TWCL

Lady Tygry · Joined: 25 Aug 2006 Posts: 235 Location: Buckeye State

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!

mcmasters · Joined: 28 Jun 2012 Posts: 432

"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.

n9uxu · Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 587 Location: Michigan

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
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Also be sure to read ttallan's

Lady Tygry · Joined: 25 Aug 2006 Posts: 235 Location: Buckeye State

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.

vaslittlecrow · Joined: 01 Aug 2005 Posts: 744

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

I've become a little obsessed with improving my art lately... I'm not sure how much shows through after I color, but here you go:

Around 2004-2006:

Nymph
dragon
Perspective: Building (2009-ish)

Within the last 4 months:

Nymth
Dragon (same as my avatar)
Perspective: Buildings (don'y have a better picture yet. Sorry.)
Perspective: Interior

Eve Z. · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 681

Interesting topic. Very Happy

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! Laughing

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ttallan · Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 3:50 pm Post subject:

I think I did one of these on this site a while ago, but I made an updated one.
Non-apologies to Marscaleb for the blatant lack of colour. Wink

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mcmasters · Joined: 28 Jun 2012 Posts: 432

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.

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www.mcmasterscomics.com

Marscaleb · Joined: 28 Aug 2012 Posts: 255

mcmasters wrote:

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.

I know exactly how you feel. I dug up some old comic I made when I was seven or nine, and I just haven't shown much improvement either.

...But it's really hard to compare the finite details, since I am not depicting the same characters in those samples. So here's a self portrait:

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My webcomic: Mischief in Maytia
http://maytiacomic.com/

Varethane · Joined: 18 Apr 2008 Posts: 559

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: 464

2007:

The latest:

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Ed Womack

Metruis · Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 9:02 am Post subject:

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

Got a little march-of-progress at the bottom of this one

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Lady Tygry · Joined: 25 Aug 2006 Posts: 235 Location: Buckeye State

Gar wrote:

Got a little march-of-progress at the bottom of this one

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=)