Would you continue a bad work?

[justawriterkun]

Hi guys, sorry I just want to hear your opinions regarding the struggles that i am having lately,
so basically I am currently working on my very first comic for an online competition submission,
however I do aware that I am lacking in lot of aspects, let's say anatomy, shadings, even my backgrounds looks like an kids drawing, well slightly better tho
But I managed to work on a bit for the anatomy with the help of using Design Doll and also some with my own sketch even it's not perfect, and for the shadings, I kinda work it out using the tones although for me it's a bit overused but i had to otherwise the drawings will look bland.

so, what is the struggle? well, basically I kinda have these negative thoughts of wanting to stop or thinking that is not worth it to finish them since the judges might not read it anyway (there are few people said that the judges might only pick the ones that look good since there are a lot of submissions, but i am not sure if that is really true).
but i wanted to finish it because my struggles from a long time ago on drawing or my other projects is because i am lacking the ability to finish it. I either stop halfway or even just from the beginning. I am currently near halfway of finishing the comic, and even from the beginning i never thinking of having the ambition to win, i just want the experience of working on my first comic and see the result then analyze what i can do better.

Do you think that having the motivation 'to finish it' although it's not a good quality just for the sake of experience is good?
or do you think that i should rather stop and try to work on my basic first? even if i managed to get halfway already.

Sorry for the long post

Thank you guys!

*oh yeah sorry, i also spent nearly a month to work on the story script & storyboard and also the sketch which is why i have already full serious about finishing it

[inubasket]

Years ago there was a contest on Deviantart for people to draw a witch lol. Hundreds of people entered, including me. My art right now is meh lol, so back then my art was horrific. I felt embarrassed entering the contest. But I had worked super hard on my picture, so I entered anyway.

I didn't win anything (as expected), BUT several people commented on my picture and said lots of nice encouraging things! I also got some super good advice, and in the end I was really glad I'd gone ahead and entered.

Drawing for practice is okay!!! Drawing even if not many people see your work is okay!! You will not ever get better unless you draw.

[artemficta]

Yes, definitely finish it in this case. You'll get a feeling of accomplishment just having finished what you set out to do regardless of the quality, and you'll have learned so much along the way!

[ChaoticConstellation]

The only way to improve is to keep at it! I know it's hard and usually very disheartening to not be able to create what you see in your head, but doing work with a goal like you are is honestly the best way to get better. I started my comic knowing my art wasn't where I wanted it to be, but within the last few months I've improved A LOT. For reference:

https://tapas.io/series/Ready-Spaghetti

And even though my comic isn't all that popular or even particularly well drawn, I have a goal to finish it.

HOWEVER. If you are struggling, and this is having a negative impact on your mental health, then you should stop or slow down.

But overall I find that working on your basics can come second after you find something you're passionate about completing. Maybe one day you'll decide to do a re-draw of your old comic pages and you'll be really grateful you completed it.

[Comic.Kikikora]

Yes, my previous comic have very low sub growth rate but I finished it, because I draw what I love

[BreakingChalk]

It happened me a lot drafting my story. I'd say you have to continue, not only to make an habit, but to use it as a reference to see were you had struggles and how could you make a better work when doing another one.

[lilithfairenwrites]

I'm still chugging along writing stories in a genre that isn't taken seriously unless it dehumanizes the very people it was created to encourage and empower.

So why not?

[thel3tterm]

Definitely finish it! Even if it doesn't get recognition, the act of pushing through to the end is a VERY valuable one that will actually help you quite a bit as far as improving your artistic craft.

And believe it or not, even with art that isn't 'great' its totally possible to find a following and people who support and appreciate your work. I still get people reaching out to me about a comic I ran years and years ago that really wasn't great, and I would never in a million years think of publishing again. I absolutely hate the thing, but to other people it still really means a lot.

Keep chipping away at your craft, and keep growing, but don't be afraid to put your work out there. You never know who it might inspire.

[Hutch-Comics]

Just everyone else is saying, I agree that it's important to finish it. Finsihing something, regardless of quality gives you a good work ethic, plus you can say, 'hey, I finished it, from start to end'. Also, in the long run it gives you something to compare, a template to learn from.

[justawriterkun]

Everyone thank you so much!!

I am sure most of us all have experienced the same struggles, and i am glad i asked this on this forum since i was almost lost my confidence completely, i even stop inking earlier but now i am continuing with even greater excitement. hopefully after i finished the whole comic i can start reading all of your works one by one , since i've been drawing for 11 hours per day since i start sketching the whole comic last month

[ChaoticConstellation]

If you decide to publish drop the link!

[Kelheor]

Definitely finish it! It will give you a huge feeling of accomplishment After that you will return to it every time you have a bad day and say to yourself "If I finished this one, I will definitely finish this!".

[gempompadour]

Definitely finish it! I guarantee you will have times when you struggle drawing a comic that's considered "good". Finishing projects that you've started gives you the tools and experience needed to finish future works as well, be they excellent or mediocre.

[WOSTR]

Keep it up, your effort pays off over time and many people can see past amateurish work and see the hardwork for what it is.
I consider myself a beginner, my art is not good and my pacing is worst, yet it'll get better.

[justawriterkun]

Thank you so much for your encouragement and support, I will definitely finish it even though I can only finish 2-3 pages per day with my slow drawing pace (my manga has 48 pages), and now I already finished 21 pages.

@ChaoticConstellation Yes of course !! I will share the link probably at first of September or if it's possible, by end of this month hopefully

Take care everyone and hope you had a great weekend!

[DiegoPalacios]

however I do aware that I am lacking in lot of aspects, let's say anatomy, shadings, even my backgrounds looks like an kids drawing, well slightly better tho

Depending of the kind of story you are making, this art style can be a good thing. For a comic i am doing for my nephews it worked wonders. (to a point they did fanart of it)

Of course this may not look well depending what you are aiming for. Just pointing out that it can be a stylistic choice.

Do you think that having the motivation 'to finish it' although it's not a good quality just for the sake of experience is good?

If you are participating in a contest, and losing doesnt send you to the shadow realm, i recommend you to finish it for the sake of experience and feedback.

Afterwards, practice as much as you want.

[darkone4587]

As long as I'm enjoying it I'll try my best to get it finished even if I know it'll never really do all that well or be as great as I'd want it to be.
Even if you can tell it's going down a bad direction it's not to late to try little improvements here and there to improve the overall quality.

[justawriterkun]

unfortunately my art style is not good enough for the kind of story that i am making though,and what made it worse that i changed the story just a month before the deadline (2 weeks ago, and the deadline is end of this month), so basically i created the concept most of the stuffs in the story spontaneously and i know it's pretty bad. But i kinda want to try to finish a full one shot comic, so whatever the result is, i want it to be the first stepping stone towards a better work next year

yes, i will definitely finish it ! i don't really after likes or views anyway, it just the ability to finish is lot of important than a recognition for early starter like me

thank you for your advices!

[justawriterkun]

i did made some improvements but as i aware that my drawing pace is really slow and the deadline is less than 3 weeks away, with 48 pages i don't think i can give much improvements
all i can do is only put more time on specific pages that i am interested to explore my ideas / skills on, like battle scenes.

[justawriterkun]

Hi guys, hope everyone is healthy and safe. I am not sure if it's allowed to share a link from other website, but here is the manga/comic that i have worked on from the last 40+ days, to be honest it's not that good, and it's even worst after i exported it from the app, because the page doesn't seems perfectly clear to be read. Here you go:

Crostia : The Sunsmen - purinsushiza

Thank you guys for your encouragement and support