Monday, March 19, 2007

Hands, it seems, are difficult to draw

The more I think about it, the more I sketch and the more ideas I jot down...the more doing a webcomic makes piles of sense to me. I've always known that my big film gambit could, potentially, fail. I'm going to do everything I can to achieve, you know, the opposite of that! But it's a sad truth that sometimes in "the industry" you can have all the talent, enthusiasm and work ethic in the world yet still go unrewarded.

It's partly my knowledge of this unpleasant fact that made me hang in and finish my degree instead of chucking my books over my shoulder and diving in right away (as I was often tempted, especially in third year). So I reckon that I'd like to work towards a rewarding day job which, if I ever gave up on film, would also be something I could do and be creative. I shouldn't talk like making money off a webcomic is a sure thing, it isn't. But one thing I can say about it is that the top quality stuff has a way of rising to the top thanks to word of mouth and the complete absence of meddling authority figures (like editors to the print-based counterparts in the papers).

The art side is easily the most challenging for me (pics soon?) but it's a challenge I am enjoying taking on. Plus I take inspiration in the fact that strong writing can help compensate for all sorts of mediocrity - keeping things afloat until the art skills start to catch up.

A great example of this is a comic called "Questionable Content". Though it has had one or two short periods where my loyalty wavered, it's one of my dailies and there is no denying the impressive progression of the art. If you want an interesting sight, use the following links to see how Jeph Jaques art improved every 100 or so comics (I suggest laying them all along a series of tabs for maximum effect).

QC#1
QC#100
QC#200
QC#300
QC#400
QC#500
QC#600
QC#700
QC#800
QC#841 (Todays)

On the ideas front, I've whittled down from two ideas to one and have started filling a notebook with notes on the main cast as well as strip ideas. Plus I have come across a layout for the strip which I think will really stand out. I'm downloading The Gimp and Inkscape tonight to begin playing with some photo's I took on Saturday for the strip.

Meanwhile, I certainly haven't forgotten about film! If I seem quiet on that front, it is only because I do not want to waste time putting up notice of every slight whif that I catch. I think both reader and writer would quickly grow tired of...

Tuesday xx, x, 200x
"Today I got talking with a dude who seems serious about making a short film out of one of my scripts"

Thursday xx, x, 200x
"Dude turned out to be a flake (or idiot, unlikable fool, unrealistic fool, opportunist, sasquatch rapist)"

REPEAT.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Yes, hands are a bitch. I recommend practicing drawing one of your own repeatedly until you feel more confident with your hand drawing abilities.

http://drawsketch.about.com/library/weekly/aa112402a.htm
http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/hands/hands.htm
http://stevenegordon.com/how_to/hands.html