Is ART or STORY more important to you?

[Alyssa]

As a reader:
Do you place more value on gorgeous looking art, or are you more interested in how the story progresses?
Would you follow a visually beautiful comic with no story?
Would you follow an interesting story with (in your opinion) ugly artwork?

As a creator:
Do you put more energy into the art or the story?
Would you post a comic that had a weak storyline, but you were proud of the artwork?
Would you post a comic that had a strong, interesting storyline but poor art?

[Alyssa]

I ask this because I add comics to my library that fall into both categories. Some are purely eye candy, and I couldn't care less about the story, where others I'm incredibly invested in the story but the art is definitely not a priority (sometimes even shudder worthy).

I also find I tend to add comics with strong story and bad art more often than the other way around. I want to hear other people's experiences

[David_tigereye]

It's more middle ground for me. I'd prefer good story AND good art, but more often than not, just good art. It might sound mean, but if the arts not good, it actually sways me AWAY from the story. I'd say this to applies to me as a creator, too. (Not that I'm good at either, yet). XD

[Kura]

I've tackled this topic a lot, I'm I'm gonna stick with both are important since it IS a storytelling medium where both are the focus, but onto the questions cause for a more in depth answer.

As a reader:
Do you place more value on gorgeous looking art, or are you more interested in how the story progresses?

Story for sure, if I wanted to look at pretty pictures I would rather go to the artist's art gallery where the bad/cheesy story isn't ruining my experience. Even for comics that I actually do get with good art and bad story, I usually leave them to the side (or in webcomic case, mark as read) because I just do not want to deal with the story. Air Gear is a big example, in fact a good amount of vols I own are in different languages because I just don't give a fuck about that story and have no intention of reading it. I only like the art. As a webcomic artist, this scenario actually terrifies me. As I would be pretty mortified I was putting this much effort into a story only to have it be 'skimmed through for the pictures and never actually read'

Would you follow a visually beautiful comic with no story?

I do, but I find I ignore them to the point that it's kinda pointless for me to follow them??? I mean for me at that point it would just be pictures. Again, I would be more likely to browse through the artists art gallery then bother with the comic.

Would you follow an interesting story with (in your opinion) ugly artwork?
I do actually, I probably have more examples of me doing this than me following a comic for art.

As a creator:
Do you put more energy into the art or the story?

I'll have to say that I side with story more, though I don't half ass the art, I just make it minimalistic. I used to go all out on the art. I started comics because I liked writing but no one would read my stuff BUT WOULD CONSTANTLY TELL ME "If it was a comic I would read it! You're good at drawing so you should totally do a comic!" So I did, which resulted in getting comments that could be summarized as "omg it looks so nice!! I don't know about the story though I didn't read it lul" Which was the worst trash ever to run into cause the whole friggen reason I'm drawing this damn thing is so these friggen people would read the damn thing not look at the pictures. After that I purposely starting making my art less detailed or flashy, so that people would do more than just stare at pictures and actually try the story. Then after arthritis started getting worse I went even more minimalist in drawing details so that it wouldn't be as painful to work on.

Would you post a comic that had a weak storyline, but you were proud of the artwork?
No. In fact I deleted all my comics that were like this. Even though I thought the art was nice (even nicer than my current stuff) I was in no way going to leave it up when it was attached to such a shit or problematic story.

Would you post a comic that had a strong, interesting storyline but poor art?
This scenario is my life currently.

[LCT_m_a_d]

As a reader
It really depends on what impression I'm getting. If I feel like the creator is more of a writer I will likely pay more attention to the story.
If the creator's more of an artist I'll give much more leeway to the script.

As a creator
Even though I am more of an artist I am much more focused on the story creation.

[joannekwan]

Do you place more value on gorgeous looking art, or are you more interested in how the story progresses?

I'm much more interested in how a story progresses. I can forgive passable art.

Would you follow a visually beautiful comic with no story? Would you follow an interesting story with (in your opinion) ugly artwork?

I suppose I would look at the visually stunning series from time to time and just see it as an art piece, not a narrative. However if it's a beautiful looking comic with a mediocre story, I start to feel a little guilty that I only like it for the art and that I'm not interested in the story at all. I actually feel this way with a couple series I follow on Tap.
Now for the second question, if the artwork is ugly to me, then no I wouldn't read it. Like if the pictures make me cringe every time I look at it then no, I'm not going to read past page 2, even if the story is interesting. For example, it's very hard for me to look at R. Crumb's work, so I don't think I'd ever read his comics.

As a creator: Do you put more energy into the art or the story?

I'd like to think I put an equal amount in both. Though I do prefer writing than drawing the whole thing out. I'm no Shakespeare but I think my writing is pretty good and serves the art well. And vice versa, I'm no Rembrandt but I think my art serves my stories well.

Would you post a comic that had a weak storyline, but you were proud of the artwork?Would you post a comic that had a strong, interesting storyline but poor art?

Nah, story is the most important thing to me. If I just wanted to draw something to be proud of, I'll just do some illustrations that can stand on their own. And I do. On the flip side, I have posted a comic with an interesting story (to me at least) with a sketchier, more unrefined art style.

[Alyssa]

That's why I got into comics too!! I always loved drawing, but I also absolutely LOVED creating stories. And since I don't have the skill to form a clear sentence, I knew I would never get into writing books.

I never ran into people missing my storyline due to nice art, but that's a great reason to support a simpler style. The reason I adopted simpler was specifically so I could get my stories out as fast as possible, as I am also impatient

[spadesart]

As a reader:
Do you place more value on gorgeous looking art, or are you more interested in how the story progresses?

i'd have to go with story. if theres nothing to engage me then i'll drop it.

Would you follow a visually beautiful comic with no story?
nope

Would you follow an interesting story with (in your opinion) ugly artwork?
yep (right now im super engaged in one with a beginner type style actually, not to say its ugly though)

As a creator:
Do you put more energy into the art or the story?
stories come very very easily to me so i'd say i spend more time on the art but i'd like to think i care about them equally

Would you post a comic that had a weak storyline, but you were proud of the artwork?
probably

Would you post a comic that had a strong, interesting storyline but poor art?
mmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaybe
probably not

[SpiritualBacon]

I think I'm far more likely to get into a story if it has good artwork. If it has bad artwork It's probably not gonna get my attention and I'll probably pass right by it. Artwork is less important with comicstrips which are more about the jokes than the art, but if you're writing a graphic novel, I think it is important for it to look pretty decent. It doesn't have to look amazing, just not bad. There are plenty of graphic novels that are great and have less than stellar artwork, but as long as it doesn't look bad, like a child drew it or its poorly proportioned, then it's acceptable.

[shazzbaa]

Do you place more value on gorgeous looking art, or are you more interested in how the story progresses?

......b-both?
One time, I read the description of a comic that sounded 100% up my alley, but when I looked at the art -- well, it wasn't that the art was bad, but that the art was hindering the tone and feel of the story, and couldn't capture the expressiveness of the characters. Basically, the things that excited me about that story wouldn't really.... be there. I clicked away after two pages.
I've also seen ten billion beautiful comics cross my social media feed, but the ones that I actually take note of and check out are the ones that sound appealing in some way. An incredibly beautiful illustration won't catch my interest as much as a subject that sounds fun, or expressive characters interacting in a way that seems intriguing.

"Good art" is so much more than good rendering -- expressiveness and pacing are parts of the "story," but they require artistic skill. Likewise, "story" is so much more than a progression of plot. Characterisation and concept and worldbuilding and a different kind of pacing come into it, too. I could maybe rank those individual pieces, but I couldn't choose between such broad categories.

Would you follow a visually beautiful comic with no story?

No.

Would you follow an interesting story with (in your opinion) ugly artwork?

I've followed interesting stories with artwork that, in my opinion, wasn't skillful. But I won't stick with a comic where the artwork doesn't serve or detracts from the things that are interesting about the story. And, like Joanne, I probably wouldn't read something where the style is actively off-putting to me.

As a creator: Do you put more energy into the art or the story?

Again, this is a tough call!!! Runewriter's artwork is extremely time-intensive for me, not to mention how much research and development and design goes into each character and each piece of the world. I'm super proud of how the comic looks!! But boy oh boy do I also spend a lot of time pouring over my story outline and the shifting motivations of each character in contrast with the events around them, and how the choices they make affect things, and how to introduce the world to the readers naturally. Even sitting down with my script and reworking the pacing and dialogue and naturalness of conversation until I'm satisfied with it is super rewarding and something I'm happy to pour a lot of work into.

I put energy into both, and both are extremely important to me!! Even back when I was doing my much-less-intensive autobio comic, both were important -- the art was a very simple style, but I'd work hard to get an expression or gesture JUST RIGHT to make the moment work, just as much as I'd rework a joke until the timing seemed to hit the best I could make it.

Would you post a comic that had a weak storyline, but you were proud of the artwork?

I don't think I'd stay motivated to do that just for myself, but I could see drawing something like that for money! and there's a chance I'd post it... but I tend to be more likely to let whomever hired me post it and just retweet them.

Would you post a comic that had a strong, interesting storyline but poor art?

Hmm..... I could see like... sketchy or unfinished or sloppy art, but if I felt like the artwork was genuinely like.... unable to convey the moments that I wanted, I'd be more likely to draw up a scene, read through it and realise it wasn't working, and just leave the whole darn thing in a drawer somewhere (I have done this).

[GoldenPlume]

The massive successes of One Punch, Homestuck, and Order of the Stick are clear indications that often story is much important than art.

One Punch has repeatedly been parked in the New York Times bestsellers list. The webmanga that it evolved from had pretty rough art.

Homestuck raised $2.4M on Kickstater and was a webcomic with MS Paint drawn characters one step above stick figures. Order of the Stick was mostly stick figures and raised $1.2M.

If a story resounds with readers the art becomes an aside. After all a novel has no art at all.

[zetina]

If it's just the art, then it might as well not be a comic at all :U A comic is a story-telling medium as far as I'm concerned whether you're telling the story of a person literally just rolling down a hill or going on a long, epic journey. Sequential art... So what the art has to be good at is not be "pretty" but show the sequence of events well. If you can follow what's happening, it's good art. ONE's art is bad as just drawings but they're good as comic art because you can follow the story... the story which in his case is really good.

As a reader, I prefer certain styles so I will sooner check out comics that attract me visually but I can also be hooked by an intriguing premise regardless of the story's art. I just have to be able to tell what's going on to stick around.

As a creator, my priorities go like "writing>speed>art quality". Telling the story well in a sequential art kind of way is what I group into "writing" so it's at #1. Like... Visual writing.

[emkay]

Do you place more value on gorgeous looking art, or are you more interested in how the story progresses? I place equal value on both art and story, especially because I don't really label art as 'good' or 'bad'. Someone might argue that a comic has 'bad art' because of the artist's skill level or, more often than not, how 'realistic' their art is, but I think what makes art good or bad is how well it fits with the story.

Take these comics for example: Kokoro Guardians and The World of Luxi. Both art styles are different than something like Kings Folly, whose art style has much more detail and is more accurate to real life (i.e. proportions, anatomy, lighting, etc.). But in no way does that mean the other comics have bad art! The art style of Kokoro Guardians is one of the first things that convinced me to subscribe. It makes me nostalgic for all the cheesy magical girl animes I've watched and the simplistic art allows me to spend more time enjoying the story. The World of Luxi also has fairly simplistic art and a much more cartoonish look to it because that's what fits the story; it's a comic about funny and cute critters, and the art style emphasizes those elements.

So, in my opinion, both of those comics have good art because the art compliments the story. Which leads into the next question: Would you follow a visually beautiful comic with no story? Probably not. Like someone else said, I'd go to an artist's gallery if I wanted pictures with no story. But for me, comics always involve some kind of story.

Would you follow an interesting story with (in your opinion) ugly artwork? If I felt the artwork didn't fit the story, or if the artwork just didn't suit my personal tastes, then I probably wouldn't. Again, art and story are equally important to me, so one doesn't usually outweigh the other. There have actually been many comics where the story appeals to me, but the artwork turns me off for reasons unrelated to skill level (most often because the character cast isn't diverse at all or all of the female characters are over-sexualized).

Do you put more energy into the art or the story? With Thoughts and Feelings, I usually put more effort into the message I'm trying to convey because it's just a side comic and the art isn't as important to me. But when I get my main webcomic ready to post, I know I'll put equal amounts of energy in both art and story. I think objectively, I can say that I've put more time into the story because it's taking years to write, but that doesn't mean I put less effort into the art.

Would you post a comic that had a weak storyline, but you were proud of the artwork? It depends! If it were a oneshot I might, because then I wouldn't have to continue the weak storyline and I could still see the comic as an art achievement. But if it were something I planned to continue, definitely not.

Would you post a comic that had a strong, interesting storyline, but poor art? Again, only if it were a oneshot. I'd be in too much pain to continue a comic with poor art, even if it had a good story.

[zilo]

The reason why I create almost anything is because I love telling stories. I'm not the writer of our comic, but I work on the story just as much as the writer. I love a comic with great art because great art can enhance a story through subtleties in facial expression and with the ability to tell more with less words and to me that creates a more engaging reading experience. That is why I strive to improve my art, because it gives me more opportunities to tell a better story

[TheRabbit]

I like comics that has both good art and story, so if I see a comic that has bad art, or doesn't appeal to my taste, I'll simply skip it. If the story doesn't hook me, or goes bad, then I'll drop the comic and move on. In short, good art helps me get into the comic, and good story keeps me interested.

So, as a creator, I try my best to do both art and story as best as I can, since I'm very sure that many people judge comics the same way as I do.

[punkarsenic]

as a reader:

i think its a bit of a balance. i still have a kind of prejudice against 'unprofessional' looking art that im trying to work out of. generally its an interesting story that gets me, but ill abandon that if the art hinders the story - which is typically, like, poor composition or gesture. art that doesnt have life in it, yknow? which could easily be beautiful, and 'ugly' art can easily be full of life. so... i think its about, for me, whether the art tells the story well.

i dont think id follow a beautiful comic with no story for very long, but i think id give it a try. and i would follow a story with art i didnt fancy if the story got me.

as a creator:

i think i put more energy into my art because its the part that requires more energy. writing comes fairly easily to me, and its an awful lot easier to get into the flow, and you can write more in a shorter time than you can draw. I put more energy into improving my art than into my writing, because im more confident in my writing (and im not actually sure how to go about putting the same kind of energy into improving my writing)

i think id post a shortform comic with a weak storyline if i really liked the artwork - i mean, its made now, im gonna show it off. but i wouldnt put up with a longform comic long enough to complete if the storyline werent strong.

Would you post a comic that had a strong, interesting storyline but poor art?

this is interesting to me, bc ive been thinking abt it lately. i have some story ideas i really really like brewing, but dont want to post them until the art can do them justice (and instead do other comics that i also love, but dont mind having so many rough edges)

i think if a comic has a strong storyline, you have to care about it. and you dont want anything hindering it from being the brilliant story it is - so youd want to have the best art possible. so i dont want to make some of my favourite comic ideas until im in a really secure place, with a few stories already under my belt.

[monotone_ink]

Speaking for both the reader and creator side of me, I shall say this: The story is the very backbone of the comic, thus having greater importance, but the art should at least have good visual direction and effectively conveys what you're trying to convey.

One thing I do notice though is that art and story quality usually correlate with each other. If a story is good, the art is also usually good, and vice versa. Sure, this is debatable, as there are somewhat boring comics with very good art, but the one thing I notice out of all such candidates is that, though their artistic craftsmanship is good, it lacks some sort of character or 'soul'.

That's just my two euro cents though.

[Gamevies]

[quote="Alyssa, post:1, topic:18908, full:true"]

As a reader:
Do you place more value on gorgeous looking art, or are you more interested in how the story progresses?
Would you follow a visually beautiful comic with no story?
Would you follow an interesting story with (in your opinion) ugly artwork?

As a creator:
Do you put more energy into the art or the story?
Would you post a comic that had a weak storyline, but you were proud of the artwork?
Would you post a comic that had a strong, interesting storyline but poor art?
[/quote]

I think that they go hand in hand. When I look at a comic I tend to look at two things 1 Does the art make me want to throw up. 2 Is the story interesting.

When it comes to comics I think that if the art doesn't help your story then you should probably write a novel instead rather than work on a comic.

If I was to see a comic that was supposed to be dark or scary but it had the artstyle of Adventure Time I would probably skip it. Why? Because the art isn't scary so the story isn't scary.

If I saw a story with great art but bad writing I would probably drop it. There are plenty of good stories with art that is better. So why should I read a comic with bad writing just because of the art?

With that said that still does not excuse bad art in comics. If a comic's art is TOO bad then I won't be able to take it seriously. Like I said if you can't draw or you can't get someone to draw for you then you should probably write a novel with pictures not a comic book.

[insomniascrawl]

As a reader, I totally care about the story more than the art. I would read a comic with 'bad' art and a bad story over a story with amazing art and a weak story any day. I try and give stories a chance no matter what they look like.

I also do put more energy into my story than my art. I have posted comics where I had a firm idea for a story but the art wasn't where I wanted it yet. I know that the further I go into the story, the more my art will improve as I'd be more used to drawing the characters.

You can see the change in my art through the first chapter of (Semi) Super, I did the prologue after chapter 1 and you can see the change pretty clearly there too. Because I see the difference it makes me cringe at times, but I do like seeing the growth lol.

[thoughtfulboxful]

As a webcomic reader, I'm a sucker for beautiful/cute/animation-esque artwork. However, it's the story that keeps me interested in the artwork. Basically it's a little of both.

If I'm in a rush, I'll usually subscribe to a comic with appealing art, and review the story later (and potentially unsubscribe). This kind of has a bushwhacking effect; sometimes the cute art is just a ploy for themes/storylines I'm really not interested in.

"Ugly artwork" is a funny term. If you're a nasty person, "ugly" could translate into "inexperienced", and unfortunately, I don't usually follow stories with poorly-done artwork; even if the storytelling is amazing, "ugly art" is sort of like an iron mask: it blocks the whole effort. However, sometimes a comic's artwork is "purposefully ugly," like with a lot of comedy/slice-of-life comic strips, which in that case I might follow if the jokes are good.

As a creator, I put A LOT of effort into the art. So much effort that I usually get stuck doing character designs, drawing "test pages" to study character-interaction, etc. that I regularly FORGET to write out the freaking story (#thestruggleisreal). It's a delicate balance, the story and the art. That said, I love storytelling and when I'm focused I can crank out some really neat stuff (I think).

I don't believe in half-baked work. If I'm going to take on something, especially as time-consuming as a webcomic, I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. So no, I wouldn't just post comic pages that have no plot to them, and quite frankly, I'm glad I became serious about illustration/storytelling/making webcomics AFTER I became a decent artist. THAT SAID... (Random Advice Nugget Time)

It's always good to practice. If your art could be better, but you really want to try your hand at comic making, then DO IT. Put your magnum opus to the side, and work on small-scale projects until you become more seasoned in the craft.

Oh look, I wrote a novel...

(Thanks for the prompt @Alyssa! This was fun to write )