Tips, anyone?

[KeenCrow]

I'd like some, and just for the record, this isn't a weak attempt at a pitch, or posted from a desire to have people "ooh" and "aah" over my work. I'm trying something totally new art-wise with my new comic. I started playing with the transparency settings in Fireworks, and played around, and after a while it started to look a little bit like watercolors.

Anyway, I guess I just wanted to see if there were any sort of general tips you might have for me, on ways to make it look better. I think the actual sketches are already as good as I can get them at my meager skill level, so I'm really looking for more technical things.

For example, when I'm laying on the colors at 25% transparency, is there some way I can make my original drawn lines stay dark? I know most people seem to be more about photoshop than fireworks, but I thought I'd ask. Oh, and here's an example of the style I'm doing:

My second strip.

[RemusShepherd]

I don't know anything about fireworks. But in photoshop, to make the original lines stay dark you can either paint with 'Behind' or 'Multiply' settings.

I really like the watercolor look to your strip, by the way. I wouldn't mind hearing some tips on how you do it.

[KeenCrow]

I use the basic pencil tool set to "soft rounded," at about size 30. (The panels are larger when I'm coloring them.) Then drop my transparency to 25%. Add a layer of color. Then add a layer of a color close to that one, missing little places on purpose, so the old color shows through. Depending on how dark I want it, I'll keep going after that a few more layers, or, more often, I then drop to 10% transparency, and do some more subtle things, like light accents with white or yellow.

It's pretty time consuming, though, compared to just paint-bucketing it or somesuch. Takes me about 30 minutes per panel, if not more.

[Bass Master Fei]

It's darling, but I can see the little white spots you missed. Perhaps if you kept the background white or a lighter blue, it wouldn't be so noticeable.

Still, that is seriously cute. It looks like a children's book :3.

[Phalanx]

I love the concept. Very original.

The white pixels might be a problem, but the others have already mentioned it, once you get over it it'll look great.

And I'm keeping an eye on this one. Oh I am...

[KeenCrow]

By the white pixels, I'm assuming you mean around the letters and edges of the panels, right? I've already figured out how to fix that. I'm unnecessarily feathering everything and making it transparent, when I don't need to.

Oh, and Phalanx, I'll try to make it interesting.

[KeenCrow]

I thought I'd bump this just once, in case anyone missed it. I won't do it again, I promise. Also, just for the record, The white pixels problem will be gone in tomorrow's strip. (Forgive me if the bumping is annoying.)

[Gengar003]

is there some way I can make my original drawn lines stay dark?

Yes. Create a new layer, put it on top of everything, and
a.) (if you can) Select all your original lines (magic-wand tool in photoshop; don't know what it is in fireworks), copy them, all, then paste them into the top layer. "Line" them up (hee hee pun) with the other lines, then hide/make 100% transparent the bottom layer. That way, you can see if you missed any. Then put the bottom layer back, and ALWAYS KEEP THE LINE LAYER ON TOP and NEVER TOUCH ITS TRANSPARENCY.

b.) trace over your lines in (black, I assume), and don't touch it after that.

Personally, I think the fading of the lines is a nice artistic touch, intentional or not ^_^

I notice also little "halos" around the text, I assume because you made it transparent. When making the image, just make the background of the image match the background of your website, then you won't have the halos. ^_^