I've been getting frustrated with how often I have to erase and redraw a panel trying to figure out how to get it to look right, but seeing that even David has to go through this process sometimes makes me feel a lot better, heh.

Inktober Days 1-5. Critiques welcome. I know my linework, anatomy, and perspective are a bit wonky.

Page layout and design is new to me, got some questions around things like: - where the horizon line falls in each panel on a single page - the mix of shots used in panels for a single page - when and when not to repeat information within multiple panels Am very confident with writing but translating writing skills to the types of skills that are unique to comic stories is proving challenging. Are there some common faux pas or things that good comic artists should typically try to avoid when it comes to page layout? More specifically, in my early storyboards I find myself worrying about things like: - Is it OK to have ~2 panels on a page (especially consecutively) where the horizon line is the same height, or the height of the horizon line hasn't differed significantly between the two panels? - What to avoid when using the same types of shots for ~2+ panels on a page? i.e. Establishing/long shot > med > med > med > closeup? My initial thought is that this is fine so long as the angle of each shot differs in a meaningful way, but in practice I'm skeptical that there are lots of pitfalls here that can make the end result boring or off. - What to avoid when using panels to establish setting, i.e. after the initial establishing shot, tips and tricks for revealing more of the setting and environment in a way that's interesting and meaningful prior to introducing characters.  - Using the same perspective multiple panels in a row , i.e 2pt perspective several times in a row on the same page, and so on. Possibly overthinking a lot of this, but any general advice or things to avoid in terms of page layout would be appreciated.

I have a question about figures intersecting the sides of panels. David's description makes sense, but I've also seen super close-ups that essentially cut off one half of the character's face using the top and side of the panel. Things like that. What's an effective way to do this without it looking odd in the way the video describes?

I've been looking forward to this course, I always learn something when I watch any of David's videos.

Hey Uncomfortable, it's me, one of your fledging DaB students. My question is, how do you "know" when you have reached the intangible threshold of "good enough" to start using a platform and trying to build a following? Too soon, and I'd imagine you do more damage to your potential career than good, but given that it's incredibly hard to judge your own art (or maybe if you can't, that's an indicator that you're not ready to start throwing it up on instagram or wherever), and especially if you're always in a space where you feel like other people on those platforms are always "better", how and when do you take the risk? Side note: I'm finally getting to the end of DaB and you throw this new Science of Drawing Course up, thanks for nothing...there is no finish line. Looking forward to it.

Followed along with proko doing beans... compared to his mine feels a little off... like they are longer in a way idk... some help will be appreciated <3

Cool idea! As far as masters, I always liked Rembrandt. I do a lot of digital portraits, and I really like Aaron Griffin’s  work (aarongriffinart on IG) and Ivana Besevic (ivanabesevic.studio on IG), but there are a lot of others. I also really like the painting style of Solomon Omogboye (solomon_omogboye_studio on IG). Kevin Beilfuss (kevinbeilfussart on IG) does very cool figure paintings.  I’ll add more as I think of them… there are a LOT of great artists out there!

Interesting, thanks for sharing

So, the number of people working on a comic depends on editorial requirements: if you look at American comics there are people assigned to each step because of the processing times but as far as webcomics are concerned there are usually no more than one or two people working on them (in the case where one writes and the other draws). Generally though, when it comes to webcomics it's more a matter of 'we're friends and we want to do this thing together'. In some cases, when a webcomic author achieves enough success and earns enough money, it happens that he hires an assistant to help him with the colouring so that he can publish more weekly episodes (this is the case of the author of the webcomic Wild Life, which I have been following for years). In publishing, on the other hand, in extreme cases you have one person who takes care of the subject, one who writes the script, one artist who only takes care of the pencils, one who inks, one who colours, one who types (sometimes a specific person for noises), after that layout artists, graphic artists, profreaders, etc. But this is because it is necessary to bring out a complete chapter every month. In the case of a webcomic, you decide the pace: you can decide to start by going out with just one page a week (usually everyone starts that way, as you have no way of knowing if you'll have enough readers to afford more effort) but also more, depending on how long you need to finish a full page. In the beginning, however, I recommend that you only publish one page and keep the extra ones to cover unforeseen events; you may get sick, your computer may break down, you may simply not have the right inspiration to work one day or lose more time than expected on a scene. In this way you will work with less stress, not having to have your days numbered to publish the page without missing the day of release. Also take into account that you will have to dedicate a few hours each day to managing your social profiles and the platforms where you decide to publish (it is better not to do this in one place and not to sign exclusives with any platform).

It takes an army for the big publishers because comics take a lot of time. About the only way most comics would come out on a monthly schedule is to use an assembly line process. There are plenty of people who do comics on their own. Jeff Smith, Terry Moore, Faith Erin Hicks, and Daniel Warren Johnson are just a few recent examples, but I'm sure there are tons more. The challenge is going to be production schedule if you have to do something else for money or otherwise have significant time commitments elsewhere. Instead of a page a day, you might only be able to do a page or two a week. A page a week gets you 52 pages a year, which isn't bad for a side project. My recommendation, if you have never done a comic before, is to start out with short stories--anywhere from one to eight pages. This will give you some room to experiment with processes and tools. You don't want to get 15 pages into your big project only to realize you need to redo them because you figured out a better style. To bring up the subject of your previous topic on when to know you're ready--when it comes to comics, I think people get it backwards. Do comics to learn to draw, not the other way around. Wrestling with a comic book script will throw so many problems at you that you have to solve, that in the process of solving them, you will continue to level up, putting more and more tools in your toolbox the whole way. It will also give context to the things you are learning here. I hope you give it a shot. Comics are a great medium.

Hello, examples of solo authors: https://instagram.com/koteriink https://www.instagram.com/johnkillink https://www.instagram.com/raultrevinoart Hope they help!

You can absolutely do it on your own.... check out this gal: http://www.sssscomic.com, this is a one-person comic and its already 2000+ pages long... i started following it in 2017, looks like she's still going strong, with beautiful pages and 4 updates per week. she had a 700 page one completed before started this one even... the problem is your time and maybe job... as a student i got school work to do that's not remotely related to art, i'm not sure if I'd also have time when i came out of it :( And also your workflow matters... I can craft out a spread in like 4 days in the style i like but that's not doing anything else, and that surely isn't fast enough for publishers. If you are just doing it for yourself, then i don't think there's anything stopping you. My take is just to look after your eyes.

There is really a yin and a yang to all this. The answer for me is that you're never really done studying the fundamentals, but that shouldn't stop you from making the best art you can. Andrew Loomis talked about setting aside one day for study, and I know Norman Rockwell took classes all his life. I think they recognized that mastery is illusive, and there is always a deeper understanding one can achieve. That said, I think there can be a tendency to put off tackling big art projects because we don't feel ready. That's paralysis of analysis. People who do nothing but exercises, but no finished art fall into this trap. Sure, it might not be perfect, but so what? Dive in. If it doesn't turn out great, then it was just a draft. Furthermore, great art can survive mistakes. We're living in a media culture largely built on the shoulders of Jack Kirby comics with all of their made up anatomy. Art doesn't have to be perfect to be good.

I think sometimes, if you've spent time practicing the basics, it might be a good idea to try moving on even if you don't feel you're completely "ready". After all, no one's ever 100% ready, and you can always go back to review the basics if you feel out of your depth! Even with anatomy and more advanced topics, they're something you'll likely go back to again and again to refresh yourself, or understand something you never got the first time. Challenging yourself is a good way to continue to grow, and I find that learning new info often improves my understanding of the basics as well.