Should we always critique art in comics?

[Kelheor]

Simply put, comics are visual media. So to be completely honest, for me personally, if I would only want to read a good story, I can go with a novel. If I read a comic, it has to have a visual side I would enjoy ^^
Although I also won't go around critiquing the comics for artwork, because it's very subjective and if I don't like the art, I would either step away or give it a chance if I find the story interesting and then consider if I should continue reading.
In the end it's okay for any creator to just love that thing they do the way they do it, doesn't matter what others think

[NicDemonic]

I think we shouldn't critique art in comics from new creators. Everyone has a long way to go when it comes to this media and anyone with a passion can tell you its tough dealing with doubt.

I do believe we should give more accessible tips and tutorials on how to better refine our art in open ended ways on this forum so if anyone has any questions, we can give them links or personal studies.

[tarraxahum]

I think there are a lot of comics out there with art that is not necessarily 'good' if you judge them by some high or classic standarts. Some are simplistic by nature, and some... If I had a penny for every time I looked at some critically acclaimed anime-adapted manga only to realize that its first chapters someimes absolutely sucked in terms of said perspective or proportions or whatever, I'd certainly have a few pennies by now. But there clearly was enough charm in them - be it face expressions, details, or, you know, the story, for them to become popular even before the author improved, right?

Yes, comic is definitely a visual medium, so art matters, but it doesn't matter in the same way it does in an illustration. If it shows your intendend emotions well, if the actions that are happening are clear enough to understand, if the story is told as intended through that art, if the style matches the mood (or clashes with it, but, like, intentionally) - who cares if there are purposefully no frames with complicated perspective?

Plus, I very much relate on the "I know what's wrong with it, I don't want critique" point. But I am very touchy about unwanted critique in general.

Now, do I personally try to push myself with my comic in terms of drawing complicated stuff I never did before - sure. But that's 'cause I want to. Chasing inspirations and such. I'm having fun with it. If you are content with telling your story as is, without trying to jump over your head just for the sake of jumping over your head, then why should you?

I think it should be more about wanting to grow (if at all, I mean) naturally, rather than trying to force growth on yourself or someone just 'cause people said so.

[Avonguardian]

I did think about the novel angle actually! Though I see the two as different forms of story telling mediums.

I ask, would you rather read a bad story with amazing art or an amazing story with "bad" art?

I suppose it could be a matter of taste, and of course what draws you in, I often find myself drawn to a vibe or an idea before I head to the story/art itself. Sometimes bad art can also be the appeal itself, but I digress.

Edit: I do not mean to come off as hostile btw, Im just really fascinated by this type of discussions of criticism.

[OneArtsyBeaver]

I'm definitely in the minority when I say that most tapas comics blend together. As long as the comic has a coherent art style I think it's perfectly serviceable. People who put out "Falling in love with my villain boss" with these near perfect art styles really kill my vibe. They feel soulless, without passion. I honestly prefer watching people try new things, whether that be new styles or interesting poses.

Critique is one of those things that I leave for the author, if they ask for feedback I'll let them know what I think. But for the most part I say let people enjoy what they like. Because in the end we're all just making our comics for ourselves.

[river121693]

In general, I think people shouldn't be critiqued on the art they create unless its harmful or unless it's transparently from a "marketability" pov. Our aesthetic sensibility is rooted in a typically Western standard and people should break away from the traditional and express things in whatever way they want. I have a degree in Fine Arts and Art History so Ive seen so many wild and unique ways of telling a story which typically lack the support, so I try to support those things over the "traditional" in general. For comic, the only thing that typically matters to me is whether I understand the sequential storytelling and the feeling/message is conveyed.

Realistically though, I also grew up under this Western standard so there's still a level of traditional aesthetic that I gravitate to.

I don't critique people's art unless they asked me.

[Avonguardian]

THIS

I always find myself drawn to the unconventional styles in comics! The rough lines or when backgrounds seems like a second thought, but you put out the work and its so... human.

[Avonguardian]

Its interesting that you bring up the western standard actually! I am very inspired by the sailor moon manga, and the art is of course amazing but sometimes it really doesnt make any sense where a character physically is but that is because its about the feeling of the character themselves,

I also remember reading about how different western comics are compared to mangas as well, and that different intentions in art can affect how the art is percieved.

And of course unwaranted critique is never good, I think a good critique comes from a person who understands the intention of the art and the artform of the author.

[Avonguardian]

Theres a ton of interesting comics that started out as merely stick figures before developing further.

Personally I find that looking at a comic creators first chapter vs their latest is amazing to see the growth that they go through. You see their confidence build up and their art "settle" it's like a journey not just from reading the story but to also observe the authors evolution!

[AmazementComics]

No. We shouldn’t always be criticizing Art. Especially for many indie creators on this platform who are just getting their footing in the comics space. Art criticism feels like an art itself. It’s subjective and means different things to many people. And not everyone is going to take criticism seriously. You, like many people have the right to dismiss art criticism.

When I first started on this platform, my art was known for hand drawn styles. It still is to an extent. I knew all of the problems with it before others did, and still posted it online anyway.

You don’t need to be so hard on yourself if you’re a novice. Art is a continual learning process for everyone.

[igneriss]

For me, both art and story are important, however if the art is bad I will most likely click of the series and never find out if the story was good.
But 'bad' for comics usually mean that's it's not clear- the text is not readable, I can't tell what's going on in the panel, or can't tell characters apart, stuff like that. Different criteria than they would be for a single illustration
Sometimes I'd also stop reading if art is too stiff (even if it's very pretty as an illustration) or the style is just not my cup of tea, but it's all a personal taste and a lot of comics that fall into this category in my book are actually very popular.

As for critiquing art in others' comics, I would only do that if someone asked me to do it. And still I'd pay attention more to how readable it is and if the characters emotions/actions are clear.

As for getting critique on my own art, well, I sometimes like getting those but not for my comics I usually see my mistakes after about a week or two, and then try to practice and fix it in my next drawings. Sometimes when I feel stuck with a drawing and know that SOMETHING is wrong but don't know what, I'd send a wip over to my artists friends for a critique. But most of the times I know what I want to achieve in my illustrations and try to improve it without the critique

[Avonguardian]

I went to art school and often we had to describe the process of getting the art done more than the art itself.

This led me to find the process and the behind the scenes of comic making to be so interesting, its fascinating to watch an author develop their artstyle and see how far theyve gone, as well as seeing how they go about making their comic.

You are so right on the subjectiveness of art critique though, I think some people forget that its an artform too, to know how and where to put a good critique on a williing participant.

[Avonguardian]

Oh yes!
I mentioned to another where I brought up the question of
"would you rather have a comic with good art but bad story or a bad art with good story"

But you bring up something I hadnt considered, that for comic art it might not be about the art itself but rather the format, that its unreadable or hard to understand. Now thats something I'm very vary of, I do not ever want people to be confused when reading my comic, I pride myself on being clear and often sacrifice "interesting poses" for clarity in story.
A comic with "bad" art can still be technically proficient, but then of course it can all come down to a matter of taste.

I do also approach my comic with if something is wrong or looked "bad" in earlier chapters that its fine I've learned my lesson and instead on dwelling on it or even redrawing the whole thing I just keep going, keep posting.

I only ever redraw or go back to earlier chapters to make things more clear if I feel like I failed in the clarity department XD

(had to resend this comment, new to forum formats haha)

[IndigoShirtProd]

I prefer not to separate story from art. It's not a good story or good art. A good story can be hampered by poor visuals, and I don’t just mean quality, I mean clarity as well. Your art more than "looking good" and other than looking polished, should be working too elevate the story and give a visual aspect to better illustrate plot details. If the story's "bad" but the art is "good," I'm leaving. If the story's "good" and the art's "bad," I'm still leaving.

[cherrystark]

I don't think so unless the creator is explicitly asking for critiques. You are entitled to your personal opinions about the quality of the artwork but posting art of any kind online takes a lot of courage. They could be so proud of what they accomplished and one negative comment or a misunderstood comment can halt their progress.

[Avonguardian]

This comment gave me a good chuckle haha, yeah sometimes it isnt that simple really. It has to do a lot with subjective opinions and I suppose taste haha.

I agree that a comic is a medium that utilises both art and story to convey a tale to readers, and that clarity is integral.

Which is why one of my favourite joke is "A Bad artist and a Bad writer becomes a great comic artist" I dont know where I heard it but it resonated with me. Its a mix of both, that you can use text to convey what you can't draw and draw to convey what you can't write.
As someone whos terrible at writing enviromental stuff and descriptions, being able to just draw it does save a few headaches.

[Avonguardian]

I 100% believe in positive reinforcement before any critique, I think I saw another forum post talking about it, that you bring up stuff you like about the given piece and then bring up things to elevate the art!
(Of course if the person want the critique to begin with lol)

[cherrystark]

I think I saw another forum post talking about it, that you bring up stuff you like about the given piece and then bring up things to elevate the art!

Yeah! I've learned that across the board when you do art - you tell them things that you liked or appreciated about the work and then give them realistic things that they can improve upon.

[Kelheor]

It's all right
Yeah, can't disagree that comics and novels are very different things.
And honestly, it's hard to say which one I would rather read. I dropped some beautiful comics because they had bad story, I continued reading plotless comics for the sake of nice art to learn from it, I dropped comics with a good plot because I couldn't put up with the style (looking at you, Fables)... Hell I even dropped some awesome looking comics because somehow my brain decided it's not what we need, it's very unpredictable xD

In the end I do try to find good parts in every art style, but I am a very very visual person. That's why if the comic art doesn't work for me, I will prefer a good novel, I will prefer just imagining the novel as a movie while reading than trying to get through art I don't like

[Avonguardian]

That is a very fair point

I am very picky about certain things and story elements in comics and stuff, and visuals can have a big role with that. Sometimes I find myself not reading a comic with good art and good story because my brain decided to be a hipster and go "can't read them anymore, theyve gone... commercial" even if they havent and I'm just being weird xDD

I still subscribe to alot of comics that i dont read abut i check them out once in a while, I dont think I've ever unfollowed anyone unless the author is a legitimate bad person lol. But that's also because I always get sad when someone unsubs so I never want to inflict that sadness on anyone else, Im that dramatic.