Nudity, sex, violence, fantasy babes, epic fantasy? What is there not to understand?

In a story comic when reading one page I wouldn't expect anyone to get it. It'd be like opening a novel at random, reading just that page and expecting to understand the whole story.

And if anyone ever picks up on any of my inside references I'd really be surprised.

I just don't bother working on my comic around people. That way I don't have to worry about questions like that.

It makes you look like an idiot. Its annoying, however.

rose marie
I just don't bother working on my comic around people. That way I don't have to worry about questions like that.

Me too. I have this strange instinct to shut my sketchbook when someone comes into teh room. I can't even help it! Does anyone else suffer from this!?

Jonko
Me too. I have this strange instinct to shut my sketchbook when someone comes into teh room. I can't even help it! Does anyone else suffer from this!?

Yes. I can't stand someone watching me draw. It's like someone cracking open your head and watching you think (and of course commenting while doing so). Made art classes kind of troublesome.

Well I'd like to make political jokes in my comic but the few people who read it don't get those jokes. Also my fan base consist of like 3 DDers and 3 or 4 friends at home so when I make a joke about DD none of my friends get it and when I make a joke about home few get it here.

In short conclussion I need more readers.

There are several reasons for “I don't get it”

A. Your comic is confusing of a result of shitty writting/art.
B. That person is a moron and might be illiterate. If this is the case ignore them and get away from them soon as possible.
C. Your jokes aren't very funny. (If you have them)

Maybe you should ask them next time, instead of asking random people.

Fenn

Jonko
Me too. I have this strange instinct to shut my sketchbook when someone comes into teh room. I can't even help it! Does anyone else suffer from this!?

Yes. I can't stand someone watching me draw. It's like someone cracking open your head and watching you think (and of course commenting while doing so). Made art classes kind of troublesome.

I do that too…or minimize Photoshop when someone walks in the room. I don't really like people looking through my sketchbook, either…my logic is that for a visual person, a sketchbook is kind of like a diary.

Hippie Van

Fenn

Jonko
Me too. I have this strange instinct to shut my sketchbook when someone comes into teh room. I can't even help it! Does anyone else suffer from this!?

Yes. I can't stand someone watching me draw. It's like someone cracking open your head and watching you think (and of course commenting while doing so). Made art classes kind of troublesome.

I do that too…or minimize Photoshop when someone walks in the room. I don't really like people looking through my sketchbook, either…my logic is that for a visual person, a sketchbook is kind of like a diary.

Oh, Lawdy yes. I can't stand people watching me draw, or seeing something I'm drawing before it's finished. I don't like people reading my comics (or anything I've written) in my presence, either.

If it's around friends I like to keep drawing, they make a good soundingboard for art and jokes. But if it's someone I don't know I'm starting to get into the habit of putting my art away because I've found that even though I try not to be offensive, the Christen theme does tend to offend some people. Makes for an awkward situation.

My comic is pretty much intended to be linear but still throw the reader every few pages. Whether or not people like it I have yet to determine, but generally speaking I get more questions about “wtf just happened” than “hey, that was cool”

However, the only person who ever looks over my shoulder while I draw is a graphic design major, so he cares less about what's being said than about whether or not perspectives, angles, body positioning and design work.

i'm yet to find someone in real life who likes my comic, which is good and also bad for me.

I just showwed my comic to a friend and he did not get any of the internet humor and he is a internet junkie :(

So really that means you should ask your friend how you can improve (I guess). But it does make you feel pretty crappy when somebody doesn't get your comic.

This just happened to me…

jonko, I like comics! ; )

I've had people not get certain parts of my stuff– not my comics, so far, but the material behind it. That's a big old red flag. And god it's depressing. It's different if they don't get “the joke”, but if they don't get what's happening, that can spell trouble. The question a reader should be asking themself after a story/page/comic/whatever isn't (to quote my genius professor) “what” just happened, it's “why” it just happened. And there should be some visible, understandable reason.

I actually don't mind having people watch me draw. Well, it's not like when I draw there's a throng of people encircling me, but if someone happens by, I don't care. I like compliments, and generally people won't go out of their way to insult my art (unless it's my mom, or any member of my family…) Plus, fresh eyes are usually better than tired old kristen-eyes.

mishi_hime
A. Your comic is confusing of a result of shitty writting/art.
B. That person is a moron and might be illiterate. If this is the case ignore them and get away from them soon as possible.
C. Your jokes aren't very funny. (If you have them)

The reason I previously mentioned that someone has to like comics, is because a comic (whether it's a strip or a story) is a medium that one has to get used to before being able to enjoy.

I hate using myself as an example, but I made an attempt to read some American comic books after years of manga, and it was just so different that my eyes needed a few hours before I could get used to the style enough to enjoy it. At first I had to reread the pages over and over again and was thinking to myself, “I don't get it.”

SO in conclusion, if your reader is someone who isn't used to reading comics, maybe the 3 reasons above don't apply (of course there are many cases where they do apply too!).

If someone read any of my work and didn't get it, I'd either be completely neutral or piss myself at the fear that I will never be understood…depending on the subject matter.

One way that I combat the ‘I don’t get it' syndrome, I like to plaster a lot of pages with easter-eggs. So instead of one person who ‘doesn’t get it' I usually have a bunch of people who overlook something(s) and then the one mad man standing in the back row, who previously happened to be in the right place and the right time to completely connect with ‘it’, blurts out some kind of acknowledgeable response.

ex. Scorch chapter Soul Candy, page 37 text: "No Bulbous Bouffant Tart…“ is a Dr. Demento refference to The Vestibules act, by which a reader replied ”Macademia!“ …oh… outdated p (yay for interaction)

I like this kind of interactive dialogue that is by itself a whole different language that most ppl will not get. I'd be afraid if someone didn't get my comics, where I try to be somewhat clear…the polar opposite of my incoherent being in real life…

ex. dialogue between a friend and I: me-”guess what I saw today?“ her-”what?“ me-”Paris Hilton, driving a dirty truck…“ both of us, ”ON RIMCOCK ROAD!!" *laughter ensues.

mishi_hime
There are several reasons for “I don't get it”

A. Your comic is confusing of a result of shitty writting/art.
B. That person is a moron and might be illiterate. If this is the case ignore them and get away from them soon as possible.
C. Your jokes aren't very funny. (If you have them)

Filtering just hearing the negative. ;)

Some times we may not be listening to what they are saying and they may not be listening to what we are saying. If someone says “I don't get it.” It is my job to find out why and help them discover the answer.

“The art is great and the dialogue is funny. Oh I don't get that bit…”
“Did you read the story?”
“No, just that page.”
“It only makes sense in context”
(real conversation with my sister-in-law, she read the rest)
“I get it now it was funny why they did that.”

Of course my fist responses were precisely those listed by mishi-hime. :)
Grit teeth, ignore my negative catagorizing what she was saying and using it as a “teaching moment” It's not like it's calculus or rocket science, it's just story-telling.

Once upon a time I was extremely self-conscious about people looking over my shoulder as I worked. Then I purposely started doing it to get over my self-csonsciousness. Slow immersion like how you get over a phobia. Once I started doing it I had to put up with all the praise. I was wrong and I turned what I had seen as a negative into a positive. It surprised the hell out of me. :)

'Ordinary' people assume that comics have a punchline, like in the newspapers. They also are often not imaginiative, and also have no idea of the context. It may also just not be their thing.

bittertea
If someone read any of my work and didn't get it, I'd either be completely neutral or piss myself at the fear that I will never be understood…depending on the subject matter.

Yep, depending on the day of the week and what I ate for dinner.

It depends whether I wanted them to get it or not, though. ;)

Although you hear tales of some lucky people (or liars) who would have you believe their entire family reads (and loves) their comic. And all their friends. And the neighbour's dog.

Seriously, my comic is about a bunch of drunks in a fantasy land. So anyone who doesn't do much drinking or isn't interested in fantasy is 99% not likely to get it. Which is pretty much everyone I know. Although I did notice a correlation between left-brain oriented people I know (3) and number of “I don't get it” comments (3). From the same 3 people.

But it doesn't really bother me at the moment aside from initial feelings of inadequacy when people tell me; I'm still reeling from getting the thing online at long last, I think! If loads more people tell me they don't get it, then I'll have to rethink my writing style.

Tor.

Hyena H_ll

Hippie Van

Fenn

Jonko
Me too. I have this strange instinct to shut my sketchbook when someone comes into teh room. I can't even help it! Does anyone else suffer from this!?

Yes. I can't stand someone watching me draw. It's like someone cracking open your head and watching you think (and of course commenting while doing so). Made art classes kind of troublesome.

I do that too…or minimize Photoshop when someone walks in the room. I don't really like people looking through my sketchbook, either…my logic is that for a visual person, a sketchbook is kind of like a diary.

Oh, Lawdy yes. I can't stand people watching me draw, or seeing something I'm drawing before it's finished. I don't like people reading my comics (or anything I've written) in my presence, either.

I too.

ESPECIALLY if they want to play at being a critic.
-> DO NOT do that near me while I'm creating or I will harm you. >_<

Being a critic over a piece of work that's already done is ok though. If I'm there at the time I'll still be tetchy.

…Although it can be fun when they don't know you're the artist, like at an exhibition. Hilarious in fact. :)

The issue I have it that non-artists really don't understand the steps that art takes…. so, I do a thumbnail sketch and then I do a rough with figures created by ovals, etc and handdrawn panel lines to figure out my balance. I take the roughs and create my finished pencils with my own shorthand for my ink work. Even at this point non-artists will say “isn't his head too big” or whatever. It isn't until the page is inked, scanned, with dialogue, tones, etc. that I will show it to most people.

The same is true for my paintings… in the rough stages, it sounds like an abstract even if it isn't ;) People tend to like the final results but think anything up to that point is crap.

Here is a site I use to show “progress” steps to potential “customers” and you can see I've already skipped to my final pencils… HAHA

http://www.shpapa.com/2.html

In fact, I wish I had an artist friend that I could bounce stuff off of before the page is finished… ha.

Hyena H_ll

Hippie Van

Fenn

Jonko
Me too. I have this strange instinct to shut my sketchbook when someone comes into teh room. I can't even help it! Does anyone else suffer from this!?

Yes. I can't stand someone watching me draw. It's like someone cracking open your head and watching you think (and of course commenting while doing so). Made art classes kind of troublesome.

I do that too…or minimize Photoshop when someone walks in the room. I don't really like people looking through my sketchbook, either…my logic is that for a visual person, a sketchbook is kind of like a diary.

Oh, Lawdy yes. I can't stand people watching me draw, or seeing something I'm drawing before it's finished. I don't like people reading my comics (or anything I've written) in my presence, either.

It is more like I use my dad's computer to edit my comic cause our WI-FI is broken. He hits paste at one moment and my pencil work appears. (Why he his paste is beyond me.) He then prints it out and asks what the hell is this ***** doing on his computer. -.- But usually people who look over my shoulder stare at me and ask me why I'm not an art major.

Kristen Gudsnuk
I've had people not get certain parts of my stuff– not my comics, so far, but the material behind it. That's a big old red flag. And god it's depressing.

I like how sophisticated your story is, though! I mean, it's pretty obscure source material (at least to most people) but I think the specificity of it makes it all the more interesting! Plus, I love it when folks aren't afraid to tackle more unconventional subjects. :)

bittertea
outdated & forgotten pop culture

Oh, I am the worst at this. Either that or obscure stuff that, like, 3 people know. (There are several references or inspirations in my comic from this Canadian garage-punk band called The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets- a self-proclaimed “Lovecraft tribute band”.) But I try to weave it in so that even if you don't catch it (and I don't expect that most people will) it still makes sense. It's like a private little joke/communication with the tiny handful of people who share my particular tastes. >:)

Wow, that is NOT right (the dad thing.. not the art major thing ;)).

Niccea
It is more like I use my dad's computer to edit my comic cause our WI-FI is broken. He hits paste at one moment and my pencil work appears. (Why he his paste is beyond me.) He then prints it out and asks what the hell is this ***** doing on his computer. -.- But usually people who look over my shoulder stare at me and ask me why I'm not an art major.

Hyena H_ll

Kristen Gudsnuk
I've had people not get certain parts of my stuff– not my comics, so far, but the material behind it. That's a big old red flag. And god it's depressing.

I like how sophisticated your story is, though! I mean, it's pretty obscure source material (at least to most people) but I think the specificity of it makes it all the more interesting! Plus, I love it when folks aren't afraid to tackle more unconventional subjects. :)

bittertea
outdated & forgotten pop culture

Crazy stuff for the tiny handful of people who share my particular tastes. >:)

I agree about Kristen's comic.. some stuff is worth figuring out (I've googled a couple of times reading it but don't tell anyone).

And I love your stuff too.. I think a lot of the crazies are on DD (like me) so that works, right? :D

Aghammer

Hyena H_ll

Kristen Gudsnuk
I've had people not get certain parts of my stuff– not my comics, so far, but the material behind it. That's a big old red flag. And god it's depressing.

I like how sophisticated your story is, though! I mean, it's pretty obscure source material (at least to most people) but I think the specificity of it makes it all the more interesting! Plus, I love it when folks aren't afraid to tackle more unconventional subjects. :)

bittertea
outdated & forgotten pop culture

Crazy stuff for the tiny handful of people who share my particular tastes. >:)

I agree about Kristen's comic.. some stuff is worth figuring out (I've googled a couple of times reading it but don't tell anyone).

And I love your stuff too.. I think a lot of the crazies are on DD (like me) so that works, right? :D

merci beaucoup, both of you!! :) I am touched.

back to that other topic about ppl watching you draw…
Actually, I had a really terribly awkward encounter yesterday regarding someone seeing me drawing my comic. I was sitting outside of Au Bon Pain, drawing page 14, and this old guy (gray hair, balding, veritas old guy) comes up to me, looms over for a while, asks for a light, and sits down at my table (!!!) and starts asking about my comic. ick. invasion of personal space. I of course marketed myself, gave him my URL, told him to spread the word, and then awkwardly got up and left. And suddenly I understood why people don't want random people watching them drawing.

Kristen Gudsnuk
merci beaucoup, both of you!! :) I am touched.

back to that other topic about ppl watching you draw…
Actually, I had a really terribly awkward encounter yesterday regarding someone seeing me drawing my comic. I was sitting outside of Au Bon Pain, drawing page 14, and this old guy (gray hair, balding, veritas old guy) comes up to me, looms over for a while, asks for a light, and sits down at my table (!!!) and starts asking about my comic. ick. invasion of personal space. I of course marketed myself, gave him my URL, told him to spread the word, and then awkwardly got up and left. And suddenly I understood why people don't want random people watching them drawing.

HA… see you are FAMOUS! Actually, there are people and then there is just creepy (I hope that guy doesn't join DD… web comic stalker badness)! you need to go out in messy clothes and mussed up hair and talk to yourself as you draw. I find that it keeps people away :)