Want to improve my comics but there's too much to improve overwhelming

NickRowler 2020-10-02 21:37:22 UTC #21

If you have issue with color, I would recommend making a comic that is shaded B/W or greyscale and have your main focus be on anatomy. Mostly because people tend to notice that first.

KiabIce 2020-10-02 21:40:44 UTC #22

That is what I'm doing. You can see all my anatomy flaws. I'm having flaws in every area but we're tackling the ones most needed to improve the comic and storytelling, one area at a time lol

WOSTR 2020-10-02 21:42:24 UTC #23

I need to improve artwork and the script, it's hard to put forward tone and feelings, so I'm giving myself more time, going to fortnightly uploads once the introductory phase is over, as stopping only makes things harder to pick back up for me.

KiabIce 2020-10-02 21:45:24 UTC #24

I totally understand. I upload once a week to give myself room to improve and have a buffer for the next pages. My script is fine but the artwork needs some help and the storytelling aka use of panels, etc. You can do it! Just keep working on what you need to tell your story better. Everyone here gave good advice

cleo_san 2020-10-02 21:55:13 UTC #25

It is in my opinion =)
Anatomy is something which takes time to learn. However, picking angles and panel excerpts or perspectives can improve the joy of reading a comic incredibly! I noticed that people care only secondary about perfect art, they want to feel like they are IN your story, not looking at a pretty picture book with characters tehy can't relate to

I started to notice the difference with a short story I drew in 2007, where I tried perspectives I had never tried before and made sure I put at least one detailed background per page instead of doing only headshots. Showing a wall clock while people talk instead of those people can change the pacing of your comic completely. A dramatic perspective can make a simple stick figure look like it is in mortal danger, etc =)

The feedback was incredible - My anatomy and stuff were far from perfect (they still are today), but the feedback on the short story was great: I got encouraging comments on the crazy perspectives or the love for details (I researched as much as I could on historic sailing ships, so working with references is a great help!) - and this motivated me to grow even more =) Art is a process of learning and every time you think you're good, you notice how you can improve even more - because the learning never stops

The most important thing though, as I write this post, is: Have fun and don't put yourself under pressure.

When in doubt with your main story or about starting a bigger project, why not make several short stories instead? Make one in a crazy fantasy world where EVERYTHING goes.
When you struggle with human anatomy, draw monsters or Pokémon - they are much easier than humans, because they are fictional - by doing this I actually improved with human anatomy as well, because drawing monsters (or Pokémon) taught me about stuff like anatomy, perspective and unexpected stuff like "how to draw lightning" or fur texture or how does a character surrounded by fire look like.

All of these things combined make for your personal learning experience =)

Or, as an example, October is the month where all artists go crazy, be it by participating in Inktober or another preferred -tober by choosing a prompt list they find appealing. =)

Ask friends to give you prompts, you will probably get a ton of things that will pull you out of your comfort zone - and this is actually rather a fun part! =) Some of the most fun things can come from the weirdest prompts. Or you could use prompt apps, like e.g. Jazza's arty games app (not free, but incredibly versatile with randomized and fun prompts!)

Plus: Working with prompts that are not your own clears your mind when the thoughts are spinning, it's like putting that vicious circle of "I don't know where to start on improving!" on a small timeout and allows you to relax a bit

CosmicLeon 2020-10-02 23:28:18 UTC #26

personally I would pick whatever seems the easiest. And then work on that skill for a while before experimenting into other skills. The nice thing about art is that when you learn a skill, you can actually apply knowledge of that skill to a different one.

rajillustration 2020-10-03 01:11:22 UTC #27

It can be really overwhelming! I think it helps with each page or each project to choose just one very specific thing that you want to do better at (hands, night lighting, sky, trees, etc etc)--and eventually as you do pages and choose a different area to specialize each time, you'll broaden your expertise. But being an artist can't be done in a day, and trying to fix everything at once can be kinda discouraging. Becoming the best artist you can be is a lifetime in the making, so I think it helps to just focus on micro goals and really celebrate them as you accomplish them. Those itty bitty goals add up. So, you'll be fine, it's a marathon, not a race.

scribesunlimited 2020-10-03 11:37:38 UTC #28

Would you like access to a book you can download on the net? It's literally the best anatomy, contour and drawing book in the world. It has helped literally millions of artists. Trouble is, it's super old and outdated. I think it was written in the 1920s or so. But STILL...it's worth checking out. It even helped me. And I suck! lol

Anyway, private message if you'd like it.

SoenKai 2020-10-04 11:30:16 UTC #29

That's right. Visual storytelling is less about "drawing well" but more about leading your reader's eyes through your pages. I'd say, however, that this is more of a topic for intermediate to professional artists.

@CrystallikeICE If you're still struggling a lot with anatomy and perspective it would be putting the cart before the horse to dive into visual storytelling head first while leaving perspective and anatomy to rot on the sidelines.

I mean, you can try reading up on visual storytelling while practicing anatomy and perspective. Putting the information into your head and letting it sit and simmer there for a while isn't a bad thing either.
Two imho very good books on that specific topic are "Framed INK" (by Marcos Mateu-Mestre) and "How to draw Noir Comics" (by Shawn Martinbrough).

On another note I have to say I kinda agree with Cleo. While you shouldn't just not practice better anatomy and perspective she is surely right that conveying the emotion and or dynamic is more important in a comic. (see Attack on Titan for a very good example of "not so good art but awesome dynamic and emotion")
Also at some time you (or any artist - I went through the phase a few years back) can get stuck in a phase where your anatomy and perspective is technically right... but it looks just wrong. I'd say always keep in mind, that a comic is not a photo-story. Purposely overdrawing something or morphing images can and should be used.
Maybe the conclusion is "learn how to draw it "right" and then take what you used to morph it to tell your story".
People usually can tell when it's "technically wrong" because the artist is inexperienced or because it's on purpose / style.