Nov 2018
20 / 21
Nov 2018
Nov 2018
chris68
Nov '18

I am trying to give added life to the drawings in my comic book, but when I have tried crosshatching by hand, the results haven't looked good enough to justify the effort. The option that I am currently considering is to use simple gray shadows. The two attached images show the same page both with and without shadows.

I would love to hear opinions on which version looks better, and any other thoughts on my style and how I might improve it. Thanks!

story010-04-p010.png1325x2048 327 KB
story010-04-p010c.png1325x2048 351 KB

  • created

    Nov '18

  • last reply

    Nov '18
  • 20

    replies

  • 3.3k

    views

  • 11

    users

  • 30

    likes

  • 5

    links

phen
Nov '18

Absolutely, without a blink the second version with the grey shadow tones is brilliant. There's depth, there's planes for my eye to "hang on" and I can coherently delineate figures and forms without much fuss at all. The dimensionality brought to your work with the grey shadows is wonderful

Your linework is delicate, very thin and so any areas of high volume clutter can easily become overwhelming without the volume to tone down what lines form which elements. You've done well in adapting an approach that's cohesive with your inking style as well. I would definitely encourage you to continue using the grey shadows!

skicoak
Nov '18

The grey tines version is straight money. Not that there was anything wrong with the sans grey version... but those spot shadows are just more visually pleasing to me.

Rhonder
Nov '18

Fully agree with @phenylketonurics , even just the single layer of uniform gray makes the pictures pop and look much better! The flat images don't look bad, certainly, but the shading on the shelves, under the desk and stage, etc, make it look a lot more finished and believable.

cleo_san
Nov '18

Hm... Crosshatching is indeed very hard, I still struggle with it myself... I personally am a fan of making shadowy spots in Comics in a really strong black and then maybe pull it out a little with hatching/crosshatching - this is what I do in my webmanga Remember2:

6

I also add screentones to it to make it more threedimensional, but tbh, it might not be everyone's taste ^^"

When I look at the example pages you posted, I have to say: The first thing I noticed about the left page is that there is literally no contrast at all - even the characters are kind of floating, because they don't have any shadows on them (again: I'd put some thick black shadows in there, but I don't know if it would fit your art style, which in total looks pretty great! =) )

The right version with the simple gray shadows is a lot more pleasing to the eye - at least for me - but I'd still recommend some stronger shadows behind the books or under the table for example. Maybe not solid black but with a sort of hatching? A parallel hatching, maybe bordered by a single like (like I did under the chins of the characters on the above page) to accentuate the darker places in the gray areas? Oo

Let me know what you think about it =)

chris68
Nov '18

Thanks to everyone for their replies! I will definitely be adding the shadows. One other question that I have is whether it is better to use gray shadows or to use a halftone (which is also available in clip studio).

cleo_san
Nov '18

You're welcome =)

I guess the answer to your next question is basically: Whatever you feel more comfortable with =)
Though I guess, I'd prefer gray shadows in this case, it looks more... painted and probably more organic, like the rest of your art style =)

Why not try out both and see what happens? :wink:

phen
Nov '18
chris68

Halftone brings in that traditional, newsprint/manga feel so if you think that might be a closer feel for your work, you could definitely try it. It's a more textural approach.

Otherwise, I think this minimalist, flat grey works really well with the aesthetics of your work.

skicoak
Nov '18
chris68

I

Depends on your future goals in regards to printing, and/or adding color

chris68
Nov '18
cleo_san

Thanks! Your art, and from what I've read, your storytelling are great! After looking at some Tintin comics, I tried using a style where I totally blacked-in dark areas, but it didn't seem to look good with my drawings... though I can definitely see my shading morphing into something that looks more like yours over time...

chris68
Nov '18
skicoak

I will almost certainly NOT be adding color. I've tried this with a few frames, and it was time consuming, and in some cases it didn't look good. Regarding printing, I do offer a print version through a print-on-demand service, but I am not sure if it is better to simply let the halftone issue sort itself out at the time of printing.

skicoak
Nov '18

I'm no expert on the subject but I know different bulk printers/printing process vary in how they react to a flat grey in terms of cost ect. With the halftone, you're still just printing black on the paper, so it's a one step process.

punkarsenic
Nov '18

the lil bits of grey really help lift the images and give them form, and theyre really useful for making clear compositions! i vote grey bits!

i think u could prolly even use more grey - what if those walls were grey, so the white ppl stand out against it? just a suggestion tho, im really into heavy blacks and chiascuro myself but i realise thats not what this style asks for

Azifri
Nov '18
chris68

Personally I think plain gray shadows like you have looks better in this case. You already have small lines simulating darker shadows in some areas, and adding a halftone to that same area could make it look too noisy.
Your lines are also very delicate. A halftone could distract from that feel you created.

baasinsimple
Nov '18

Well firstly, Simple grey tones are the way to go on a comic like yours. It looks good. Adds a lot to it. One thing about cross-hatching, which is my primary use of shading, I think it only can be used to it's truest potential when used in conjunction with a much more detailed style. I think mine works for the most part (though sometimes I have no idea what I'm doing) because a lot of my frames from what's in the works now and moving forward are about enhancing and exaggerating the musculature of a character. If that's not the case though, I think it can be used for comedic effect in surrealist comedy especially.

chris68
Nov '18

Thanks! I think I've watched this guy's videos before. I'm not looking to make my drawings quite that advanced at the moment, but this is a good resource. I'm kind of glad I didn't see a lot of other people's work before I began my comic because I might have been discouraged by the unmatchably high quality!

SamuelCharcot
Nov '18

I personally think the one with grays look better for your style. The first one without shadows looks kind of flat, but I also recommend using more blacks (this is a trick from manga) not only for shadows, but also for objects, or clothes for example so the page don't look all white (like unfilled parts).
And for crosshatching, this is a technique for giving volume to a mass. This can be easier if you consider a light source. If you draw a ball, the lines in it should be curved, to emphasize the shape of the ball. If you draw a cube, you draw straight lines considering the direction the cube is facing.
It could be tricky at first, but with practice it comes naturally.
I recommend you to watch this video:

Pen and Ink Crosshatching | A simple introduction