It's really admirable that you're actively trying to get better at art! Your confidence in making a comic to begin with was actually somewhat inspiring to me, since I've tried my hand at it way in the past (just privately) before giving up multiple times xvvx I never really read comics so I didn't have a good understanding of what they should look like, composition, or their pacing >vv< The same went for animation since I didn't have confidence in my art style and skill even though I started drawing because I wanted to animate in the first place <vv>

I wanted to ask in that regard though, did you have any previous experience in making comics or inspirations that made you want to try it out? ^vv^ And also, since I've asked myself this a lot in the past; if you want to tell stories through art, which method would you most strive to be best at? (from writing, to comics, animation, games, standalone art pieces, etc?) >vv<

I hope it's not too random to ask this stuff- I've been enjoying seeing you gain more skill and popularity through your art and hope you keep climbing in both regards! ^vv^

Nah, it is completely fine for you to ask things about my own art skills and experiences! (And thank you! (=^ω^=) )

But I will be segmenting my responses towards your questions!

[Previous Experience and Inspirations for Comic 📖]

I had absolutely no past experience in creating comics (and also had no real understanding on how to make a decent comic!), but I created the comic because I really wanted to try putting the concept of a "A Royal Ludroth rescuing her Ludroth harem" concept onto paper!

Specifically, I kept imagining many scenarios for that concept that built more and more over time, which also built that motivation to draw that concept over time!

Reading other artist's comics/manga also did nudge me into drawing the comic, but these were pretty small motivators for creating the comic in comparison to the main reason I said prior (However, they became great references for when I actually started drawing the comic!)

(However, it was way too ambitious of a project and my motivation to draw it died out significantly, which partly led to the comic being on hiatus now unfortunately)

[Telling Stories through Various Methods 📝]

Writing ✍️:

This is probably the easiest to do for me to tell a story, but I personally don't like reading walls of text and don't think it is that fun to do.

I do like writing notes and dot-points to plan a story, but that is my limit for "Telling stories via writing".

Comics 📖:

I initially really liked to tell a story through comics but as I learnt more about comics, drawing the comic became more tedious and unfun to do.

Most notably, planning the comic page, which became more and more tedious and lengthy to do.

A lot of times, I had to sit there thinking how to make the story flow decently, but also taking in consideration of my own art skills.

As a result, minutes would go by, but nothing would be on the page (even though I have been actively thinking about how to draw the story), which just frustrated me and slowly became unenjoyable for me to draw comics.

Overall, comics just weren't it for me (and it was further exacerbated when I decided to do animation)

Animation ⚙️:

I already said why I really want to learn animation in the journal.

But this is something I really want to strive to get really good at! (at least, at the moment)

Games 🎮:

I have no interest in telling stories through games.

I prefer to be the one that plays the game, rather than the one that makes the game to tell a story or make it fun.

Standalone Art Pieces 🖼️:

This will always be my "bread and butter".

Fairly easy and kind of timely to do, and with sufficient knowledge and practice, I could tell a story through 1 art piece over a thousand words!

(Which I want to be able to do consistently and well!)

Wow, I wasn't expecting such a detailed response but I appreciate it! >vv<

It's cool that you just wanted to try making a comic with really no experience and little knowledge about them, and that you weren't afraid to post the results to people! (Certainly braver than me at least >vv<) While I could somewhat tell you weren't really fully comfortable with drawing comics, I did find the way you drew them to be somewhat intriguing the same way your pages of sketches are-- they have a sort of raw artistic talent to them I really enjoy ^vv^ So while not being crazy professional panel to panel comics, I think you did tell a story through the doodles very well for what it's worth ^vv^ So I hope you eventually look back fondly at making it (at least for the most part)!

I feel the same way about writing lol >vv< In my case I get exceptionally bored just writing walls of text... so I can't imagine how many people would actually be interested in reading them >vv<; I like that you put that writing work into making an outline for a story instead, it's smart ^vv^

I totally resonate with your feeling on drawing comics- I think it's incredibly hard to dedicate so much time and effort to making something you don't really consume or enjoy all that much yourself... Xvvx I really wanted to tell stories through that method but I had the exact same experience <vv> The fact you did as much as you did is admirable though! And though you understandably burnt out on it, I think any and all experience we can grow from is a good use of our time ^vv^

Animation takes a lot of time too, but it's a different talent, so you might enjoy it a lot more! There's a lot of intricacies with it that can show off your personality- I can't wait to see what you'll continue to come up with! ^vv^ The life you can put into not only a character but the entirety of art with animation is seriously magical though, so I hope you enjoy it!

As for me, it took me a long time to figure out what method I wanted to go about story telling... I started by wanting to animate, though I definitely needed more art experience. Then, I drew for like 6 years just to still not have the experience I wanted yet lol >vv< I moved to trying to draw comics and even dabbled in animation again, but even with 5 attempts and doing research on how, I thought it was awful and I eventually gave up since the time commitment just for 'failure' felt terrible (and my worries made me unable to post any of it online) Xvvx Not all that long ago I learned how to make games and so I'm trying to use that as my storytelling method- Coding is fun (well, somewhat lol), art is fun, so combining it to make an 'immersive' experience sounds like my sweet spot-- But I'll never stop making standalone art pieces either; you can't go wrong with a picture worth a thousand words AND a description worth it too lol >vv<

Anyway, I think you're doing a great job so far, and the fact you're willing to write out a whole new journal to reply to my question is a testiment to how much you care about your art! Thank you again for responding, it's a pleasure to look into the mind of another artist! ^vv^

Thank you for complimenting my comic! ~ I do actually look back at the comic fondly despite what I said! (it is just that currently, it isn't something I want to do for a while, at the very least)

Also, thank you for sharing your side! ~ I too, find it interesting to see the mind of another artist!

I totally get relate to the "time commitment just for failure" and "worries that make you unable to post it online" ~ Although, I hope you manage to get over those hurdles and maybe return to invest your time into doing those art mediums! (if you are still really interested in them that is!)

On the other hand, I am glad that you found your art medium of interest through making games, and hope that it continues to be enjoyable for you!

I'm really happy you relate! And thanks for the encouragement, it means a lot! ^vv^