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Candy-Janney β Comic Test and RANT
#anthro #comic #furry
Published: 2015-06-29 19:51:26 +0000 UTC; Views: 4986; Favourites: 42; Downloads: 12
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Description
Absolutely nothing to see here. I wasn't even sure about putting this up.. I'm currently trying to figure out how I want to draw this particular comic, so I did a test page that means absolutely nothing. Simple black and white would be SO much easier, but I designed these characters so colorfully that it seems like a waste...Another problem is my EXTREME issue with backgrounds. If there is any kind of background in a panel, it takes me 10,000 times longer. After 10 years of practice I just haven't gotten better at perspective/architecture. It's frustrating and it's the only reason ALL of my other comic projects have gone nowhere. That is literally the only reason. I feel bad because Fred writes me amazing scripts and I rage quit when I realize I can't draw backgrounds without practically copying shit from google images. Remember my pirate comic? Fred wrote out the first 3 chapters of that thing. I was so excited and started working on the first page. The first panel took place on a city street with a lot of people doing various things and there was a carriage being pulled by horses. After a WEEK (no joke) of KIND OF getting the perspective right on the basic shapes of buildings, I went in to try to detail the buildings. Nope, it was just an absolute horrid mess. Give me references for a character, I can whip up something creative in no time. Give me references of an area/building/mechanical anything, I'll stare until my eyes gloss over and I can't do anything but copy, and my backgrounds end up looking dull, lifeless, and uninteresting. Any background you have seen me do that looks even partially okay, it's because I spent way too much time on it and I probably copied straight from a photograph or something. -_- It's very frustrating and makes it impossible to do any comic unless I made one that takes place in an empty void.
Sigh.. Anyway rant over. If anything this gave me an excuse to draw Orwyn and Kaloc.
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Comments: 17
Wow! Look at the detail in that first panel! So awesome!
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Glancing at this, one reason you have trouble with backgrounds is that when you draw them, boy, do you go all in.Β The detailed patterns on the molding made my eyes pop.Β I was like 'That must have taken forever.'Β And that was before I read your rant!
Go ahead and copy from references, and if anything try to simplify.Β Yes, it actually does look good, and isn't this how artists learn how to draw anything?Β You'll build up a mental library.Β And if you don't, who cares?Β It's the easiest, fastest way to get through the part of the job you're least interested in.Β There's no reason to beat yourself to death with guilt over this at all.
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Thanks. 
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No no no no.Β The problem here is, you're holding yourself to an unreasonable standard.Β Most good artists do.Β I'm saying don't stress it.Β If it looks too clear, so be it.Β You're putting in the basic amount of work required to support your foreground, and it doesn't have to be much.Β If you're like other artists I know, three quarters of the effort is you worrying about not being good enough.Β Ditch that malarky.Β If it's good, it's good.Β If it's not, your foreground will make up for it.Β Do it the easy way, and don't sweat.
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Good advice! I'm really going to give it a try and hope I can handle it, but it's hard to look at something you work on and see so many flaws with a part of it. @_@
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How about a rule?Β You said the background took a week and the characters an hour.Β Pick only the amount of background that takes the same amount of time as the characters.Β If that doesn't seem like much to you, just shrug and do it anyway.Β YOUR brain will rebel and you'll tear your hair out because it looks so blank, but I bet your readers won't even notice.Β I bet more than half the best artists you love make exactly the same complaint ('Oh, my art sucks!Β I'm not good at X!') you do, and you'd give them the same advice.
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Preaching to the choir, punkin. I think architecture is a different realm of "artsy" than cartooning, so to speak. Too many straight lines for my taste. 
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lol I'll definitely share. I'm so jealous of artists who are great at characters AND background. It's just not fair! My brain just refuses to think in straight lines I guess. 9_9 I have no issue with using references, I know most artist do, but when I say use references I mean I practically have to trace the perspective. Stupid perspective!!
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It's an understanable struggle. Keep in mind though as artists, we all as individuals are Our Own Worst Critic.Β
Just keep at it and don't put yourself down!! />o<\
Motivation to keep going and doing something fast AND good can be hard to get, but if anyone can do it, You can Candy!!!
Just make a bunch of scribble buildings to get the frustration out and just breath and keep goingΒ Β
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Thanks, it felt REALLY good to rant and get out something that's been bugging me for a decade. I'm going to keep trying, what else can I do! Maybe all the characters I draw float instead of live on land. I can draw clouds no problem!
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...it's crazy that you say that for your background is simply gorgeous
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Thanks I really appreciate that! That panel took me almost a week to get right while the characters got sketched out in an hour. I'll never get any comic done with that speed problem lol!
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Hahahaha damn no that's going to be a problem.
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Hang in there Candy, you'll do good in the end! And this is lovely but I can understand the raging self-criticism that every artist carries. To be fair, the backgrounds in this are perfect, so the effort definitely shows!
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