feeling semi-inspired by looking at other internet art-heads. I'm really impressed by the drawings and colouring in this comic, and found the artist's art journal where she's been very productive indeed. she's got this very velvety smooth and polished style that is quite nice. seems kind of like candy when compared to paintings and "fine art" though. I'm not sure whether it's wholesome? perhaps it will depend on the story that comes out of the webcomic.
a lot of webcomics I read (I'm pretty much trying to read everything) are sort of shallow. there's little breadth of exploration in the story or in the artistic style, and the plots can sometimes get your mind caught up in things that are actually really petty when you stand back from them. drama is attractive, of course, so of course there will be stories centreing on it. heck, I'll still read all of them because I enjoy reading about social interaction. bleh. not quite sure how to say what I am trying to say.
I first started noticing the fine art/commercial art divide when I was on DeviantArt in 2004, and started my degree. there was such a HUGE difference between what was acceptable at school and what was praised on the Deviantart website, and I was sort of put out in a way. I started to figure out "the difference" though. that being that people on the popular art website didnt want to think too hard about what they were drawing/creating/photographing. (not true for all users, but for many.) a lot of it was self-centred, or overdramatic, or indulgent. nothing really needed to be justified beyond being cute or pretty or that solemn gothy type of pretty. at school, however, we had to justify everything, branch out in new and sometimes painful directions, and we had to do it without a fan club. profs would be pleased with pieces that we would rather burn and throw out. we had to get bad again before we could get better. art school and DeviantArt was a strange set of opposites which I indulged until around 2006. don't get me wrong though, there are some great artists and great community ideas kicking around on that site, but it's no longer where I go to drool over the artwork.
I tried not to sound too opinionated in this entry, but if I do sound a bit coarse, please keep in mind this is just my opinion. I have a hard time writing this kind of stuff because there's so many exceptions to my opinions. hopefully one of you understands what I am saying, and perhaps even agrees with some of it. if not, tell me so. I wonder if anyone will read this. <_<
cheers, guys and gals.
I definitely agree with this, and I've addressed it myself a few times as a writer by putting up empty entries. No one really got it though.
ReplyDeleteAs for the webcomics, it's because they're daily and not being read quickly, that they need to keep simple, keep people interested over time and be able to capture an audience over one or just a few comics. And it needs to be drawn well but over a short period of time, since for a lot of people it's just a hobby. If you want to see a story in art form, you'll need to get books. You know, like that Watchman book that everyone praises.
...
I need to get writing.
To address the above, there are some great webcomics that are being pushed as an art form, Freakangels comes to mind and there are a few others.
ReplyDeleteThat comic is very well drawn and coloured, I do like the look of it. Story didn't grab me from the first page up. I think many times in the comics medium, sometime the great art abilities just have to be applied to something more.
Like in art school, the skill has to be applied. Has to be thought about. If I stuck to a subject like anime, comics, etc, I could have a ton of deviantart fans. But I wouldn't have any fans from the profs. When the profs do talk about comic artists in art school, it is only the creme a de creme, that's the only ones that come up on their radar. And usually a few years before it is heard by myself or you.
Since leaving art school, I found a huge difference between school and the art world. In the art market you have divides, commercial and more oft kilter work [for lack of a better phrase]. At times it felt there was a line drawn, and I had to choose where I stood. That's hard when you're fresh out, and school never prepared you for it. But then again, how could they? They're mostly outside looking in, academia is a safe spot at times.
I want to wander across those divides, but I don't know.
I am pleased with these responses.
ReplyDeleteneed to get into the graphic novels!