How to Build an Audience, Fix Flat Art & Improve Art Method - Discord Frequent Questions!

Hey everyone!

Today I'd like to wrap up some of the questions you commonly ask on Discord into a single article. This is for those of you who might not be active in those discussions but could be facing similar challenges. So, let's dive into the most common questions you've been asking!

Struggling to Bring Your Ideas to Life

Question: Frustration with translating a vivid mental image into a drawing, especially when you're under the gun with deadlines.

Tip to Overcome: 

- Embrace Looseness in Initial Sketches: It's easy to want your first sketch to be perfect, especially when the idea in your head feels so vivid. However, perfectionism at this stage can stifle your creativity. Start with loose lines and simple curves, focusing on the larger elements like overall body posture or facial expressions if you're drawing a character, or geometric shapes for backgrounds.

- Prioritize Through Simplification: Real life references can help you become faster at capturing ideas. It may also alleviate the fear of losing the idea before you can get it down on paper. Ask yourself what elements of your idea are most crucial, Is it the gesture? The lighting? The colors? This can help you create a hierarchy that guides your drawing process.

- Develop a Workflow: Having a structured approach can make the translation from idea to paper less daunting. For instance, if the gesture is crucial for you, start with simple circles and curves to capture the pose. From there, refine your artwork in steps, moving from big picture elements to details.

- Explore to Understand: Everyone's artistic journey is unique. The more you practice, the better you'll understand your own preferences, challenges, and strengths. If this resonates with you, consider checking out my process videos for more insights into how I tackle similar challenges.

Falling Back to Unproductive Methods

Question: The temptation to revert to old, less challenging methods when faced with difficulties.

Tips to Overcome: 

- Assess the Specific Problem Your "Bad Method" Solves: If you find yourself tempted to go back to older methods, ask yourself why. What specific challenge does the older method solve that the new method does not? Is it a matter of quickly resolving issues with anatomy, lighting, or perhaps perspective? Take the time to pinpoint what you're really gaining from the older approach. Only then can you figure out how to replicate or improve upon that aspect using a different method.

- Define What a "Good" Art Method Means to You: The question of what constitutes a "good" or "bad" art method can be highly subjective and can vary between artists. Consider what makes a method "good" in your eyes. Is it the independence from external references? The originality? Or maybe it's the educational value of drawing from scratch? Knowing your criteria will help you assess which new techniques or methods are aligned with your artistic values and goals.

- Adopt a Gradual Approach to Learning New Methods: Once you've identified what you deem to be a "good" method, don't attempt to master it overnight. Break down the challenges into smaller, more manageable tasks. This will make the process less daunting and reduce the urge to revert to your old ways. For instance, you could practice drawing the challenging parts separately, or set aside dedicated time to explore the new technique without the pressure of a final product.

- Mix Old and New for Transitional Confidence: If you're finding it hard to completely abandon your older methods, consider blending them with the new. For example, you could start with your old method for the initial stages and then force yourself to finish the piece using the new method you're trying to adopt. This can serve as a transitional phase, making you less dependent on the older method over time.

Learning to be comfortable with discomfort is crucial when trying new methods. Recognize that anxiety about changing your approach is normal but also temporary. The key is to push through the initial resistance, knowing that each hurdle you overcome is a stepping stone towards becoming a more versatile artist.

Making Your Art Pop

Question Simplified: Drawings looking flat and lacking dimension.

- Identify the Core Issue (Flatness in Art): When you're struggling with making your art look less flat, the key areas to focus on are perspective and volume. These two aspects are foundational for giving a thre -dimensional look to your drawings.

- Add Perspective to Your Shapes: The first step is to understand and integrate perspective into your artwork. Specifically, one point perspective can be a game changer in making your drawings appear more dimensional. Imagine your shapes especially if you're drawing a figure or an object as basic geometric forms like cubes or spheres. Then, apply a one point perspective to these simplified forms. If you're not sure how to go about this, here's an article that delves deeper into this subject: 6 Fundamentals of Perspective.

- Focus on Forms and Volume: Once you've laid out your line art with perspective in mind, the next step is to create a sense of volume through lighting and shading. The position and shape of the shadows you include can make your forms appear more three dimensional. Interested in learning more about how to apply lighting techniques? Check out this article: Light It Up: 3 Essential Lighting Tips.

- A Structured Approach for Self Evaluation: Sometimes the issue might not be immediately apparent to you. For a structured evaluation of where you might be going wrong, consider a breakdown approach: separating your piece into shapes, values/colors, and details. This article describes how to employ this approach effectively: Improve Your Art with Structured Steps.

By focusing on these areas and possibly integrating a similar structured approach to your drawing process, you can better diagnose where things might be going off track. And as always, if you have further questions or need more clarification, feel free to ask.

Building an Online Following

Question Simplified: Struggling with social media reach and engagement, especially for webcomic artists.

Tip to Overcome: If you're having trouble getting traction online, first up, you're not alone. Social media algorithms are a maze. But there are some things you can do.

- Define Your Target Audience: The first, critical step in this process is to outline who your ideal reader or follower is. Once you understand who you're trying to reach, platforms like Instagram and Twitter become much more navigable. Yes, they offer hashtags as a starting point for discoverability, but their effectiveness can vary.

- Join the Right Conversations: Now that you've targeted your ideal followers, find where they hang out. Is it a Reddit thread dedicated to comic books? Perhaps it's a Discord group obsessed with anime? If your webcomic has a fantasy setting, communities that discuss 'Lord of the Rings' or similar genres could be fertile ground for new followers. Don't just spam your work; engage with the community and become a part of the conversation.

- The Art of Storytelling: While you might be tempted to focus on showcasing your artwork, remember that storytelling is a huge part of why people follow webcomics. Engage your audience with the narrative, not just the art.

- Diversify Your Platforms: Don't just limit yourself to Instagram or Twitter. Explore other channels like webcomic communities, Reddit, or even Facebook and Discord groups related to your genre. Investigate how they are using these platforms, what's working for them, and how they are engaging their audience.

- Competitive Analysis: This is vital. Check how your competitors gained their audience. Look into the number of years they've been active, what really set their visibility soaring, and the time frame it took to achieve their current status.

- Stay Adaptable: Online dynamics change regularly. Keep an eye on new trends and platforms where you could potentially gain a new set of eyes. Strategies that worked yesterday might not work tomorrow, but sometimes, the fundamentals stay the same, just packaged differently.

Conclusion
Through my learning process, one of the biggest lessons I truly value is that the most important skill you can develop is to 'ask questions.' The more sophisticated your questions, the closer you will be to the truth, and sometimes a very good question reveals the answer by default. In my opinion, the best way to improve at something is by practicing. So if you have questions like these, or doubts, please hit me up here or on Discord. I'm here to help you; my goal is to bring value to you in order to improve your art!

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