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So the biggest problem people have had with my comic is telling the difference between characters. In part it's because there's so many of them, but mainly it's because most of them have the same body shape, and ALSO the same facial shape. I'm going to attempt to diversify, starting with this.
Cat eyes: this should definitely go a long way in letting people see the difference between cats and dogs, but also dog noses I think should be more pronounced. Collar designs, too, perhaps besides theme coloring like I have been doing, characters should have their own kind of collar.
Additionally, I have been considering making the cats about half a head to a head smaller than the dogs in general.
It's not set in stone yet, I still have to think about this a while. While I want to improve character diversification and design, I also don't want to pull too far away from the general tone of the artwork. What do you think?
Cat eyes: this should definitely go a long way in letting people see the difference between cats and dogs, but also dog noses I think should be more pronounced. Collar designs, too, perhaps besides theme coloring like I have been doing, characters should have their own kind of collar.
Additionally, I have been considering making the cats about half a head to a head smaller than the dogs in general.
It's not set in stone yet, I still have to think about this a while. While I want to improve character diversification and design, I also don't want to pull too far away from the general tone of the artwork. What do you think?
Category Artwork (Digital) / General Furry Art
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 694 x 248px
File Size 72.7 kB
I kept thinking that Fox was a cat for quite some time. I think it was the mix of cat-like ears and the short-ish snout. This would definitely avoid any of that confusion.
Also, Grape looks pretty sinister here (I think it's the sidelong glance, more than the eyes themselves, though), which I guess is pretty in character. Cat and all... :3
Also, Grape looks pretty sinister here (I think it's the sidelong glance, more than the eyes themselves, though), which I guess is pretty in character. Cat and all... :3
I adore the new design for cats and dogs!
I have one minor comment: could you slim down the width of the collars? Compare the length of their neck with the size of their collar, and compare against a stock picture.
I have one minor comment: could you slim down the width of the collars? Compare the length of their neck with the size of their collar, and compare against a stock picture.
you should give some cats cat eyes and keep the regular eyes on others, IMO.
That would also help to distinguish each cat and dog from one another. Right now every cat looks alike to me because they all have the same face, and I usually distinguish them from the collars xD
How about using different cat races? you have done that with some dogs, but I think all cats seem to be different only in the coloring.
That would also help to distinguish each cat and dog from one another. Right now every cat looks alike to me because they all have the same face, and I usually distinguish them from the collars xD
How about using different cat races? you have done that with some dogs, but I think all cats seem to be different only in the coloring.
That's definitely a good change. Perhaps a bit stereotypical but I think you should give cats thinner/daintier collars. I don't know if it's just that the huge collar look appeals to you ( I know it does to me) but it might help your readers to differentiate.
Maybe also add claws to your canine characters since cats can retract and extend their claws and always have cute rounded paws where dogs always have visible claws.
With the eyes, careful about that cause you could have a male cat look feminine if they have eyes like that.
Maybe also add claws to your canine characters since cats can retract and extend their claws and always have cute rounded paws where dogs always have visible claws.
With the eyes, careful about that cause you could have a male cat look feminine if they have eyes like that.
I like it a LOT. They're immediately recognizable as Grape and Peanut, but now it's evident that it's Grape the CAT and Peanut the DOG.
Grape's eyes are a bit startling because they're the most overt stylistic shift, but they're also the most distinctive THISISACAT signal. "Startling" isn't "bad"; it'll just take a few strips to adjust to. I had the same reaction when rainedog did her massive stylistic shift on Ozy & Millie way back on '01.
I really like the nose differences, and the different placement of the fangs is a REALLY nice touch. It's one of those subtle signals that people won't even notice consciously, but unconsciously, it'll whisper "this is a cat, that's a dog" in their brains.
I don't think you should make the collars quite THAT big; without a little neck showing above'em, they look really uncomfortable.
Grape's eyes are a bit startling because they're the most overt stylistic shift, but they're also the most distinctive THISISACAT signal. "Startling" isn't "bad"; it'll just take a few strips to adjust to. I had the same reaction when rainedog did her massive stylistic shift on Ozy & Millie way back on '01.
I really like the nose differences, and the different placement of the fangs is a REALLY nice touch. It's one of those subtle signals that people won't even notice consciously, but unconsciously, it'll whisper "this is a cat, that's a dog" in their brains.
I don't think you should make the collars quite THAT big; without a little neck showing above'em, they look really uncomfortable.
O&M ended a few months back. Simpson is now doing a new strip called..
Raine Dog.
http://www.rainedog.com/
Raine Dog.
http://www.rainedog.com/
Cats: Slimmer tails, thinner (but still big) collars, smaller hands, smaller muzzles, smaller/thinner hands, cat eyes (almond-shaped or angular. though, the pupil thing is dependent on the environment/personality)
Dogs: bigger noses, longer muzzle, overall thicker/bigger, ears thing is optional/interchangeable with some breeds
Dogs: bigger noses, longer muzzle, overall thicker/bigger, ears thing is optional/interchangeable with some breeds
Hmm... a lot of what I was gonna say was already said, but I guess I'll give my point of view as well, just for the heck of it XP.
The different muzzle sizes is a good direction to go, as cats naturally have shorter muzzles compared to dogs. The nose on the dog also helps create a greater distinction between the species and in my opinion gives it more of that lovable dog-like face. The addition of the teeth, iris, and jawline for the cats are also a nice addition.
Now for the eye shape of the cat I'm not too sure. To me it kinda makes the character seem to menacing at first, quite a bit of a turnaround to what we (or at least I) am used to seeing. I think a more rounded shape would help make it create a more gentler look for her. On the note of the size difference between the cats and dogs, I can imagine it would create some problems if you cut height to head length, as you usually have characters interacting with each other and too much of a cut of height would cause you to change the view of the comic to adjust. This might cause too much of the characters to be cut off, so I would go for only half a head of length if you had to make them shorter, which is making a closer resemblance for cat/dog size difference.
I am also up for the idea of having the collar's of cats smaller compared to dogs. This would compliment the size difference between the two species. I'm not too concerned about the dog ears since they can vary, so its your call. Now as a final note, you wrote down larger and pointed to the hand. I personally cannot tell the difference from this perspective since most of what I'm seeing is the hand and not the rest of the arm.
If I were to make a suggestion, I would want to see a full size comparison between the two characters, both the current and possibly future designs. I'm opening up two tabs in order to try to tell the difference and I think it might be easier if it was all in one picture, since switching between the two can be problematic in making comparisons XP. I hope this helps!
...dear god I just wrote a paper
The different muzzle sizes is a good direction to go, as cats naturally have shorter muzzles compared to dogs. The nose on the dog also helps create a greater distinction between the species and in my opinion gives it more of that lovable dog-like face. The addition of the teeth, iris, and jawline for the cats are also a nice addition.
Now for the eye shape of the cat I'm not too sure. To me it kinda makes the character seem to menacing at first, quite a bit of a turnaround to what we (or at least I) am used to seeing. I think a more rounded shape would help make it create a more gentler look for her. On the note of the size difference between the cats and dogs, I can imagine it would create some problems if you cut height to head length, as you usually have characters interacting with each other and too much of a cut of height would cause you to change the view of the comic to adjust. This might cause too much of the characters to be cut off, so I would go for only half a head of length if you had to make them shorter, which is making a closer resemblance for cat/dog size difference.
I am also up for the idea of having the collar's of cats smaller compared to dogs. This would compliment the size difference between the two species. I'm not too concerned about the dog ears since they can vary, so its your call. Now as a final note, you wrote down larger and pointed to the hand. I personally cannot tell the difference from this perspective since most of what I'm seeing is the hand and not the rest of the arm.
If I were to make a suggestion, I would want to see a full size comparison between the two characters, both the current and possibly future designs. I'm opening up two tabs in order to try to tell the difference and I think it might be easier if it was all in one picture, since switching between the two can be problematic in making comparisons XP. I hope this helps!
...dear god I just wrote a paper
you'll change what you feel like how you feel like, the comic is yours after all, don't worry so much about getting away from it's roots, if you like where it's going...having said that i have to contradict myself and say that the feline eyes look a lot more female, and you may have a little trouble with all your cats looking like girls with that style unless you have a different style for the males, also with the confusion about grape being a girl would kinda clash with the female-esk design of the eyes...
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