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Kibbles

OffworlderOffworlder Registered User regular
edited January 2007 in Artist's Corner
Hi there. A friend and I have recently started a little webcomic. We’re keeping it a low-key affair until we’ve built up some content (but if you don’t mind the minor plug, http://truckbearingkibble.com/).

I do all the art on the thing and I could really use some reactions to it that aren’t from friends and S.O.’s. I come to you because I’ve lurked this forum quite a bit in the past because there’s always good art and good crit floating around.

So that’s enough blabber. Here are all the strips as of Jan.19:

I, Platypus
12-29-06.jpg

Bubbles the Clown
01-05-07.jpg

Asockolypse Now
01-12-07.jpg

Innards, Interrupted
01-19-07.jpg

Gamertag - Offworlder
Offworlder on

Posts

  • NucshNucsh Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    The art style reminds me quite a bit of PBF - but I had a good laugh at all of them. :^:

    Nucsh on
    [SIGPIC]GIANT ENEMY BEAR[/SIGPIC]
  • The_RatThe_Rat Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited January 2007
    I felt some PBF vibes, too, but my roommate and I both laughed at the Platypus joke. Sock puppets were fun too. Art is pro-cool.

    The_Rat on
  • SpilltoySpilltoy Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    I wish the eyes of all the innards were different in the last panel of the last one; it really jumps out to me that it's the same as the 3rd. I enjoy this art style tremendously, and the first one was VERY amusing.

    Spilltoy on
    I really don't.
  • XALXAL Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Awesome stuff!

    Looks like PBF has a competitor.

    XAL on
  • SkyGheNeSkyGheNe Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Holy shit more now.

    SkyGheNe on
  • Stupid Mr Whoopsie NameStupid Mr Whoopsie Name Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited January 2007
    I would encourage you to get a better font because the Times New Roman stuff stands out way too much, in a bad bad way.

    The art is enjoyable, but I'm not sure I'm digging the riding-on-the-coattails of PBF thing you've got going.

    Some of them work, but mostly it feels like you are shooting for his humor instead of your own, and so it comes off feeling flat and unoriginal.

    It's like for Christmas you really wanted Megatron and your dear, loving Grandmother buys you lots and lots of GoBots and you can't complain cos you love Grandma and she means well but goddammit this isn't Megatron but smile cos Grandma is watching!

    Stupid Mr Whoopsie Name on
  • OffworlderOffworlder Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Much thanks for the comments, everybody. It’s really great to get feedback, both positive and negative. I’ll try to be a more active participant on these forums in the future.

    Spilltoy: Yeah, I wasn’t sure if that was a good decision. I wanted it to be as though they were all frozen in horror over the heart dying.

    Mr Elliotto: Go-bots. Yikes. Yeah, those sucked. I do not want to be a go-bot. I see where you’re coming from. I’m not willfully trying to rip PBF off, however, despite how it may appear. My sense of humor also heavily influenced by the Far Side, R. Crumb, Penny Arcade(of course), Monty Python, Robot Chicken, Kids in the Hall, etc...

    I’m hoping that over time my own artistic eccentricities will set it apart, I guess. I’m not sure what else to do. I don’t think I can actively twist my sense of humor in other directions and still be funny (not to mention motivated).

    By the way, the font I’ve been using is Georgia, not Times New Roman… I like Georgia well enough… easy to read but slightly fancy. I might be nuts. Maybe I should switch to Comic Sans. I hear all the kids are using it.

    Offworlder on
    Gamertag - Offworlder
  • Stupid Mr Whoopsie NameStupid Mr Whoopsie Name Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited January 2007
    You would be better off lettering by hand considering how your comics are set up, but if you must use a font check out www.blambot.com for some outstanding comic fonts.

    Stupid Mr Whoopsie Name on
  • SkyGheNeSkyGheNe Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Personally, I consider your art more colorful and detailed than PBF. But that's coming from someone who knows nothing about art. To me, it looks different. The humor is similar, but again, that isn't a bad thing as these aren't carbon copy rips. They are different in their own way (humorous twists at the end that are in the vein of PBF, but it's not like he was the first one to do it).

    SkyGheNe on
  • Mr. InkswitchMr. Inkswitch Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    It's not about who did it first, but rather who does it best. Unless copyright lawyers are involved.

    Mr. Inkswitch on
    wwtd2ay4.jpg
  • Lucky CynicLucky Cynic Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    The intestines sort of remind me of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Very nice stuff though. Platypus looks kinda, odd in the third panel to me though. Prolly just me.

    Lucky Cynic on
  • ElEl Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    I like these a lot. :) Digging the art and three out of the four strips made me laugh, which isn't that common when I read comics, (Calvin and Hobbes of course excepted. ^______^) I'd second the remark on the font - Georgia or otherwise, it clashes with the theme and style of the rest of the work. Oh and noooooo, not Comic Sans! ;) I've always favoured Letteromatic, which looks pretty good once smoothed over by Photoshop. But as previously mentioned, blambot is a great resource for other fonts in that trend.

    Looking forward to seeing more. :mrgreen:

    El on
    link4.jpg bannertwo.jpg
  • OffworlderOffworlder Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    I considered more comicish fonts initially, but there's often something about them that rubs me wrong... It is as though the fonts themselves are trying to be funny on their own.

    I guess I was trying to go for a more bookish feel when I went with Georgia. Something you'd find in a novel or a children's storybook. However, if it's distracting people, that's not good.

    I grabbed the Letteromatic font from Blambot and gave it a try... here's how it looks:

    platypus3fc.jpg

    I don't hate it, but I'm going to keep looking. Anyway, thanks for the advice(and damn you guys for giving me something else to be neurotic about!).

    Offworlder on
    Gamertag - Offworlder
  • ElEl Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    I definitely think the letteromatic suits the strip better than the Georgia, though there are plenty of other good fonts out there if that's not quite your thing... :) Maybe something inbetween the two? Not too bookish but not too comic-y either.

    I'll let you know if I spot anything. :)

    El on
    link4.jpg bannertwo.jpg
  • Stupid Mr Whoopsie NameStupid Mr Whoopsie Name Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited January 2007
    I shelled out for Blambot Casual and it was a wise investment.

    Stupid Mr Whoopsie Name on
  • HiredGunHiredGun Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Re: fonts. I think the original strip looks better than the one you just posted, even though it is definitely true that the original font seems a bit off for a second. I guess keep looking for one that works (or letter by hand), but if it comes right down to it, I like the Georgia over the one you used in the edited version.

    The strips definitely look (but more importantly, feel) exactly like PBF strips. That's not necessarily a bad thing, so long as you're aware of it. I actually don't agree with the go-bot thing; if your strips seemed like a cheap knock-off of PBF, that would suck. As it is, I think yours are right up there in terms of quality, especially in the art department.

    Definitely keep doing what you're doing, and keep us updated in this thread :). Best of luck.

    HiredGun on
  • OffworlderOffworlder Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Alrighty. I've trying out Creative Block from the Blambot site, and I'm starting to feel pretty good about it. Here's what it looks like, along with a new comic:

    Tree Squad
    treesqd4fc.jpg

    Offworlder on
    Gamertag - Offworlder
  • NightDragonNightDragon 6th Grade Username Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Font is much better, but I'm not sure I like the font-slanting thing you've got going in the 1st and 2nd panels.

    NightDragon on
  • ProspicienceProspicience The Raven King DenvemoloradoRegistered User regular
    edited January 2007
    oh man I love the platypus one... full of pure awesome.

    Prospicience on
  • Lucky CynicLucky Cynic Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    The bloody footprints are a nice touch. I got a chuckle out of that one.

    Lucky Cynic on
  • TalonrazorTalonrazor Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Holy shit.

    Holy shit.

    Love every single one of these. I like the artwork better then Perry Bibble Fellowship. I laughed at every strip.

    Look, you better do fucking more.

    Your site is bookmared and shall be frequented.

    Talonrazor on
    sig4.jpg
  • Sticky MouseSticky Mouse Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Just make sure to update more than PBF

    Sticky Mouse on
    servsigyq1.jpg
  • NightDragonNightDragon 6th Grade Username Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    I agree with Hired Gun, but I'm still getting a lingering feeling that you're trying to go for the same feel/humor as PBF, seeing as how they're so obviously similar. That being said, though, I think that once "your own artistic eccentricities" come into play, I'll have somewhat of a different attitude about it. I mean, I like them - I really like them, there's just a part of me that's saying "this doesn't feel entirely original", and it's bugging me. I'm not saying that this isn't original, or that it's a cookie-cutter replica of PBF...it's just that with the humor and the art so similar, I think it sets off some kind of weird alarm in my head. Maybe subconciously I just can't believe that these aren't actual PBF strips, just because they're so well done, and so similar. Once you have something that sets it apart from PBF, I think it'll be a hell of a lot better, because it will have your own artistic/creative/whathaveyou element to it. I just can't shake the "why is this guy imitating PBF" feeling, even though I know it's your art, and your humor that you're doing here.

    To end this post, I'll just say this:
    Just make sure to update more than PBF

    ...seriously.





    All in all, the strips good, really good, and I think you should continue them.

    NightDragon on
  • OffworlderOffworlder Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    StickyMouse: Funny you should say that. Right now I'm updating weekly(just like PBF), because I know I can keep it up without missing a beat... However, in the not too distant future, once my co-writer and I get our flow on, I think I'll be able to step up to two a week. That's the plan, anyway.

    NightDragon: I see what you guys are saying in regard to PBF. I'm very aware of it myself, but it's probably good medicine to hear you guys repeat it.

    I actually think my art style differs substantially from PBF's. If he and I were illustrators in another medium, I don't know that the comparison would be so easily drawn. However, since we're both very detail oriented artists, and we're both doing silly cute-raping comics, the similarity is inevitable. At any rate, I personally think PBF's stuff is about 50x more subtle and clever than our stuff, so it's quite an honor to be compared at this early stage.

    Offworlder on
    Gamertag - Offworlder
  • Sticky MouseSticky Mouse Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    I don't think PBF has updated in at least a month

    Sticky Mouse on
    servsigyq1.jpg
  • paulwindpaulwind Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    It was updated a week or so ago, Eggnancy... but I agree, it's not updated NEARLY often enough. Also, the funny has had a STEEP decline.

    paulwind on
  • GodfatherGodfather Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    I honestly think imitating PBF (intentional or not) is really a problem so much as the humor is intact. I mean, Applegeeks started by being a knock-off of Machall, and it eventually evolved into itself.

    The OP doesn't need to worry about anything at this point.

    Godfather on
  • AgentflitAgentflit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    PBF hasn't updated because the author is working on his book.

    http://www.pbfcomics.com/news.php

    Also, the comic featured in this thread is supercool and I sure hope you make more. I FROTH.

    Agentflit on
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