How much does style sway your interest?

[Kendial]

Hello!

I'm new to the webcomic world but was interested to know how much an art style will sway your decision to view or like or subscribe? I mean, the art itself has to be decent of course, but for example there's cartoony or manhwa or realistic or manga, etc. Do you always go for a certain type or do you like to mix it up? What was it that attracted you to a certain style in the first place?

I suppose I'm asking as mine is sort of a 90s anime style, which I don't see much of these days and was wondering whether that might not be a wise choice. I'm not sure! Here it is in case you were wondering what I meant, but honestly your answers to this question are more important than any views!

[VibrantFox]

Personally it depends. I don't want to say that some styles are a deal breaker but there's definitely some styles that just wont catch my fancy as much as others.

Not everyone is going to be hard set on reading comics of just one specific style so there shouldn't be much concern about a bunch of people turning down your series for that reason. The key thing is just going to be focusing on quality and growth over time.

As you said you're just starting out so the key thing will be to keep at it and grow as you go and remember that you and everyone else is growing at their own pace.

Best o luck!

[pilot-obvious]

I'm not into one specific style! Some of my favorite comics that I read religiously are very different in terms of style.

I'm sure there would be a niche of people who really love 90s anime style content, but I definitely think it's a style that can appeal to a large audience too. I wouldn't worry about style as long as you enjoy drawing it. I think if you love making it, that will shine through your artwork!

[jmassat]

I second what VibrantFox and pilot-obvious said.

Personally, I'm the type who's less interested in things looking polished or matching an established style than things looking uniquely stylish. So sometimes when I see a story with very polished art, I'll avoid it because the art looks like something any professional artist could dream up and make.

Yes, there are some people who will never read One Piece because of the quirky art, but there are MANY people who love it for that same art. Like it or not, you can point to any panel of One Piece and say, "Yep, that's Eiichiro Oda's style, all right." And I love to see that.

[Rhonder]

I'm relatively indifferent. As long as the art is appealing in whatever style it's rendered in that's the most important thing, I think! I'll also just mention that part of a comic's aesthetic also boils down further than just the "art" style into things like paneling, lettering, effects, etc. A comic that does multiple things well and has a really nice and polished look can definitely make up for an art style that maybe wouldn't be my first choice, and is something more universally applicable to the comic medium in general

[BrambleberrySquirrel]

I like this art style. I subscribed for the fresh and fast paced dialog style though. In general art style doesn’t keep me from liking a comic. Especially if it has a small number of episodes because I assume the artist will get better and their style will shift over time.

[rajillustration]

It makes a huge difference, because often the style will dictate the genre.

[Kendial]

That makes a lot of sense, I never thought of it that way. Thanks for your reply I'll do my best to write a good story!

[Kendial]

That's good to know! I suppose even my own tastes vary from comic to comic - I didn't really think of that haha.

And that's true. I definitely started this comic for me, as it was something I'd want to read, so hopefully as time goes by others can enjoy it too

[Kendial]

That's interesting - and I totally get your point about art being too polished sometimes.

On a side note, I've just finished One Piece for the first time and it was amazing! I guess finding your own style that uniques yours also plays into things. I hope I've managed that/will manage that!

[Kendial]

Yeah, I agree on the appeal-factor! And that's true about the other elements - they're so important. Pacing is something I'm still getting to grips with though haha... The vertical scroll is hard to gauge sometimes!

[Kendial]

Ah, thank you very much! And I suppose over time things change anyway as the story progresses - you're right. Well, I hope you continue to enjoy my story I'll do my best!

[Kendial]

Haha, yeah, I've already come across this dilemma. I originally had mine as a romance (as it sort of is...) but then my style doesn't really fit in there so I changed it. Trial and error will hopefully help me find an answer!

[Legendofgenii]

When I was younger I’d love all the colourful polished anime style stuff, but now I’m older I like (and appreciate) a lot of different styles.

[Kendial]

Yeah, there are so many great styles out there they've (mostly) all got their merits!

[FritzC]

it depends but there are definitely stories where I think i'd be interested in the story, but I have problems getting invested/keeping my interest because of the art style. This goes for big corporate comics too, for example, I love batman and i'd love to read more batman comics, but the mainstream art style of mass produced comics from the US is not charming to me and in no way captures my interest.

A lot of people like a lot of different art styles though, and drawing in a way you like is the most important, then you'll find people who enjoy it!

[domisotto]

I guess, it’s more about colours and subject to me. I like cute, bright stuff, but not too stylized or childish. Like, in anime, I always dislike the bits with chibi or roughly drawn characters, I dunno how they are properly called.

[Kendial]

Yeah, I've found that quite a bit too, and it always makes me feel a bit sad to click away from sometimes I was enjoying. But I suppose that's just the way it is!

And you're so right - so long as you enjoy doing what you do then keep doing it!

[Kendial]

I have no idea what they're called either!

[Llyrel]

I won't lie, art style is usually one of the first things that catch my eye and, if something is done in a style I don't like, it will be less likely for me to click on a certain comic. Mind you, when I say "art style I don't like" I'm not referring to "unpolished drawings that don't look 100% professional": I'm actually talking about art styles I'm personally not into, which has nothing to do with the quality of the art itself. A comic may look extremely polished, with great lineart, professional coloring and overall amazing graphics and lettering, but if it's done in a style I don't like... I probably won't check it. On the other hand, I may end up subscribing to a much less "professional" looking comic if I think it has an interesting/unique art style. What I find "interesting" and "unique" also tends to vary a lot... overall, I like more realistic, dark and "mature" looking art styles, but I also like big-eyed shoujo anime characters, cute cartoony characters with huge lineart and flat colors, painterly styles with wide brush strokes... and a bunch of other stuff that is all over the place, lol.

Also, while the art is usually the first thing that I notice, it's also true that, if the comic doesn't come with a good story, I'll quickly lose my interest: had that happening with both printed comics and with webcomics. Sometimes the art style looks amazing, but if the story doesn't make any sense, the writing is bad or the plot is simply non-existent and all there is to the whole comic is just a bunch of pretty pictures, I definitely won't keep reading it.

So yep, style is not everything. And personally, my suggestion is to just make whatever makes you happy: everyone has a different taste, and if one-two people don't like your style, there will always be others who think it looks amazing instead! Personally, I think you've got a nice style over there, @Kendial!