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A simple strip

nanthilnanthil Registered User regular
edited June 2010 in Artist's Corner
armyguy.png

prolly took 10-15 mins.
I did this to see what I should use for comic style work, and I ran across some problems. Firstly, what do you recommend for speech bubbles , and secondly what do you recommend for paneling?

nanthil on

Posts

  • NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    A different font would do you wonders. As it is, the font looks very in-organic and doesn't compare well to the rest of the art.

    Nappuccino on
    Like to write? Want to get e-published? Give us a look-see at http://wednesdaynightwrites.com/
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.

    Angel_of_Bacon wrote: »
    Not even BEAR vaginas can defeat me!
    cakemikz wrote: »
    And then I rub actual cake on myself.
    Loomdun wrote: »
    thats why you have chest helmets
  • nanthilnanthil Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    yeah pretty much everything other than the characters look out of place. Font, background, speech bubbles, perspective and not to mention the bland setting. Also napp "I am the bat."

    nanthil on
  • NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Also... try not to completely copy and past panels. having the same pose is a bit lazy but having the same expressions in two panels really looks bad. Plus most jokes involve some kind of character exchange and reactions seal the joke (it can make a joke funny or disgusting or disturbing etc but because it adds so much to a joke its incredibly important.

    If you haven't, check out cyanid and happiness for their expressions. Everything is simple, but the expressions often make the joke funny, not the other way around.

    Nappuccino on
    Like to write? Want to get e-published? Give us a look-see at http://wednesdaynightwrites.com/
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.

    Angel_of_Bacon wrote: »
    Not even BEAR vaginas can defeat me!
    cakemikz wrote: »
    And then I rub actual cake on myself.
    Loomdun wrote: »
    thats why you have chest helmets
  • nanthilnanthil Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    yeah i really wasn't going for anything in depth i was just messing with a new program and seeing what i could do with it as far as paneling. Apparently not much so I just slapped the rest and called it good, i was really just looking for input for what to use for what I said in the first post.

    nanthil on
  • NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Ah, well... to more directly address your questions.

    I'd say that the panels are about the right size but the gutter between them is much too thick. It doesn't have to just be a black bar.

    To cite a classic comic: calvin_hobbes1.jpg

    Notice that each panel is framed by a thin black line and that the spacing betweens the panels form the gutter, this both seperates and frames each panel simply and in a way that causes no distraction or impairment from going to the next panel (if the gutter is too thick it or just one dark line, it can seem like a "barrier" to the next panel and the readers eye won't flow as quickly from one to the next.

    It's a subtle thing but an important thing.

    Your speech bubbles seem about right actually... however the bit of the bubble that points the reader to the speaker seems like it should match the thickness of the rest of the bubble. You could try hand drawing everything to keep it more inline with the handrawn look of the rest of your comic.

    Nappuccino on
    Like to write? Want to get e-published? Give us a look-see at http://wednesdaynightwrites.com/
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.

    Angel_of_Bacon wrote: »
    Not even BEAR vaginas can defeat me!
    cakemikz wrote: »
    And then I rub actual cake on myself.
    Loomdun wrote: »
    thats why you have chest helmets
  • nanthilnanthil Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Nappuccino wrote: »
    You could try hand drawing everything to keep it more inline with the handrawn look of the rest of your comic.

    A preface:

    I absolutely LOVE Bill Waterson and respect his work. (I own every book published for Calvin and Hobbes, huge fan.)

    More directly, I WOULD LOVE to hand draw everything, the issue that I have is the lack of a scanner, so I suppose that is an apt solution that I hadn't thought of due to my lack of equipment. I'll try drawing out my original concept on paper and see if it comes out any better.

    nanthil on
  • NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Do you have a tablet? How exactly did you draw the people otherwise.... with a mouse?


    I mean... you don't nessicarily have to draw on paper to fix the problem (but one of the other fairly regular comic poster's here hand draws everything and it adds a really nice quality to his work)

    http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=114402

    I just mean... the rest of it feels very natural and hand made- if you find a font and bubble style (or make your own) that will help make everything cohesive. And if you can't do that do to equipment limitations, try to find some bubbles that don't have a weird thinning effect with the "pointer"- more or less, you'll want the whole bubble to have an equal thickness of line unless your're changing it for an effect of some kind.

    Nappuccino on
    Like to write? Want to get e-published? Give us a look-see at http://wednesdaynightwrites.com/
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.

    Angel_of_Bacon wrote: »
    Not even BEAR vaginas can defeat me!
    cakemikz wrote: »
    And then I rub actual cake on myself.
    Loomdun wrote: »
    thats why you have chest helmets
  • nanthilnanthil Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    rgr i drew them on tablet, what i meant by hand draw was on paper because straight edges and compasses aren't necessarily appropriate for drawing on a tablet.

    In other words, i did try hand drawing the bubbles and text on the tablet and it looked like shit.

    nanthil on
  • NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    This is where my help becomes limited because i'm not all that experienced with the various programs and what strenghts are found where...

    I want to say that most programs should have a "straight edge" like tool though, where it will only draw vertical and horizontal lines.


    Also, bumping your pixel count way high will make it easier for you to make good bubbles and letters.

    Nappuccino on
    Like to write? Want to get e-published? Give us a look-see at http://wednesdaynightwrites.com/
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.

    Angel_of_Bacon wrote: »
    Not even BEAR vaginas can defeat me!
    cakemikz wrote: »
    And then I rub actual cake on myself.
    Loomdun wrote: »
    thats why you have chest helmets
  • nanthilnanthil Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    i will try that last part. I'm using sketch book pro for the whole thing and since it didn't have a shape making tool i just ported it over to paint... X( fail.

    nanthil on
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