Big Ears! (or 'What they say you're doing wrong')

[Dutch!]

G'day. This is a little phenomenon that's kept me amused pretty well since I first started School Spirit over two years ago. I'm sure you lot out there have your own examples to add too. Basically, what is it about your comic that people continually tell you is wrong with it? What is it about your work that seems to get the most criticism, or like in my case, what part of your comic is it that people seem to have so hard a time to see past before they appreciate the rest of your comic?

For me, it's the ears. They're big. At least, the kids' ears are big. Ever since the strip went online, the number one complaint has been that the ears are enormous, and generally after that comment I hear nothing more from them every again after the final sentence which is usually along the lines of 'learn to draw proportionally if you expect us back'.

It makes me laugh, because the large ears are also the number one reason for a lot of the positive comments I receive as well. So in my mild amusement, I tacked together this as a little way of saying 'BUGGER YOU ALL!' to those who can't see past the great big School Spirit ears...



So...now to you. What are your thoughts on these sorts of things? Even better...what part of your comics seem to get the most critisism, yet also seem to be the reason everyone else comes back for more?

Cheers.

[McDuffies]

Your character's ears remind me of koalas. It makes it obvious that they are Australian.

Dunno, to me it's a kind of case where reader wants to make decisions for the artist. It's obvious that it's something intentional, a part of author's vision and, well, I don't want to draw a comic if I'm gonna have readers make decisions for me...

Generally the most often complaint I get is that my art is sloppy and sketcy. Sometimes it's just me rushing through pages to get them finished and then it's bad, but generally I'm trying to maintain a level of sketchiness in my art because it's something that I like. Unfortunately that's something that's most easily identified with laziness. It's also a thing I've received both good and bad comments for.

[Hilarioushenry]

The name of my comic has gotten the most crutiny from my 3 readers

[Escushion]

The ears are big, but it's never bothered me. It's consistent between characters, so it's obviously the style.

Let's see, those kind of complaints? That I switch between color and semi-color/BW. People have thought I've done the semi-BW by accident just because lately I've been doing color as frequently, if not more often. It used to be all color, then almost all semi-BW with occasional full-color. Now I'm wondering if I should just make a decision and stick with it.

I'm actually considering changing how I'm doing it, so that it's more of the way McDuffies does his comic, with line shadows and white portions. (It certainly looks better in print than grayscale.)

[RemusShepherd]

So...now to you. What are your thoughts on these sorts of things? Even better...what part of your comics seem to get the most critisism, yet also seem to be the reason everyone else comes back for more?

I don't get any criticism. I don't get any reviews.

I had one review very early on that said it was confusing. Now that almost all the exposition has been done, I don't know if anyone's still confused. I get 3-5 comments on my Livejournal every time the comic updates, but they're all complimentary. I really need a scathing review.

Your comic is cool and has a neat style, Dutch. But I always did think they looked like Ferengi children.

[Jim North]

My most commonly received criticism is that I don't make comics often enough.

[Des]

I've gotten a few odd looks about the name of my comic, mostly from adults tho.

The one annoying thing I get about all my art though is comments like "This is too anime, I hate anime!" directly followed by "I really only like anime, and this is just not anime enough." My comic has a very cartoony style but uses a lot of japanese cartoon emotions. My regular art is based on the anime style I grew on but uses a lot of realism in it too. Blehh.

And then of course there's the "update more!" comments. I update every Wednesday and haven't missed an update for a few months now... so I don't understand. I mean, I understood back when my site would go a year without a single page but now... blehh.

[Dave Against The Machine]

For the little bit I did my comic. People would ask me. Why don't they have any ears? I just told them, that I liked the way they looked with out ears. Damn people always gotta complane about something.

[Nanda]

My most commonly received criticism is that I don't make comics often enough.

Ditto.

[[geoduck]]

I haven't gotten much serious criticism, but when I do, it's usually along the lines of "The art looks like a grade-schooler did it".

[Legendary]

I've gotten accused of lack of originality, but I think that's largely because of the subject matter of my comic.

In fact, I've plugged my comic on the Adventurers! board, and the general consensus there was "Wow, RPG jokes that aren't stolen from RPGWorld or ADV."

Before the art change, I got a few criticisms about my art, though they were more the "keep improving" type than the "you suck" type.

[Pimpette]

Eh all the complaints I get are well justified.
Mostly that I'm lazy and don't update enough... or that I'm lazy and don't colour enough.
And my early comics are horribly drawn and many don't even have a suggestion of a background.

Hell I'm happy if I get any comment at all, it means I have publicity of a sort.

[Keffria]

Yeah, I'll have to agree with Pimpette -- when I get complaints, they're valid. Stuff like "wasn't he right-handed before?" or "your noses look funny" or "everyone looks like fish".

And yes, criticism is wonderful.

[McDuffies]

For the little bit I did my comic. People would ask me. Why don't they have any ears? I just told them, that I liked the way they looked with out ears. Damn people always gotta complane about something.

Send them to Dutch, he'll satisfy their craving for ears.

[Sput]

I've gotten a few odd looks about the name of my comic, mostly from adults tho.

The one annoying thing I get about all my art though is comments like "This is too anime, I hate anime!" directly followed by "I really only like anime, and this is just not anime enough." My comic has a very cartoony style but uses a lot of japanese cartoon emotions. My regular art is based on the anime style I grew on but uses a lot of realism in it too. Blehh.

And then of course there's the "update more!" comments. I update every Wednesday and haven't missed an update for a few months now... so I don't understand. I mean, I understood back when my site would go a year without a single page but now... blehh.

what the- i got to your comic by clicking on your sig on gaia one :]@!


sketchiness is mine, and i like using organic text bubbles and panel box lines. that and valid things like your characters look different every time you draw them! D:~~

[McDuffies]

Oh, yeah, I was getting comments about hand-drawn panel frames. They usually weren't direct but more something like "You know, it's ok that you draw hand-drawn frames and they look cool to me, but general public doesn't like them and you'll have problems getting your comic through." As if, "I don't dislike them, it's other people who do."

[Col]

Typical critiques have been over the fact that I hand draw my word balloons and hand-write my text. I've never gotten a complaint about it keeping them from ever reading it again, and I've never heard anyone say they can't read it, so I don't give it much thought and keep trying to make sure it looks decent enough and is readable.

I'm guessing that future criticism will come over the fact that my backgrounds are pathetic.

[Princess]

The one I most often get :

The art is "autistic" and sterile and I don't get it

Which I am working on (sort of)

[Phact0rri]

I get "unfinished artwork" a lot. I'm still learning a lot about the technical side of art, so I'm sure thats justified by how I build up my art. However I try my best to do finished pieces, even if they are not perfect.

[Jim North]

"wasn't he right-handed before?"

This is why I decided early on that all my characters would be naturally ambidextrous.