AI-Powered Comic Creation: A Solo Artist’s 3-Month Journey with Krita and Stable Diffusion

AI-Powered Comic Creation: A Solo Artist’s 3-Month Journey with Krita and Stable Diffusion

In a quiet corner of the internet, an independent creator has quietly redefined what’s possible in indie comic production. Using only open-source AI models, digital painting software, and sheer perseverance, the artist known online as u/Portable_Solar_ZA has completed over 15 pages of a black-and-white manga — all without formal art training. The project, initially conceived as a proof of concept on Reddit’s r/StableDiffusion, has evolved into a compelling case study in the democratization of visual storytelling.

According to the artist’s detailed update, the workflow begins with hand-drawn sketches, which are then refined using ControlNet and SDXL — a state-of-the-art text-to-image model. Two custom-trained LoRAs (Low-Rank Adaptations) ensure consistent character design across panels, while Krita handles everything from panel layout and lettering to tone and effects. All fonts are sourced from Blambot, a free resource for indie comic creators. The artist emphasizes that while AI generates the base imagery, every narrative beat, pacing decision, and emotional beat is manually crafted.

"I had no clue what I was doing when I started," the creator admitted in the original post. "This was purely an experiment to see if you could make comics with these tools." Three months and dozens of revisions later, the answer is a resounding yes. The resulting pages — available for viewing on Imgur — display a level of visual coherence and emotional nuance rarely seen in early AI-assisted works. Perspective errors have been painstakingly corrected, linework refined, and character expressions iterated until they convey subtle psychological depth.

The project has ignited discussion across multiple creative communities. While some traditional comic artists question whether AI-assisted work deserves the label of "art," others praise the creator’s dedication to mastering both the technical and artistic disciplines. "It’s not about replacing the artist," one comment reads, "it’s about expanding what one person can achieve alone."

Notably, the artist has chosen to release the final work as a free one-shot manga — a radical decision in an era where digital comics often rely on paywalls or crowdfunding. Yet, they’ve also asked the community for feedback on whether the quality would warrant financial support via Patreon. This raises a broader ethical and economic question: Can AI-assisted art sustain itself financially without exploiting the labor of human creators? The artist’s transparent process — documenting every step, inviting critique, and offering free access — positions them as a model for ethical AI integration in creative fields.

Seeking broader validation, the creator is also looking for comics-focused subreddits that haven’t banned AI-assisted work. While platforms like r/comics have strict anti-AI policies, niche communities such as r/IndieComics and r/MangaCreation are beginning to welcome hybrid workflows — signaling a potential shift in industry norms.

As AI tools grow more sophisticated, this project serves as a microcosm of the future of creative labor. It’s not about whether AI can draw — it’s about whether a human can still direct, curate, and elevate machine-generated content into something emotionally resonant. In this case, the answer lies not in pixels or prompts, but in the 100+ hours of late-night revisions, the iterative feedback loops, and the unwavering commitment to storytelling.

With 15 more pages in development, the final comic — tentatively titled "Chrono Dust" — may soon become the first widely recognized indie manga born entirely from a home studio powered by AI and determination. And if the creator’s goal is to prove that art still requires a human soul, they’ve already succeeded.