Taking no pride in your comic

[Merle]

I used to love my art. I was impressed by everything I did and I was confident...it could only get better.
The same with my used to be comics.
They had no valid storyline and were going no where but I believed in them.

Now I´m working diferent. I work on the story allot, choose an artstyle, stick with things for a year producing over 100 pages. But somehow...I am not proud with it like I used to be.

I don´t think I´m good enough anymore... even tough I am still improving every week...

Anybody excspirincing the same thing? I guess I have to work on things even more until I enjoy it again...

[cleo_san]

I had this a while ago and I'm still struggling to get back to loving my art, but my way out of this was to find my fun for drawing again =)

I sketched and drew with no particular goal, just for fun and I also read the old pages and thought "Where is the magic gone?"

Maybe it won't come back, after all, we grow, but I think it is possible to reawaken the love for art =)

What would you like to draw?
Is there anything you've always wanted to draw?
What about drawing something which ist totally not your style? =)

Just try and answer these questions for yourself and then just get started. There is no need to rush things, no need to "work on things even more" - the essential point is: HAVE FUN

Then the magic will be back =)

[hushicho]

Be careful not to burn yourself out. It sounds like what you're experiencing is perhaps your first major burnout.

Usually this happens when it's become a habit to work and you aren't getting what you need from it. It may even be that you're focusing too much on only the one project creatively. I know I have to have several things to work on, or else I become easily burnt out.

It can even help to let yourself experiment and get out of your comfortable habits a little bit. Don't be afraid to reward yourself.

All that aside, as artists we are often our own harshest critics. It is important to continue developing ourselves and our skills, our styles, and our expression. However, it is just as important to learn to accept what we've done, to make peace with it, to be satisfied with it, and to continue forward. You are good enough, and you'll improve steadily as you go. Don't force it where it won't come, remember to rest and let yourself have fun, and above all, be careful not to burn out. It can take a long while to come back from a major burnout.

Best of luck with it! I know you can get past this.

[digitalvalium1]

Do you feel a general malaise? Interest in things that used to please you disappearing? Sounds like depression, which I'm used to. And yes, sometimes I have to make myself do it, though I take no particular pleasure in it. That's the bipolar life, though.

For me it's different. I struggle through that every three months or so. I'm used to it. I expect it, like a friend tap tap tapping at the back porch door.

You might find some comfort in one of Robert Lowell's poems. I rather like it.

Like thousands, I took pride and more than just,
struck matches that brought my blood to a boil;
I memorized the tricks to set the river on fire —
Somehow never wrote something to go back to.
Can I suppose I am finished with wax flowers
And have earned my grass on the minor slopes of Parnassus…
No honeycomb is built without a bee
adding circle to circle, cell to cell,
the wax and honey of a mausoleum —
this round dome proves its maker is alive;
the corpse of the insect lives embalmed in honey,
prays that its perishable work lives long
enough for the sweet-tooth bear to desecrate —
this open book … my coffin.

[Shanny8]

That doesnt sound like pride- sounds more like what happens to some artists when they come to the realization that comics arent this fun "I get to sit and draw/ink/color/letter and tons of people are going to like my art" all day type thing that they've envisioned all this time; it actually seems like WORK.

Coz that's what comics are- a lot of repetitive stuff; working on advancing the story, drawing in a certain art style that allows you produce stuff on a schedule. It's not always fun, but that's why a lot of comic artists who have been doing comics for a while will tell you "Comics is a long game" or "you have to really love comics to do them".

Now as far as over 100 pages- you do have a choice there. You could create shorter stories that would allow you to not commit to projects that take a long time. If you're not feeling doing a long story, shorten it down- there's NOTHING that says "you have to"...but if you want to continue to do a longer story, it's up to you- the creator, to keep yourself interested in your project; from writing about topics that interest you, to creating characters that are interesting and have depth enough to make you want to explain to your readers why this character is the way that they are. You also have to study your art and find ways to make the actual work you're producing exciting enough to "cant wait to get started on the next page and see what I can do".

[DMBrigman]

I understand that, I have gone through that several times with my own comic and I feel like I can see a bit in the pages I produced during that time. You really need to think about what is it that is making you feel this way?

Is it because you don't like the look of what you are producing? Nearly every artist goes through cycles where their eye levels up faster than their skill, then they get better, and it starts all over again. The only cure for that is to work through it.

Is it because you don't have a direction for your work? I made sure I wrote scripts and tackle self contained stories so I know where I am going, and working towards a goal keep those thoughts of "why am I even doing this anyway?"

Is it because you aren't getting validation from an audience? I personally like to keep a little folder of nice things people have said so when I am feeling down I can see that in fact people do like my work.

It might be time for a little break, so you can assess what it is that is making you feel this way and that way you can come up with some solutions that will help you get over this feeling. We all go through this and all have our own ways of bringing the magic back.