Acting In Comics
One of the easiest (and paradoxically most difficult) thing to do in comics to create life in your characters is to make them ACT! ALWAYS put an expression on their face - an action, or make their body language really obvious.
I've seen numbers of comics, even by the pro's where the faces look like wooden planks, and all the background characters are standing around preening or posing - but NOT DOING ANYTHING.
Give all your characters an agenda. Even if it's as simple as having a background character looking up at something that no one else is. Make them all operate as if they have something they're supposed to be doing logically in their scene. OR have them acting out in their scene, but considering their options for 15 panels from now...
Expression and body language. For everybody - even if it's slight. The biggest challenge is figuring out what do with peoples hands. Always try to find something for them to do. (Although the persistent constipation look is not an acceptable alternative.)
COLORS:
I GIVE UP. Current comic coloring is for the birds. No joy. No life. No hope. ALL MUD. MUD, MUD, MUD. I keep viewing CBR.CC's promo's in the hopes that there will be something, ANYTHING that isn't some form of shiny over glossed mud. Reddish pinkish purple and greenish hues dominate the books.
If I didn't know any better, I'd think there were only two people who color comics in the entire industry. In the last two weeks, maybe two books in the coloring department stood out.
And why isn't anyone using Painter, or MyPaint or some equivalent to color books? Printing is at such a level and we have all these fantastic tools - but no one is using them...
Sigh...if anyone would like some brights, I'm available as always at...http://www.ihorace.com
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