How important is it for you to have accurate perspective and proportions in your drawings?

[shauniredfearn]

I was just wondering if it bothers you when your perspective or proportions are off. Personally I feel neither are my strengths but it doesn't really bother me. I do my best but prefer not to be restricted as I think it takes away the fun of my loose drawing style.

[GesuGesu]

if it's a really important scene, yes (like a big fight)

if it's just like whatever comedic moment (like someone getting punched) then weird proportions are fine with me

[shauniredfearn]

Yeah I try harder when it's an up close moment but like if it's something in the background I just get kinda free with it. Then again I know some artists who don't care about correct proportions at all even with closeups but it gives their work a cool style.

[VermillionWorks]

....I kill myself trying to get it right sometimes. .__.

[shazzbaa]

How important it is to have accurate perspective/proportions, imo, depends on the tone of your comic! Some stories/characters/environments look bad if they're "off," others look fine as long as they're consistent. Tons of successful cartoons have perspective and anatomy that's far from accurate, but they still feel solid and readable, so it's obviously possible to make an unrealistic style work!

How important is it to have non-distracting perspective and proportions? EXTREMELY important. Having a style that isn't realistic is cool! But if it's off in a way that's distracting, in a way that hurts the effectiveness of your story, it's gonna detract from your work.
I don't think there's any easy measure of what is distracting and what isn't. I think on some level, it's the old saying about how "you have to know the rules before you can break them" -- once you understand anatomy and perspective very well, it's easier to be loose with them in an effective way.

I'd say to any artist, it never hurts to learn and practice the rules! I can say from experience that when I started trying to construct my figures better, it did make my work more stiff -- at first, because it was something I wasn't used to. The more I drew that way, the more comfortable I got. Same with perspective -- my oldest drawings with an attempt at accurate perspective feel very halting, but now that I've drawn with perspective a lot I feel much more comfortable with it, and don't feel like it stiffens my drawings like it used to.
There's deeeefinitely merit to drawing your comic in the style that's most comfortable to you! but outside of the comic, when you're just sketching and practicing -- I would say, don't be afraid to push yourself (and your style) to get more comfortable with the things that feel restricting!

[alaingrey]

Gotta agree- anything so long as it's not distracting.

Used to make a comic on clip studio with meticulous perspective and it looked good but stiff. Now I make a comic where I just couldn't care less, so long as the idea of space or a person being a person is there.

As for accurate anatomy, I try to make figures that feel real, but they have big hands and feet (and butts...) because I think that's hot and I'm a shameless being. Plenty of artists do that, the famous examples usually being most comic women.

There are totally accurate proportioned comics like traced poser comics, and I feel they end up totally emotionless and I don't enjoy looking at them.

Basically if your art isn't inhibiting how well your scenes can be read, just shamelessly make what you like.

[Michelle]

It really does depend on the tone and aesthetic of the comic. For your comic @shauniredfearn , I think the loose style really fits the emotional and heartfelt nature of your comic. There's a lot of raw emotion in your pages and I think the rough style gives it a more honest feel that I really like.

Though I do agree that it's good to know the rules of anatomy and perspective, because it allows you to make informed decisions when it comes to drawing loosely. It's one thing to draw something disproportionate because you don't know better, vs. drawing something disproportionate because you're trying to convey a specific feeling or aesthetic.

I don't think it's important to have 100% flawless perspective, just so long as people can look at a scene and find it believable. My comic has a lot of perspective going in with cities and such, but I'm not measuring the window gaps on buildings or anything. I take some comfort in knowing the average person isn't zooming up ultra-close to any one panel so I can flub the perspective a teensy bit. D;

[TristanJensen]

With my normal comics I honestly stopped caring, it looks however it looks.

With regular are/illustrations I'm extremely nit picky (which it why I don't that a lot)

[heterodont]

There are totally accurate proportioned comics like traced poser comics, and I feel they end up totally emotionless and I don't enjoy looking at them.

I agree with poser comics ending up totally emotionless - but it doesn't have to do with the fact the models are accurately proportioned! While it does help expressions if you exaggerate certain features over others, poser models lack gesture and a line of action - which is what makes it look entirely lifeless and well. dead. It's totally plausible to have a style where humans are more-or-less accurately proportioned without having them look like cardboard cutouts.

To the topic on hand, it's kind of important for me to have relatively accurate perspective and proportions as my style for both comics is stylized, but not stylized enough to the point I can get away with inaccurate anatomy or perspective without it being distracting.

Regarding 'perfect' perspective with straight lines and such - I remember my perspective teacher saying that it was better, when drawing a scene (say a city), it was better to avoid using a ruler for every single line as it'd end up killing the scene and making it look extremely mechanical and, well, lifeless. Thats not really ad vebatim though.

[UrMom]

Having accurate proportions? Depends on the style. Having good understanding of proportions? I care a lot, very important. You can't properly stylize something if you don't know what you're stylizing, and it normally shows. I'm a huge supporter of life and gesturing drawing because of this, you don't need to draw realistically, but by studying real models you can better mold your style and understand what you're doing. Just look at some of the artists who work for Disney, they're required to learn from life studies to do concepts and animation, and the hardwork shows. (most of the time)

When it comes to perspective, it depends. I'd prefer the artist did basic perspective when drawing urban scenery, or things that do require a certain level of perspective. When it comes to landscapes, or the background is more subtle, I don't usually notice. Although if it's an establishing shot, I feel it would be best to put effort into making it look right, because the readers are focusing on that scene and the perspective flaws are more noticeable.

[apocryphagraphics]

I agree with what most everyone else has said. The importance of extremely accurate perspective, anatomy or even detail in art varies with the tone and subject matter of the story. My comic is a serious sic-fi story so I use extremely accurate perspective and anatomy to help ground the story and enable the readers to suspend disbelief by giving them an environment they recognize. I think that if perspectives were off or anatomy was super wonky then my particular story would lose the sense of realism that gives the sic-fi and action elements their intensity. Also, it's pretty obvious (at least to most artists) when anatomy and perspective are stylized as opposed to just rendered by someone who doesn't understand them. If a creator is using anything but accurate visual elements then those elements should be strongly supporting the story, mood, or style of the comic. "Stylized" is not the same thing as amateurish. Stylization arises from intention and works best when the artist has the proper fundamentals of strong perspective and anatomy in their bag of tricks.

[AnnaLandin]

It honestly depends!

If you're doing a very cartoony comic, you don't need to adhere very closely to realistic anatomy and proportion, as long as the final artwork works. But those elements still need to harmonize with each other within your style, so being consistent with it matters.

Also, practising realistic proportion/perspective/anatomy, even if you draw your comic in a cartoony style, is important. Perspective especially, since the rules for vanishing points and foreshorting stay the same even if you do draw in a cartoony style.

Learn the rules, and then find creative and good ways of breakign them!

[R.n.P]

For me the perspective and proportions are really important though Im still trying to improve at those areas but when it comes to comedy scenes I really don't mind how my characters look
THE LAST SAMURAI

[niinasalmelin]

As everyone before me said, it depends. The more realistic art is, the more it will bother me if they get something wrong. And honestly it does disturb me if I see these mistakes come because artist didn't know what they were doing. If the style isn't very minimalistic style the artist has to know the rules to break them.

[Damatris]

@shazzbaa is definitely right! Having non-distracting anatomy and perspective is the key. Sometimes it's good to exaggerate proportions for better effect but it has to be done well and serve a purpose. Of course depending on the style there are varying amount of leeway on what still looks good compared to the rest of the page. More realistic styles need more solidly accurate anatomy than very stylized ones. Same with perspective. @AnnaLandin is also speaking the truth when urging people to practice realistic anatomy + perspective regardless of style. It helps immensely to know what one is doing so it's possible to bend the rules knowingly.

Personally I try to get both accurate as I draw semi-realistically. Having wacky perspective or taking noticeable liberties with anatomy would be really distracting. It really irks me when I just can't get something right and have to settle on trying to make it at least non-distracting. :')

[TheVoidchildProject]

How important is it to have non-distracting perspective and proportions? EXTREMELY important. Having a style that isn't realistic is cool! But if it's off in a way that's distracting, in a way that hurts the effectiveness of your story, it's gonna detract from your work.I don't think there's any easy measure of what is distracting and what isn't. I think on some level, it's the old saying about how "you have to know the rules before you can break them" -- once you understand anatomy and perspective very well, it's easier to be loose with them in an effective way.

This says everything. I don't have anything else to add except that if I read another's comic and get perspective dizziness I think that distracts from my overall enjoyment. Therefore I want to get my perspectives right, and get better at them as I make new pages.

[shauniredfearn]

While I agree with the majority here I believe the so called rules are based on a social construct. I think the purpose of art isn't the same as it was back when artists were being commissioned to draw portraits and history scenes. Back then it was more important to portray realistic features and backgrounds to record events and figures in time. Now days I think artists should have the freedom to stray from the established agenda. I do think it's helpful to learn about the standards of the past and follow them if you feel inclined but I don't think a person's art is any less valid if it's not in line with them. People were still making art before rules were even invented. For example, in my case my art is very expressive and emotion based. How is anybody entitled to critique someone's portrayal of their own emotions? So basically in line with what most of you were saying...just draw based on your own intentions.

[infectedbloodcomics]

I firmly believe that if you wish to bend the rules, you have to understand them, first. So, whether or not you draw realistically, I think it would make you a more accomplished artist to worry at least a bit about learning basic proportions and perspective.

In my case, getting these right is very important to me, as my style is rather realistic. I am actually turned off by non-realistic styles that show no clear understanding of basic proportions/perspective, because it strikes me as sloppy and lazy. Guaranteed, I have to improve a lot myself, and my proportions and perspective are still on the off side here and there, but I am a perfectionist, so I work hard to get my basic stuff right.

[kazukitakamura126]

I would say having accurate perspective is important. It can help establish a sense of space in your work. This is especially important for more serious comics because the lack of good perspective and disturb the immersion. The same thing applies to perspective as well, you have to have a basic understand of human or animal anatomy before you start distorting it.

[Shanny8]

It bothers me when proportions & perspective arent correct. That's stuff I try to get right when doing loose layouts or thumbnails(and if they arent correct in thumbnails, by the time I get to the final it looks worse).