Prologue Page Two
iamthatis on Oct. 20, 2006
Yeah… so there's this thing, called “shading”, that some artists use to “create depth” and “add color” to an otherwise flat peice of work. The concept is completely foreign to me.
…
I swear I'll get better. >>; Just keep telling yourself: “It's her first comic, it's her first comic…”
Here is the link to the original pencil scan:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y98/iamthatis/PennivarPage2Scan.jpg
I'm going to try and include this everytime I butcher something in some picture editing program or other. Because though I AM trying to improve my skillz in that area, I am still rather fond of pencil-only.
Next update will be Monday, 10/23!
iamthatis at 10:23PM, Oct. 24, 2006
Mmmm redo... I'm only 6 or so pages into the comic, and that word already tastes so sweet... >_< Must... resist...
Cheeko at 8:32PM, Oct. 24, 2006
Wheee! That looks fun! Hey, colors are HAAARRRD. Even after nearly two years of working on my comic I still struggle with them. Just comfort yourself with the fact that should you ever decide to, you can come back and redo these pages. But I don't see why you would; I think they look great. :)
iamthatis at 9:12AM, Oct. 23, 2006
XD?! Tarzan?! ... You know, now that I think about it, that's something he would do.
kjanuary at 7:14AM, Oct. 23, 2006
Shading looks fine to me? It all comes with practice. Wren left some good notes... so... I'll let her be the expert. Thiefy's got some cool skills! It's a pity he can't make Tarzan-like yells as he swings past... but that would kind of ruin his sneakiness.
iamthatis at 9:05PM, Oct. 21, 2006
Hair's one I have problems with too... and so far, all I've had to deal with is Mr. Theif's little tuft peaking through his mask! Can't WAIT until I start drawing lucious lengths of curly goodness. XD Hmm. You're right, though. I'll bet it would have been much easier to shade this if I'd put the moon in there, as a point of reference. But hey, I'll have plenty of chances to come, right? Right.
Aywren at 11:08AM, Oct. 21, 2006
Shading, very VERY simplified is this (to me): Shading is all about putting yourself in the place of your light source and asking yourself "What can I see from here?" Anything that you can "see" is lit up. Everything else is gradually darker until it is at it's darkest the furthest away from the light source (you). If things are a curvy shape, the shadows will follow the curves. If things are straight and solid, shadows will reflect that too. Things that overlap other things cast shadows below. A stronger and more direct light source will make a more solid shadow. A dimmer overall scene and light source may have softer, less defined shadows. It's about being consistent in knowing the direction your light source is shining from more than anything else. Fantastic examples can be found in real life around you every day... though clothing and hair are still very hard for me to shade.
iamthatis at 8:47AM, Oct. 21, 2006
Awww... thanks, Wren. And you too, Ash. I'll go look for those tutorials, then! I'm always studying other people's techniques (even more so since I've started trying to shade things myself) and trying different ways and... well the one thing I CAN promise is that I will improve. Eventually. But Wren, your shading looked awesome even back in the old days! :D Wayrift luuuuv.
Aywren at 5:45AM, Oct. 21, 2006
Don't be hard on yourself, Iam! Honestly, pushing myself to do a comic update every week helped me to improve my own artwork a WHOLE lot. But it takes time and sticking to it! It's really all about the practice and in training your hand and eye over time... but it does take a lot of time. I also spent time researching tutorials and studying techniques that other artists use when they offer them (you can find a lot of tutorials hanging around Deviant Art sometimes!). I've been working on Wayrift for how many years..? And if you go back to the old stuff (too bad I took down the very first old OLD stuff), you'll see the change in styles and improvement. I think that can be said of all comic artists online! So don't sweat it! We all start out with something we think is shakey at first and just keep working on it till style shows through. Now... on to this page! Great action pose!! And though I only have seen the back, I'm interested in what this character is up to! High flying! Keep going!
Sorceress Ash at 3:56AM, Oct. 21, 2006
W00t, sneaky person thief-ninja-thingie! And you have NOT butchered the shading- far from it. It looks unique and detailed!