deviant ART

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What style works for you?

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~Prinnyking3:iconPrinnyking3: Mar 20, 2008, 9:50:37 AM
I'm working on a comic right now, and it's hard for me to make so many pictures without making them look like crap. I'm doing alright right now, I dare say, but I still need a lot of improving. What works and what doesn't for you?

I'm thinking (as of tuesday) that maybe I shouldn't lift my pen so often and work with prolonged stokes (you know, the details look tighter and better connected), but this doesn't seem like a great long-lasting solution.

Also, color suggestions (however brief) would also be appreciated.

I'll be posting a couple of my comic pages (complete and incomplete on my profile) for reference.

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*Vineris:iconVineris: Mar 26, 2008, 2:08:58 PM
Practice is really the only solution. How do you not make stuff look like crap? Understanding perspective & composition, having confidence in your skills (<- not lifting your pen -- you make 5 lines where one will do when you're afraid that the one line will not be right; it's like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping some of the noodles stick), knowing what you can leave out and what you MUST put in... all that helps you get faster while having your art look better.

Knowing some cinematography and knowing what you want to get out of each panel and how to make that shot also helps. Study good comics and movies. A comic is basically the important frames of a movie removed and put in sequence -- so study how good directors do things.

You seem to have a decent eye for colour. Make sure you're putting the most contrast where you want your reader to look. If you have a grey figure on a blue background and put a fat red flower in the middle, guess where the viewer's eye is going to go? Take advantage of this sort of thing.

Anyway. Hope that helps!

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Gothbunnies - [link] - a webcomic about rabbits and magic.
~Prinnyking3:iconPrinnyking3: Mar 26, 2008, 2:50:51 PM
Yeah, totally. Some of this I already know about, but this definitely helps to put things into perspective, so thanks! I was starting to think no one would respond.

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Life is a celebration -- and you're not invited.
*Vineris:iconVineris: Mar 26, 2008, 3:09:54 PM
It seems to be a quiet forum. :)

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Gothbunnies - [link] - a webcomic about rabbits and magic.
~this-end-up:iconthis-end-up: Apr 7, 2008, 10:02:54 PM
Try doing a few practice pages. Maybe a few three and four page stories using various styles and techniques. Find out what's good for you. What's comfortable. Find your strong points and work on your weaknesses.

During any comic there is always going to be a little evolution in the art as the artist becomes stronger. However, too much evolution due to the artist figuring things out can lead to a badly unbalanced book. You'll find yourself wanting to go back and redo earlier pages because they don't match up with what you are doing currently.
~Prinnyking3:iconPrinnyking3: Apr 8, 2008, 2:24:47 PM
Totally know what you mean. The thing I'm working on right now is 40 some pages, and I've colored in about 25. For this particular project, I've given up all and any concept of consistency long ago, lol.

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Life is a celebration -- and you're not invited.
~Kemmeru:iconKemmeru: Apr 17, 2008, 11:21:40 AM
What style works for me? Anything that looks stylish and gets the job done. It doesn't have to be realistic or one generic style, the drawings are just a way to tell a story. Try looking at books by Scott McCloud, he gives some very good tips for comics. Or see if you can borrow a copy from someone, so you don't have to pay. ;)

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~Prinnyking3:iconPrinnyking3: Apr 20, 2008, 11:47:11 AM
Holy crap, that's so weird; I had to read that for a class last year!

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Life is a celebration -- and you're not invited.
~Kemmeru:iconKemmeru: Apr 21, 2008, 7:44:46 AM
I just bought the books on my own. :nerd:

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~luciferlive:iconluciferlive: 5 days 18 hours ago
remember to pace yourself. about three pages a day is about all im good for. pushing past that i need to take longer breaks between pages to wring out the kinks and gain perspective. also keep a morgue of drawings of your characters youve already drawn to reference. then use those shots to keep a consistant look to the characters.

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"i am not a number! i am a free man!..." the prisoner