Detail or Dry Bones?

[neyeghtcartoons]

In most of my comics, I usually add very little detail (except political cartoon style 1 panels.) I'm not sure if it's because it's become my style or if it's because I'm lazy and I try to churn out something everyday.

Do you prefer web-comics that have lot's of details or stuff that gets straight to the point?

[joannekwan]

It's largely dependent on the overall style and mood of the comic for me.

An example of a comic that is richly detailed that I enjoy is Tistow. The details of the settings and characters create a feeling of a full world and lends to the pseudo-Victorian era the story takes place in. There's magic and lore to be had! It all feels immaculately fleshed out and I want to learn more about the world and the characters that inhabit it.

On the flip-side, something like Lisowski is very simplistic in comparison, with only the characters, some key props, and simple backgrounds for establishing shots. This story is mainly focused on the relationship between two young men so naturally they're the sole focus in the panels. It's somewhat of a character study so you'll only really see the characters in each page.

So overall, a comic needs to have enough detail to distinguish between characters and settings (unless it's a comedy and stick figures will suffice), but not so detailed that characters or whatever is the focus gets lost amongst everything else.

[Dorian_Grey]

It isn't laziness per say, but what the artist intention is and preference.
And agreeing with @joannekwan said, the overall mood.
Is it fun and zany antics? Or overarching dark and mysterious?
A epic, elaborate story for example does not necessarily need EXTREME details.
And the same could be said vise versa.

A comic like Polyphemus is super simple, but I love the overall tone of the work and it works for this artist's desire of an adorable cyclops and a different take on a classic greek mythology, which could easily be a TON more dark given its theme.

A comic like Grassblades has a lot of detail focus on wardrobe, backgrounds, even panel layouts, but it works in it's telling of a wandering samurai, and it's the artist conscious effort in these details that does not go unnoticed.

Both of these work very well though for whatever their target audience is.

I appreciate simple comics...or at the very least comics that make their line work look super simple, because I personally am envious of it.
I kind of wish I could be less detail oriented or detail crazy sometimes, but I just have this itch to add as much details as I possibly can into each panel and it can be quite exhausting and strangely satisfying at the same time.
But overall, I don't think very little detail is a bad thing at all!

[shazzbaa]

I don't thiiiiiiiink this is a factor for me, as a reader? Both slick, simple art and rich, detailed art will attract me to a comic equally -- both can be good, intentional art, and that's gonna attract me moreso than a level of detail.

Realism and comics that feel more like illustrations are for some reason a turnoff for me, though... I think that I like comics to be dynamic in a way that realistic rendering struggles to convey.

[jacintawibowo]

Depends entirely on the comic! I'd argue that most webcomics are not very detailed because they have to stick to an economical style that won't take up too much time to draw out. This video explains it nicely!
For my comic, the style is fairly simple. I like mixing up the rendering style though, so sometimes it gets painterly!

[neyeghtcartoons]

It makes me think of like TheOatmeal His drawing come off as very simple, but for some reason there's so much detail in them! I've always really admired that simple lines, but they make a lot of stuff happen.

[AnnaLandin]

It depends entirely on the comic.

If the cleaner, cartoonier style suits the tone of the comic, then I prefer that. I mean, try to imagine xkcd with super-detailed characters - it would be weird.

If a very detailed style suits the tone of the comic, then I prefer that. Is it a comic that relies heavily on the atmosphere given by the colour choices and the expressions of the characters, etc.? Then detailed art is probably the better choice.

[iasucomic]

I admire art that does more with less. So, if a comic has simple art but still manages to engage me with its story, I respect that.

It's a difficult balance to strike, though. A simple artstyle really needs to work with the story being told, otherwise it just feels lazy.

Also, theres a difference between simple art and bad art, though the line is blurry sometimes. If an artist doesn't have a lot of technical skill, a simple artstyle might be all that they can manage, but it can still work with the right story. On the other hand, if an artist overextends themselves and tries to draw fancier stuff but does it badly, that will always drag a story down. I think the best art (in comics or anywhere else) is the kind that creatively works within the limits of what the artist is capable of to deliver emotional impact.

[demthorshie]

The level of detail for my comics heavily depends upon the mood of the overall story. My older webcomic has only a small level of detail and the colors are not as bright because the story is a little on the darker side. Cosmos Song on the other hand has a more upbeat nature, the vibrant colors sort of show through to that. :3

[ashriott]

I admit I'm adore detailed art, but no way does it affect the way I enjoy comics. I've read many comics/webcomics with simple art which are just as enjoyable as ones with detailed art. Only with detailed comics, I'll tend to stop and admire the art a little bit more before moving on to the next page.

That being said though, I'm iffy about overly detailed art where it gets to crowded and it's hard to make out what's happening. I don't think this is much of an issue with coloured comics since it's easier to distinct objects/backgrounds/characters etc. But it can be troublesome for black and white art, especially the one which use too much similar grey tones. In this sense, it does hinder the enjoyment of reading... Ideally there should be a good balance of negative space and composition for clarity's sake.

[Vikiro_Hop]

To be honest a lot of detail can turn me off at times, there are more than a handful of comics I have come across that become way too busy and the amount of stuff that put into it is distracting. (This definitely pops up a lot in american comics.)

I've come to appreciate people who can create an original but simple style, it's much harder than it looks.