As I'm beginning to draw my comics, I keep second-guessing my style. My sister says it still looks manga-ish, but I really do like it that way O.o But it gets me thinking that I need to change it somehow, make it different, that it's not good enough to publish yet, when deep down I know it's fine.
What do you think of my art? Would you read a comic that looked like this? (Note first image is just a thumbnail draft)
Mar '17
Mar '17
Your art's really nice! What's wrong with it looking manga-ish if you like it?
That font on the other hand … >.>
I suggest going to blambot39 to find something better.
I think your art is really gorgeous, as long as you're happy with it, why the change?
And tbh, I LOVE the character designs in the thumbnails so heck yeah, I'd read it!
(I'd suggest either anime ace or perhaps komika for the lettering (they're fonts!), but blambot's got more than than those two, personal favourites of mine! Pick one that feels nice to you. People most often pick a font that's close to their handwriting, I think it gives an extra feel of being unique! :D
and sooorrryyy I feel like I'm just re-writing the tips Joanne gave you, but I wholeheartedly agree with them.)
Edit: And I'd read the comic even if it weren't in colour, just wanted to add that in. The pencils you've got on the thumbnail looks pretty awesome to me!
Thank you, and thanks for the font advice! I've been trying to find fonts in Clip Studio Paint, but none of them look quite like what I want.
Well.... unique enough for what? ;u; The thing is, most readers don't really look at art and go "well, this isn't unique enough, so I can't read this." Readers mostly care about whether it looks nice and works for the comic!
Also, this thread about drawing in an anime style was going around on my twitter dash15 this morning, and it feels relevant here:
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This doesn't mean you should never try any other styles -- if you decide to try a non-manga style or to change up the way you draw something to see if you like it, that's not a bad thing. But growing as an artist and finding new ways of drawing should never mean "stop drawing the way you like because you're worried someone else will judge you for it."
I think your art looks really good, and it being "anime" shouldn't be a problem at all. The anime art styles exist because they are appealing after all. And if you're comfortable with drawing like that, and like it, why would you change it?
I also want to add this wonderful page from a comic about "anime style" I saw today. Because I feel like it's relevant.
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Source for the full comic:
The source5
I don't mean to come off as harsh, but I don't really care how "unique" a comic looks. As long as it has some obvious care put into it and is able to convey the story visually, I am a happy hecker. Being unique and having bells n' whistles is a plus and definitely draws in an audience, but it doesn't make a comic good for me personally.
But I do get where you're coming from, and I think it looks fine. Admittedly I only have a panel to go off of, but your thumbnails look promising and the story looks like it has some interesting themes to it. Your paneling and coloring style are really good, but as a bit of advice I think you could make a huge difference with cleaner and more confident linework. Linework is what I hate the most on this earth and it's too good for me but dang do my eyes melt when I see some sexy lines. Anyways, don't sweat your style. Your comic looks good man <3
Being Unique or not is What you think about your art
If you don't like manga-ish then change
I tend to change drawing style ( a little by a little ) to keep myself fun. The most important thing is to have fun , isn't it ? =.=b
I feel you though, I've been on the fence about my own style a lot. Like, I like drawing stuff with an obvious Japanese influence, but apparently there's something wrong about it??
But here's the thing. There's a lot of bashing of """"anime-style"""" art, but don't feel like you need to change your style just because of that. There are plenty of people who like it, and most importantly, you like it. No matter what style you choose, someone's bound to complain about it. So you might as well spend your time drawing what you like.
Your style is unique once you practice enough. A style is composed of everything that makes the image, not just the outline of the face. It's your linework, how you apply pressure, colourschemes, brush strokes etc. Going out of your way to 'change' your artstyle has never worked in anyone's favor (I have attempted as a teen it twice, and both times came with major setbacks to my ability). Just keep practicing and learn to ignore it when people call your style animu, since people will do that as long as your style isn't hyperrealism or an established western cartoon style.
Your art style is great, and I would love to read it! Post it here when you upload it so I can check it out!
This may sound odd to you, but I actually like your roughs more right now. That's not to say your polished stuff is bad, but it loses a lot of its energy that made your sketches eye catching. Mostly the lineart I think. Your style would look really good with confident black strokes, and good lineart will elevate the whole thing. Try some purely black and white pieces (no grays) and practice making compositions that way. Looking at manga with dynamic lineart or comic book inks might help you understand better!
I like your style. However, if you ever wonder about your own uniqueness, perhaps it's because you've tried learning through looking at other artist's styles? I don't know, but if that's the case perhaps look more to the real world and based on what you learn from it, figure out how you can exaggerate and stylize your work to your liking. The problem with the "manga style" is that in many cases, these styles are very similar, perhaps because they have looked more to other artists' work rather than the source of their inspiration. I'm saying this because I've done this myself, and I've realized that my stuff could be so much more unique if I spent more time looking at the real world 
I don't know if this is of any help, but whatever you find out, good luck!
I think your art is fine! I would have more solid and dark line work but that's just a personal preference. If you like it, who cares! Your style will eventually change and evolve and that happens naturally so don't worry too much about it. The important thing right now is that you are okay with it and that it's appealing to you! I say start publishing! Those thumbnails look very interesting!
If you like your style go with it, I think it is very nice, I really like the last colored one looks very good to me. 
Personally I sometimes struggle with my style, but I would not change it just ajust it or develop it.
with time and practice your style will get only better 
and yes the thumbnails looks very cool : O
I like it!! I guess there's always some sort of elitism going on in the art world though. My illustration professors used to bash manga style so much when they need to give a bad example. Some fine artists think graphic design is not "real art" because it's too commercial. Some film critics think animated films are not "real movies" because they're only for kids. etc etc etc...
I think your style is the way it is because it shows the influence of the type of art you see, relate to, and feel inspired by, right? And it will always change and evolve depending on your inspiration, artistic improvement, life experiences.... So don't worry too much about it not being unique enough, because it is! Embrace your style! Listen to construction criticism, ignore the judgment.
