Making mistakes in your art

Three things happened that inspired me to write this article.

1) When reviewing an episode we recently completed for one of our comics, I realised I had missed a key character design aspect of one of our boys. Although it was not egregious, I did notice it, and it has been bugging me ever since. (It’ll get fixed soon though. I can’t unsee it.)

2) I scheduled the weekly Twitter discussion hour, #quackchat, to go out on the Monday rather than the Sunday without realising that I had done that. As I am from the southern lands of the Earth, I often have to translate time zones and that evening, when I was scheduling the tweets, I picked the wrong day. Come Sunday evening (early Monday morning for me) and I logged on only to realise, all too late, what I had done.

3) Keith Alan Morgan, sent a very polite tweet wondering what had happened to the chat to which I replied that I had messed it up. They were very nice about it, and suggested this topic. So here we are.

What do you do when you make a mistake?

I’ll be exploring different aspects of this topic over the next couple of articles, as the creator’s job with regards to webcomics is a multifaceted one. In this article, I’ll be going over the common mistakes creators make when it comes to art and what can be done to fix it.

Forgetting small details
The beauty of webcomics is that you can go back and correct any mistakes you made by simply uploading new artwork. Many creators do this when it comes to long running series. Do you need to inform your readers however? If they notice it and leave a comment, it is good practice to reply, thanking them for noticing the error. It can be a simple, “Thank you for that. I’ll get that fixed.” Just be sure to follow through. This is a good way of building a rapport with your audience as they will feel listened to and respected which is always a good thing. Remember, that you don’t have to respond to comments that are nasty or unconstructive. Comments such as “This is shit.” need no reply.

Simplify where needed
Small details tend to get lost when a design is complicated. When you are drawing a new character, keep in mind you will need to draw them multiple times. The more detailed they are the more work it will involve and, in turn, the more details can be missed. So where possible, try and keep it simple. If the design has to be complicated then…

Keep references on hand
Draw a quick character sheet with all the details you want to include. Include colour swatches, patterns or assets you plan on using. When you’re drawing the character keep it on hand so that you’re less likely to miss anything. References also help you improve your drawing and memory so it’s a good habit to get into.

Leave room for revision
Giving yourself time to review your work will help you catch mistakes before the page goes live. This could be anything from spelling to character details to shading or an incorrect background. If you’re struggling to find time or reach the stage where you have looked at a page for too long, hand it over to another creator or friend for review. Ask them to look out for particular details you might commonly miss and to review the spelling. Getting a fresh pair of eyes always helps!

What art mistakes do you make? Do you ever go back and fix them? Let us know in the comment section below! And join us on Sunday evening for our Quackchat at 5:30PM(EST)!

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