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LCT_m_a_d
Jun '19

As I'm improving (I think) my art, and working on a few smaller projects, I occassionally think about my last comic Vicar ST which I discontinued. Many people were turned off by the art quality, although they seemed to find every variation of the story interesting and "unique".

After a small break I feel like I have improved, but I am wondering if the quality of my recent works are enough of a starting point to appeal to potential readers. Of course I understand I have ways to go and many things to consider.

(Like my last 6 uploads)

Sorry, if this topic seems a bit needy. I would just like some input on the art to help me plan things out.

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    Jun '19

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    Jun '19
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Rodimus13
Jun '19

Well, normally I'm like "No don't reboot!" but you don't have much to redo. I think it's worth a shot. Just don't let yourself get stuck in the reboot cycle.

LCT_m_a_d
Jun '19

Well, Im interested in your thoughts on the art?
At one point I was about 9 pages deep until I first got a hint that the story was fine but the art wasnt.

Rodimus13
Jun '19

This is the writer so take what I say with a grain of salt, ok?

I'd say that the problem with the old art was, while cool in it's own way, looked like someone was taking out of focus pictures. neat for a stand alone art piece but not so much for a comic. The newer art has cleaner more visible lines making it easier to look at and read from as you scroll. This will probably work better for your comic. The only thing I can think of is maybe less highlights are needed, but I'm not an expert and the hubby is not here right now.

punkarsenic
Jun '19

it certainly looks a lot clearer than your earlier work, and i think clarity is your top priority.

however, i implore you to use the airbrush tool less. dont be afraid of hard lines

i think to see if your work is ready for being a comic, you should do a few pages - its not just your art alone that needs to improve, but also your composition of pages and text bubbles

LCT_m_a_d
Jun '19
1
Rodimus13

Thank you much for your input! I don't get direct personal advice about my art so I really value all help and suggestions.

qwerty
Jun '19

It's definitely easier to look at than before, and I get the feeling that your confidence in the anatomy of your characters has improved somewhat too.

There's this weird thing going on now though, where the contour of the character is all hard edges but all the coloring on the inside is soft, which is a little clashing IMO. The way you do the high-contrast airbrush shading is cool since it makes this really unique metallic look, but it needs to be kind of balanced.

Some suggestions:

  • try to think more "planar-ly". Since abrupt plane changes make hard edges, thinking of how to simplify things into planes could help determine where to put those edges. And at least in my experience, it's much easier to make a hard edge and soften it later as necessary than it is to start with soft edges and try to change them later.
  • consider depth of field when deciding about edge hardness, especially since you do a lot of foreshortening (the super dynamic foreshortening is definitely one of your strong suits)
  • consider adding more detail to things that are closer relative to things that are further away.

I feel like refinement in those areas could make the art have a fantastic sense of depth and space, which it already is approaching.

As for whether now is a good time to reboot, I can't really say. Probably only you can know that ^^

LCT_m_a_d
Jun '19

Thanks for the explaination.

My brain is too small and vision not that perceptive to figure this out on my own lol

LCT_m_a_d
Jun '19
punkarsenic

Thanks for the feedback. I notice you mention the clarity has improved but It sounds like you see that I dont use hard edges enough.

Do you mean the edges would look better with black inks (Someone did this over my art and it looked weird to me so I must be missing something).

punkarsenic
Jun '19

yes that, but black inks arent the only solution. its all that airbrushing on the shading and colouring

generally i hate airbrushing - its too smooth and lacks character. heres a challenge for you: make a drawing with absolutely no airbrush whatsoever, only cel shading. even if you dont want to use this style in the longrun, the exercise will help you improve your own style

punkarsenic
Jun '19

sorry, coming back to my comment after a few hours it looks really mean! :anguished: for the record, your style is your style and if you can make airbrushing work for you, then perfect! but trying to make something without it will defo help you find the balance

KelheorRegular
Jun '19

There is a lot of improvement! This look you're making is great, I told you already ^^
I don't see how there is anything standing on your way to remake a comic.
I'll just share my 5 cents of ideas I have.

  • Lineart. It is very thin and very hairy. If you want to leave it, maybe try doing it a bit thicker and you better make it cleaner, otherwise it makes the picture untended. You put so many skills in the colour and volume, this line doesn't do any good for the art. Maybe get rid of it, if you like that idea. Just try different things and see what you like more!

  • Clothes and details. You already made quite a progress with it, but it's still hard to distinguish whether your characters are wearing clothes! It seems like they have some tops of sort, but when does it end, where do trousers or boots begin - I can't see it. I think it would be better to add details to stand out, more details for clothes, to show that these are the trousers, they begin here and end here, they have folds and maybe some pattern or even a belt. For now, this and plus hairy line gives a feeling that you're not sure in what you are drawing.

  • Colours. I love how you do them, but I don't know where are you going with them =) For now all your pictures look like your character is standing in the dark (club, alley, sity street, spaceship cabin) and some very luminescent light is falling on him, like the type of light in the night clubs or the screen light from the monitors. Maybe that's what you're going for, then it's fine! Otherwise, think about it too =)

LCT_m_a_d
Jun '19
1
punkarsenic

No you're completely right and justified.
I realize not much of what I am doing is working and I am not showing any meaningful promise in my work aside from minor adjustments.

I really do appreciate the direct insight.

JRHoch
Jun '19

Hey! I think your art is different and striking--but it might work better as ART than as something that is workable to drive a narrative. I think you should experiment with different line weights and also put multiple characters in a scene--say riding the subway or riding a motorcycle or eating dinner at a table. See if the forms are differentiated enough--can the reader see what's going on in a more complex scene?

Instead of airbrush color or tone, try flats, with or without shading.

Having followed you a while, you seem to be very methodical, making small changes and enhancements. Allow yourself to be free--go crazy and see where things go. Make big mistakes! It can really help take your art to the next level and clarify where you want to go. Try working fast, even if things get messy. At a certain point your pen or mouse will do most of the thinking--more so than your brain. When you work slow, you over think. You want to get into an automatic intuitive mode.