Art issues: What have you struggled with and why?

[RobboAKAscooby]

I'm about to start work on the art for MH book 2 which I'm hoping to have available by the end of January - which gives me two months to draw like 150 illustrations *groan*

And since I haven't done much drawing of these characters in my current style I've encountered a few problems mostly to do with height/proportions.
For my current style 7 heads is about 6 feet tall, which is Reine, Westley (if not for the wheelchair) and B.
The tallest character in MH (Thunda) is about 6'10" which wasn't too big of an issue in just stretching out some proportions a bit (especially since he's also a large build).
The larger problem was Wind who is quite short (about 5') which would work out to about 6 heads but I wanted to make her (and Fyre) a little shorter to highlight the height difference between them and Reine so I made Wind 5^1/2 heads and Fyre 6^1/4. But since I hadn't drawn anyone shorter than 6 heads this lead to a bunch of problems with Wind looking too stumpy and it took a bunch of puzzling out

But now I have the problem that my tallest character is 8 heads high and my shortest is 5^1/2 which I'm concerned may lead to some incongruity, I have to draw a group picture to see how it looks and I may have to tweak things, for now though I'm happy-ish with it.


On the more general "art issues" topic, here's a list of some things I need to work on:
- arm/leg thickness
- profile view (mostly torsos but some face issues)
- upwards head tilts
- up/down tilt camera perspective
- foreshortening
- dynamic figure drawing
- backgrounds
- consistency

[RobboAKAscooby]

It just stuck me how much I've grown as an artist, and I don't mean the actual quality of my work (although that has been quite substantial) I mean my attitude and approach to it all.
I haven't had any proper training, just learn as I go by trial and (mostly) error. But I think my desire to actually develop my own style and also to draw decently as well as my realistic view of my work has kind of helped.
Also the fact that I was never (until recently) the fanart type meant I was never really trying to impersonate someone else's style, so by the time I actually did mess around with fan art I was actually able to learn from those I was paying tribute to.
I'm honestly surprised at how much thought I put into my (admittedly average) art, it gives me faith that one day I might actually be good at it.

[Rickford]

I sit and look at the blank page for hours, scrawling lines and then rubbing them out. I can draw, but without somebody giving me orders I ain't worth poop. Also I tend to focus on the figures and realise there's no background, only adding one as an afterthought so the composition is off.

Man, I've watched people on here grow artistically for near 10 years now, and the key thing is productivity. Some artists have overtaken me in skill by a longshot in that time, and they deserve it, because they have been busy in that time.

I still lurk occasionally just to see that happen.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

Man, I've watched people on here grow artistically for near 10 years now, and the key thing is productivity. Some artists have overtaken me in skill by a longshot in that time, and they deserve it, because they have been busy in that time.

si senor
i wish I had started working harder, earlier.

It just stuck me how much I've grown as an artist, and I don't mean the actual quality of my work (although that has been quite substantial) I mean my attitude and approach to it all.
I haven't had any proper training, just learn as I go by trial and (mostly) error. But I think my desire to actually develop my own style and also to draw decently as well as my realistic view of my work has kind of helped.
Also the fact that I was never (until recently) the fanart type meant I was never really trying to impersonate someone else's style, so by the time I actually did mess around with fan art I was actually able to learn from those I was paying tribute to.
I'm honestly surprised at how much thought I put into my (admittedly average) art, it gives me faith that one day I might actually be good at it.

Running off of this.
Last night I had a strange urge to look at the comic that was Loud Era before Loud Era was Loud Era.
I've gotten so much better at writing dialogue that doesn't sound shmaltzy or cliche or trying to be droll/clever. I'm not sure when I adopted the rule, but somewhere down the line I learned to be really critical of my dialogue. Loud Pre-Cambrian Era had a lot of lines in it that were just so *fake* sounding, and it was weird because they're in between all of this fairly mundane, normal, and actually very boring sounding dialogue. It's like I could either write mundane and boring or interesting and trying-too-hard-to-be-witty. I like to think I've struck a balance now in terms of being able to write dialogue that is satisfactory to the ears without being something that only a fictional character could ever say.

I'm glad I sought criticism, and I'm glad I started giving a shit and trying to actually improve. LP-CE was probably a lot better than many of the shitty comics that one can find online, but I'm so glad I didn't just settle and keep going that way. A lot of the criticism I employed was stuff I hadn't even received for my own comic, but stuff I just gleaned from reading reviews directed at other comics/artists.

That being said, LP-CE was made five years ago. While my improvements have been doubtlessly significant, I feel like I should have improved further in all those years. I really need to just practice and draw and work more.

It's really fun to go back to those old pages and see the old stylistic choices I would make, and how they either evolved to what i incorporate in my work now or were done away with entirely at a stylistic changeover.


Art issue I have struggled with: "Just sit down and fucking work on your page already."

This morning I woke up and really wanted to draw. I really and honestly said to myself, "It's 9:15!!! I'll work on finishing this background until 10! I bet I can get it finished!" Then all of a sudden we had to take my cat to the vet (she's fine) and by the time we got back it was 11 and my oomph was gone. I *NEVER* wake up wanting to draw and was quite heartbroken that the one day I did, I actually had something else I needed to do -_-

(I did eventually do the background today, though. chugga chugga chugga chugga choo-choo all aboard the minimal achievement train)

[Bustertheclown]

My biggest issue is that I'm completely burnt on art. An adulthood of trying to make a go of being a professional artist, and failing, followed by a good half-dozen years of schooling which has led me down a path where the work is passionless and unappealing -- though technically competent -- has caused me to just stop. I haven't drawn or painted in almost six months, now, and I can't bring myself to do it.

That sort of thing is kind of crushing. Working so hard for so long at something, only to see every pass a failure, or at least an unfulfilled success. I wish I could say I wish I was better, but I know what I can do. What I really wish is that I could say it's brought me something after twenty years. It hasn't.

[RPin]

My biggest issue is that I'm completely burnt on art. An adulthood of trying to make a go of being a professional artist, and failing, followed by a good half-dozen years of schooling which has led me down a path where the work is passionless and unappealing -- though technically competent -- has caused me to just stop. I haven't drawn or painted in almost six months, now, and I can't bring myself to do it.

That sort of thing is kind of crushing. Working so hard for so long at something, only to see every pass a failure, or at least an unfulfilled success. I wish I could say I wish I was better, but I know what I can do. What I really wish is that I could say it's brought me something after twenty years. It hasn't.

That was depressing.

[Bustertheclown]

My biggest issue is that I'm completely burnt on art. An adulthood of trying to make a go of being a professional artist, and failing, followed by a good half-dozen years of schooling which has led me down a path where the work is passionless and unappealing -- though technically competent -- has caused me to just stop. I haven't drawn or painted in almost six months, now, and I can't bring myself to do it.

That sort of thing is kind of crushing. Working so hard for so long at something, only to see every pass a failure, or at least an unfulfilled success. I wish I could say I wish I was better, but I know what I can do. What I really wish is that I could say it's brought me something after twenty years. It hasn't.

That was depressing.

Sorry.

[djracodex]

My biggest issue is that I'm completely burnt on art. An adulthood of trying to make a go of being a professional artist, and failing, followed by a good half-dozen years of schooling which has led me down a path where the work is passionless and unappealing -- though technically competent -- has caused me to just stop. I haven't drawn or painted in almost six months, now, and I can't bring myself to do it.

That sort of thing is kind of crushing. Working so hard for so long at something, only to see every pass a failure, or at least an unfulfilled success. I wish I could say I wish I was better, but I know what I can do. What I really wish is that I could say it's brought me something after twenty years. It hasn't.

That was depressing.

Sorry.

That blows! Now's the time to take your professional artist-ery and apply it to something hard-core and crazy. Like chainsaw art, or body fluid art. Or maybe not that crazy, just do something ridiculous. Force re-start your passion, get mad! Make an abomination out of shit you find under the fridge, design a tattoo you'd get done where no one else can see (even if you may not follow through lol), sew a full renaissance court jester costume and wear it to a beard competition (people will love you no matter how much it sucks, trust me).

I don't know if this will help, but I know that you need 3 things: Will Power, Ability, and Vision. You have ability, but somewhere you lose vision, and that has eaten away at your will power. Don't let them squander your ability.

[Bustertheclown]

I don't know if this will help, but I know that you need 3 things: Will Power, Ability, and Vision. You have ability, but somewhere you lose vision, and that has eaten away at your will power. Don't let them squander your ability.

That's actually a very helpful way to put it. On the way home, I was thinking about it, and I got pissed about my current state, and that led to some inspiration. I think I'll take the winter break to get back into the habit of drawing -- not what they want, or what I think they want (whoever "they" are) but what I want. I haven't really just done work that has felt authentic to me in a very long time. It's time to get back to it.

[Warren]

I'm kind of with Buster on this one. The last couple years have been very bad with even feeling like I'd like to create *anything*. I know I'll never be a professional artist or anything, but always just enjoyed the whole act of creating for so long.

But shit happens, as they say...

With a potentially somewhat happy ending, I have been spending a fair amount of time with a creative and fun friend who has gotten me into the idea of painting again. I've not painted with a brush for at least 10-15 years, but have done two small practice works in the past month.

I've got a long way to go, but at least it's something.

[McDuffies]

My work schedule doesn't allow me to draw these days... I mean I doodle and I write bits of script, but there's no time for anything to come together. I don't feel like I'm out of the loop, though, I am constantly in comics at least with one leg.

[MariaAndMichelle]

Comic-Leg McDuffies... hmm... not as catchy as "Peg-Leg" would have been, but we suppose it'll do.

[Warren]

I often imagine McDuffies as a three-legged cat.

[McDuffies]

Flattery will get you nowhere.

[Dr Legostar]

Struggling with distinct styles of architecture for different places and societies.