I have a webcomic, and it currently has 54 pages. I'm thinking about publishing it, but before I do, I want to go back and perhaps edit many of the pages. Try to make improvements. I'm starting by adding a three page prologue. Since these go before the comic starts, it is not necessary at all for anyone to go to my website and read my comic in order to give me feedback. Here are the pages I am currently working on for the prologue:
I'm going to color these pages tomorrow. I would really appreciate any kind of feedback on improving my comic. Particularly the layout and the flow of it. I know people who can give me feedback on art (though I welcome more from here, can't get better without criticism, right?), and I know people who can give me feedback on writing, but I strangely don't really know people who read comics.
After I finish these prologue pages, I'm going to start going over my comic from the beginning. Probably post those early pages here as I go through them and work on them.
Update 6/7/12:
Here are the prologue pages in color:
Read my fairy tale webcomic, The Fox & The Firebird, at:
http://www.fairytaletwisted.com
Posts
About panel distribution.... no idea how it could be changed, all the panels seem to have more or less similar importance, with the exception of the first and last panels, that in my opinion should have been treated diferently, maybe with more detail, specially the last, with a wider shot, IF he is going to be the son who is actually taking the lead role in the story.
I usually don't repeat backgrounds, but the prologue is a bit repetitive, so I felt the art should reflect that rather than attempt to hide it. Many fairy tales have a pattern of having the same thing happen three times with a slight alteration. I suppose if it was greatly uninteresting that way I could change the angle a bit with the father ordering his sons to leave. Do you think I should?
I kind of liked how each page ended with each son leaving the castle behind though. I don't know that it would work better to mix up the angle when each son is doing the exact same thing. It's like if you're doing a three part gag in a comic with three different people doing mostly the exact same thing, you are going to probably use the same background angles.
I like that idea! That's rather clever, and does help mix it up.
The third son is the one who is taking the lead in the story. If you think it should be a wider shot, does that mean you think I should make him even smaller and zoom out more?
Read my fairy tale webcomic, The Fox & The Firebird, at: http://www.fairytaletwisted.com
Edit: Btw, this would only work if he has distinguishable features (specific colours of clothes, hair, etc.) that would help recognice the character in a zoomed out view.
Good work. I look forward to seeing this progress.
I try to make the lines showing small details, like hands and facial features smaller. Other than that I mostly try to keep all the lines the same size. I use illustrator to create the lines, and the brush that is applied to them tends to make shorter lines look thicker unless I lower the stroke.
I assume you're talking about the king's hairline. I can make those lines thinner.
Thanks. Hey, you know what? I've read your webcomic. You advertised on my site at one point with project wonderful. Your art is pretty amazing! I really like your style and how you make every page different. You have so many interesting textures and background elements that you add to each page, making them each a unique piece of art. It's hard to do something like that without causing your art to be cluttered and distracting from the story.
I had an idea for a fantasy western comic at one point, but you never have time to work on every idea you have. I appreciate you taking the time to critique my stuff.
Read my fairy tale webcomic, The Fox & The Firebird, at: http://www.fairytaletwisted.com
Read my fairy tale webcomic, The Fox & The Firebird, at: http://www.fairytaletwisted.com
I would concern yourself with your lighting. It still seems very directionless, which is counterproductive to making volume in your forms. Check out AoB's tips for it: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/2803434#Comment_2803434
I'm not really sure what this means. I don't really see my style as clean and perfect, even though it's vector. There are solid vector shapes, but I don't understand how using shapes to create a sort of shading makes some sort of flaws more obvious.
I kind of like the "flat" feel to my comic. I figured that my way of coloring was a bit stylized and intentionally inaccurate. I've never really found anyone that colors the way I do, but I have seen cartoons and comics do shading without accurately showing light. There are probably some areas where I could indicate lighting/shape better (like in the clothing, particularly, as you said, with complex poses), but there are others where, if I used your method, I just wouldn't like it as much (like with hair or skin).
I simply don't see it as a flaw, and more of a stylistic choice. If my shading makes the shape unclear, then yes, it's a problem. But most of the time, I think it does precisely what I intend it to: enhance the coloring and make it more interesting.
So, that being said, I appreciate you giving me criticism for my lighting/shape defining, and in some cases, I'm interested in making it better. But I don't want to completely change the way I color. So if you have specific areas where you think the way I've shaded has made my shapes unclear, then I am interested in having it pointed out to me.
Read my fairy tale webcomic, The Fox & The Firebird, at: http://www.fairytaletwisted.com
I don't see any reason for someone with your relatively true-to-life style, with very little in the way of caricature, to ignore something as important as accurate lighting. So I have to assume that as is often the case when artists are criticized, you're simply saying that to avoid the reality that you have room for improvement.
If your audience sees it as a flaw, then you still have a problem. And to be honest, I'm not entirely sure that you don't recognize it as a flaw, either. These people know what they're talking about. If I were you, I'd listen. Besides, if you came here for critiques and not of site-whoring, you'd be open to change.
I did not say I wasn't open to criticism. I did partially change what Iruka suggested I change, and would be happy to receive more specific suggestions. I just don't agree with everything Iruka says I should do. I want feedback, and I want to get better. But I need to like my own art.
Read my fairy tale webcomic, The Fox & The Firebird, at: http://www.fairytaletwisted.com
by clean and vector I mean "not painterly". There's no evidence of paint strokes or other mark making. Painterly work lends itself to a certain amount of expressiveness, so you can sort of get away with some more wild effects visually. This is really besides the point though.
To a certain degree, No one can convince you that one thing or another isn't part of your "style". I will simply caution you that through school, and time on the forums, I know that the idea of your own style almost always is a veil that holds a person back rather than propels them forward. Always be ready to try new work, and you'll improve at speeds you didn't know possible. Hold onto tricks that you already know because they feel comfortable and you will slow to a snails pace. I don't know if you are seeking art as a career or if this is more of a side project/hobby, But if you seek overall improvement, be as experimental as possible. You can always to go back to ways you were working before.
Also, you slightly miss interpreted me, I dont think your comic is flat, its in a weird inbetween. You are closer to "cell-shaded" than you are to flat, which is creating an odd visual because usually shading indicates light, and about 40% of your shading is done as if you are trying to convey light. Let me give visual examples. I'm not trying to compare you to these artists, but merely trying to show what I'm talking about.
Flat with very expressive, not really defining light:
Solid shape "cell Shading" with a clear intent to define forms with light:
Flat with no light at all:
Flat with very simple, but clearly defined light with evident direction
The reason that knowing exactly what you are trying to do is important, is to bring a sense of cohesiveness to the work you are presenting. Your work can clearly, intentionally abandon showing light in favor of style, but what you are currently displaying is a confusion. You are placing the shapes in ways that sometimes indicates light and sometimes is just a design choice (like the texture of the hair in the other painting). While for you, it maybe a conscious choice, theres no real indicator that its your intent, and it makes it look visually wrong. If you flattened out all your colors you can deal less with light and focus on things like line weight, flat color, silhouette and pattern to help define shapes. If you want to continue putting light in there, though, I would still recommend studying it.
Styles change over time as artists improve, wouldn't you say? Look at Mike Krahulik of Penny Arcade. Go to the first comic and look at today's. He still has a sense of the way he's been drawing from the start but his confidence and skills have improved immensely! Learning the basics will improve your work, not make it worse.
Ok, will do. Just figured I should post that updated piece of artwork in its thread.
Alright, that makes sense.
Thank you for taking the time to explain your issue so thoroughly. I'm sorry for being argumentative before. I don't mean to be, but I know I can come off that way when I talk about pretty much anything. I really do want to improve, and I can't if I pretend to agree with someone's criticism when I don't. If I do, I won't understand why I need to change.
That being said, I do understand your point better now. You're right. I am mixing styles. The part that did not make sense to me before was that I thought you were saying that I had to accurately show light, or I was doing a poor job. Which did not make sense, because there is plenty of good art that does not do that.
Now that I understand what you are getting at, I'll need to think a bit on how I can address the issue.
That's the thing, I didn't know I was doing it wrong. Just because someone tells me I'm wrong, doesn't mean I'll know or be able to instantly agree. I understand better now though from Iruka's examples.
Read my fairy tale webcomic, The Fox & The Firebird, at: http://www.fairytaletwisted.com
I've just started on the shading. After I finish that, I'll figure out a background.
Read my fairy tale webcomic, The Fox & The Firebird, at: http://www.fairytaletwisted.com
Are you going for directional light in this?
In Tangled, Rapunzel has a big head. Her head is bigger than Flynn's, and his body is a lot bigger than hers.
I am going to attempt to accurately portray a directional light.
Read my fairy tale webcomic, The Fox & The Firebird, at: http://www.fairytaletwisted.com
This might be doable. At least her head isn't smaller than Flynn's.
Read my fairy tale webcomic, The Fox & The Firebird, at: http://www.fairytaletwisted.com