Would you read a comic with crappy art?

[tayo_rafferty]

It's not really about how good you are at drawing it is more about whether you put real effort into your comic. Most people in the forums are artist and most people who use Tapas are artist and readers so they will be able to tell straight away if you haven't put any real effort into your comic or if you've rushed it. So just focus on putting in as much effort as you can.

[JimJom]

I'm not that picky on art, cuz' i'm not very good myself,I make it for jokes, anyway.
If someones art looks like it was drew in ms paint with a mouse by a 2 year old THEN i won't read it.
But I hardly stop reading because of art. Not sure bout' other people tho...

[Rai]

Art is 60% of the reason I'll read a webcomic. It can have an amazing story, but bad art or questionable stylistic choices can be a huge turn off. I'm willing to let it go if the art improves over time (I tend to judge on the latest page released), but if it's terrible through and through, I won't bother.

[mechafeedalert]

No. But doesn't to be really good either. Comic is more about sequential visual art rather than just art + text. So if you can tell a story you want to tell panel by panel through your art I think that's good enough. Depends on the reader though, it can be the best story written carried by the best artist in the business if the reader is not into the genre they probably wouldn't touch it.
I mean just look at the most popular comic, manga, Webtoon, etc pretty much all are mediocre at best. Some are garbage coated by fan service but I don't mind killing time reading them.

Then look at Pax Americana #1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly. One of the few comics that should be a required academic reading for all comic creators. Here are all the theories in Understanding Comic and Making Comic delivered perfectly in a way Scott McCloud could ever hope to see in his lifetime, in one compact issue. How to guide the reader, give them subtle or not so subtle hint, misdirect or confuse them altogether. Add another layer of dissing your long-time rival in every way you could possibly imagine through:
1. Paneling number
2. Core theme
3. Characters
4. Every time and every way that permits you to do so

All of these meta playing on the pages of these beautiful artwork is freaking godly in each of the pieces, but as a whole I find it very hard to like. I almost freaking hate it. And that meta is played, predicted perfectly on the scene where Dr. Atom dissects his pet dog, part by part in mid air telling the exact same thing.

That. Complete. The. Infinite. loop
Inside and outside of the comic. A masterpiece that is so perfectly beautiful yet the reader may utterly hates it.

TLDR: maybe

[jordanthelass]

It's either a hit or miss with me. Though, maturing as an artist is a huge deal to me. Everyone goes through a natural progression in style (or even to find that specific style they want), but even then that style improves over time.

Most of the comics I look at now are just out of habit, sadly. It's not that I look down on people who don't push themselves as an artist. And although it may be true that a comic can be story-driven with crappy to mediocre art--but if you don't put in the effort to improve and get out of your comfort zone, what's the point, you know?

The one thing I can't stand is when artists say they can't draw backgrounds and just use a solid color or gradient. I admit, I did that when I first started, but I learned how to draw backgrounds; and now they're absolutely fun to draw because I can think outside of the proverbial "box."

"I don't like putting effort in because it's too tedious." Then why don't you write your story and get someone to draw it? XD Seriously, someone said that to me and I couldn't believe it.

/ramble

[colonel_ressentiment]

Good point about art that complements the humor - I'd also include xkcd and Dinosaur Comics in that category. I think another part of it is that those comics' authors have great confidence in their artistic choice - they've chosen that art style because it works for them, not because they're trying to imitate other, technically "better" art styles.

When I think of low-quality art that prevents me from enjoying a comic, what usually comes to mind for me is someone who knows and clearly wants to draw in a specific high-quality style, but doesn't have enough skill to pull it off, causing their art to feel like an awkward imitation. For example, a comic whose style tries to imitate Western superhero comics, but none of the action poses are anatomically correct, and muscle definition feels more like random lines. Or a Japanese-influenced comic whose characters' expressions are so stereotypically "manga" that it takes me out of the suspension of disbelief that the characters would actually feel that way. I guess I'm much more willing to accept a comic with an unorthodox style, even if not technically skilled, than a comic that imitates technical skill poorly.

(None of this is to say people who want to draw well in a specific style, and don't currently, shouldn't keep using that style in a comic - how would you improve if you don't draw? My own comic is in that category. But it's something I'm really attentive to and can't just ignore myself.)__

[FlareyWorks]

Looks like the consensus is, most people don't mind! Which is awesome, takes a lot of the pressure off artists who aren't yet confident in their art - because honestly, the fact that they're making something and uploading it at all is awesome.

For me, I don't mind the level of talent - I love looking back at a comic I've been reading for ages and seeing the artist mature. But I can be picky about a style. There are some comics that I love the content, but the style is just repellant to me - whether it's incredibly skilful or not!

[monotone_ink]

I'm okay with crappy art in a webcomic - as long as the art itself has good visual direction and effectively conveys what the author intends, I'm all for it.

Hyperbole and a Half mentioned by @shazzbaa is a really good example. Another good example would be ONE's Mob Psycho - the draftsmanship is clearly poor, but he really knows how to convey the atmosphere and tension of a situation.

[shaylafarley5]

As long as it not stick people I'll always give it a try

[shaylafarley5]

The original One punch man is even drawn worse than this, but look at it now!

[theladiesi]

I've been having the same concerns with my comic. I haven't uploaded it to the site yet. I have even been redrawing the early pages because they were very amateurish, like having one eye off center or smaller than the other eye so I've been trying to fix that. I'm worried that the art isn't consistent now though so I feel like I have to redo all the pages, especially since I decided to change one character's hair style. I want to post my comic but I'm worried about the art. I know I have a lot to learn as an artist and I'm excited for that process but I'm also self conscious about my work so I don't want to show it to anyone. That's what's been keeping me from posting here.

[FlareyWorks]

@theladiesi You should just take a deep breath, and do it! I seriously did the exact same thing when I started (genuinely, check this out lol) - so long as you're doing something, you get this awesome feeling of yesssss I did a thing! Followed almost immediately by noooo what have I done I'll never be able to do it oh god why (not joking lolol) - but you'll be able to look back and go heck yeah I started. So don't even worry if you think you're good enough or not! And like, if your style changes over time - that's awesome! It shows you are ever improving! And you will find that this community will love and support you through the whole journey~

(I personally am considering re-drawing the entirety of my comic just so the whole thing matches and is "good enough" lol...)

[theladiesi]

Thanks, I really appreciate that. You're comic is so relatable and cute. Subscibed! I think the art is really good honestly, a cute chibi style.

I've been redoing the art for my comic but I don't want to fall behind on continuing with new pages. I decided to bite the bullet and publish. They say we are our own worse critics and I think that's really true for me but it does feel good to start. Good luck with your art. Maybe I can post some before and after pages to show the improvement or something just for fun. Thanks for the encouragement.

[Rhombik]

I totally know what you mean about the backgrounds. At first, I didn't use them because I was still getting used to drawing the comics themselves and it was taking forever. I got some good feedback from friends but I wasn't really happy with them until I went back through and added detail.

Personally, I don't need the art to be extremely professional. I just need the art to be consistent, clear, expressive and to feel as though it looks the way it does because the artist decided to make it look that way. I hope that makes sense.

[shaylafarley5]

I was same way for a looong time, my first attempt was ink blazers but they day I was going to join is was shutting down. Then Taps came along so I started posting here and on webtoons.
When I look back at my early pages I do laugh and cringe because the first chapter was done when I just started to use photoshop.
I'm still self conscious about my work but when I go back through them I see how far I have come since then and my readers like it too. It's never to late to start but don't hold off on showing your work. Show it soon and it will help your skills grow.

[tuesdayisms]

I sure would!
Although aesthetics can be important in a visual medium, the story and characters can usually make up for the art. I'd rather read something with substance but lacking a good art style than reading something pretty that I can't relate to. Everyone starts somewhere!

[orchidesyl]

Of course~ But it'd have to be really interesting.

ONE, the creator of OPM and MP100 had bad art, but his stories were amazing.
Let that be something to inspire you.

[ella_mini]

I draw like a 5yo and people (in real life at least) doesn't seem to mind it
Keep going! One step at a time.

[NeonKnight]

Well sadly most of people are superficial , so they will judge as "good" something that is appealing to their eyes, however personaly i cant read something without a good story and direction, its like dating a beautifull person with no brain at all, at some point you will realize how stupid he or she is...

[DiegoPalacios]

it depends of what kind of comic it is making. For example, an intense action drama won`t be taken seriously if it is drawn with stick figures, but it may work for a humorous work.