Back before Kapow! I though I'd go and hunt down Tharg and show him my portfolio but realised I had nothing to do with 2000AD in it. I drew these over two weeks after work. Matt was quite nice about it considering it was completely rushed and I kinda made up the references for the Judges as I went along.
Anyway, here they are. Some panels are terrible and I'm a little embarrassed by them but I'm happy with most of them I guess.
(http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee443/danielbell2/Dredd001.jpg)
(http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee443/danielbell2/Dredd002.jpg)
(http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee443/danielbell2/Dredd003.jpg)
(http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee443/danielbell2/Dredd004.jpg)
(http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee443/danielbell2/Dredd005.jpg)
(http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee443/danielbell2/Dredd006.jpg)
Golden rule #1: Never show a prospective employer work you're not happy with. Don't mean that to sound harsh but if you're not happy with the work better to wait until you're satisfied with it.
I like it. I'm sure you can see exactly what's wrong with it, and there are plenty of people on here who draw who will gladly tell you where there's room for improvement.
The cityscape in the first panel is really nice and the perspective shows you can be bothered to put the effort in. I particularly like that the light all comes from the same direction and there's a harmonious relationship between the buildings, especially the two on the far left of the cluster. The hov doesn't really stand out though, and might benefit from being drawn smaller and further away with some movement lines suggesting a flight path trailing behind it.
I like the semi-circle of faces. Dredd doesn't stand out from the crowd enough because of the uniformity of line and weight, and his gun looks flat. The guy with his head down, running, jars with the startled guy in the foreground. All the elements in that panel are individually well drawn but they don't hang together well in terms of the composition. My least favourite panel is the one of the perp lying on the ground.
The important thing is that it looks very much to me (but I'm no expert) like you know how to tell a story in strip form - these aren't just static images of action figures in their best poses.
Why do wannabe artists show work to the forum that is never going to get them a commission?
Quote from: W. R. Logan on 11 June, 2011, 10:37:45 PM
Why do wannabe artists show work to the forum that is never going to get them a commission?
So they can get feed-back and advice and then improve their work, I'd imagine.
That can still lead to a commission.
Quote from: W. R. Logan on 11 June, 2011, 10:37:45 PM
Why do wannabe artists show work to the forum that is never going to get them a commission?
Maybe because we love of the medium of comics? Or maybe because that is the point of this forum, as in it is a 'Creative Common' where people can share work and share experiences?
Maybe it's because I, like a lot of comic fans, are interested in the processes that go in to making a comic and maybe, just maybe, I thought that a forum such as this would take some measure of interest in such a post.
It's not like I'm bitching about not getting a job or anything. I clearly know why it's a bit shit. I am aware of the faults in the pages I posted and have clearly highlighted them.
I just thought it would be nice to share some stuff to become involved in the community.
Dan
Quote from: blackmocco on 11 June, 2011, 06:22:16 PM
Golden rule #1: Never show a prospective employer work you're not happy with. Don't mean that to sound harsh but if you're not happy with the work better to wait until you're satisfied with it.
Yeah, I know. Hindsight is a bitch.
Thanks for sharing your work, Dan - you're right, this forum is great for getting feedback and just discussing the process of making comics.
Ignore the negative, unhelpful comments you might get.
There's some really nice action in this. Quite fluid. Definitely need to pay more mind to stuff like the helmets (which vary a lot) and the lawgivers. Which are right off.
Also the first page is significantly different to the rest of them. It's very muddy. Aside from that - I recommend contacting a few small pressers and seeing what they think. Portfolio viewing doesn't begin and end with Tharg, you know - ! ;)
I'm completely for people showing their work here - even if they're not happy with it. A lot of aspiring artists don't feel satisfied with what they come out with, let alone confident enough to put their unfinished work up for judgement.
Those that do should be rewarded with constructive criticism not lambasted.
A lot here is good, no where near as good as your attempt at Sorrowhill of course, but it's still a good attempt at drawing something in a short amount of time.
And some panels do really work well, like the first one on page 4.
As people have already said, in the future you don't want to rush your art. You need to take your time and if you're unhappy with something then redo it before you show it to a publisher.
At least if you're heading to Kapow next year, you have plenty of time to prepare new material which use for your portfolio.
I was at Kapow too and it was a great event, so I hope you had fun anyway.
Got to admit W.R. That was a bit harsh.
People have to start somewhere.
Quote from: Alex on 12 June, 2011, 11:47:19 AM
Got to admit W.R. That was a bit harsh.
People have to start somewhere.
Maybe but it's the usual "I don't think my arts great but if I post it you're all too nice and will tell me how good it is"
This place is great for constructive criticism but it's also good at giving false hope.
This part if the board is called Creative Common- if you don't like looking at art then you should really avoid it.
Alex said exactly what I was going to say:
Quote from: Alex on 12 June, 2011, 11:47:19 AMPeople have to start somewhere.
Letters From the Green Dude demonstrates that even the finest art droid still needed a bit of honing before getting in the prog. The way you are going to get better is posting your work, asking for critiques and then going away and working on it. Working on a sample script and then getting an editor to look at it is another way, it doesn't mean the artist is thinking "All I have to do is show Tharg my work and I'm in there," although convention horror stories suggest there are folks out there like that (I suspect if they posted something like that here they'd get their balloon burst). People rarely ask "Do you think I am progworthy yet?" here, because the answer is a) only Tharg has the final call on that and b) probably not (yet). If someone was obviously exceptionally good, a poster (or droid) might jump in and tell them to show it to Tharg immediately. However, I don't recall that happening, especially as they'd presumably already have had an airing in small press or indie comics and presumably created a bit of a stir, but stranger things have happened.
Encouraging people to keep working at their art and giving advice on what they need to do is hardly "false hope," it is just part of the process. Granted getting in the prog might be an ultimate dream but few will make it, that doesn't mean the journey isn't worthwhile - you get better as an artist (if you keep working at it and take the advice on board) and if you do that you can get your work into small press and indie comics. Keep rinsing, washing and repeating - you knows, you might just have the combination of talent, hard work and luck that gets you noticed by Tharg but even if you don't it is hardly wasted effort. You'll be a better artist and you might have seen your work in print.
I'd agree with all that's been said, however, I really enjoyed looking at your work. Don't be put off posting new stuff as you do it - Feedback is hugely important. As CFM said, try out for less high profile publications, too.
And another thing; A brave soul like yourself is helping cowards like myself to assert in the better direction too. I pick up on the advice the mentors give and follow that through to my amateur comic-work.
So you're not doing it entirely selfishly.
I never thought the boards were too nice. In fact as far as I was aware it was a bit of a bear pit when it came to criticism. It's one of the reasons I steered clear of it for a great many years. If anything I think it's a brave man who puts his efforts up to be reviewed at such an early stage of their art development.
Like I said, I rushed these pages and I am completely aware that it's not even near my best work. I know my own strengths and limitations.
I only posted the pages here because I know they're never going to see print and just wanted to share them. I'm not after an ego boost or anything but thanks for any kind words.
If you're interested I put up some pencils for the Sorrowhill sample script in the sample script thread. Just need to finish inking them...
http://www.2000adonline.com/forum/index.php/topic,27411.285.html
I'd bet that the fact that the OP turned that many pages around in two weeks is of as much interest as any perceived flaws - speed is an essential talent.
I can think of at least one occasion of someone posting their work on here with a petulant attitude and a rather inflated opinion of their work, and they were promptly (and rightly) cut down to size.
Personally, this board has been great for me and really helps to keep me motivated. I've had some very nice things said about my work (by people I much admire like Alex, Simon Fraser and Rufus Dayglo) but I don't let it go to my head - I'm aware of my limitations and I'm not actively seeking comics work - and I've had some very helpful and firm but fair criticisms from the likes of PJ Holden.
I've also been able to, via the boards, collaborate with other artists like Gibson Quarter and I'm now contributing to Zarjaz, which I'm really excited about. The thing I'm doing right now has benefited a lot from feedback I've received here and it's the single best thing I've ever done!
What they said- best board on the forum and a portal to the small press- ask and you'll almost certainly get script from someone here.
Quote from: radiator on 12 June, 2011, 07:11:02 PMI'm now contributing to Zarjaz, which I'm really excited about.
Looking forward to seeing that. Any Idea what issue?
I think this example shows talent and potential but you're obviously aware it could stand improvement. The thing stands out for me is the shading, it's very bold and confident and that's a good thing. But your shading is not quite up with the standard of your excellent outlines. It has the look of flash photography, you could improve the shading quite simply by including reverse highlights into the shading. If you're interested I could dig out some comparative samples to illustrate the point, or even knock some up. By the way do you have the pencils for these, I think it would interesting to see them?
No pencils, I inked over them. Matt said the exact same thing at Kapow.
I think I know what you mean about the reverse highlighting, it's just something I've never 'learned' to do. Any advice you have would be more then welcome.
Cheers
Dan
Quote from: Danbell on 20 June, 2011, 05:42:03 PM
No pencils, I inked over them. Matt said the exact same thing at Kapow.
I think I know what you mean about the reverse highlighting, it's just something I've never 'learned' to do. Any advice you have would be more then welcome.
Cheers
Dan
I was trying to find an old example of shading I had to illustrate the point but this place is a mess, so I can't find it. It's easier to understand reverse highlighting than to explain it really, once you've cottoned on to the idea it makes more sense. If you have a look at someone like Frank Bellamy, who was a master of subtle yet dramatic shading you'll get a good insight to what I mean. Bellamy is probably too -old school- for The Prog though and I'm guessing you're into a bolder style of shading. Still the principle holds true and I reckon it's worth checking him out.
The general guide to reverse highlighting is to shade darkest where the boundary between light and dark occurs. It works best when a subject is lit horizontally against a light background, the idea being that the reflected light fills in the shadows slightly. Don't use it in every case because you want to make use of dramatic lighting, for example, where objects or people are emerging from shadows.
Another, more general tip I would mention to pay attention to the negative shapes when shading because they'll help describe the contours of what you're shading, like hair, drapes or clothes etcetera.
Anyway I hope that some help.