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[AncientHippie]

So, has anyone noticed a significant change in the Hannelore art today? Here it is compared to a snap from a few months back



It's more anime-like, darker inking, HUGE eyes.

[zioninavision]

Yes 

This must be the topic for people just joining to discuss it!    i am really excited... one of the main reasons why i enjoy following QC and really don't read any other comics web or otherwise, aside from the perfect ways that Jeph uses language is, it is like checking out a close friend's underground comic; even though many many people know of it, it is always free to change and grow in myriad ways. 

[idontunderstand]

Yeah! It's kind of cute. I wonder what the other characters will look like.

[Orkboy]

I fear change.   

Okay, on a more serious note.  The artwork is still good, but it's different, and I don't know which I like better.  The old way feels more precise, while the new one feels organic, which may be why it feels weird, since one of the characters demo-ing it is an inorganic lifeform. 

[sitnspin]

I suppose it doesn't help that I'm not a huge fan of 'anime' style in general. It kind of infantilizes her.

[TheRedMaiden]

I agree, I've really grown apart from anime-esque style, and I've got countless other webcomics I can go to for that. I like QC because it meets that happy medium for me between super cartoony and overly realistic looking. I adore watching art styles change with webcomics, it keeps it fresh and fun to watch the artist develop, but this definitely feels like a downgrade to me. Hannelore does look more childish, which I feel doesn't work with her character anymore after how much she's grown and developed. Marigold would probably look absolutely adorable in this style, but I feel it takes something away from everyone's character and could draw the tone away from the more serious arcs.

But that's just my opinion. Jeph can do what he wants with the comic, he's the one who has to draw them afterall. I'll absolutely continue reading, but the new style just isn't my preference.

[LTK]

lots of people commenting on the different art in today's comic. It's a lot of fun to draw, feels like I've "opened up" or something

Definitely looks like he's drawing fast and loose. It looks less realistic but a lot of the curves (shoulders, wrists etc.) are, well, curvier. Given how Jeph has a tendency to beat himself up over perceived flaws in his art, it's no wonder he's enjoying the change to something more easy-going.

[Schwungrad]

I noticed that May looks totally not like her in panel 4 of #2763, but couldn't put the finger on what it was.

I liked the "ligne claire" (i.e. shading-less) style in #2762 too

[Redball]

Welcome new members! You might check out the current WCDT thread, where you'll see that the art changes have been a topic there as well. Check out the forum rules and feel free to introduce yourselves in the Hi I'm New area.

[Is it cold in here?]

Welcome, new people, and since you're probably wondering, "WCDT" stands for "Weekly Comic Discussion Thread".

[Mlle Germain]

My take on the art change: (Verbatim copy of what I posted in the WCDT on the art)
Hanners looks scary and ridiculous like this.
I way preferred - actually, I loved - the art style when Jeph was going for making the characters look like actual adult humans; the era ~1800-2300, especially around 2100. Since then, their heads and eyes have gotten bigger, so the characters looked more child-like again, but I still thought it was really good to pretty good (depending on the day) up until this really drastic change.
This new art change... Marigold and May are ok, but Hanners is really off in my opinion. And since she's one of my favourite characters, I'm very sad about that. I mean, just compare today's comic with this, for example - I just randomly picked one comic that had Hanners in it from the art-era I like; you can look at any of the others instead: http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2244. Or even just the one a few days ago: http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2759. For me, that's a big step backwards, sorry.
(While I'm complaining: I also by far preferred Dora and Tai in that era of comics I specified above.)

[Nepiophage]

I agree with Mlle Germain 100%.  i much preferred the old style especially the old Dora.

[Stonewolfe]

I like this new art style. But that could be because I recently started getting into anime and stuff and it kind of reminds me of that, but with the artists own... flare for it I suppose would be the wording here.

I say keep at it, looks great to me!

[marsman57]

Since we're all expressing opinions, I thought I'd chime in and say I liked the art style around the 1200 era.

http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1200

[Orkboy]

Since we're all expressing opinions, I thought I'd chime in and say I liked the art style around the 1200 era.

http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1200

Yeah, I really liked that style.  I feel like the new style kinda aims back at the more rounded feel (compared to the pointy-chin profiles in http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2762), but goes way past rounded and softened.   

[NilsO]

In general, I think Jeph's drawing style gets better all the time. If we look through the archives, we see a huge difference in drawing styles through the years. But the style has seldom changed abruptly in the way it has done now, it has mostly been a gradual thing.

I am ambivalent about the recent change in style. I like that Jeph experiments (like he has done in the prints and posters available as a PDF file from Gumroad), but I feel the characters are not themselves any more, if you see what I mean. But I am willing to give it a try, I shall certainly not stop reading QC because of this.

To quote Faye: "I don't like change. It changes things."

[TheRedMaiden]

Oh, I certainly would never stop reading QC just because the art changed. Jeph's way too good a writer and the characters themselves are so compelling that there are very few I genuinely dislike, and so many more that I adore. As I've said above, I do adore watching an artist's style change with their webcomic, especially when the artist changes mediums. I read one that switched from pen drawn, to two-toned, to full digital color, and now the artist does the comic in watercolor and regularly experiments with how she draws her characters and I think it looks marvelous.

I'll still love QC all the same, this new style just doesn't hit home with me like the previous one did. There are plenty of people upset with the other artist I mentioned for the newer styles of her comic, and just like those people, I'll get over it. I'm happy Jeph experiments and finds styles that work better for him, even if some of his audience disagrees. It's his comic afterall, and an artist can hardly develop if they just stick to what other people like.

[Thrudd]

Just to toss in my two Ą, about anime styles.

What most people refer to as anime style, big eyes small mouth, is equivalent to the Hanna Barbara Style on this side of the ocean.
Its quick, easy and cheap to produce but is nowhere near immerse for the viewer.

The opposite are some of the artistic works from Studio Ghibli, especially Miyazaki's works.

There is also the Shoujo style that is usually very floral but is differentiated by elongated limbs, wistful looks and enough angst to drown a barrel full of twilight fans [let us never mention it again]

Then there is Josei that is more realistic in proportions and outlook and what our esteemed artist was slowly gravitating towards.

I am worried that this drastic change may herald a descent into the 4koma style that relies on very basic pratfall type situations, super simplified art style and the text to convey any coherence to what is happening in the drawings. 
Mind you I do like me some Friday 4koma which breaks the stereotype

(click to show/hide)

[Kugai]

I'm not too fussed by the art style change. 

And in all reality, the final arbiter on which style the comic is drawn in is Jeph himself.

[ConmanTheBarbarian]

Alas, the new style does not do it for me at all.

I have really enjoyed watching the evolving craftmanship over the years, but this feels like plain, generic cartoon cuteness.  The big, cornerless eyes simply shout 'child' to me.

Instead of quirky grownups the characters now come across as neurotic brats.

[speedchuck]

The new comic has Hannelore toned down a bit. I am going to wait on the new art style. I'm interested in seeing where it goes. I think my favorite art style was in the 1600s, but I'm not so sure about it. I just know that my favorite version of Dora was in that era.

[Orkboy]

The new comic has Hannelore toned down a bit. I am going to wait on the new art style. I'm interested in seeing where it goes. I think my favorite art style was in the 1600s, but I'm not so sure about it. I just know that my favorite version of Dora was in that era.

Okay, 2765 feels like he's dialing it in.  It feels about halfway between 2762 and 2763, and I am cool with that.  Now watch as our benevolent comic overlord does the next comic as a stick figure comic just to fuck with us.

[Thrudd]

Oh? Do you mean the "Stick Figure Dom" art of Megatokyo infamy that created such an outpouring of anger, hate, incoherence, turpitude, some mild irritation and possible gastroenteritis? 

[Schwungrad]

Now watch as our benevolent comic overlord does the next comic as a stick figure comic just to fuck with us.

Guest comic by Randall Munroe!

[Snake-Bit Pete]

I really got into QC during an earlier, less realistic, phase, so this latest shift is move to something closer to what I first thought was the QC style.  And since others are doing it, here are my favorite pages from that period (also my favorite Hanners pages):

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1399   Grin And Bear It
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1401   Ohhhh
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1403   Punk-ed

[KOK]

Since we're all expressing opinions, I thought I'd chime in and say I liked the art style around the 1200 era.

http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1200

The very one that Jeph called sloppy. It is in the text under the comic.

[Carl-E]

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1403   Punk-ed

One of my favorites, and the next one is right up there, too! 

[Mmeaninglessnamee]

I'm a bit late to this, but I'll agree with the others saying that Hanners looks a little childish, which is a bit a disappointment to me because I felt that since the Space arc she had seemed like a more complex, adult character than before.

However, like others also said, it really doesn't fit well with the AI characters. When I first saw May in the new style, she seemed off.  She suddenly has a contrapposto pose that's unnaturally natural.

[Thrudd]

Found this

(click to show/hide)

So what stage do you think we have reached and is it terminal?

[HauntingPoem]

Between five and six.

[zioninavision]

I very much like the feeling of it being similar in dynamic to an animated series or even just flash animations of QC, but our minds fill in between the frames and the voices remain the ones that have gently formed in our minds over the years.  ^__^  all of the downsides of going through the process of an actual animation are skipped, but the energy is created by how visually some type of reaction is created by the interaction of our minds filling in the energy it takes to get to the movements present in the artwork!

[idontunderstand]

On Jeph's tumblr: http://jephjacques.com (the latest two drawings, I think they're too big to post)

Tai's butt is now bigger than Faye's. What the hell?

[ischaemia]

The change in header/footer coloring to black and white made me momentarily panic, but I accept it is minute in comparison to art style shifts. I like the hair a bit less as it feels less consistent and sloppier. Still not sure how I feel about the faces, but it'd almost be a fun shift between sets of characters, I feel like. Hannelore and Marigold seem... appropriate for occasional stylistic shifts.

[sitnspin]

On Jeph's tumblr: http://jephjacques.com (the latest two drawings, I think they're too big to post)

Tai's butt is now bigger than Faye's. What the hell?

Yes that's disappointing. I miss Tai's original frame. It was nice having someone in the cast built like me. That she was also a polyamourus lesbian like me was a bonus.

[FunkyTuba]

I think it's just scale... the tai/dora picture is zoomed in a bit

[Carl-E]

But Tai is much curvier in that drawing than she has been, traditionally. 

She seems to have grown some hips...


It may be more a reflection of how Jeph sees her, now that she's chased (and won!) Dora.  I mean, look at that satisfied expression, too - definitely not the frustrated Tai we got to know so well! 

[Is it cold in here?]

Tai said she is slender there.

[Sidhekin]

Tai is younger than the main cast, right?  She might well be growing still.  Individual variation trumps norms, right?

(Somewhat relevant aside: I added 4cm to my height from the age of 23 (army) to the age of 34 (passport).  While I don't know, I have no reason to think hips all that different, in this respect.)

[Orkboy]

Well, maybe Dora is fattening, since we can assume that Tai has been eating her a lot recently. 

[Loki]

*rimshot*

[AprilArcus]

My fanwank for this is that Tai used to wear a binder that goes down to her hips, but stopped sometime in the last while. Maybe it's too hot and muggy in the summer to keep up with it?

My favorite art is from around the 1600-2100 period. I thought it would be fun to rank my favorite strips and talk about them a little:

Number 1983: Opening at the Guggenheim


This is a great example of a strip that only works because Jeph goes for broke on the art. The render-happy background in panel 1 instantly sells the space. The stylist's joker grin is brilliantly unnerving. The way she is all up in his space in panel 3. The art fan quivering in a fetal position in panel 4. Marten's priceless facial expression in the punchline. The way panel 6 just hangs in mid-air while you scrape your chin off the table. Perfect.

Number 2301: Big Pimpin'


It feels like the camera has real mass as it decelerates through its push-in to Claire and Cosette. Another lush, one-off background. Nice sketches of Faye, Marten and Hanners' personalities in panel 1. Panel 2 just blows my mind with its quietly daring visual storytelling. The contrast between Cosette and Claire's body types. Cosette's glance-scrutinize-react through the last three panels. Claire's adorable character design on full display, complete with shoulder freckles and crimson blush.

Number 1964: Guten Abend


Generally great composition and pacing. A door closes. Marten's eyes darting around in panels 2-5 sells his inarticulate disquiet. A door opens. Crunching his beer can in surprise. Cliffhanger.

Number 1599: Dancin' About The Past


I just love these poses so much. This page practically radiates joy.

Number 2018: 2d10 Falling Damage


This is the best QC strip Jeph has ever drawn and I will fight you if you disagree with me.

[Carl-E]

I respectfully disagree; 



The glow of the lamp, the evening sky, the pure snow, and the look of absolute glee on the face of someone who so rarely experiences anything of the sort... I mean, she's grinning so wide we can see her back teeth! 

This was the comic that drew me back into QC after several attempts to read it from the beginning.  I started following it here, and worked my way backwards from it as well to watch the story re-fold and figure out how it had gotten to this point. 

[AprilArcus]

This is the best QC strip Jeph has ever drawn and I will fight you if you disagree with me.

I respectfully disagree

So be it! You have chosen... the path of pain:

[Carl-E]

You're looking a bit squirrely...

 

[AprilArcus]

You're going to need to do better than that, my friend!

[Carl-E]

[AprilArcus]

[Carl-E]

...wait, which one of us is Angus again?   

[AprilArcus]

I have many shapes

[Zebediah]

Do we need to send in the peacekeeping forces here?

(click to show/hide)

Do not mess with Epic Hannelore.