A Dreadful Display!

[MFD]

I think smaller lips and a smaller, but extant, bust would make Kit look much better.

[MSperoni]

Here are a few more sketches I made. Still working out some kinks and I'm still on the fence about whether or not I wanna change. Which is a huge problem. I NEED to decide.

I'm not all that sure my faux-anime style works for me anymore on personal level. I haven't watched or cared about anime/manga in years, and as narratives go I prefer a western approach (American or European). Not that I hate Japan, it's just not a big deal to me like it once was. I'm beginning to feel like drawing in a style that's inspired by a culture I'm not into anymore is making me come across as a poser (or a wannabe) on an artistic level.

Also, it seems The Dreadful, which is partially a satire of US history and culture, should have a more western art style to it.

Link

Show Image

[rpgdemon]

Really don't like the pursed lips. #3 is okay, and the bottom left/second from bottom left is pretty okay.

It seems like the lips are getting and hyper exaggerated in most of them though.

[MSperoni]

I am liking this style more and more now. I think Kit looks great in it, though definitely different than before. But she's more fun to draw this way, and she's more expressive. I also think this way is more unique, and it follows all that stuff about me wanting to stop drawing anime-style. Another benefit of it is that I can make each character's face relatively unique. So, to be honest, I wasn't exactly posting this pic for approval :P I was just showing what I have been working on. Though approval/support is always nice!

I think any problem people are having is due to it being so different. I'm hoping that the ones who don't initially like it will get used to it. I also think had I started the comic this way, and shifted to an anime style, everyone who is having problem with it now would be having a similar problem. If the change is so horrible that it turns you off to the comic completely, then I guess that's just going to be one of those things (I'd like to hope the story could at least maintain interest, but maybe not)...

Here's hoping I can gain one reader for every one the shift in style loses me (I really think you will all like it once you see it in the comic though. Just trust me.)

The shift will happen around page 62 (unless something crazy happens between now and when I start working on a new page later that causes me to change my mind)


I might be wrong though. This style may not be ideal either. I doubt I'll shift again, but I'm a little flaky and get bored with things fast so who knows? I'm still in the process of finding an artistic identity I'm comfortable with. Maybe this is the one? I sure have taken to it awfully well... Hmm...

EDIT: I also think it's pretty funny that the discussion has so far revolved around the redesign of ONE character And all that's shifted is really just her face! It's not like anything super major is changing to the story or her personality. She's not gonna "Other M" on us or anything


Also when you get right down to it, the only real changes being made (that people will notice) are to Kit and Liz.

Boozeloaf will look the same, Rado will pretty much look the same, who is left? The Judge? The Judge already doesn't have an anime style look. Jeanne? Jeanne really won't change that much either. Erin? Most of her face is hidden by her goggles + helmet anyway (I'll probably give her lips, but that's about it).

Burke? He's dead so... Muttonchops? He'll look the same too...

I also probably won't be using speed lines as much (if at all). Sooo..there ya have it. That's m' big change. Kit and Liz will look slightly different and no more speedlines *gasp*


.....and there's El Sabueso. EL SABUESO WILL ALWAYS LOOK THE SAME. He transcends artistic style shifts due to his manly beard.

EDIT: I think I'm done convincing myself. Time to get drawing! Huzzah!

[A Zarkin' Frood]

These lips: They are a terrible idea, like, really terrible. They look okay on Liz, but why does Kit have to look like she wants to star in a porno?

[MSperoni]

Nice to see I got your support too, IG :P (you could have at least tried to be a bit friendlier about it)

Who woulda thought lips could cause so much controversy?

EDIT: Also, why do I have this feeling had I not said anything about it no one would have noticed? Or, rather, slowly changed to this style instead? I think people would have noticed a sudden change, but a gradual shift might have slipped under the radar...

EDIT 2: REMEMBER THESE ARE SKETCHES. Kit's "porn lips" are mainly cos I'm still getting used to drawing various things about her. I'm not really thinking TOO hard about every little thing. I'm going to work on some more Kit faces later. I'm going to put her in some expressions that are actually fitting to her personality. I'll post them, though based on the comments I've gotten so far I'm not expecting they'll get much love...which is a shame, because I was kind of proud of the way these turned out (it's not easy shifting art styles).

[A Zarkin' Frood]

Yeah, no, sorry, I usually exaggerate, Maybe it's just me but I have that feeling that these lips say "Do me" and I always get mad when drawn characters do that because I know I can never have them.

[MSperoni]

I'll draw a series of special, non-"Do Me" versions then and see how it goes

(besides, maybe Kit has some succubus in the gene-pool? Not that she'd give into the urges, but she IS pretty..)

[MSperoni]

Here you go!

Link

Show Image

[greed]

I like the second set of pictures a lot more, probably because Kit's eyes are bigger and thus look right. The lips still look a little off to me in some of the faces, but I'm less opposed than I was before. You're right they do work very well for the more emotional/silly faces, they just look a bit odd on the passive/neutral faces (first face on the top row, last face on the bottom row and the face from the last picture) but then Kit's not likely to have a neutral face that often given her hyper activity so.

But yeah I think at this point it might just be cause I'm used to it being the other way. They do look kind of overly pouty though when her face is neutral which doesn't really fit Kit to me, but again might just be me being crabby and rebelling against something new.

Edit: Third picture is cool too. Heh someone's gonna die after that face.