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Author Topic: attempt at webcomic-style drawing.  (Read 3434 times)

Hatebunny

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attempt at webcomic-style drawing.
« on: 05 May 2005, 23:04 »

I know you're not supposed to try whore off your webcomics in here, so I'm hoping people don't think that's what I'm doing. I have ONE attempt at a webcomic, which resulted in six hours of photoshop shading, when I should have been studying. Anyway, I had a plot all thought out, and I just wondered if people could give me tips on drawing style, shading, or even...plot suggestions, as now that it's summer, I might actually give making more a shot.

I've only got the one episode, so It's not really a webcomic to whore I just set it up like it was part of a series...apparently I'm really paranoid about getting dumped on because I'm posting a comic for criticism. So...be nice if I screwed up.

Here's a link. It's not a direct link, because I've got it hosted on deviant art, and the description there saves me having to write out my plot summary in here.
http://www.deviantart.com/view/16875501/

edit: believe it or not, this was my first time trying to use photoshop to colour my hand-drawings...or anything at all, for that matter.

thanks forgiving me pointers, whether it be to set me straight or to help me out.
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Primate

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attempt at webcomic-style drawing.
« Reply #1 on: 06 May 2005, 05:56 »

I've seen worse. Heck, I've done worse.

Is he supposed to have a dark halo, or is that supposed to be his shadow cast against the wall? If it's the shadow, its not right. I assume that the only light source on him is coming from above and in front of him, which would produce a shadow that is an outline of his body but lower on the wall than the body parts that produced it. You'd have to get someone with more practice than me to make other knowledgable shadow suggestions, (like an indistinct blob below and behind him or just on the floor).

The shadows on the body aren't bad for a first attempt, but you might consider adding highlights on the parts the light shines directly on (white with a low opacity directly over the base color).
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Sideways

  • Guest
attempt at webcomic-style drawing.
« Reply #2 on: 12 May 2005, 09:03 »

For 'comic-style drawing' don't get so elaborate with the shading.

Just pick a skin tone, and take a darker/lighter version of it to highlight.  It will save you hours, and look really good.

I really liked it... it's a solid start.  The only other crit I have is; what is he spraying himself with?  That should be made clear in the comic.
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Hatebunny

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attempt at webcomic-style drawing.
« Reply #3 on: 26 May 2005, 09:36 »

Ok, I've messed a little with the shadow style, I think. and I've managed a more consistent way of getting the people to look the same...i.e. same frame over and over....but anyway, comments and suggestions are appreciated.

http://www.deviantart.com/view/18705709/

I know it's a bit of a cop-out punchline.
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Sideways

  • Guest
attempt at webcomic-style drawing.
« Reply #4 on: 26 May 2005, 10:00 »

Some critiques:

The girl on the right... her legs seem wonky in two ways.  1) they're far too short. 2) they seem to be pushed back, like her ass starts in the middle of empty space.

Other than that, the proportions are quite good.  Shading your comic this way definately works, and is probably much faster than the original attempt.

Nice use of shadows, both in the shading, and the shadows cast onto the background by the main characters.  Also, I like how you did the smoke from the cigarette.   One thing you may want to do is change that, in each panel... get something dynamic in there.

Having the two characters standing in exactly the same spot/stance is ok, but you want to have something more dynamic than just their eyes.  Perhaps some hand gestures, definately something with their mouths (they should look like they're delivering the lines) and subtle changes like the smoke.  People will notice that stuff.

That may seem like a lot of criticism, so I will say this; it's solid, and has a lot of promise.  If you look through many webcomics, and see their humble beginnings, you'll note just how dramatic the improvements are (after time) with some of these comics.

Example:

My first comic.

Three months later.

Penny Arcade:

Their first comic.

Something more recent

Mac Hall:

Very first comic.

More recent

So what you can see in the examples above is a good illustration (heh, illustration) of how much some webcomic artists improve over time.

The best thing to do is peruse as many different webcomics, and as much webart as possible.  Check out some Photoshop tutorials, learn to play with layers, opacity, and some of the selection/blending tools.
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fredhate

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attempt at webcomic-style drawing.
« Reply #5 on: 26 May 2005, 11:33 »

Ditto to everything that Sideways said.

I really like the tone of the comic. It's pretty depressing, but in a good way.

I would have gone this way:

Panel 1 and 2 as you have them.
Panel 3: End with "Could you do something about the wattage of the lighting in the halls?"
Panel 4: The rest of his note. Also, you don't need them to point out that he's crazy. It's like telling a joke and then using an extra panel to say "Here's why this situation is funny."

I wouldn't cut to a text only panel, as it seems like a cop out. Even though it's a note, you can still make it more interesting by perhaps having one of the characters reading it.

Please rethink the transparent word bubbles. It makes it harder to read as the background artwork tends to interfere.

Lastly, like Sideways said, mix it up a little. Having the same art in each panel is boring.
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