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ARVEN92 — Africa -Page 158?
#africa #africanwilddog #arven #awd #bast #bibi #big #caracal #cat #catbig #chui #comic #comicpage #crater #crocuta #documentary #dog #faida #feline #flamingo #flamingoes #hyena #kauket #lake #leopard #lion #lioness #lions #lycaon #lynx #maat #mosi #neith #ngorongoro #ngorongorocrater #page #panthera #pantherapardus #pardus #pup #puppy #sabra #season #serval #wet #wild #wilddog #anaka #anput #bigfeline #binti #pictus #lycaonpictus
Published: 2020-04-01 16:00:09 +0000 UTC; Views: 31619; Favourites: 678; Downloads: 0
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Next: Read it early on PATREON! (not a joke lol) www.patreon.com/posts/35517659
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Cover: [link]
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Heyy what do you know! It's Wednesday, which means new Africa page! Though why am I having this odd feeling of déjà vu?
Could it be that I've already seen this page before? It looks different somehow though... hang on I'll check the calendar to see when I last saw it, and while I'm at it I'll also look up what day it is today.
LOL all jokes aside though, this is something that I did a long while back (when page 158 was the latest page), and never felt brave enough to post.
It's an experiment on how Africa might look when colored digitally, and I'm honestly really curious to know what you guys think of it. Don't get me wrong, I love drawing Africa traditionally and it would feel odd to suddenly swap between traditional and digital, but as a plus the comic would look cleaner and more polished this way.
For comparison, here is the original, traditional page:
I'm still very unsure about this hence why I delayed posting it for so long, and I wouldn't be swapping any time soon (also because the process of creating pages digitally, currently takes much longer than it takes me traditionally).
Looking for genuine thoughts, critique and advice!
Enjoy, and happy April fool's day!
Also don't worry, the ACTUAL next page is coming next Wednesday as originally planned! It is actually already available on Patreon one week in advance! Check it out now! www.patreon.com/posts/35517659
Support me on Patreon and read comic pages beforehand!
www.patreon.com/arven?ty=h
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Comments: 136
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Looking between both pages, the digital looks "cleaner" and smoother and I like the texture. I especially love the sunset colors--it's more uniform which serves the setting better.
However, the spots on the kids and the cheetah lose their flow on the body, like they're dots chillin' on paper instead of on the animal. In addition the meaty scene in the second to last panel is too subtle in color. I didn't realize it WAS meat in the digitally colored version. The traditionally colored page bursts with red meat in the panel and the chunk in the serval's mouth looks more tangible.
Your comic has a style that not only comes from how you draw, but the pressure you apply with the color pencils. You've spent over 100 pages honing your craft, whereas I assume this is one was the first digital page? I will say panels two and three show the best of the digital coloring technique, in particular how the meat looks there and the light and shadow on Faida's expression.
I would keep working on a few more pages to find a rhythm or even digitally color a page first to see where it takes you. Or even combine both mediums for certain pages? They're only suggestions!
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I'm not going to write a super long critique since I'm very tired right now. I do like the look of the digital version. The lighting is far more dramatic and there's no denying that digital coloring has it's advantages. I was actually going to make a comment about the speed of digital but you actually said the opposite e.deviantart.net/emoticons/b/b… " width="15" height="15" alt="
I think it's worth mentioning that me and probably a lot of other people as well discovered your art through looking for something traditional. You were one of the few first traditional artists that I spotted when I first got here (in 2012 I think).Your art was one of the reasons why I originally went for colored pencils. I've followed both Chakra and Africa a long time now and while I wouldn't stop following Africa if it went digital, I would feel a bit sad about the change. I sometimes look at the different things and effects you've done for your comics and find myself thinking "How did she do that with colored pencil?"
With digital there's a bit of a "The Simpson's Did It!" effect. It's so incredibly hard to stand out. Hence, the 3 stars on originality.
The digital coloring might be a good idea for a new comic. Your style is still very distinguishable even when digital. However, changing the coloring in the middle of a long-running comic would probably give people a heart attack e.deviantart.net/emoticons/w/w… " width="15" height="15" alt="
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Hoooo boy... I haven't made any review yet lately so... I suppose I will have to start it like few people here. e.deviantart.net/emoticons/a/a… " width="19" height="19" alt="
Shading seems... A little too much cartoony. Before the last panel I seen lack of LIGHTNING. To be fair it's a little bit strange not to adding the light here. If I was you I would rather suggest on adding some back light in some scenes when it comes to comic.
www.deviantart.com/fenris0604/… Even though I'm working on my own comic, I'm not planning to show off no sir. I just only put it this as an example.
I added another shadow just to show some muscles and some fur texture in it. Even though there's darkness in it, you have to take a close look to see it.
That technique is also used by akreon as you can see in her comic "Off-White".
I'm pretty sure you already read the volume 1. Two tone shading is more pleasents than one tone. It gives more depth and shows some detail in it.
I admit that luckykoneko has some point there. Binti looks like a ghost and Africa and Mosi look like dolls.
There are many ways to draw in digital even shading! Like in this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT20sm… <--Here's shading of SpiderMan
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSZbna… <---Here's also shading of Krillin drawn by Jazza which captures more likely comic made style in photoshop. (That's my personal suggestion)
In many japanase comics A.K.A Manga there are smudges in cover artwork. So... Yeah, not sure why though.
Lineart should be still BLACK, but there should be some light lines. By light lines I mean the lines that show where there is a light and hits the character (NOT LIKE IN BOXING).
I would suggest on adding some detail on cellshading. As you may have noticed in my fan game "Chakra The Rise of Darkness" (I repeat I'm not commercing it) I add some details to shading. So that would be much better when it comes like this.
I cannot say anything more because I have lack of intellegence about the artworks and such. Yet I'm still far away from being great artist, but I hope I said well in this critique. Haven't been doing it since I've made the critique of the fan comic of Ed Edd n Eddy.
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No, I definitely prefer traditionally colored one. It looks way more colorful and lively. The characters have their unique style, their looks and it's easier to understand what's going on. First panel's left side is complete coloring mess with so many shadows and small elements (like spots) that it all gets mixed up and it's hard to see and recognize characters. Besides it would ruin the comic if sudden, unexpected and illogical coloring swap happened in middle of pages.
Digital comic pages WOULD be a good idea for a brand new (maybe azarian?) comic of yours, but preferably if you could keep the shadows down a bit. They definitely look very realistic, but makes it harder to see the characters. For example the last panel here where the other side of hyena's face is so much shadowed that the lines start to dissapear. It's realistic, but not a good choice for comic where character expressions and small details play a big role in delivering the best product.
What I really like is how original this digital style of yours is. I've never before seen this type of digital coloring before. It almost looks like markers. Amazing. Maybe with backgrounds toned down a bit (either in detail or color) for characters to stand out more would also be a good idea, but for a new comic only. Either way, I really like this style and the overall look for the page, through not for Africa. Not that it wouldn't look nice on Africa, but only because Africa has already started out as traditional. Africa spin-off would look amazing.
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While I can understand having a preference I do think that your review focuses heavily on what you personally don't like and not a general look at the piece. The top panel is different from the traditional one but has a more cohesive color scheme compared to the traditional page. I believe their style of digital art is so similar to the traditional that if anything it would be like revamping an old comic, which noone usually has a problem with since it's updating the art to be cleaner.
I do agree that the lines are too light for how dark the shading is and how bright the colors are so that would definitely be something to change about it but to say its completely unreadable is hyperbolic.
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Not really. It has nothing to do with what I like or dislike (because I LIKE both versions), it's simply obvious this is a completely new look and way different style and sudden switch to that would make no sense, even if it were better looking, which it's not. It's different looking, maybe even just as good, but not better. Besides, like I said, the main problem is with shadowing - it makes characters get lost.
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I do agree the shading mixed with the thin, light lines does make it hard to see details but the overall messege of the image is clear with the colors seperating it, thats why I said its not completely unreadable.
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Okay, first of all, let me say that I absolutely love the aesthetic of the digital coloring. It looks very smooth and streamlined, it captures the environment really well, and the characters blend in more with their environment. I wouldn't mind if you used this way of coloring more often on environments or bonus art.
That said, however, I highly prefer the traditional coloring for comic pages. The digital coloring and shading look rather flat, and the texture of the fur is unclear at best and in some cases it's completely lost.
The thing I adore the most about your traditional coloring is how bright and vivid the colors are, and how the texture of the fur is emphasized by the coloring and shading. All of this is lost with the digital coloring. The more direct lighting and shading make the animals look flatter, the colors don't look as vivid (while these colors are more accurate to the environment, the vivid colors in the traditional page do make the characters stand out more), and their fur looks less like a fur texture, especially on Africa and her cubs. In the top panel, the coloring and shading on Binti looks very awkward and makes her look a little like a ghost, and in the bottom left panel, the coloring and shading on Africa's and Mosi's heads even looks a little plastic.
I think digital coloring would work really well for cover pages and for backgrounds, but for comic pages and characters I think traditional coloring works better.
One final comment: I noticed that you digitally colored the lineart as well, and I would advise against doing that, or at least not using it on the characters. While it may look amazing at first glance, in combination with the flatter shading it takes some depth away, especially from the characters' faces. This is especially noticeable in the last panel, the cheek fluff blends into the shoulders and it really shouldn't do that. On backgrounds, colored lineart is amazing, but it doesn't quite work for the characters or for this comic page.
All of that said, though, I still love the digital coloring and shading and you definitely captured the environment and time of day better in this version of the page.
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There are ways of getting traditional to look cleaner, smoother and more vibrant too. Wile the digital looks great, i just have a thing for the traditional effects.
Using color pencils, and i think i mentioned this years back, color in one direction with the flow of your subject. Keeping your pencils well sharpened at all times helps a lot. I'd avoid cross hatching, unless you want that grainy scratchy look. X3 It can be good for some textures. Another thing you can do is use cheap Ol' washable school markers to enhance the color. On top of color pencil, i just do a little stroke near the shaded edge, and smear it with my fingers(using a color close to the color pencil)
Another option would need something sturdy like card stock. I color in smalll circular motions with washable markers, and fill the area with it as my base color. Then i shade and highlight with mostly black and white color pencils on top of that. I then touch it all up with white gel pens on the highlights, and regular pens for the shaded areas.
This is my most recent example of this method---->
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I LOVE the colors of this digital version. It's missing the "pop" and contrast you achieved in the traditional version, but I'm sure with some time and practice you could accomplish that through digital means as well. You're already a pro at it with your patron portraits, it's just a matter of figuring out how to do the same thing in a quicker/more efficient way for a comic.
I like what others are suggesting here-- keeping Africa traditional while starting whatever new comic idea you eventually come up with as a digitally colored story-- but there's also the possibility of starting the next Africa chapter in digital, too. Whatever works best for you, I suppose?
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Woah, digitally colored Africa looks so different from your usual style, even though the lines are the same! 
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ids say keep this series as traditional.
it looks good for characters in the bg.
u can consider going digital for ur next series.
atm, the thing that make ur style, ur style, is that ur one of the few people who still does their comics traditionally
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I really like the look of this version as well, it looks clean and kind of...modern?! But I do prefer your traditional pages, because it's something special that an artists draws their comic all traditional, I really enjoy this (because I don't know anything about digital, so I feel a special connection to your comics). I really like that you can see the pencil streaks etc
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I love both, but one thing that struck me was how much easier it was for me to see the characters in the background on the digital piece. The expressions in panel 2 were clearer.
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It looks amazing!
I still can't compregend how can you contain so much creative skill in your body!
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They are two different beast. Traditional feels more conic book and has so many more textures to it. The digital looks like screen captures of a cartoon and, as several have mentioned, somehow seems more flat.
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Wow, I really like this version, it looks so much better in my opinion.
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Gotta say, I think I prefer the traditional. For some reason it just flows better for me, and what really nails it is that your hand-colored comic really stands out among the crowd these days. I feel like this normalizes it a bit, and the traditional look just has more flair and personality to it.
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This is what i wanted to see, more expressionism and close-ins of the characters in speech. Even if the digital form looks compleately smooth, and in tune, the traditional form had this texture aspect that gave off a feeling of simplicity, but by the other side traditional kinda makes the lines blur in, and seems off with the digital editing.
I feel both are rigtht, there must be a way to blend both tecniques.
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I love both pages, they both have unique clear color pallets. I think you should pick the medium that’s easier for you as an artist.
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Wow
I love it, but I don't think you should change Africa. Maybe plan another comic to be digital?
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It is a great improvement to see the comic in digital, the colors are super vivid
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Digital art version Africa panels look so much more colorful.
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I love both! But I do like how crisp and clean the digital is, it makes the colors so much richer, especially on the backgrounds. However for continuity and style's sake, it should stay traditional unless you really want to switch. In the future I would love to see a project where you color digitally!
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I don't have much in the way of an actual critique but I can say I do love the way this looks! I especially like the first panel. Just how smooth it is and the beautiful colors and lighting.
Maybe if you ever do a another/new short comic or story you could use this method? Like if you have a side story that doesnt really do anything for this plot but you'd like to do it someday.
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Both styles look great. You can’t go wrong either way, but you should stick with the style you’ve got going on already for the comics you’ve got going now. If you start a brand new comic, then use the digital style.
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Both are beautiful, though of course digital can be cleaner.
I feel that it's really just up to your personal tastes. Are you wanting a cleaner look, or do you prefer the feel of traditionally coloring your artwork?
I know that I've been very impressed by your traditional skills for years now, but this digital example is also lovely and enjoyable because of your line-art and style.
Either way, I'll definitely still be reading your comics.
Good luck!
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I have a personal preference for clean, crisp artworks, so I really admire this page a lot!
It's true tho that you shouldn't switch mediums. But maybe try this for a different comic? A short comic since you say it takes longer to draw comics digitally
OR you could try making some sort of gofundmyproject for the digital version of your comic? Like, lets say you would make digital version of the Chakra comic IF people backed this project with 50,000 USD(the goal) pledged to make it happen.
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i love both. i encourage you to choose the one less stressful on you XD
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I believe that both styles have their own unique qualities, digital allows more visualisation when it comes to the backgrounds and environments, and traditional has a unique punch of colour that makes the pages as a whole stand out. Maybe a combination oh the two? Draw the characters traditionally and do the background and additional shading as digital?
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It's like a whole new person made the comic, but it still has that "you" in there, if that makes sense. I agree changing the look of Africa might be jarring, but I would be interested in seeing what you can do with these techniques in a whole new comic.
I have to say, it's times like this when I'm glad I started following your content. Letting me look forward to something new, and that's exciting and a privilege. ^_^
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The digital coloring is honestly very clean and has less noise compared to traditional so if you ever wanted to switch over I'd say go for it cause you're very good at it. The backgrounds especially are way less grainy and much better color corrected so I like the smooth look and gradients.
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I'm not even mad that we didn't get a new page, this looks awesome! It looks like it came right out of a movie! I personally like both styles, I can’t pick between the two.
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I prefer Africa like you ever draw it, but if you gonna start a new comic and you decide in digital, it will be amazing because the art, the colour and the shadow is amazing!
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I actually really like the digital coloring! I think it improves the overall atmosphere of the page and lighting is conveyed better. In this rendition it seems not only much more dramatic, but also cleaner and more balanced. I wouldn't be opposed to more digital coloring on future pages!
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Wow, the digital coloring really makes a difference. I think both look great but it seems like it might be easier to get some of the lighting effects done digitally. The traditional page doesn't quite convey the time of day (dusk) as well as the digitally colored page. It also looks cleaner. But the traditional one has a certain charm to it. Maybe you can consider doing a future comic digitally since it looks lovely too. Entirely up to you! They look great either way.
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