Spoiling through your art?

[Zhengo]

I've been curious if other comic artists here do something that I sometimes do. Basically, when I'm planning and imagining scenes that happen waaaay later in a story, I end up having an urge to draw it. Problem is, that would kind of spoil a future event in the story haha. I try to get around it by trying to make it more abstract or maybe make the characters really vague looking, though sometimes I wish I didn't have to! XD Also I'm the kind of person who likes showing off what I've just created so more often than not I also can't resist putting it online.

So, I'm wondering if other people have gone through the same thing, and if they draw it or try to hold it in, and if they do draw it, if they ever share it XD

[Berserker]

I drew a preview poster and had to hide a character's missing arm with a bush.

[Zhengo]

Haha that's a pretty clever way to go around it

[Kann]

Sometimes I can't stop myself and draw that scene waaaay before it happens, but I change some details. Like in an anime opening showing scenes that don't really happen. xD

Or I just draw art heavily implying what's going to happen to the characters.

[Rhonder]

I know that feel well! My first big mega story I worked on in middle school, I spent much more time drawing cool scenes way in the future than drawing the actual comic lmao. Most or all of them I shared online at the time though- I figured I both didn't have that many fans anyways and was just excited to share everything so it didn't matter too much~

In recent years I've only done relatively short projects so I haven't really done much spoiler art cuz there's... not much to spoil, I just get to that part naturally! The one exception is I hired a video editor to make a trailer for my comic, and ended up drawing a splash page like 40 away from where I was for the end of the video, and published that.

For my new series I've begun working on... I'll likely end up making some spoiler art sooner or later xD Heck even the character concept art I've posted to social media so far has... maybe not spoilers, per se, but definitely clues to what the series will be like >u> and especially the first chaapter or 2 lol

[edimochan]

Omg I knew i wasn’t the only one who does this
But for me, I try to hold it in, but then I end up writing it down so I don’t lose the idea, and then I eventually give in to draw it

[indagold]

I drew a lot of spoilery art and didn't post it.... and now my comic is finished I would post it but forgot what I did and didn't post and have no idea if I'm reposting

[Schwarze_Neko]

Yes!!! There's times where I get such a good idea for a drawing but I can't post it because the story that the character is from hasn't reached that part Normally what I do is play it off as just a drawing and nothing else

[Zhengo]

Hahaha yeah I can relate to that XD Now that you mention it, it does kinda feel like an anime opening when we do it.

[Zhengo]

Ah, yeah. I guess I'm pretty safe from spoiling people since I think I'm not well-known enough that there'll be much people who will dissect my artwork for story hints XD

[Candlebite]

Well the worse I do is just drawing characters that will appear later on the story,
I never say they are for the comic but...
laughs nervously at all the characters I have just casually shared.

[nostalgicroxas]

I draw and write .... ideas.. for scenes that I'm like... certain will happen, and then they might not xD

Like I had this idea and to pace it I just doodled it. But as the story currently stands, it seems very unlikely to actually happen.

https://www.deviantart.com/watashiveracasan/art/Left-351415800

[Inspector_Spinda]

I’ve spoiled so much on my dA. It’s fine tho whatever. Not really plot so much as character details. My comic will take years to draw so I’m not too concerned. I think teasing some things is a good way to hype people for the comic’s future

[Kelheor]

I just don't draw anything like this, because I will have no one to show it to anyone who is interested without spoiling and will have to suffer by myself

[Azifri]

I draw spoilery scenes all the time and shamelessly post most of them on Instagram; last inktober for example was about 50% spoilers. The key is to show scenes that still don't have context in the story, so probably no one can tell if it's an event that hasn't yet happened or just a random image. The only spoilers I don't show are specific character interactions, because they would be easy to connect with the current events in the story.
Also the covers I've drawn recently are filled with spoilers, but in a symbolic way. I hope that once the main conflict of the story is revealed, they will make sense.

[DukeOfOool]

My story is so lose and criptic, that even when I would post the images I've drawn it would be nigh impossible to connect anything. I don't have any social media besides tapaz though, so I won't be sharing anything.

[Kiweevil]

Ha! Yesterday I literally posted a drawing to my Instagram with the caption "Hey look everyone it's a dead character". The character has yet to even be introduced in the comic.

I mean, so far I've posted drawings that show Norman with whip scars, Alise killing her step-father, Shilo's secret deceased mate, Tala pregnant with Shade's kits, the Queen with her arm ripped off by Alise, Norman getting his teeth forcefully sharpened as a kit, Alise holding her brother's dead body, and Mitch desperately trying to crawl his way out from purgatory as blood seeps from a bullet wound.

Needless to say, I draw and post what I see to be enjoyable. I mean, I'm a horror artist! You can't expect me to draw and post things that don't relate to character deaths or spoilers somehow. Also, I save the biggest and juiciest spoilers for the comic, so I guess all the other ones are just red herrings in a way.

[magnavarra]

idk I have fewer followers on my instagran where Ipost some art than in my actual comic - and most of them are online stors and boits. So I don't think I will spoil something - I bet most of my instafollowers don't read my comic. So I guess you won't spoil it untill you post it directly on episode, but it may also cause more engagement - readers would want to know how did the story get there

[oshirockingham]

spoiling through art? oh, I made a spoiler in 2018

[darthmongoose]

The cover for Errant actually spoils something I considered keeping secret for ages, which is what adult Sarin looks like. In the end, it was like... well, anyone could read the old comic Errant reboots or look at my old deviantart or my twitter images whatever and find images of what she looks like... so I was like... ah screw it, I don't want to leave her off the cover! So she's on there. SPOILER: SHE'S HOT AND GAY. (really though, was there any doubt Sarin would grow up to be hot and gay?).

Hell, in a way it was a spoiler that for months when we were in the prologue the thumbnail for the comic was adult Rekki before she'd appeared or got that haircolour or the giant sword.

Other things though I keep to myself and close friends, like spoilery images of certain pairings or dramatic events...