Should I stop doing my webcomic?

[xanedis]

Silence is golden, speech is silver.

[PervertOldMan]

You have good drawing skill I must say, but it look like you are not used to digital drawing yet, the way you do coloring make it look.... amature. Stop doing your comic or not, you should consider put it aside for a while, take sometime to learn as much as you can about the drawing apps/softwares you are using. Also read around to see how other webcomics do their things, don't just read, take a careful look about how they coloring, arranging layout, writing story ... etc.. Learn from them, find a fast but effective style for your comic, take your time to work on the style and build a work flow, it will help your comic look better and help you do your comic faster as well

The way you are using soft brush and screentone is not very effective, those are not look good and take more time than cell-shading and solid colors, I'm not saying soft-shading is not good for comics, but at your current level, you should better start will cell-shading, it's faster and easier to get good result. Take a look at Gosu and Noblesse, the way they coloring is very simple, most of the panels are actually only flat/2cells colors, it will not take more time then the way you are doing, certaintly picking the right colors is the key. Duty after School is even more sketchy and simple, I think the style of this one will fit your story, give it a visit too.

Beside, a lot of newbie artists misunderstand that screentone is an "art" thing, so they use it in their comic without understand how it work, thinking it's comic so screentone is a must, no, if you don't understand it well, it'll just backstab you. Some people do use them on purpose to create unique effect indeed, but originally screentone is a technique to save printing time and costs, manga artists use it because it's a mass printing process requirement:

Why is manga typically created with screentones rather than grayscale fills?

[Velome]

I never expected that, but thank you very much!

[GesuGesu]

There's not enough episodes to judge whether you're doing poorly or not. Of course low subs and low views are expected for a comic series that looks like it's barely started. Don't look at the numbers so early in the game, it'll only distract from the more important matters, like making more of your comic.

[kip]

Hey! I felt like this post came to a great conclusion but then... it didnt.
I strongly disagree what ‘PervertOldMan’ is saying.
I’ve been following the comic since the first update, and I’ve actually been very excited to see it update just the other day (yesterday, was it?)
One of my favorite things about the comic is the unique coloring, and it’s definitly the biggest drawpoint for me.
It’s fun, it’s atmospheric as fuck, and it definitly works. I can only assume they only looked over the comic and didn’t actually read it.

The idea that screentones only work in a manga-esque situation is absolutely silly. They’re a strong, effective choice and I personally feel like they work here a lot better than colors would’ve, I’d be disappointed to see you switch to a different coloring style because of it.

As to the comic itself- I definitly want to see you continue it!
You just started out and you’ve actually already got a good amount of subs, I know I had less in my second update and I finished my comic with nearly 2k subbers at update 39.
You absoloutely need to keep going to get recognition, and don’t feel bad if it comes in slowly. It’s easy to come in with high expectations, but don’t let that discourage you from the work. Finishing a project is also a lot of fun.

Work for yourself- people with similar interests will definitly come along.

Another thing you might want to consider is the length of the comment. 10 pages? 50? 100? That’s a big part of how much effort you’re going to put into the comic as well.
Either way, I strongly believe in not starting out with your Magnum Opus and writing/drawing to your own tastes.
Plan well, expect low weeks where you just want to stop, power through, make a decent buffer, and strap in for some hard work.

Lastly, I really hope you can keep working on Anima, adjust your expectations, and take it as an opportunity to learn and improve.

[afisa.wavinflier]

Yep, Im realy not used to digital drawing and painting, I started to use digital painting softwares like two or three weeks ago. I think any help is welcome, I realy like the screentones, but I know that I have to improve a lot on my style. I'm gonna study both techniques from now on. Thanks a lot.

[nixxusnibelheim]

I haven 't read other's replies so sorry if I'm just repeating haha.

For me, if you are not happy with your work on a project, it's simple. Stop working on it. If you have 0 satisfaction, it will make your project even worse, don't do that to yourself, it will save you time.
BUT know that this feeling will never go away, it will most likely bite you back once you will start working on this exciting new project.

Because everytime you do something, you get experience and experience is key to improvement. The more you improve, the more you'll see flaws in past and current projects.

I don't know how much you plan on Anima but if you have doubt about your art and writing style, it is better to work on small scale projects to shape your style and understand yourself better.
I don't who said that but you will improve and learn a lot by doing 100 sketch of a face in a week than 1 hyper realistic face in a week.
Comic is the same thing, you will learn a lot from doing small scale comic than large comic that will take years to finish.

[afisa.wavinflier]

Hi Kip, I'm realy happy that you liked my story and style.

I think I did not explain the public returnproblem very well, I think that the problem is more with myself, I do not think this story speaks to people like it speaks to me, I think it's very personal and maybe not be something that will please people, you know?

[kip]

That’s definitly to do with it though!
As more people come along, more people will come to relate to it. Even if you think it’s personal, everyone can read into it differently!
Hence “write for yourself”, people will definitly enjoy it more if you do

[afisa.wavinflier]

I think I need to explain a little more about myself so that you understand the general plan. Some years ago I went through a very complicated situation that triggered a Panic Disorder, since that time I never drew again, I was very sad and I abandoned all my projects, ideas and friends, I left my whole life aside. In Anima I try to tell a little bit of this story, a little bit about what it feels like to when you're trapped in your own mind, and that made me pick up a pencil for the first time in years. So I love this story, it is already complete even what I do not I drew yet (one thing I do is leave clues to what will happen in the future on each page, sometimes more than one).

But I feel, or rather, I'm afraid people will not feel anything with it, because to me it's so deep, so personal that my bones hurt when I write it. I really like this second story I'm thinking about, and I think it will talk a lot better with the audience, but I honestly do not know if when I think of trading Anima for it it's just an escape from actually writing and drawing Anima.

[DiegoPalacios]

I

But I feel, or rather, I'm afraid people will not feel anything with it, because to me it's so deep, so personal that my bones hurt when I write it. I really like this second story I'm thinking about, and I think it will talk a lot better with the audience, but I honestly do not know if when I think of trading Anima for it it's just an escape from actually writing and drawing Anima.

Some of the greatest stories ever told come from a deep place in a person`s heart and many of these are inspired by personal experiences.

Sometimes writing can help people to cope with their grief, and that can be too personal sometimes. If you aren`t comfortable sharing this story, you can write it for yourself and not share it if that is your choice.

If what worries you is the market appeal, don`t let that stop you. The greatest stories didnt follow trends, they created them.

Hope this helps and hope you get to see what`s best for you.

[sarrowsmith10]

In Anima I try to tell a little bit of this story, a little bit about what it feels like to when you're trapped in your own mind, and that made me pick up a pencil for the first time in years.

I think this is a noble reason to create a webcomic. I've seen several autobiographical-like comics and they are very deep. Can I connect to them the same way the creator does? perhaps not, but I value the fact they want to share their experience through this medium.

Take Life as an Aspie for example. The topic was really important to the creator based on their experiences.

Life of an Aspie (HIATUS) | Tapas

I think if explaining yourself through your webcomic is important to you, then you should keep going. The skill set and ability to make amazing webcomics comes with time, experimentation and practice that you can only get by just doing it. Just make your webcomic. Fans and followers are nice, but learn and grow for your benefit, not theirs.

Also, if you want to set it aside for a while and experiment with a different comic, go for it. It's not like you are applying to work for Marvel/DC or a major publisher. It's totally okay to experiment and try new things and all that. Especially if you are just a hobbyist.

[kip]

I completely agree with everything said there!
You’re definitly not alone in your struggles, people who feel similarly will find your comic and find comfort in it. Just keep at it, pal!