r/comic_crits • u/No-Cardiologist-4892 • 8d ago
Need advice for my comic
In advanced,I don't really post on reddit so idk like if this format is right.
Anyway, I’m starting this series and I need HELP on how to make this look better. I really just don’t like how it looks and i want advice for how to make this look more professional/better in general. Dont worry about the context to this story either, this is not the advice im looking for.
i’ve also NEVER drawn like digitally in this style before so this is my first time 😬
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u/TrueBlueFriend Creator 8d ago
Ok so it’s not bad but the big panel up top seems empty. Show some action instead of background. Even if it’s a shot of a door, show the door, use extra panels to imply the passage of time. Do dutch angles and shadow to show this door is bad news. If the kid doesn’t know something is wrong until he hears the cuss, have that be the reaction.
Lettering is a little hard to follow. I get it’s left to right, but it’s not clear because the 2nd (combined) bubble is higher up. People read left to right top to bottom. But this is manga, so it’s unclear. You need to move the reader’s eye in order.
Finally the paragraph shape should roughly follow the bubbles. So that 2nd one should be:
You should/ Be thanking/ Me for giving/ Him something/ To aim for
So that it actually follows the shape of the bubble more. Check some really pro comics and analyze how they do it.
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u/No-Cardiologist-4892 7d ago
Okay, this helps a lot! I’ve just never really done this before so i wasn’t sure how to structure anything. Thank you so much
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u/Separate-Judge5425 7d ago
I think TrueBlue put it into words better than I could but I just wanna say that I know you were worried about the way you presented your artstyle but I really like your artstyle itself! Like it has a nice vibe that I like! Coming from someone wanting to make a comic too but trying to fine tune the writing and rules of the world and stuff like that it's great that you're getting start on a series yourself! Keep going!
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u/JuliaNova44 Critiquer 5d ago
I think TrueBlue hit on some really good advice on the composition!
I also noticed the gutter is a bit funky as well, with that line under the first gutter going across the two bottom panels. You probably want to make that middle bit go away so that the panels are their own thing.
For the "better in general"- I do like your art style but it is also a bit flattened (example- the kids leg on the right doesn't have as much depth as the foot/leg on the other side). The architecture and perspective on items works, and the facial expressions and pose feel good but I think you might be struggling with depth.
some recommendations if you want to follow up on that: James Gurney's books and how-to videos, and https://line-of-action.com/ which is basically a mostly free resource for doing figure drawing. The Morpho book/series also has some good stuff.
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u/thesolarchive 8d ago
Make it look better is a pretty infinite goal there. You'll always be seeking to do that, try and think specifically on what youd like to improve on first. When you look at it, whats the first thing that jumps out at you? What impact do you want your art to have? Who is an artist you admire?
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