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Viga posted:Hello all! I'm studying to be a colorist and was hoping for a critique. Very nice colour choices, though I'm a sucker for warm scenes like this. A few things though.... I would warm up the first panel a bit. The dark blue used for the background is drawing a lot of attention because it's the only cold colour on the page. It could still work if you balanced the page out with more cool shadows. Colour the lips. Even if they aren't wearing lipstick, human lips are still going to be a slightly darker shade than their skin. Push your shadows. I know you're just getting started, and I used to have the same problem, but try to make your shadows darker, so the page looks less flat. It's okay to put more focus on colour choices first, but try to work with your shadows, and make sure those shadows don't become too saturated. The shadows for this scene should be somewhat purpley blue to contrast with the warm sunlight. I would recommend putting a lot of side shadow on the girl in panel 4 to separate her more from the two characters in the background. Keep the background warm and the foreground a bit cooler. Same goes for panel 2. The girl's head and shoulders kind of blend into the background. Play with it a little to push her into her own plane. Don't be afraid of gradients. Even if you're not going for a super rendered look, a simple gradient can do a lot for a scene with this kind of lighting. Lastly, pay attention to the inking. A lot of lighting direction comes from the inks, rather than the script. In panel 3, you are actively going against the inks. See all that black ink by the dude's feet? Those are the shadows of the boxes, meaning that the light source in that panel is coming from the left side, whereas you have coloured it as coming from the bottom right. That could only mean that the primary light source it not coming from the windows after all. Maybe this isn't meant to be a sunset/sunrise scene in the first place. Also, for help with breaking up planes, here's a great breakdown by colourist Dave McCaig. http://www.dave-co.com/gutterzombie/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11966 The Gutterzombie site isn't as active as it used to be, but you can still find some good tutorials on there.  I hope that helps! Nessa fucked around with this message at 16:29 on May 26, 2015 |
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May 26, 2015 16:18
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Anyone familiar with Tapastic? A friend recommended it recently. It looks pretty cool, and let's you add add music from soundcloud. I can't really wrap my head around the "episodes" though. My comic is only organized by chapters, but it seems like "episodes" are designed to be single scenes because you can only add in one music file per "episode". Maybe I just need to explore the site more and see how other people are using it.
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Jun 24, 2015 18:18
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Yeah, it appears that most "episodes" just consist of a single page/several vertical panels which was confusing, since you can upload up to 40 images in a single episode. I guess that makes sense if your panels are all separate images.
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Jun 25, 2015 02:40
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What kind of a name is Ersatz? Is that German?
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Jul 11, 2015 18:41
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pulp rag posted:I've had good experiences with moo.com, but it might not reach you in a week. Moo is really cool because you can have multiple designs for your cards. Great for artists. People at conventions really like flipping through the different designs. They also have the half-size cards. A friend of mine got hers printed at half-size and they turned out great. One design was for her art stuff and the other was for her blog.
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Nov 2, 2015 01:09
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CelticPredator posted:This thread has been a lot of help with my weird comic project. I've never really had an interest in making comics, or really reading them for that matter, but I wanted to tell this story and there was no way I could do it in any other format. So what the hell. Why not give it a go. I really love your cover! Sounds like your comic has a bit of an X-files vibe. Sounds cool!
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Nov 21, 2015 04:41
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Character design I did for my Character Design class. Specs included great lines, such as: Nice shoes, she stole 'em. Crooked lovely broom. Skin bag of magic bullshit. The next project in that class is to draw our own character. I'm just not sure if I should draw the main character of my comic, or a character who will be showing up soon, but whose design isn't finalized yet.
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Nov 26, 2015 01:04
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I've turned a profit on all but a couple of cons I've gone to. Most of the money came from My Little Pony commissions, but it paid for my table, and I managed to sell some comics too! It's a great experiences if you get a chance to do it. If there's a con that's local, check out the local artist groups and see if someone would like to split a table with you. Depending on the size of the con, tables can be pretty expensive, so I know a lot of people who share one with a buddy. Sharing a table also makes it easier to go around the convention floor and do other stuff, since someone else will be at the table to watch your stuff and answer questions, and you'll do that same for them. Eating and bathroom breaks are kind of necessary. My local comic creator group always requests that our tables are next to each other, so we'll always be next to people we know.
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Feb 12, 2016 15:02
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DrSunshine posted:Actually, doing commissions at a con sounds kind of fun. It'd be a big motivator for me if the person was waiting there and you could see their reactions live. No one actually wants to wait for their drawing when they could be attending a panel or getting autographs. Generally, they just ask how long it's going to take, or they'll stop by on their way out. My drawings only take 20-25 minutes, so I tell people to come back in half an hour. Also, make sure people pay upfront, because people will not come back for their drawings otherwise.
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Feb 12, 2016 20:19
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Operation Juicebox posted:I'll be doing my first con in May here. I'm sharing a table with a friend and I'm already stressing out about getting everything organised for a table. I've never done it before, and I'm terrified about a whole number of things. The plan so far is to sell prints, keychains and some stationary (I really, really want to take some notepads for sale with custom covers because that's what -I- like buying). For those of you that are con table veterans, what are your most popular items? My most popular items have been my pony commissions, but that's catering to the brony market. Beyond that, buttons do fairly well. Cheap wearables are great impulse purchase at cons. As a person who is always extra prepared for conventions, here's some tips! Cash-box. Make sure to bring plenty of change for all the people who want to buy a $3 keychain with a $20 bill. Business cards! Even people who don't buy something might still want to take a business card. Mine were quite popular because I had a bunch of different designs on the, that people liked to look through. Signage. Slap colourful price stickers on everything and if you're doing commissions, have a sign that says so and for how much. Otherwise, most con goers won't ask if you're taking commissions. Pick up one of those plastic displays from an office supply store to serve as a nameplate. Include a bit of info about you and what you do! Bring a notebook to track all your sales. This way, you can easily track which items are your best sellers and let's you easily tally how much you made each day. Tablecloth. Some larger cons will provide them, but it's nice to have one in a unique colour to make your table easy to spot. I just use a cheap plastic one from the dollar store, but it's checkered in teal and white and fits my overall theme. A display. How are you going to show off these key chains and prints? Take your table size into account. I use a spinning earring rack to hold my buttons. I picked up a children's "fairy castle" to hang my prints on. It's like a giant, plastic, tinker toy set. Easy to set up and take down and can be configured for a large or small table. My prints are hung using binder clubs and binder rings. Find something that works for you. I know some people who use a room divider with their prints tacked onto it. Those buildable wire basket displays are popular too. Snacks. Always make sure to bring some food and beverage with you in case you don't get a chance to leave your table for a while. It's also a good idea to bring a plastic bag to keep under the table to hold garbage. Bags and envelopes are good to have as well. Post-it notes, scissors, paper clips and tape. You never know when you'll need them. Throw them in your cash box. Also, dress to impress! Look professional! You're there to not only sell your stuff, but also to sell yourself as an artist. The person talking to you about your art could just be a comic fan, or they could be in publishing, looking for an artist for a children's book. (I did have that happen once, though the project fell through.) And most importantly, make eye contact, smile and talk to people! You will get way more sales if your table looks friendly and inviting than if you have your head down drawing the whole time. Even if you have nothing to do, try not to look bored. You can doodle and look busy, but just remember to keep your head up and be sociable. Hope you have fun!
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Feb 14, 2016 01:31
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I suppose it depends on where you are and the prices of your stuff. I'm in Canada and only know a couple of people who have card readers. I've never had a customer not have the cash on them, but there's nothing at my table that costs more than $10. Either way, a card reader is a good thing to have.
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Feb 14, 2016 18:35
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So this has been floating around my Facebook feed today. http://www.theartofmanuelcarmona.com/blog/artists-stop-selling-unlicensed-prints Most of the comic people in my circle are itching for cons to crack down on the selling of fan art prints. I'm really not seeing that sort of thing happening any time soon though. I am however, very curious as to what the effects for such a crackdown would be. If people weren't spending their money on prints of their favourite characters, would they be more willing to check out original comics? Or would artist alley be rendered a ghost town? I know there has been talk of starting up a small comic convention in my city that is really all about the comics, but we'll have to see if anything pans out.
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Feb 17, 2016 00:32
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Kojiro posted:They've been pretty strict about it in the Comic Village area of MCM London for the last two shows and it's certainly not slowed the footfall at all. Heck, I don't think most of the punters even noticed. That's really interesting, actually. Fan art is the fuel of all the artist alleys here. How is it different from other conventions? I have one comic creator friend who stopped tabling at conventions because he felt pressured to make all this fan art when all he wants to do is sell his comic about a psychedelic postman.
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Feb 17, 2016 05:27
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That's amazing, really. Sounds like a very different scene than we have here.
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Feb 17, 2016 07:18
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So I went to a comic creator meeting for the first time in a couple of months because I've been busy with school. There were a lot of people at the meeting, and the completed Free Comic Book Day comic was being passed around. Every year, people volunteer to draw short stories to go into a little ashcan comic that gets printed for Free Comic Book Day, and all the participants pay by page to get it printed. What always bothers me about it is that all the stories are so massively different in theme and tone. You could have a cute, kid friendly story next to a really depressing and existential comic. There is also no quality control, so this year, the creepy guy in the group got his comic published in it. His 3 page comic is just about 2 teenage boys who think a couple of teenage girls are "super hot" and then the girls invite them to the prom (I think? The story is really confusing.) The girls are described as "hot" no less than 4 times in 3 pages. It's just awful. I'm really tempted to spearhead some proper anthology publishing for the group that would go by genre. Give people a soft deadline to submit short comics in a given genre, and once enough are complied, seek to print it. The FCBD comic is only ever worked on a few months before FCBD, so it would be nice to start a project that has a longer deadline. I'm just not sure how many people would go for it. Also, cost is a pretty huge factor too. I would just like a better showcase for the creators in the group than a few 3-4 page stories that are quickly put together in an annual free comic.
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Apr 16, 2016 06:39
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DrSunshine posted:Yup! She has naturally blue hair!! People with blond hair or red hair still have black/dark coloured eyelashes. I think it would look more natural if the eyelashes were black. Right now, they look more like a second set of eyebrows than eyelashes.
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Jun 8, 2016 17:00
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DrSunshine posted:The reason I set it in the future is so I can have "genetic engineering" as a justification for anime hair/eyes. In the example you posted, those eyelashes are green, but they're still a much darker green than the hair. Try going with a deep navy blue instead. They'll be less likely to get mixed up with the eyebrows that way.
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Jun 8, 2016 18:31
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My local comic book store is starting another term of their artist in residency program and I'm being encouraged to apply again. It's a really great program where a local creator gets paid to come in 2 days a week to work of their stuff, as well as answer questions for customers, work on store materials and help out at comic book fairs at schools around the province. To apply, I'd need a letter of reference from someone in the industry. It's been 10 years since I did regular work as a comic flatter. When the residency program first started up, I applied with a letter from a colourist I used to do a lot of work for, but he didn't even want to write the letter. Just wanted me to write one that he would then approve. Now I just don't know who to ask. :/
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Jul 12, 2018 17:55
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gmc9987 posted:I get your hesitation, but... couldn't you just write a letter to the same colorist? This is actually how every letter of recommendation/list of references thing I've ever done has worked - you let the other people know what would help you out the most to mention or write, and then they do it. It's kind of a lovely system but if you have a colorist who will sign off on all the specific things you need to look good, you should do that (in my opinion, I'm interested in seeing what other people think on this topic). Well, I haven't really spoken to this colourist much in the past 7 years or so. I guess the guidelines just say it has to be from someone in the visual arts field in general, rather than comic industry specifically, so there are a few more people I could ask. Is it really the norm to write a recommendation letter for yourself and then just have it signed off by someone?
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Jul 12, 2018 23:33
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gmc9987 posted:I don't know about the norm, but it isn't uncommon. In most experiences I have had with this, the person you're asking will at the least ask what details or topics the letter should focus on, and what experience you have that they should play up. Okay, yeah. I understand all that. It's difficult to know exactly what the judges are looking for in a candidate, as the judges are kept secret and change for every term. The application guidelines state that the chosen applicant is not necessarily the most talented, but the person they feel will get the most benefit out of the residency. I did find a local comic creator to agree to recommend me though! Now I guess the hard part will be actually writing the letter for him to approve of and trying to talk about myself in a positive manner.
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Jul 13, 2018 20:19
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lofi posted:You said you're being encouraged to apply, who by? If you get on with the store owner, their support might be a good thing to have in writing - presumably what the judges want to know is "beyond technical skill, does this applicant have decent people skills, will they be able to be a good ambassador". By friends of mine who have done the residency before. "You should do it! It's a great experience!" I get along with the owner and have been a guest artist for Free Comic Book Day and have volunteered as an artist for several comic book fairs this year. The submission requires a CV, a statement of objectives with a list of works being focused on, a statement of personal career goals and how the residency will help to achieve those goals, a list of recent community work, 5 digital samples (3 of which must be sequential), and one letter of recommendation. http://happyharborcomics.com/downloads/AiRFinal_revised.pdf Doctor Dogballs posted:I've done this a few times, so PM me your draft and I'll help you beef it up Thanks so much! I really appreciate the offer!
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Jul 15, 2018 18:54
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lofi posted:Would those friends who have done the residency not do references? They sound pretty perfect to me (I am not a judge). It is a very cool idea! It's the first of it's kind! I suppose I could ask those friends. I just didn't think I would be allowed to use someone who's done the residency before? I don't know why I thought that. Maybe because they might be applying for it themselves again.
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Jul 19, 2018 00:53
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Wendell posted:Nessa, are you still making your webcomic? I enjoyed watching your growth as an artist through this thread. I think I've only managed to complete 2 pages in the last 2 years I'm afraid. :/ I've built it up into this enormous task that I dread working on it now. I think it takes me over 20 hours to complete a page. I have some anxiety issues that make it really hard to me work on it as well. If I get into the residency, I think it would be a good opportunity for me to focus on my dumb little comic and actually get stuff done. I do much better when other people have expectations that I have to meet. Being at the comic store 2 days a week with people watching me work would help with that I think. I have been doing a bit of drawing though, in that I have challenged myself to gradually draw all the Pokemon. http://nessabee87.tumblr.com
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Jul 19, 2018 19:09
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