comicking in the way of artistic development?

[Wp]

Have you ever felt this way? I seem to have reached this point where making a comic is actually stunting my artistic growth. Because of the schedule, I can't find ways to work on my coloring or backgrounds. I skimp or use photoshop effects to cheat my way out of actually learning because I want the comic out on time. Some of you may have realized that I made a large buffer in my comic just so I could work on fanart for artistic development.

There was a long period of time where comicking helped my art a great deal, mostly line art. It helped me work on different perspectives and to work faster so I could concentrate on more details. But now, if I try to use unique perspectives too much, I feel my comic will just start looking like my sketchbook. Since I really like making my comic, it's not a matter of taking a hiatus.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

[LibertyCabbage]

Maybe you can consider starting a new comic that'll challenge you more?

[Black Sparrow]

I know the feeling. I was never satisfied with my comic because either it was always rushed and looked crappy, or it took way too damn long to finish a page.

LC has a good idea. At the least, put up some art pages that challenge your abilities a bit more. No one should become stagnant.

[Wp]

Well, starting a new comic is not really the answer since, if you wanted to make any comic artistically challenging, I'm sure you could. Plus, it'd really eat time to manage two comics, which is probably the problem in the first place.

I've thought about putting in an occasional page that has extra effort in it, but my schedule is so erratic, it's more efficient to create a buffer than one page that is really good since the next week I may be super busy and have no time at all. Do you think it'd be alright to delay a comic that already updates only once a week?

[Geekblather]

There's also nothing that says you can't re-evaluate how you produce your current comic so that it challenges you more. One of my personal favorite things about webcomics is starting at the beginning, and reading through the archives and watching the artist develop.

[Shishio]

I can't draw at all, and rather than spend years in some pathetic attempt to attain some modicum of skill, I do it the lazyman's way and pay someone to do all the work for me.

On delaying a comic, do what you feel is best. If improving your abilities is what matters to you, then do it. If having readers is what's more important, then don't delay further. It comes down to what you want the most.

Or, like I suggested to Sparrow, write prose (Assuming your story works in prose form. My comic would be boring as fuck in prose.) and do accompanying illustrations as often as you're able.

[Garneta]

Well, with comic strips it sometimes seems to be quality vs quantity...I wanted to keep shading my comic, but I didn't have the time to keep doing it with the update schedule the way it was, so I had to drop an update day. It's just up to the creator to decide which is more important.

[Siabur]

For me the comic strip isn't an artistist stretch. It's more a humor release. I have increased my photoshop skills a ton since restarting it. For bettering my drawing skills, I'm adapting some of my written works. Which are actually based on comics. Circle of life? They will be up someday. But I do have certain style I prefer for my own art.

[McDuffies]

I get the feeling. I felt that way when drawing a certain comic became a routine, everything in it was set in stone, I could do it with my inspiration turned off, and that wasn't really a good thing. Improvement is one of major things I do webcomics for, and every time I spend on making comics that don't improve my skills is a wasted time.

[Webkilla]

i feel very much that my artistic abilites grow alongside the comic...

I draw more detail a lot easier now - I'm more comfortable with my style - and I've learned how to draw a lot of things I really didn't know how to before I started doing my webcomic...

[Warofwinds]

I know what you mean, wp. In order to grow, I've had to really budget time for my projects. Now, instead of a rush job the night before, I start way earlier, and give myself more time to experiment. I also stick to quality, not quantity. I don't give a flying sheep if people get miffed 'cause, OMG, I didn't update on time. I'd rather a page I'm proud of late, than I page I hate on time.

Wow. That came out more bitter than I intended. I blame the 5 hours of ochem work I just sludged through.

[Kirb]

Sketch and practice backgrounds whenever you can. Lunch breaks, on the train, at the occasional stoplight. (not recommended.) Eventually, you'll become proficient enough to be able to fit them and any other artistic experimentation into your comic without too much stretching of the schedule.

But otherwise, I know how you feel. Sometimes I'm so busy I have no time for my scheduled comic, let alone other art projects. But I don't really think the medium is stunting your artistic growth. You can most definitely work on improving backgrounds and coloring through your comic. I sure have.

Of course, when I focus on detail and color, buffer tends to be non-existent. That and horrible procrastination forces me to draw my entire page every sunday.

I would say procrastination stunts my artistic merit more than the medium.

[JTigerclaw]

Personally, I'd rather put more effort into a page and have it still be late, yet still be satisfied with it. I get this little unpleasant lump in my throat when I look back in my archive through the relatively new comics and see a comic where I didn't try all that hard. It leaves me dissatisfied.

Though my readers are used to me updating late, it may be different for you. Usually I don't have time to do a comic and stuff on the side to improve my artistic ability, so I try to do that in my comic most of the time.

[Wp]

Thanks for the thoughts. I wasn't really asking for advice; as a lot of you have mentioned, it's pretty much the artist's own struggle to determine what is right for him/herself.

i feel very much that my artistic abilites grow alongside the comic...

I draw more detail a lot easier now - I'm more comfortable with my style - and I've learned how to draw a lot of things I really didn't know how to before I started doing my webcomic...

I felt that way for about two years.

Of course, when I focus on detail and color, buffer tends to be non-existent.

Looking at your comic, it seems you spend a lot more time on some panels than others. Is this how you test out some of your artistic ideas? The good thing about your comic is that even if you spend more time on a panel, your entire page looks cohesive enough that it's not so obvious. If I pulled off something like this, it'd be obvious to my viewers.

[Tarts]

Well, in the end, we all have to find some time to polish up on our art.
I mean, getting a little +5 Dexterity in our pencils wouldn't really hurt the progress of our comics if it promises higher-quality, albeit slower-updated comics.

[Kirb]

Of course, when I focus on detail and color, buffer tends to be non-existent.

Looking at your comic, it seems you spend a lot more time on some panels than others. Is this how you test out some of your artistic ideas? The good thing about your comic is that even if you spend more time on a panel, your entire page looks cohesive enough that it's not so obvious. If I pulled off something like this, it'd be obvious to my viewers.

Hahaha, yes. You have found out my dirty little secret.

I try to experiment coloring and inking with at least one panel every page. The trick is to put as much detail as you possibly can into establishing shots on every page. This way, the reader knows exactly where your characters are, and you don't need to put as much detail into the rest of the panels, because the mind does the rest.

[Noise Monkey]

I went through that with my comic. With the last storyline (before I knew it was the last), I decided that I'd start upping the ante because the style I used for the comic was making me lose what skills I had. I found that, though I was able to push the walls of the box back, the comic still presented a boundary for what could be done before the art style would dictate a tonal shift in the comic. Then life interrupted and I stopped for a bit. Afterwards, I just couldn't jump back in the box, which is why the comic is dead.

[Turnsky]

the best piece of advice i can give anybody is threefold;

One, never be afraid to try anything new with your artwork, this can sometimes lead to interesting new paths.

Two, Never be afraid to accept constructive criticism.

Three, if you see anybody that you think is better than you artistically, see it as a personal challenge, and perhaps try and pick their brains sometimes, This involves the first two, if you ask me.

[Tyras]

Interesting. The opposite is what I feel, as this constant webcomic work forces me to practice drawing and coloring. I'm better now than I've ever been, and the comic is to blame.

I think this all depends on how the comic is structured, though. There are some webcomics in which the characters always have the same poses, and are always in the same place, and nothing ever changes. Not accusing you of this wp! You seem to experiment with perspective and poses just like I do.

[Hallonpress]

I don't think you should ever make compromises because of lack of time.

Think of it this way: Once you've made a page, it will stay a part of the comic for a very long time. It goes into the archive, and there it remains until the webcomic is taken off the web. In a month or two, who will care if that page was updated on time? People reading the archive will just like the page more.

If you just push yourself a little bit with each page, you will grow as an artist. Try to draw what's in your mind, even if it's hard.

Just my two kronor.

-Mattias