Improvement? Maybe?

[amae]

Haven't done this in a while. Put comic pages, starting from er..2007 (ish?) to now next to each other in a feeble attempt to see if I've improved in the past few years.










So I can definitely say that I've improved since doing Elliot/Variations on a Theme (the first picture), but it kind of gets hard to say if I've stagnated or not past that point, haha. I guess things have stopped looking as Ribon-esque shoujo as they were for the second page, but that's not saying that much. More blacks, which I think is a good thing, and more backgrounds, which is also a good thing (though I admit that I still need to get better at that...especially how to continually include backgrounds without things looking boring). Anatomy has improved slightly, but that also needs a lot of work. Drawing guidelines for characters' bodies has been a good start and I'm definitely continuing that.

I really need to stop...avoiding drawing things that make me anxious (it's a bad habit that applies not only to drawing, but to just things that make me stressed in general). I want to draw a comic that is mainly told through characters' hands as practice, but the thought is honestly so terrifying I've been putting it off, lol. Maybe I should start a bit slower...

Doing Overland has helped with my mindset when doing comics, and it's become a lot less stressful than it was before but I think I'm ready to push myself a bit more. As soon as I finish writing up stuff for Chapter 2, that's exactly what I plan to do. :)

What do you think?

Comments

[lanisatu.livejournal.com]

I think you're improving, but there's always room to grow. I think it can mean trouble if an artist stagnates, so it's a good thing to keep challenging yourself.

You're obviously thinking more about backgrounds now, and they definitely add to your pages. I agree with what someone else said about tones versus solid blacks. I think you need to mix them a little more, because solid black can be a bit too harsh sometimes. The floor in the page above the Overland pages (I'm sorry, I forget the name) could have used overall tone instead of blacks on the edges.

For poses, you rarely seem to take risks. One of the things that I do is sketch how I think I want the pose to look first. If it doesn't look right, then I go looking for reference. Most of the time, I end up using my webcam to make my own reference. I think it's more helpful doing the poses myself because I know how the position feels, so I know if it can actually work for the scene. It also helps with understanding the anatomy.

Life drawing classes will help you with anatomical structure, but the poses will be limited to what the model can hold for an extended period of time. You will find stock/reference photos to generally be more creative when it comes to posing. There are tons of wonderful models on DA who offer stock/reference photos. Start following them and practicing using their photos.

I think you're not considering more unusual poses and angles because you're unsure of how to structure them. Practice is the only thing that will help with that. The more you practice, the more you'll be able to do without reference.

When it comes to structuring your page, I think it's natural to think "Character X is standing like Y;" but you should also be considering angles and distance a little more. Try a few options and see what feels more interesting and still gets communicates the point you want for the panel and page.

As for thumbnailing multiple pages... I used to do that and full pencils. I really hated doing the full, detailed pencils as it felt like extra work. I only say that because I tend to re-size and reposition things a lot before settling on the final layout.

I don't often draw physical thumbnails of a few pages in a row anymore, but I definitely think about what the previous page looked like and how the current page will affect the next (so I guess I'm doing it in my head). I do draw really rough thumbnails of layouts once I've started working on individual panels, to work out sizing and pacing; I find that's a necessary step.

If thumbnailing will help you more, do it. But keep it rough, they're only for your reference.

Sorry, my comment is long again. I hope it helps though :)

[charmwitch.livejournal.com]

Life drawing classes will help you with anatomical structure, but the poses will be limited to what the model can hold for an extended period of time.

Just a thought, that's the point of the class isn't it? You're supposed to be quick and dirty, just work on the basic composition and work fast. Details are not the point of the class, so I think fast sketching and figuring where things go in a short amount of time is actually very helpful. XD

[lanisatu.livejournal.com]

Of course it's helpful! I wasn't trying to say otherwise.

I'm just saying that the poses will be limited, so it's a good idea to experiment with poses from other sources too. Especially when the goal is to challenge oneself and draw more unique poses and experiment with angles.

[charmwitch.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's true. You really can't stick to one thing. As a figure artist especially, you'll have to eventually go outside and just start drawing... everyone that walks by. You need to learn how the weight of someone's body changes their movement, or their behavior. :O

I mean, obviously, in terms of comics it might not be that in detail, but it's still very good practice. A good, structured background in art really shows in a comic!