How do I fail art?

So, a blog eh? Not like there's too many of those on the Internet! This is another one.

Call me SamDoug. I'm an amateur cartoonist, and to be honest: I have a ways to go before I can even call myself 'good' at it. I've had issues and stumbling blocks along the way, but the short story is I really, really enjoy cartooning, and I really, really want to get better at it.

This is a blog about what NOT to do if you want to be successful at webcomics. I can safely say my last eight years of webcomicking have been rife with failure; I want to pass that experience to you, dear reader. Everything from common drawing mistakes (I and others have made) to unrealistic expectations (I and others have made) will be covered here. It's my hope that aspiring cartoonists can use it to make their work more enjoyable to read. Failing that, at least to  not suck.

I also consider this a journal, to track both my own successes and failures as I attempt to bring my own webcomic, Upstate!, back to life. Its creation and its several unsuccessful runs will be dissected here, as it's a wealth of examples of what not to do with a webcomic. I'll be posting examples of my current work as well, so I can drag my skills kicking and screaming to the next level of enlightenment, via what assuredly will be witty, engaging feedback from you, the reader.

Comics are important to me. Artists such as Will Eisner, Walt Kelly, Murry Ball, and Bill Watterson have all shaped my life, in various ways. Now, there is a new generation of cartoonists in the making: some good, some not so good, and some terrible. It is this blogger's wish to help you avoid, if nothing else, being a terrible one.

- and so it begins.