Welcome to Gaia! ::

Gaia Forums » MISC Forums » Forum & Sticky Archive » Comic Creators
<3 </3
Reply
1 2 >

Offline
I've spent a lot of time trying to come up with comic ideas and my issue is that I spent so much time thinking about the little detail that I never actually end up making it. However! Within the last few months, I had an incredibly strangely large urge to just make one. Without even fully thinking out the details, without truly figuring the entire story line out, I just did it. And you know what? I love it.

My story is about a guy named Wayde Adams. He's 25 and works as a computer techie for a small unnamed-unnecessary-unuseful company. He's about as happy with his job as he possibly can be (read that as not happy). Oh. He also has a serious case of Narcolepsy. He takes meds for it but... sometimes he forgets. The story focuses around a very specific frame of time in his life where his narcolepsy becomes more than narcolepsy. Turns out that every time he passes out, he gets transferred into an alternate reality. And because the world needs to sustain balance, I guess the bigger question is, who replaces him?

I have 12 comic pages completed so far and had to stop for a really long time because school beckoned for my attention more. But now that I'm going to start updating it again regularly, I'm feeling the need to spread the word.

So check it out! Give me feedback! I think the layouts of the pages are going to start to change a bit because after re-visiting them, there's just way too much white on them.


User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.

6,200 Points
  • Conversationalist 100
  • Tycoon 200
  • Risky Lifestyle 100
Offline
Hey, I actually remember seeing this comic a while back. There are things I like about it, and things I feel could use some work. I really like your colouring and your character designs, but here is a list of things that could use some work:

1) I think the thing that bugs me the most about it is that its layout format is very, very similar to Tessa Stone's layout for Hannah Is Not A Boy's Name. White bg, abstract paneling, kind of surreal and similar colour scheme. The distracting element here is that, if that's what you're going for, it's not being done as well, which makes it feel kind of insincere.

2) it was fine at the beginning, but in later pages, the lines representing the panels are way thinner than any of the linework in them, which makes things look weird, and your panel edges actually look kind of grainy.

3) Sometimes it's really hard to figure out what's going on--example: when the old dude gives alternate universe Wayde his computer, you have one panel where old dude is holding a computer out to him, another panel where alternate wayde is flailing wildly, no computer in sight anymore, and one where he upside down on the floor. It isn't clear where the computer went, or why he fell over. You need to make sure that if a character is doing something, it makes sense and that readers can follow what it is.

4) You sometimes use text and sound effects that are black, surrounded by dark purple. This colour combination is kind of like looking into a black-light; my eyes actually felt pain when I read them.

Offline
sinistersquid
Hey, I actually remember seeing this comic a while back. There are things I like about it, and things I feel could use some work. I really like your colouring and your character designs, but here is a list of things that could use some work:

1) I think the thing that bugs me the most about it is that its layout format is very, very similar to Tessa Stone's layout for Hannah Is Not A Boy's Name. White bg, abstract paneling, kind of surreal and similar colour scheme. The distracting element here is that, if that's what you're going for, it's not being done as well, which makes it feel kind of insincere.

2) it was fine at the beginning, but in later pages, the lines representing the panels are way thinner than any of the linework in them, which makes things look weird, and your panel edges actually look kind of grainy.

3) Sometimes it's really hard to figure out what's going on--example: when the old dude gives alternate universe Wayde his computer, you have one panel where old dude is holding a computer out to him, another panel where alternate wayde is flailing wildly, no computer in sight anymore, and one where he upside down on the floor. It isn't clear where the computer went, or why he fell over. You need to make sure that if a character is doing something, it makes sense and that readers can follow what it is.

4) You sometimes use text and sound effects that are black, surrounded by dark purple. This colour combination is kind of like looking into a black-light; my eyes actually felt pain when I read them.


Yeah, pretty much everything you've stated are things that I'm concerned about and am trying to change hahaha. The only thing that I don't necessarily agree with is the idea that it's similar to hannah's not a boy's name. I read it too and I'm sure to some degree it's influencing me, but at the same time... a lot of other comics use that same technique hahaha. I'm also not too sure about the color scheme thing either. The color scheme is something I've been personally trying hard on to help connect to each of the characters and the environment that they're in as well.

The issue with the line work came from when I was forced to use my laptop over the winter break. Since I can't use photoshop on it, I was forced to use corel painter which gave me an incredibly hard time in trying to mimic the same kind of inking technique that I used previously.

And achk, yeah. I need to work on the whole sound effects thing. It was giving me an incredibly hard time and I was winging a lot of it. I'll be sure to keep all of these things in mind when I get back to it (:

6,200 Points
  • Conversationalist 100
  • Tycoon 200
  • Risky Lifestyle 100
Offline
For sound effects, I'd like to recommend this tutorial I made a month ago. It pretty much shows you some painless ways of making sound effects and logos for comics using only photoshop.

Offline
...Would that work in paint. NET?

OP: Huh. Don't know what to say that Sinister hasn't said, so I'm just going to concur with her. It does look interesting so far.

Though maybe the paneling comes off as insincere because your are sort of thin and passive, whereas Hanna's is bold and active. :/

Also, since I'm a**l about these things, manga just means comic, so yes this is a manga. But I use manga to mean comics from Japan, so there is that. Words are weiiird.

Offline
I just want to make it clear that I am in no way what so ever trying to bite off that webcomic and would appreciate people not comparing my webcomic to hers. I'm not trying to do what she does because I can probably never do what she does because I don't have the same kind of eye that she does. I'm trying to do what I do and though yes, her work shows some influence in my work, I am not by any means, again, trying to copy it. I get it. And though this may seem like I'm bordering on defensiveness and irrationality, I don't take very kindly to people insinuating that I'm copying someone else's stuff. I've spent a long time trying to develop myself as an artist and this is my first attempt at making a webcomic and I understand that there are flaws but critique it for what it is. If you think it sucks, say it sucks. If you think it's awesome, say so. But man. Stop comparing my stuff to hers. It bugs me even more because she's not the only comic artist in the world that doesn't just use rectangles and squares for paneling. I respect Tessa far too much to rip off of her stuff.

I appreciate the tutorial, though. And will probably be using it a s**t ton to help me with the SFX.

Also, though manga is nothing but the japanese word for Comic, it does still have it's connotations to be consistent of one major style. In that given context, it isn't a manga.

Offline
Though I wasn't really trying to compare your comic to HiNaBN, so much as giving my opinion as to why Sinister may have said it comes off as kind of insincere.

Offline
My reply was not an attempt at lashing out at you or anyone in particular but trying to get my point across. If you compare it to Tessa's webcomic then yes, of course it's going to come off as insincere because you're using her work as a point of reference as opposed to critiquing my webcomic for what it is - my webcomic.

Offline
Eh, it wasn't really that I felt you were lashing out to me in particular as I maybe I should have been clearer on what I meant. I've seen other webcomics use a sort of 'chaotic' paneling. I just feel that if that's what someone, say you, is going for, thicker and bolder lines would be better. :/

Offline
Then I would really appreciate the feedback a lot more if it wasn't in the context and in relationship to her webcomic. This isn't at all by any means saying that what I'm doing is perfect, either. I'll definitely keep it in mind to use thicker, bolder lines for the panel work. I guess my concern was making it so thick that it would detract from what was actually going on inside of the panel more than anything else. But I'll be sure to play around with the line thickness.

Offline
I don't think it'd really be possible to make the lines so thick as to detract from reading, unless it's something like this. But otherwise, by all means, practice line thickness. That's something I have trouble with myself. D:

Offline
Hahahaah, yeah, that's essentially what I'm worried about xD; I'll just have to tread carefully, eh?

Offline
That's what great about webcomics; you can always experiment until you find something that works.

Offline
I also found the layout a bit distracting because sometimes the white space seems arbitrary and the flow of the story is compromised. I really think the space between each panel should be considered more carefully and how it directs the readers attention.
Also, in the later pages, people stop breaking out of their boxes so it starts losing consistency with the beginning pages.

Offline
Potato Lord
I also found the layout a bit distracting because sometimes the white space seems arbitrary and the flow of the story is compromised. I really think the space between each panel should be considered more carefully and how it directs the readers attention.
Also, in the later pages, people stop breaking out of their boxes so it starts losing consistency with the beginning pages.


Yeah, I'm really not a fan of all of the white space that's everywhere. I'm not a huge fan of a lot of white space in my own personal images so doing this is kind of grinding my teeth. As for the characters not breaking out of their box, I've been experimenting with it to make them extending out of their panel to be more appropriate and connect to what action they're doing or the context of the story. I don't really want to do it all the time but it is something that I want to play around with.
Gaia Forums » MISC Forums » Forum & Sticky Archive » Comic Creators

Quick Reply

Submit
Manage Your Items
Other Stuff
More
Get GCash
Offers
More
Get Items
More Items
More
Where Everyone Hangs Out
Other Community Areas
  • Guilds
    fan clubs for the stuff you love
  • Chat
    chat in real time with other Gaian's
  • Art Arenas
    browse & rate gaian art galleries
  • Clans
    play zOMG with others
More
Virtual Spaces
Fun Stuff
More
Gaia's Games
Mini-Games
More
Play with GCash
Play with Platinum
More