thanks in advance!

[@PerryPictures]

I knew it was bad, but to ignore someones need to rest during pregnancy, cause a miscarriage, then send baby pics of your own child to that creators husband (it was his baby too that miscarried, she's a monster for doing this no matter how agreeable she might be face to face)... and for what? reader fatigue. I've quit reading so many series (and wouldn't even start others) because they're just too long. 75 panels a week is too much to draw, and dragging series out for hundreds of chapters is too much too. The entire operation is way out of hand, and with the health concerns you raised here, one can only hope that things will drastically change and they'll bring back the humanity in webcomics.

[@paninilist4678]

Also I hope some people also talk about the sheer amount of webtoons that they are putting on their site and how its affecting their creators, every single day at least 5 new webtoons are released to the point that now there is just so much for someone to read, before when a new webtoon was released it was kinda a big thing and it got more attention, now so many are swept under the rug bc they are replaced with a new webtoon release. It's kinda like the netflix effect where there is so much to choose that in the end its difficult for someone to pick bc you have so many options

[@LunaArtGallery]

I'll pitch in on this - Webtoon original artist here, worked on webtoons for the past 3 years finished last October. At first the work was a lot as a newbie, once I got used to it was alright, no different then any other industry art job. I managed to keep up weekly with 56 - 60 panels, though I wasn't an action webtoon which generally have a shit ton more work. I can say the main issue is the audience expectations and over saturation of unoriginal content + mass production of low effort stuff. I've been doing webcomics for years, remember the times that artists poured so much love into every panel, and a 5 panel page was greatly appreciated by the audience / a beauty of art itself. Not anymore, the massive amount of demand from the audience leads to lower quality work due to time restraints, which gets devoured in a sitting with no regard. There's no self-gratification with finishing a page, it's onward to the next workload that will be never ending. Dread/Resentment starts to creep in, and add on top of that most will not get paid for doing this and it's no wonder people drop like flies. I don't read webcomics anymore to be frank, it seems like the only stuff that gets published is the same rehashed love triangle/isekai junk food. Writing doesn't make sense half the time, and the audience will quickly consume another work which will leave yours as just another straw in a haystack. This break-neck over consumption of content is affecting all of the art/entertainment industry in horrible ways and I hope it collapses soon cause this is just unhealthy for everyone.

[@something-from-elsewhere]

Genuinely sent a shiver through my body with the phrasing "more people will end up turning _into_ these cautionary tales". Like that is such a salient and chilling way of putting that and especially as a. Person you described in this video, it's. Yea. Note this is me saying you put it _WELL._ It _SHOULD_ be fuckin haunting, what's happening to people

[@something-from-elsewhere]

And. Thanks for that bit at the end. I... needed that.

[@Sienna1919]

I didn't know about the author's of Solo Leveling and Roxana even though I enjoy both of those works... I was already nervous because of the author of Tower of God nearly losing the movement of his arm due to overwork. I really hope things can change before we lose more talented people 😥

[@emiuhdoesthings]

As someone who wants to do make art as part of my main career, this is just heartbreaking to hear especially from a platform I spend so much time on reading my favorite webcomics from amazing talented creators. I used to at one point want to be in the originals for Webtoon and get paid while doing something I love, I’m glad I didn’t though because who would’ve known how it would’ve horribly affected me mentally and physically. This is not saying that (if you want to make a Webtoon Original) you shouldn’t, you should totally go for it! But be careful when doing so and don’t let the people in power control you. To the point of it affecting your everyday life. It should be a project you enjoy and love and be proud of, not something that brings bad memories every time someone brings it up. Sorry if it’s long, I just felt like I needed to say something because this is really serious. I can only hope things can someday get better. Thank you for reading

[@thevoidcalls5962]

I was worried that my assumptions would be validated. Thanks for doing your part in helping inform *us*. It can be difficult to look for the truth on your own, especially while trying to balance the old 9-5. You are doing your best to help a community you care about so I’ll put in some effort on my part to help ease the burden. Do also remember to take breaks for yourself as well because you can’t help anyone if you burn yourself out. Have a pleasant day all. You know that you deserve a good day, so have one. Sincerely -The Void

[@paigecritchlow]

First of all, thank you for making this video, Fionapollo. The more people that speak out about this, the better. For any readers, I'm telling ya, supporting your favorite artists DIRECTLY through patreon, ko-fi, buying merch, etc is HUGE. These companies(particularly webtoon) are not paying most artists enough and definitely are paying NO mind to their mental health or working conditions. They treat most of their artists like content farms and I think we've reached a point with them where the community really needs to push back against them. Something has to change.

[@tomburt709]

The health of the illustrator of the Remarried Empress was so bad that they couldn't continue and the webtoon was put on an early hiatus.

[@mk-aka-morgan8386]

It’s totally valid that you didn’t want to reach out to anyone for their financial safety, thank you for talking about this, you’re helping make the comic community safer by talking about this.

[@hrnekbezucha]

It's a tale as old as time. People who love to create being exploited by people who only care for money and power..

[@UnsaidLies]

As someone who has a chronic webtoon addiction; I agree I've seen so many creators quit doing this because of the high levels of stress, not being able to make money off of it, and people just hounding creators. IT SUCKS CUZ SOME OF THOSE COMICS ARE SOOOOOO GOOD. I wish things would get better but they never will.

[@Ehh97]

I have been working on my particular comic for years, and while the support has been lovely from the few fans I do have, I have been forced to draw very slowly due to work time constraints, and because of that I have only just barely managed to hold onto under 200 subscribers. After almost 6 years of work. I am not as bothered by it as I used to be, I'm sort of just doing it for fun at this point and I've learned to be greatful for what I do have, but I had to kill any hope of ever getting paid by Webtoon at this point. Drawing for myself and my small following has been more rewarding than anything Webtoon has ever offered me, and even if my pages are slow to update, I am still very proud of them!

[@user-ev5gj8xe2b]

Overworking to death is so common for comic artists in Asia... these stories are not surprising. Every year we have 5 well known artists dying from heart/nerve/brain complications at very young ages. We are worked like pigs. I see it in the US too but with animation. Too many animators revealing stories about sleeping under their desks as a rite of passage, passing out ONTO their devices, etc. I do think that people don't respect artists, but it isn't that much better in any other blue collar job either. One of my family members chronic conditions have progressed at supersonic speeds because they have to work dozens and dozens of hours a week while having foot neuropathy. Let's hope that laws become stricter on tyrannical corporations.... :(❤

[@colbyfromage]

As one of the 1st gen webcomic artists (early 2000’s) when 1-2 pages per week was adequate and we were a pretty close knit supportive group and nothing had been corporatized yet… I loved my time as a webcomic artist but I wouldn’t touch making a webtoon today with a ten foot pole. Readers have always been super demanding but expectations from readers and from the company for huge full polished chapters every week seems cost prohibitive. You used to be able to have a life while maintaining a moderately popular webcomic. Now it looks like you have to give up everything to make any impact at all. Doesn’t seem worth it, friends. That said I very much enjoy reading some wonderful artists on webtoon and have all the respect for them putting out so much work, while simultaneously hoping they maintain good health and well-being.

[@ArcticWolfGod]

The length of the weekly episodes was always a bit weird to me so I had suspected that it might not be very healthy. You just can't pump out that much content weekly without problems. I used to even think there might be some kind of trick to it since episodes just felt too long to be made weekly. One thing I wish people would stop is commenting about episodes being short (I've seen this even happen on episodes that aren't particularly short or anything), it just makes me feel bad for the authors every time I see that, especially when the "normal" pace is so ridiculous already. I just hope they don't see those comments, but that's not a realistic hope at all.

[@catcactus1234]

There are lots of tricks for getting episodes published weekly, mostly with artists using pre-made assets or 3D backgrounds in order to get every panel completed under a reasonable amount of time. But even with those shortcuts, artists are still suffering with how many panels they have to complete under the weekly timeframe.

[@Saphius-]

Tbh, the only comic where I truly had issue with chapters being too short was Everywhere and No Where but tbh, Merryweather and his impossible number of comics are a whole other case than "regular" webcomic artist. I kinda pity the artists drawing for him

[@jessyle8743]

I can't imagine having to do 70 something panels. I'm struggling just to get 30-40 out ;-;

[@xLiteNite7x]

This is exactly why I'm an art hobbiest. Making a living with your art is an incredibly hard thing to do, and a lot of luck and privilage are involved. It would stress me out too much to have to endure workplace exploitation while trying to do what I love.

[@DeadKraken]

Freelancing is horrible and the workload is terrible, unless you are a famous illustrator that gets paid nicely and gets jobs frequently. I've been a comic book artist for the last 10 years(started very early) and this is a shit way of living, plus the publishers are terribly biased and you need a huge amount of luck to obtain anything or being able to sell your art and shit, which a shy ADHD\autistic person like me lacks immensely lol. I love comics very much but I'm studying to become a concept artist instead, stable job, great benefits(at least in EU) and way better pay. But yeah, I wouldn't suggest freelancing to anyone, and unfortunately art jobs are usually just freelancing, including stuff like Webtoons Originals. I will do webcomics as a hobby, but they cannot be my main source of income or I'll die by 40.

[@Mente_Fugaz]

I believe that the best way to make art is slowly building a community with what you can offer... be constant but without burn-outs allowing the community to be created based on patient people who really loves you as an artist and not just as mere consumers. It's a much slower process than just sticking it on and having a bunch of people come in at once, but it's healthier and will give you better profits in the long run. Well, the people who really value what you do are the people who at the end of the day will give you financial support on platforms like Patreon, for example. in less wordsl: Don't look at the numbers, but at the quality of the community, you will see that the slow process, in the long run, brings better economic and mental health benefits.

[@LikaLaruku]

You should see what the creators from Lezhin went through.

[@llamasmeowing2061]

Very informative. I understand the move to global comix, but it’s just another cycle of a company starting out passionate and becoming corrupt with growth and time, it’s probably just another webtoon waiting to happen.

[@Numbah1]

❤Solo Leveling and I'll be forever grateful to Chugong and Jang Sung-rak (RIP) May webtoon artists and writers have a better working life🙏

[@WillowIsntSeenDead]

I wish I could support your channel way more than just being subscribed and liking because wow are you underrated

[@Fionapollo]

Thank you 😭 kind comments like this are enough to keep me going, so you're doing plenty!

[@randomcoyotestudios986]

This is a great video. It sounds to me like their comic creators' union in SK isn't actually doing too much for them, which is sad. Some "unions" are really just rubber-stamp machines for corporate policy, adding window dressing to the working conditions. On one hand I'd love to make my living with my comics, but not at the expense of my health and quality of life. I feel bad for these creators that are chained to their drawing board, having something they love turned into a grind. I myself am older and have my own site, and a decent day job so I can do as I please with my comics and for that I consider myself kind of lucky. We need some creator solidarity though because as a class we're exploited like crazy. A period of universal hiatus (maybe a month?) might be good for the creators, but we'd especially need readers to join as well, and to only patronize studios/publishers that cap working hours and quatas.

[@Strunmahmah]

It's unfortunate but I'm not surprised by any of this. I know over the years a number of my favorite webtoons have gone on hiatus do to creators having health issue, and I know it's it's a problem that affects the Japanese mangaka community as well. I think you raise an interesting point about chapter lengths and cutting that down to 40ish panels, but I can't help but think that would get a lot of push back from readers. We're a spoiled group and we notice shorter chapters. The number of comments I've seen complaining in chapters that are shorter is very high. I think if instead of bringing the panels count down it would be better to slow the release schedule. A lot of manga and western comic books only have monthly releases for a reason.

[@chuzzbot]

Not webtoons but a burned-out artist, punished for even speaking about the issue, I can fully relate. The stories of exploitation you shared are heart-breaking, artists are not protected in any way or place. Consumers are also ungrateful and as greedy as the companies that exploit artists, unwilling to pay for art but will bring out the big bux for a coffee, while demanding more and more. Freakn shame!

[@dhdjsjshdj]

The last thing you said in the video about not giving up struck me. While watching and hearing about all the horrors happening to webtoon creators like the suicidal thoughts and long hours, I thought that if I were my mom, I wouldn't want my daughter going into this field so that she can suffer like that. It's kinda like when parents don't want their kids to buy motorcycles because they don't want them to embark on a dangerous lifestyle with a high death rate- not because they want to deny their kids from doing something they love, but because they're deeply concerned. But no matter what I do, I can't help what I want to do, and I know that I'll never stop trying to make comics.

[@ernststravoblofeld]

It seems to be a little silly to unionize, when you can fairly easily own the means of production. Artist collectives are not unheard of. I'm betting that a fair percentage of any group of artists has experience in website creation.

[@Nevict]

Let's not forget about Slave In Utero, the author of Tower Of God! He has been silent for quite a while now, since he decided to re-do the story he prepared so far due to it feeling not good enough. Also, he took numerous breaks due to health issues before that.

[@stephguzdoodles]

God, my thoughts and prayers goes to the families of the creators mentioned in this video. Shit like this is exactly why I refused to let WEBTOON be my only platform for my comic. WEBTOON really need to step back and ask themselves: Are we TRULY supporting our creators and allowing them to work freely in a safe and healthy manner? I’m praying that other platforms like Tapas and GlobalComix learns from Webtoon’s obvious mistakes and strive to provide a creator friendly environment for everyone,not just the artists; also for the writers, editors, and everyone who’s involved making comics for readers.

[@hannahnohlgren989]

I've noticed in the latest... Two days? On Webtoon, the community is more understanding. Most series I follow and have followed for some time now, most of them have the artist, or co artist, or illustrator or whatnot having health issues. They apologise when they 'have to cut down the chapter' or, 'release on later dates' or simply rush a season finale so they can rest and then work on the next season better. 99% of the comments and followers support the creators/artists, giving their understanding, your health comes first, we'll be here whenever and if you ever come back to finish/pick up. I am so happy every time the readers show concern and understanding to the creators, knowing full well their health comes first and the readers will be there for support whenever they get back ro it. So I think Webtoon is getting way better, community wise. Which may aliaviate SOME of the pressure. Of course, it wont fix the problem. If the owners keep pressuring/forcing the creators to keep going under poor conditions, no matter what the readers say will make a change. Let us hope the readers remain supportive, and some sort of Union can be created so we can preserve the, pardon my english, BLOODY BRILLIANT media that is digital stories/comics. Have a lovely day everyone, stay safe! Love from an old Webtoon Reader

[@Theatricsanddramatics]

I wish they added a tag system as well. It would make it a million times easier to find things you want to read and for the canvas artists to get the attention they deserve

[@Beyondthe5thPanel]

I’m FB friends with Nelma, a solo Christian Comic Creator who publishes her works, mainly Heroic Shenanigans, on Webtoons, but also has them in other mediums. I can completely see how difficult it is for her to pump out all of these panels and chapters. It’s easy to crave more, but the more I got to know her, the more understanding it became to realize that she’s holding down a full time job at a church, solo publishes, attends conventions and plays Pokémon Go in her spare time. She’s so busy, we hardly get the chance to actually talk, so I can only imagine how burnt out she must be.

[@gerry10leon]

Ive been creating a comic on webtoon for about 3 years now and hearing all this kinda makes me glad in a way that my comic hasn't gotten any traction since I don't really feel any obligation to work myself sick. Though it does suck feeling like I got on the train a bit late, seems like everybody feels webtoon has gone downhill these last few years compared to before

[@yunni33]

Well, it’s true we can’t do anything as a reader. As in most industries, culture must take matters into its own hands, whether through trade unions or strikes (I am French, that is how we operate but I know that it can be difficult in some countries). If all creators stop publishing until they get agreements on their working time they will get something. As a reader, I don’t think it would kill us either to wait two weeks to have a chapter rather than having one every week, moreover, it would give visibility to more content.

[@unicornclutter]

honestly the number of cuts to an update is exactly why I never have done a real webtoon, I struggled in uni even doing 20ish cuts per update while if I was updating something closer to the panel count of a couple comic pages which was more normal when webcomics were newer it would probably be a manageable project that I'd enjoy

[@cassiscrowmatic]

Thank you for making this video. I keep thinking about how many webtoon creators I read who have taken hiatuses for health while I've read them. And I think the fans are pretty universal in supporting the artist and waiting as needed for the health, it really sounds like the editors and staff have some of the opposite view on things, which is frustrating. I've only done canvas etc, and trying to avoid burnout has been a constant thing for me. It's really easy to get exhausted doing a small amount compared to what original creators do. A maximum panel cap would help so much, and I genuinely believe that readers would support it. Heck, it might make things easier, because having shorter panels in between means that it's easier to pause midway. I'd also like to add, I started transferring my webtoons into more traditional comic panel layout, and was really surprised by the average number of pages in each update. My average 10 panel updates ended up being about 2 pages traditional on average. If that's pretty similar for a lot of the originals, that means that 70 panels would be the equivalent of like 14 FULL COLOR pages a WEEK. That's absolutely insane. (I would also recommend other webtoon creators to try doing that. For me, it was a really good way of reframing just how much work I actually was doing, because it's harder to really comprehend with the webtoon panel layout, which at least for me made it feel like I was doing a lot less work than I really was.)

[@smileywarhead5178]

2 solutions to corporate capitalism: -change the laws of your entire country, and place tariffs on their trading partners (my country Canada is trying to implement this even for the way we watch KZbin, so it's not as impossible as it is ridiculous) - or be your own capitalist. Walk out. Encourage others to join you. Keep your copyrights. Crowdfund. Own your own business.

[@marionettilapsi1]

I am chronically ill indie comic artist and my heart bleeds to hear the abuse these people are going through with big companies. I hope thigs get better.

[@MrAaaaazzzzz00009999]

Im just about to start publishing my comic and you sure are scaring me... BUT I WILL PUSH FORWARD!

[@reulerverse_stories]

Great video! To a lesser extent this can apply to content creation in general. As a person with an underlying condition, I can say we already have it hard without the ridiculous labor expectations. With them, working becomes impossible. Still, I do my best every day and prioritize my health first. Does that mean my social media platforms will grow slower? Absolutely, but there's not much else content creators with a condition can do right now. I'd rather be healthy and broke than have money and watch my health fall down the drain. Stay strong my friends!

[@pluviosity]

I wonder if social media, and smartphones app, creates this fast consumption culture. I remember in the ye good old blogger days, webcomic fans were less demanding. The artists could go on months without posting, and most fans were just "aw shucks, wonder if they will post again." and then be really happy just with a couple of new panels.

[@studiodevil5283]

and just think that many mangaka in Japan have to do double or even triple the amount of work (though they are likely to have an assistant or two)

[@DeeJuusan]

When you mentioned how many panels per episode on Webtoon you've found, I thought I'd share the following for reference, even though things might have changed since then, especially seeing how some current original series have very little panels per episode. (there was no mention in the e-mail that I can't share this info) I was contacted by Webtoon back in 2019 to create an original series. They were going to pay $50 for a sample based on a script they're gonna provide that consists of 20 panels. If they decide to go with me as the artist (based on the sample), I was required to 80-100 panels per episode (weekly), and the starting price they've offered me was $800 per month. My art style is very detailed and I go all out with backgrounds and characters, which is clear in my series which they referred to in the proposal, so they know exactly what they're getting. I'm sure they need to test anyway, because some artists do great in original work but not as much when it's for other companies, however, the price paid for the newcomers based off the email I received, considering that an artist might need to buy assets, have to deal with someone else's story and need to go back and forth with an editor, on top of the toll it's gonna take their physical well being, is very cheap.

[@madsniperD]

That is an absolutely insulting offer.

[@StickmanLLC1]

holy crap. i dont even know if it is worth it putting my ideas on webtoon anymore...

[@F3NR1R04]

my wife draws on canvas and tbh I am so glad she isn't self motivated to fall into this trap. She literally took a week one time and did nothing but work on an episode and got so stressed out she hated me and herself and still couldn't do 70 panels in that time

[@Kris.pyfries]

Now I’m afraid- I’ve wanted to become a freelance artist for a while and am going to go into college for it I can’t get a “normal” job, my autism and anxiety is debilitating to the point where I can’t go outside I want to make art, I want to make a comic series but this seems so scary. Do I even have a chance??

[@kattimate]

I've met someone, although was not an artist, she works 20+ hours a day and unfortunately ended up having a stroke. She's still around, but shows what overworking does to someone.

[@Its.Chenzilla]

I remember calling out webtoon in the comments over the mistreatment, bringing up what happened with love bot and how they scam their Spanish speaking webtoon artist. It got top comment and all, but they then deleted my comment and blocked me on commenting for 5 months 💀

[@thundercat9427]

Aaaand this is why I wanna be independent as a webcomic artist. May be a lot of work as well, but at least I am able to treat myself humanly!

[@Blixtwixy]

I'd much rather artists do 10-20 panels per page than 70+ panels. Why? Because with the frequent upload schedules webtoons stick to, the comics finish way faster than I want them to! I'd much prefer happy artists happily making a webcomic that takes a year or longer to complete (I've followed comics for literal years before!) over a comic that's inevitably lower quality in both writing and art because it was pushed through too quickly and finished in 5 months. I don't want to find a new favorite comic, then have to watch it degrade and complete early. I want to follow a comic over a long time, watch the artists art improve and the writing change course etc.

[@Philosophy.and.Tostitos]

Three actionable takeaways for us, as far as I can see. 1) Do NOT post malicious, cruel or demanding comments on webcomics. These authors work an insane amount of hours and deserve better, so always stay constructive and appreciative when commending on their work. 2) We should gently encourage webtoon artists to diversify their income and slowly branch away from needing to slave away for abusive companies. All artists can and should become entrepreneurs in a world in which big companies tend to disrespect content creators. 3) We should raise awareness about these issues with webcomic fans, and communicate with webcomic companies about these things. Abuse happens in darkness, so the more average consumers understand these issues, the more companies will feel the pressure to do the right thing, to protect their bottom line if for no other reason.

[@gideongrace1977]

Well shit. Can't say I'm surprised but I am sad. Thanks for shedding some light on the topic, it's very much appreciated.

[@ArtisanAsteroid]

Unfortunately,I knew well that this was probably the type of things going on beneath the panels. It's heartbreaking that there are little artists in the world who'll realize this and panic from the seemingly decreasing amount of art jobs.

[@MsMotherWolf]

I watched a video several years ago talking about the body's lymphatic system. According to them, info was current around 2007, for every hour of sitting, you need to stand up and move for 15 minutes... so 45 minutes, stand up, move around.

[@The_Real_Black_Jesus]

Did you hear the story about the artist who lost an unborn child due to being overworked and was given no time to grieve after it happened? Afterward, her boss that overworked her to that point, announced that she was in fact pregnant now. She then proceeded to celebrate her new pregnancy via emails and informed everyone about it, excluding the artist that lost her child... she knew damn well what she was doing.

[@lunamiku4166]

Artist are almost always getting the shorter end of the stick.

[@shyplankton]

I recently started to post ‘seriously’ on webtoon as a canvas creator and I already was panicking about the amount of work i gave myself with it tonight. I appreciate your video on the topic and will try my best to pace myself and not burn out TvT

[@gumshoecomix]

i make webcomics too, and it wasnt until i got really sick that i decided i had to change my scheduel to fit my needs over being potetially popular. And ive been nothing but happy since then.

[@Gamingpandacat]

Like every other company, once webtoons got bit, nothing else mattered but the big profits, the ones who got in early get all the glory, and now its just a combination of doing all the right things and then winning the lottery, and then you get to suffer until you're sucked dry of any joy and passion and go back to stacking shelves at the grocery store. Thanks capitalism

[@chloeamito9877]

I create comics and I know the struggle, it's constant, hectic and messes with ya badly, I'm only 18 too and I thought I would love my job but it's proven to be much more than I could handle, I want to quit soon because I have faced too many issues with this. I now don't even want to look at a screen or a stylus. I want to give up completely and get an office job.

[@ShidoDraws]

I draw slow so I appreciate my readers not complaining about my comic being released in small bits. Well, not really small but small compare to originals.

[@clownpal697]

I sub to you and I have autism. I watched the Autism and fandom and I agree to everything you said. I also love being in fandoms because I can interact with others that like current things I like too

[@lejandario7779]

Thank you for such an informative video. I'm glad people care

[@renwarrenp5097]

Its always unfortunate to hear things like this, ive talked to creators before on Webtoons just being a reader and I always wanted to respect the creators needing time to make more or needing to take a break. Even if it wasnt “the best” artistic wise or not fully colored. Even a year later I checked to see if their webtoon story had updated, it hasnt but I hope theyre doing ok and found another place to express their story and art. Treat creators, artists, anyone with care and respect especially if you’re just a consumer. These conditions are so real and saddening especially when know of other creators going through these kinds of treatment from their employers. I may not be able to continue to read or be able to help support, but they need all the support they can get and they more than deserve it even if you can’t constantly give. Patience helps too, dont contribute to the toxic environment these people may already be in. 💖💖 just my little piece, hope everyone is doing ok

[@FullchainAnimation]

I needed to hear this, right this very day. Thank you.

[@workinabroad]

I never will pay for webtoons with its current policy. The first time I noticed using the coins did NOT speed up the time frame of the next released chapter, I was shocked. Why would I pay for the next episode only to wait 2 weeks for the 3rd episode? Nah.

[@ostycream]

I think, its will be good to see a new platform emerge in another contry were the workers have more right and conditions. And I think, 30-40 panels is enough and I don’t see why its will be bad for the company. If the story go slower, the story will take more time to finish, so more money out of it can be made.

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

You have gained a new subscriber with this great video!

[@Mythos998]

I didn’t know this was happening! Thanks for informing us

[@SPIDER_HIPPIE]

I have been thinking about starting to write a webtoon. This video didn’t make me really want to but it also made me aware of the bad work conditions. I’ll think about it

[@TKtheComicbook]

I did not know GlobalComix existed until this video and the timing could not have been more perfect. You’re doing great 🖤

[@morbidmacaroni]

Me listening to this while making my wee canvas series 👀💧

[@Monsterpala]

The fill tool in csp is good as long as lines are closed, use it! When you draw the bg use one or more vector layers and take advantage of the eraser function that removes everything to the next intersection.

[@noriyuuart20]

I'll start this comment by sharing that english is not my native language (so, sorry for any typos and grammar issues), that I usually don't write comments because I'm shy and anxious and that I'm a Canvas creator and also upload my comic on Tapas, INKR and Webcomics App for free. First of all, thank you very much for this video and for putting a spotlight on an ongoing issue that I believe doesn't really only affect comic creators, but also affects any other kind of creator. Platforms, be it Webtoons, KZbin, Twitch, the NSFW ones, Tapas, Wattpad, etc. kind of "sell" this dream that we can be self made by working from home, which isn't really much of a lie if you and your content either fit in the mold of what's trendy at the time or if you're willing to do many sacrifices in order to please the algorithm. And we often see the mental and physical struggles a lot of creators have to endure in order to make content creation a viable career. I can only really talk about my experience as an independent comic artist, so take this only as that! Right as soon as I started drawing the first few episodes of my comic I learned how difficult and taxing this was going to be and I wondered if I should give up and go back to working a 9 to 5 job (or 9 to 9 job cause I'm brazillian and working overtime is kind of an expectancy). I also quickly learned that there was no way in hell that I'd be able to do things as Original or inhouse comic artists did, because drawing those many panels weekly is just insanity. Even if I used objects and background assets, adopted a simpler art style and learned how to cut corners to draw things faster, I'd still need to hire assistants and when you're barely off the ground that's just not a viable thing to do, of course. So I think the first issue of being a comic artist starts here: the inevitable comparision you're gonna do between yourself and artists who seem to have already reached success and the realization that if you want to follow the mold you'll have to learn to optimize everything you do (and possibly hire assistance), what doesn't really work for everyone's work pace and style. So, okay, after those two processes (the inevitable comparision + understanding my limitations and what sacrifices I was willing to make), I settled on a bi-monthly update schedule of episodes containing 12~15 panels each (which is what I'm able to do since I'm slow af lol). Not long after I started uploading I had the luck to be approached by three different platforms offering me either an exclusive contract or to have my series signed as an Original/Premium and around the same time I also happened to win first place on a comic contest, so I basically had a few contracts to read. At first I thought this was going to be my Cinderella story, but after going through the contracts I ended up rejecting them all and continue as a free creator. They may work for some artists, but to me they seemed to tie the artist in a very abusive work regiment. Some demanded a weekly upload schedule with each episode containing at least 40~45 panels minimum, some demanded the whole story to be finished within a limited time span before it was published and while you worked on your comic you'd receive a minimum income salary kind thing, some demanded you to have at least 4~5 episodes (with min 40~45 panels each) ahead of publishing schedule so those episodes could be hidden behind a limited-time pay wall, some gave you no security about contract termination and some demanded you to completely write off your copyrights to the platform and, in case your work was used in ads or merchandise or whatever you'd receive nothing, not even a penny, out of it. Again, some of these expectations may work for some artists, but they didn't work for me as the monthly income you'd receive for all that burden, at least to me, didn't seem worth it (and I'd say that the avarage income you shared in the video is very accurate to what I saw in the contracts and heard from some of my acquaintances). That isn't to say that being a Canvas or a free creator doesn't come with a bunch of struggles as most platforms will only pay you if your comic does REALLY well in numbers (and I mean REALLY well). However, for people who know their limitations or have a set vision for their project, being a free creator is probably the best way to be a comic artist as it will give you more control over your work flow. And I think there is also something to say about being more able to build a community that will be willing to supporting your work through comments, feedbacks and shares, but also through platforms like Patreon and Discord. At least that's what ended up working for me. Now, I still work more hours a day than if I was working a 9 to 5, I work on weekends, I barely have a social life or time to do anything other than work, I barely look after my health or sleep properly (which also isn't a good thing), but at least I know this comes from me pushing myself to try to please the people who support my work (who are always reminding me I should take a break) rather than being forced by a contract I signed, which I believe already takes a lot from the mental stress from the equation since I'm not trying to please a company and also probably not being pressured by readers who assume that just because I signed a contract with a platform I suddenly am not a solo creator struggling alone (which a lot of Original/Premium creators are, because many platforms don't offer hired assistance unless you're part of their inhouse team). So... I don't even remember why I started to write this comment, but I guess it was just to share my experience so aspiring artists may know what to expect? This is not like... to deter anyone from becoming a comic artists if that's what they want to do and is something they love to do, but beware of contracts and understand your limitations! You can definitely make money by either being signed with a company or being a free creator (again through stuff like Patreon, Discord, Gumroad, having your own website with google ads, etc), just be sure to reflect a lot before making any decisions! And I do hope every platform, inclusing KZbinr, Twitch and other will start treating creators more kindly and less like they need to slave away in order to dream of being financially stable, so good luck to us all!

[@raxxie]

I'm a canvas creator who was really excited to start my comic but honestly.. I got so burnt out, so quickly that I had to stop. Adding recent life events to the mix didn't help. Now I don't know when I'll post again. It became a 2nd job that took nearly as much of my time as my day job. I really want to restart before 2023 ends, hopefully I can.

[@GeekyGami]

Funny, I looked at both Webtoons and Tapas, and upon reading their rules and TOS, immediately decided to back off. Ended up going to TheDuckWebcomics, which seems to be a very old, if not archaic website, but it's a homely little niche.

[@flatcatart]

It's always amazing to have long episodes to read every week, but I've always thought that it doesn't seem like it should be possible for a normal person to do such a thing, even if they have assistants. I have always questioned how they manage to draw upwards of 30 panels per week in incredibly detailed styles as it must take hours of work to draw even one panel. It cannot have a positive impact on their mental health or social lives. I experience bad back, neck and hand pain from sitting drawing for just a few hours at a time, and I'm only 16 (although I have had accidents damaging my neck and back). So I can imagine they end up feeling very sore and achy with the amount they sit at a desk each week, especially if they're a good bit older than me. I want to become a professional comic artist. That's what my goal has been for a few years now, starting my first (and very bad) webtoon in 2019 when I was 13. But there are such high expectations and so little in return. I've seen people hate on UNPAID CANVAS artists for posting short episodes and/or less than once a week. It's so discouraging to see that even amazing, totally unpaid work isn't enough for some people.