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Lady Tygry

Joined: 25 Aug 2006 Posts: 237 Location: Buckeye State
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Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 2:36 am Post subject: Let's see some artistic progress! |
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Every now and again, I stumble into some of my forgotten archives on my hard drive containing art from years past. I had actually convinced myself that my first webcomic didn't look THAT bad and so, I decided to reread it. Talk about a humbling experience. I used to have a few pages posted on DA and I would remark that it was bad (and it was) but I must have suppressed the memory of the fact that the couple pages I did post were considerably nicer than the rest. Let's just say it was easier to find faults than highlights (eremahgod, dat lens flare!!). Needless to say, the passing whim to one day make that old comic available again for shits and giggles. . .has passed.
Similarly, I dug through the art for my graphic novel and pulled out one of its gems from the same era. I chose this one (left, obviously) because I actually remember being proud of it. I know I used a reference for the sitting pose-- Fullmetal Alchemist insert from an English Newtype if memory serves-- but other than that, I was doing my usual bang-up job of coloring on one layer in Photoshop and spamming gaudy stock filters with little knowledge of how to actually get some real use out of them. I cleaned up some of the shameful white pixels on the tiny figure (I apparently acknowledged color being a problem before the improper use of layers, hence a more subdued color palette). I did not use an anti-alias on the left-hand side image's font because I only more recently figured out how to deal with the edgy pixels.
I can laugh about it now and I have to wonder how much I'll laugh about the 2012 version in a few years. Part of me is proud for seeing genuine growth when I assumed that my only real fault was that I needed to get better with PS. I was actually foolish enough to think that my drawing skill couldn't get any better and arrogant enough to think that it looked much better than it does. I definitely feel like I still have room for improvement but I'd like to think I'm over the phase of marrying work/refusing to see my own weaknesses.
While painful, this blast from the past was a bit of an ego boost. So let's see 'em, TWCL. Show me your progress! |
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mcmasters
Joined: 28 Jun 2012 Posts: 436
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Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 3:10 am Post subject: |
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"Great minds think alike" is a very tired phrase LadyT but it comes to mind now. I logged in for the sole purpose of encouraging someone on another thread who was lamenting lack of artistic skills- I was going to mention how far I've come (or think I have) in a short time. I hadn't, however, thought of your idea of actually posting "before" and "after"s. Fantastic idea. Tomorrow I will dig some of mine out. |
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n9uxu

Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 587 Location: Michigan
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Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 5:24 am Post subject: |
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As I'm whining in another thread about how difficult it is for me to do analog, it seems a good spot to join in with the "take a step back and look at your progress thread".
It's fair to say that I've come a loooooong way. The first being a comic that represented the absolute best of my drawing ability back in 2007, and the latter being just a quick rough I did so that I could discuss a cool outfit I a girl wearing on the way to work. The first took a couple hours, the last... 20 minutes?
So lots of progress... lots of room to go, but overall, I'm pleased... As Ms. Tygry says... ask me again in another six years.
Dave _________________
Also be sure to read ttallan's
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Lady Tygry

Joined: 25 Aug 2006 Posts: 237 Location: Buckeye State
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Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 5:48 am Post subject: |
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n9uxu wrote: |
So lots of progress... lots of room to go, but overall, I'm pleased... As Ms. Tygry says... ask me again in another six years.
Dave |
It's no secret that we're our own worst critics; when it's so easy to dismiss the positive aspects of our creations, I think it's nice to allow a lapse in the mental self-abuse to pat ourselves on the back a little. Good on you for actually posting an old page. I considered doing the same. . .but sweet Jesus, no. |
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vaslittlecrow

Joined: 01 Aug 2005 Posts: 756
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Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 9:54 am Post subject: |
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I am actually ridiculously pleased with the progress that I've made. My art has gone a long way in the last few years.
2009
2013
 _________________   |
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nsanelilmunky

Joined: 12 Nov 2012 Posts: 120
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Eve Z.

Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 690
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Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:20 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting topic.
Ok: 2006-2008 Synthetic life days.
2006
2007
2008
2011-2013: Her Majesty, no more
2011
2012
2013
I am amazed at how much I sucked at drawing back in 2006!  _________________  |
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mcmasters
Joined: 28 Jun 2012 Posts: 436
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Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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Well this project has turned into a huge disappointment for me. My current work (not the Pete stuff) doesn't seem to be hugely better than comics I was drawing in 2006.
---
www.mcmasterscomics.com |
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Marscaleb

Joined: 28 Aug 2012 Posts: 258
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Varethane

Joined: 18 Apr 2008 Posts: 559
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 4:51 am Post subject: |
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Heh.... Chirault has come a fair ways since I first started working on it. C: These pages depict the same character even! First example is from 2007, second one is from mid-December 2012.
(If I dig around in my illustrations that aren't specifically comic-related, I can go even older and get an even bigger leap :D) _________________  |
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ewomack Grand prize winner!

Joined: 05 Jun 2007 Posts: 469
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 7:31 am Post subject: |
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2007:
The latest:
 _________________ Ed Womack
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Metruis Postpostpostpostpost!

Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Posts: 1019 Location: Canada
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 9:02 am Post subject: |
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I could show you the genuinely awful stuff, but what's the point of that?
2006, done with the mouse, remained my best painting for a while: Snow Jedi
2013: Mulaya and her Demon
Just like I can show you the real first page of Between Places (original page one) but it's hardly fair to compare.
This was one of my earlier, better painted pages (2008).
This is one of my most recent pages. (2013)
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Gar
Joined: 30 Nov 2010 Posts: 14
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 2:34 pm Post subject: |
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Got a little march-of-progress at the bottom of this one
 [/img] |
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Lady Tygry

Joined: 25 Aug 2006 Posts: 237 Location: Buckeye State
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 3:13 pm Post subject: |
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Gar wrote: | Got a little march-of-progress at the bottom of this one
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Very cool, I'm really bad about throwing out traditional pieces but I wish I could accurately pick out a full decade's worth of changes in a single character.
Your little kitty reminds me of Menchi from Excel Saga=) |
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Aglari
Joined: 04 Apr 2013 Posts: 24
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 6:46 pm Post subject: |
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I've always been drawing but only started really laying into it (and specifically comics) around the start of last year. I've been pretty pleased with my growth as I draw more regularly.
Here's the first and last page of a 27 page chapter, 8 months apart.
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