Improvement? Maybe?

[maiteoida]

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.

Comments

[charmwitch]

Wow, that's really weird, I had to disable Adblock in order to see the images! I don't have Photobucket disabled or anything. Odd

[maiteoida]

No, please! TL;DR more, I do love it so :D

[charmwitch]

Oh! We use posemaniacs all the time in one of my classes because live models are so expensive for two classes. Is there a community college nearby or not? I'm taking them at a local college because... I really want to see if I want to go into art or not you know? I think it's a great site to use to help, though. The real issue here is that YOU want to learn and take the initiative to improve. That's really the biggest obstacle

[maiteoida]

Oh, I've always thumbnailed (I used to do the "first draft is my final draft!" think, but that really ended badly so now i tend to edit my drafts a lot, though it's usually for layout) but I've never really put thumbnails next to each other, if that makes sense. So rather than looking at the entire chapter as a whole unit, I do it piece by piece which is okay but doesn't give me a good idea about pacing. :/ Which is dumb, because that's what comics are all about lol. You'd think I would have noticed something so simple sooner, but there you go

[pinkchan]

I actually prefer some of your older pages better. You use blacks more, but haven't actually balanced the blacks- whereas before I felt like you had a better handle on balance when you used more tones. Lately everyone's been trying to completely stop using tones, like it's always better to use less tones or something...it's good to learn how to do more with inks, but when you don't balance that with an eye towards whether it helps the page as a whole, it negates the positives

[maiteoida]

Haha, I kind of like the move from the amount of tones I used to before, if only because I think it fits Overland more but I agree that I need to improve the way that I use blacks (it's a bit addicting in itself, so it's just as easy to get carried away with that as it is with tones, I guess?).

I never really thought about going back to old pages and trying to redraw more correctly...that sounds like a really good idea. I think I'm going to invest in a mirror very soon, because my current room doesn't have one where I draw so it makes it kind of difficult to reference my own body when I'm drawing like I do at home.

And while I know that no one really has to see me mess up at drawing certain things, when it comes to stuff like Overland where I do post the pages up, the anxiety tends to increase. But I think...in my case, it might be good to allow myself to mess up a bit in public so I can just get over that barrier and accept it as a necessary evil when trying to improve. It's going to be hard, though. Really hard. :/

[charmwitch]

Just know, if you get anxious now, you're going to need to expose yourself especially when you become more of a published artist. You're exposed to everyone, you have to be confident and have your basic structures down for when that time comes. It is better to feel anxious but override it now than later.

It's part of the professional world. You can do it.

[pinkchan]

The problem was less the tones and more the reliance on tones to fill in for details and textures that should've been done in ink. So now it's like, you're trying to do the details in ink, but no longer remembering that the tones are there as a tool you can use when appropriate? Sometimes you put blacks for the sake of using more blacks when it would've been more appropriate to use subtler textures. (Like tones or more subtle inkwork than solid washes

[lanisatu]

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

[charmwitch]

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]

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]

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!

[cetriya]

I think every has gone through a thing like this but I found that once it 'clicks' you cant help but whant to keep doing it!
There was a time I hated inking my stuff and would avoid at all possible but not I'm madly in love with it. Same with backgrounds, I'm findhing how its starting to click and have been really intrested in making them.

now if only mecha designs would get to me....

I've also found that taking on small comic commissions forces you to do things you thought you'd never do. for me its animals. Though now I need to work on vehicals and weapons, we'll see

[saintsavin]

You draw the most amazing eyes. They're so bright and expressive ^^.

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...

That sounds AWESOME. Let me get out my encouraging stick! ...wait.