Gustavo, Colombia: “IS BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK REALLY THAT IMPORTANT TO CREATE A GOOD COMIC? ( MOST COMICS OR GRAPHIC NOVELS, I HAVE READ TEND TO HAVE BEAUTIFUL ART, GREAT STORY AND INSPIRING TOO. BUT WHEN I TRY TO IMITATE THEM, I FEEL DEPRESSED AS I CANNOT DRAW THAT WELL.)….AND CAN YOU SUGGEST ME SOME AWESOME COMIC OR GRAPHIC NOVELS WHERE THE ART IS NOT, WHAT PEOPLE CONSIDER AS BEAUTIFUL ART?”
Sourav: “I AM CURRENTLY WRITING COMICS IN MY COUNTRY, AND I AM WORRIED BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT MY IDEAS ARE NOT COMMERCIAL ENOUGH. THERE IS AN EMOTIONAL CONTENT, BUT NOT THE SPECTACULAR THEY WANT TO SEE. HOW CAN I ADD EXCITEMENT AND ACTION TO MY STORIES WITHOUT SACRIFICING ITS SUBSTANCE?”
Topic: Beautiful Work
Answered: Yes
Episode: Episode 1
Time mark: 31:35
Full Ep. Notes: Ep1 Show Notes
RESPONSES
COMICS TO LOOK AT THAT DON’T FIT INTO THE “STANDARD IDEA OF BEAUTY”:
* HYPERBOLE AND A HALF BY ALLIE BROSH (& MARK MARON INT.)
* CYANIDE & HAPPINESS (WIKIPEDIA ENTRY)
* DINOSAUR COMICS (ABOUT RYAN NORTH)
* XKCD (PG-13/R COMIC & ABOUT)
* THE OATMEAL
* SUGGESTED READS:
* “IT’S GOING TO BE OK”
* “THE TERRIBLE & WONDERFUL REASONS I RUN LONG DISTANCES”
* INTERVIEW WITH MATTHEW INMAN
DECIDE NOW WHAT YOU ARE IN THIS FOR
- WHY DO COMICS LIKE BLANKETS, SCOTT PILGRIM, UNDERSTANDING COMICS, AND FUN HOME WORK?
- THEY WORK BECAUSE THE CREATORS HAD SOMETHING ORIGINAL TO SHARE
- TRENDSETTER VS. TREND FOLLOW (SEE SETH GODIN’S “TRIBES WE LEAD”) - SETTING TRENDS REQUIRES EMBRACING FAILURE AND FEAR
- MY ARM THE COMIC (MY STORY) & MY CONTINUAL STRUGGLE TO DEFINE WHAT I WANT FROM MY OWN ART
UNDERSTAND “COMMERCIAL” BUT DON’T CREATE FOR IT
- SEE CHRIS WARE, MCSWEENEY’S, AND DREW WEING’S “SET TO SEA”
- THE FORM NEGOTIATED WITH THE IDEA, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND
- YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO SAY AND WHO YOU ARE TRYING TO SAY IT TO, THEN YOU CAN START DETERMINING HOW IT NEEDS TO BE SAID.
- THERE IS NO SHAME IN BEING A TREND-FOLLOWER.
- IN SOME WAYS IT IS EASIER BECAUSE IT ALLOWS YOU TO MAP A PATH TOWARDS SUCCESS.
- SOME WAYS HARDER BECAUSE IT IS UNCLEAR HOW TO LEAVE YOUR MARK ON A PREDETERMINED FRAMEWORK.
- NO PATH IS EASY.
- KNOWING TRENDS (MARKETING, DISTRIBUTION, ETC.) IS IMPORTANT FOR WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING, BUT SEEING THEM AS SUGGESTIONS AS OPPOSED TO RULES WILL HELP YOU EMBRACE YOUR ART NO MATTER WHAT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT IT IS AT.