So it seems I can only really pull off cheesey B grade animu art, which is a shame because visual arts is the only thing I seem to be close to good at in life. Although I've by no means exhausted my potential in the area of impressing thirteen year old fangirls (I'm yet to explore the realm of shotacon, which is exactly why I want to move on to greener artistic pastures), I feel like I've had enough of this sort of art; the problem being that this is really all I know, and I can either go with it or leave it behind.
Where do I go from here? How do I start with new things?
Well, here's a few pickings from my collection of scribblings:
I also make stickers, if anyone is interested in a trade:
As it stands right now i kinda like what you have going on, and i HATE anime. I do appreciate that you want to change what you are doing with your art. My advice would be to go back to basics and do some life studies. Draw a lot and draw often.
if your problem is you are growing tired of the style. I think the best thing would be to experiment with different techniques. Maybe try incoorporating realistic styles, move away completely from anime, but using the same kind of concepts. And then whatever you learn from that, try bringing it back into your work. If anime stlye is what you are naturally good at, try to roll with it. I think people seem to generalise anime to much. resulting in people assuming anime is shit. But there are some very tallented anime artists who have managed to make their work totally awesome, and stand out. Do what you enjo, and try and improve each day. And keep posting!
I am looking the fuck out of this thread. You are far too talented. I love your clean use of colour, I have a habit of throwing to really unflattering colours around.
What I've never understood is how people get styles, surely you just switch up styles whenever you need to?...anyway, I like the new style, but the whole no pupil thing can't last, the eye is as emotive as as the lips at times, it's pointless having them so large if they show no meaning. Assuming thats part of this style and not just this piece. Styles confuse me.
Oh I don't think I'll use that style of eye very often, I just felt it'd work well with this piece.
In any case though, endless_serpents, you've managed to flatter me. I'd offer a handshake or even a night of mutual spooning but alas, the internet has not progressed this far as of yet.
Also, bored @ 3am=
Fully functional samsung crt. Now in pink, courtesy of yours truly.
Man, Nice things are going on here. the stickers are really nice. Everything is clean and confident, exploring more eye types should help you really find comfort there. I dont really have much to say that hasn't already been said, I just hope you stick around and keep posting.
So you said pleasing fangirls, which leads me to think that at least some of these are renditions of other people's characters. Are any of them your original creation? If so then props, if not then maybe just building up some ideas for your own would give you the... creative fulfillment you are lacking. The drawing is solid as it is though. I guess try drawing something in a more classic style and let us take a look? That is if I understand you correctly and you are saying all you can draw is in this particular style. Like grab a decent pic of a model and draw that? /shrug.
These don't scream generic animu to me. There's already your own style seeping through. Certainly they're inflenced by anime, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing.
The most gear shifting you can do is exploring different facial styles. The face is really what sets the tone for the rest of the character. If it doesn't have an anime face, its not really identified as an anime styled character.
So if you're looking to develop something different, I'd start with your faces. Eyes, noses, mouths. Look around and see what other people are doing and start doing the same things. Take a nostril from this artist, an eyelid from that artist, a pupil from this guy, lips from that girl, etc etc. Thats how styles are formed, by cannibalizing little bits and pieces of other artists styles.
But regardless, I like what youve got going here. Nice crisp lineart and good exadurations.
So you said pleasing fangirls, which leads me to think that at least some of these are renditions of other people's characters. Are any of them your original creation?
Yes these are all my own creations, 100%. That is except for the comic cover piece, as that is a parody of a Lichtenstein work, but the characters are still my own. About 3 of my stickers are also a tribute to a television show., but yeah other than that it's all mine 8D.
Also, I like what you said about drawing a model and started doing some sketches. I already feel like I'm confidently going somewhere.
The most gear shifting you can do is exploring different facial styles. The face is really what sets the tone for the rest of the character. If it doesn't have an anime face, its not really identified as an anime styled character.
This is probably the most useful thing I've read in a long while. I know I probably should have worked it out by myself already, but now that you've mentioned it it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the advice, I know where to start now.
I used photoshop for everything I've posted in this thread (Except the non-digital material of course). I use cs2, even though cs4 runs well on my new box, simply because everything runs a little faster and it makes for a more comfortable experience when I need to spend hours on a particular piece.
However I've been doing a lot of experimenting in corel painter X and I can see myself replacing photoshop in favor of painter in the near future.
For colouring, just about any program in the vein of photoshop will have the same basic elements to allow you to colour pictures like I have mine, all you need is layers.
I'm trying to get a heap of strips together to start a webcomic.
Attempt #1:
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Vargas PrimeKing of NothingJust a ShowRegistered Userregular
edited January 2009
I dig the joke, but it probably could be executed in a couple less panels. The first panel is probably the most superfluous. Showing yourself sitting at a computer could be established in the same panel that your friend is asking you to go get laid. And if you absolutely must keep the first panel, the Pacman shaped eyes seem out of place, since none of the other panels show them like that.
You might want to try putting normal-ish hairstyles on your characters if you're trying to get away from the anime thing. In the side-view panels, the "implied line" of your character's mouth is a little distracting. Implied line as a tool is useful, but in cartooning like you're attempting here, it's a little out of place.
Your hair doesn't make any sense...i mean...what is even going on with it?
Did you pick a fight with a lawnmower?
Anyway...on to something constructive!
It's funny, but i agree about the first panel, i think you could get rid of it and you wouldn't lose anything. I'm glad you're not doing the classic anime profile, but i think you're squishing the features towards the bottom of his face a little too much.
yeah, you're pacing would be more effective if it wer just panels 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.
That way you have: the setup, the door shutting, the smiling, the nodding off, and then punchline.
Also, avoid self-referential webcomics like the fucking plague. If someone's comic catches my interest, I check their archive and start from the beginning. 99% of the time if there is a *look at me, i make a webcomic* I stop reading immediately.
You could have something more entertaining... "I've got to... finish this paper/essay, fill on these TPS reports, construct this program." something relevant to the guy's background/job which for NO REASON should be webcomic-creator.
Cheers a lot for the feedback, particularly on the comic strip. evidently it was more a boredom killer than anything else, but I took all the criticisms into account and sketched out a revised version as well as some other strips that actually worked a lot better with those points in mind.
I've always wanted to run a webcomic, but I don't think I've got quite the style for it. In any case, I made another strip purely for fun:
why do you keep that dotted background on some panels? Is it your graphics software's representation of transparency? Also, where's your revised comic?
Thanks so much for the tips guys, i already feel like I have a better idea of what I'm doing. I took into account the comments on pacing and about the speech bubbles etc. obviously the biggest problem here is I didn't take into account readability of text post resizing. Anyhow, here's my latest, based on my less-than-genius friend's reaction to my last strip:
Posts
Sorry about that. I instinctively used html tags instead of bbcode and had to go back and convert everything.
It all be sweet now.
As it stands right now i kinda like what you have going on, and i HATE anime. I do appreciate that you want to change what you are doing with your art. My advice would be to go back to basics and do some life studies. Draw a lot and draw often.
Be sure to stick around, you're cool!
Life advice you simply can't find in any of today's education systems.
I've been lurking here for a long while now, I just only recently decided to register, I'll definitely be hanging around.
Your stickers are fucking amazing, though.
INSTAGRAM
If you promise to put them to good use, you can have a package full of them in your mailbox in the near future.
INSTAGRAM
This is what I came up with...
Not more than a stones' throw from my old work, but I feel like I've improved and progressed even in this little piece so far.
What I've never understood is how people get styles, surely you just switch up styles whenever you need to?...anyway, I like the new style, but the whole no pupil thing can't last, the eye is as emotive as as the lips at times, it's pointless having them so large if they show no meaning. Assuming thats part of this style and not just this piece. Styles confuse me.
La la.
In any case though, endless_serpents, you've managed to flatter me. I'd offer a handshake or even a night of mutual spooning but alas, the internet has not progressed this far as of yet.
Also, bored @ 3am=
Fully functional samsung crt. Now in pink, courtesy of yours truly.
INSTAGRAM
The most gear shifting you can do is exploring different facial styles. The face is really what sets the tone for the rest of the character. If it doesn't have an anime face, its not really identified as an anime styled character.
So if you're looking to develop something different, I'd start with your faces. Eyes, noses, mouths. Look around and see what other people are doing and start doing the same things. Take a nostril from this artist, an eyelid from that artist, a pupil from this guy, lips from that girl, etc etc. Thats how styles are formed, by cannibalizing little bits and pieces of other artists styles.
But regardless, I like what youve got going here. Nice crisp lineart and good exadurations.
Also, I like what you said about drawing a model and started doing some sketches. I already feel like I'm confidently going somewhere.
This is probably the most useful thing I've read in a long while. I know I probably should have worked it out by myself already, but now that you've mentioned it it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the advice, I know where to start now.
However I've been doing a lot of experimenting in corel painter X and I can see myself replacing photoshop in favor of painter in the near future.
For colouring, just about any program in the vein of photoshop will have the same basic elements to allow you to colour pictures like I have mine, all you need is layers.
Attempt #1:
You might want to try putting normal-ish hairstyles on your characters if you're trying to get away from the anime thing. In the side-view panels, the "implied line" of your character's mouth is a little distracting. Implied line as a tool is useful, but in cartooning like you're attempting here, it's a little out of place.
sketchyblargh / Steam! / Tumblr Prime
Did you pick a fight with a lawnmower?
Anyway...on to something constructive!
It's funny, but i agree about the first panel, i think you could get rid of it and you wouldn't lose anything. I'm glad you're not doing the classic anime profile, but i think you're squishing the features towards the bottom of his face a little too much.
That way you have: the setup, the door shutting, the smiling, the nodding off, and then punchline.
Also, avoid self-referential webcomics like the fucking plague. If someone's comic catches my interest, I check their archive and start from the beginning. 99% of the time if there is a *look at me, i make a webcomic* I stop reading immediately.
You could have something more entertaining... "I've got to... finish this paper/essay, fill on these TPS reports, construct this program." something relevant to the guy's background/job which for NO REASON should be webcomic-creator.
Is it a girl with stubble??
and the spring onion looking girl will come to life brilliantly with some big cute pupils.
Also, the drop shadows on the panels are a little distracting. But overall, nice one.
INSTAGRAM
I've always wanted to run a webcomic, but I don't think I've got quite the style for it. In any case, I made another strip purely for fun:
that hand is super wonky
but I laughed really hard at this.
Will post again when I'm back from work 8D
Not that I didn't like it before, but it is looking better and better!