I've been reading Penny Arcade off and on over the past few years and I never really ventured into these here forums so I figured I'd introduce myself.
My name's Minder and I've been doing an online comic for a little over a year now. It's about these two dudes being assholes to each other. I try and update it 4-5 times a week.
I too dig the art, and the character designs are at least somewhat original compared to what usually gets posted here.
You definitely have a nice style going and the strips are easy on the eyes, which is good. The subject matter on the other hand seems somewhat played out and the strip you posted didn't really grab me enough to make me want to read more.
Have you considered introducing color? I dont really think a photoshop job would be right but a couple splashes of water color maybe
Maybe something like this guy John Cuneo
His subject matter is always pretty sexual though
spoiler is NSFW
Kendeathwalker on
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NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited October 2009
If I were you, I'd try to step away from the penis jokes... they get tiresome after awhile but for every penis joke, there's usually another comic that makes me chuckle so... goodwork.
I also agree with Ken, color would greatly improve the comics- even if you have to slow up to 2 a week, you could refine your writing and make it awesome and colored- so improvements all around.
Thanks for the responses, guys. I started this strip last October just to kind of push myself to draw something everyday and get my skills up a bit, hence the illustrating of really, really stupid jokes. The most interesting thing has been seeing which strips get what reactions out of people. Some that I think are really good get litte to no feedback, while people seem to love others which I didn't necessarily feel so confident about... i.e. the following:
I'm familiar with John Cuneo's work (from Esquire, I think). Real good stuff. I'm not really that good at coloring (which is reason enough to practice it more)... here's the one strip I did in color earlier this year (it was all photoshop color).
Also, for shits and gurgles, here's the one watercolor that I've done that I actually think came out kind of decent (it was for an 80's Nostalgia art show in Philadelphia earlier this year):
Thanks again for the comments, I'll add to this thread if I have any updates or earth-shattering news.
yea your lines have personality to them.. and that photoshop color job is very sterile.
A technique you might want to try until you gain a little more confidence.
do your inks and then scan em/print them out onto art paper and just experiment on the print with watercolor.
If you dont have a printer just ghetto light table(hold the drawing up to a window so you can see through it) the drawing onto another paper and do the water color seperately. Then scan the watercolors in and drop them ontop of the inks in photoshop.
That thundercats painting isnt terrible, you are just being pretty anal and tentative with a medium that lends itself to loose bold decisions.
IF tight clean and rendered is your thing id say get yourself some masking fluid or masking paper so you can confidentely apply things with out worring about edge control outside of that section.
I don't have anything to contribute that hasn't been said already, but I just want to say I really dig your style.
Edit:
This one got a chuckle out of me.
This one really didn't, but I love how your drew the room.
Almost every time you write a poop joke, it ends up falling flat. I'm not sure what it is, but you're pretty consistently funny if you aren't making poop jokes, and I'm someone who can unfortunately get a laugh out of that kind of joke every once in a while.
If you pretty much cut those out completely, I think your comic would be a whole lot more funny. Even if it means doing a few less a week.
I think I like your comic best when you bring up a big idea, accomplishment or an important reflective moment and have these guys downplay the shit out of it.
I like these very much. The pen on paper old school feel is great. Is there more to the two characters' relationship? Are they friends/enemies, do they share a kind of Laurel and Hardy kind of partnership?
Otherwise, the 'sinning' one is quite good!
I like this. You have a new reader. Looks like your older strips were a lot different in tone than these newer ones, but your growth as a comic artist is great. I'm not laughing at all, but it tickles the comic-pleasure centers of my brain enough to warrant reading.
Like I broke down in another thread, 30% of that pleasure is the expressiveness, and 20% is the lead/characters. The punchlines let me down, they aren't always the best, but you have me completely sold on 50%, and partially on the remaining 50%, so...75% awesome is my critique.
srsizzy on
BRO LET ME GET REAL WITH YOU AND SAY THAT MY FINGERS ARE PREPPED AND HOT LIKE THE SURFACE OF THE SUN TO BRING RADICAL BEATS SO SMOOTH THE SHIT WILL BE MEDICINAL-GRADE TRIPNASTY MAKING ALL BRAINWAVES ROLL ON THE SURFACE OF A BALLS-FEISTY NEURAL RAINBOW CRACKA-LACKIN' YOUR PERCEPTION OF THE HERE-NOW SPACE-TIME SITUATION THAT ALL OF LIFE BE JAMMED UP IN THROUGH THE UNIVERSAL FLOW BEATS
oh man, I feel like the people criticizing your strips for the humor weren't looking at the older ones.
this one is good:
there's a lot of other pretty rich punchlines in the archives.
and you just got a laugh out of me with this:
and this
so I take back my punchlines criticism for your old comics. it stands for most of the things on this page though.
srsizzy on
BRO LET ME GET REAL WITH YOU AND SAY THAT MY FINGERS ARE PREPPED AND HOT LIKE THE SURFACE OF THE SUN TO BRING RADICAL BEATS SO SMOOTH THE SHIT WILL BE MEDICINAL-GRADE TRIPNASTY MAKING ALL BRAINWAVES ROLL ON THE SURFACE OF A BALLS-FEISTY NEURAL RAINBOW CRACKA-LACKIN' YOUR PERCEPTION OF THE HERE-NOW SPACE-TIME SITUATION THAT ALL OF LIFE BE JAMMED UP IN THROUGH THE UNIVERSAL FLOW BEATS
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This one gave me a chuckle though.
You definitely have a nice style going and the strips are easy on the eyes, which is good. The subject matter on the other hand seems somewhat played out and the strip you posted didn't really grab me enough to make me want to read more.
The one stang posted was better though.
INSTAGRAM
I found this one rather amusing.
Have you considered introducing color? I dont really think a photoshop job would be right but a couple splashes of water color maybe
Maybe something like this guy John Cuneo
His subject matter is always pretty sexual though
spoiler is NSFW
I also agree with Ken, color would greatly improve the comics- even if you have to slow up to 2 a week, you could refine your writing and make it awesome and colored- so improvements all around.
I'm familiar with John Cuneo's work (from Esquire, I think). Real good stuff. I'm not really that good at coloring (which is reason enough to practice it more)... here's the one strip I did in color earlier this year (it was all photoshop color).
Also, for shits and gurgles, here's the one watercolor that I've done that I actually think came out kind of decent (it was for an 80's Nostalgia art show in Philadelphia earlier this year):
Thanks again for the comments, I'll add to this thread if I have any updates or earth-shattering news.
-minder.
A technique you might want to try until you gain a little more confidence.
do your inks and then scan em/print them out onto art paper and just experiment on the print with watercolor.
If you dont have a printer just ghetto light table(hold the drawing up to a window so you can see through it) the drawing onto another paper and do the water color seperately. Then scan the watercolors in and drop them ontop of the inks in photoshop.
That thundercats painting isnt terrible, you are just being pretty anal and tentative with a medium that lends itself to loose bold decisions.
IF tight clean and rendered is your thing id say get yourself some masking fluid or masking paper so you can confidentely apply things with out worring about edge control outside of that section.
That's really good advice and makes me want to experiment with watercolors. Thanks for the input.
Nah, it'd just be same old 'ho this, ho that' bullshit.
Edit:
This one got a chuckle out of me.
This one really didn't, but I love how your drew the room.
Almost every time you write a poop joke, it ends up falling flat. I'm not sure what it is, but you're pretty consistently funny if you aren't making poop jokes, and I'm someone who can unfortunately get a laugh out of that kind of joke every once in a while.
If you pretty much cut those out completely, I think your comic would be a whole lot more funny. Even if it means doing a few less a week.
Otherwise, the 'sinning' one is quite good!
AM
Like I broke down in another thread, 30% of that pleasure is the expressiveness, and 20% is the lead/characters. The punchlines let me down, they aren't always the best, but you have me completely sold on 50%, and partially on the remaining 50%, so...75% awesome is my critique.
this one is good:
there's a lot of other pretty rich punchlines in the archives.
and you just got a laugh out of me with this:
and this
so I take back my punchlines criticism for your old comics. it stands for most of the things on this page though.