General Art and Writing Tips

The used to have this list in their journal.  After they took it down, Voice-of-Levity obtained permission from OCBZ founder Greyflame to post it here.


Storytelling

Story is about conflict. Be it emotional, political, physical, or otherwise, it's tension and disagreement that drive stories. Remembering this can go a long way.

Telling a story is like telling a lie. Your goal is to make the reader believe and feel something that simply isn't true. None of these characters are real, nor are the things they do; it's your job to convince us of the reality. Consider what makes an effective lie. Specific detail, plausibility, etc help. Cliches and generic stories run the risk of looking too much like just another story, which ultimately reminds the reader that they're reading/watching something.

Be aware of your audience. In storytelling, the goal is usually to convey a message or to make someone happy (entertain them.) "Good" is only a measure of how well something achieves its goal. If the only person you're trying to make happy is yourself, then the only person who needs to think your art is good is you. However, within OCBZ, we generally make the assumption that you're making art with the intention of it being good in a larger social context. While this is still a relative measure, there are various core principles which pretty consistently what's enjoyable for an audience. In general, just be aware of who you're making your characters and story for.

Be mindful of dialogue. Pay attention to how people talk in real life (and avoid most mangas like the plague for this purpose.) Remember that people often speak indirectly, imprecisely, etc. People don't usually talk to each other when they're fighting for their lives. But while people rarely say what they mean, they always say something to get what they want. Dialogue is always purpose driven.

Avoid formulaic plots. Ideally, a plot should depend on all the characters involved. If you could take out one of the characters and put someone else in their role, then you may want to reconsider the direction you're taking it. Pay attention to each character's individual motivations, personality, and skills.

Keep your focus clear. Strong progression and goals lead to strong stories. Don't get mired in subplots.




Drawing

Don't use photos as backgrounds. Avoid using preset Photoshop brushes (Photoshop grass is the most common culprit.)

People have skeletons, objects have mass.

Style is not an excuse for improper anatomy. Good style represents a firm understanding of how anatomy can be exaggerated or simplified to represent form effectively; it does not represent free reign to ignore what makes things look right.

Flip your image horizontally every now and then. This will help you to see it as others see it. Fix any problems you find.

Heads are often drawn too large, and hands too small. Most humans are roughly 6 to 8.5 heads tall. Hands should fit over the face.

Faces aren't flat. Study how facial features are viewed as a head rotates.

Studying the basics of color theory will go a long way. Consider how color impacts mood.

Remember that just because something is technically right doesn't mean it's visually appealing. Things can look "wrong" in real life too, and that's not usually something you'll want in your art.

Work in at least 150 DPI for digital works (about twice the final image size), preferably 300.

Find a balance between emptiness and clutter. Both can be a major eyesore.




Comics

Panel size, and what you fit into panels, is more important than you may think. Most people tend to severely overuse close-up shots. Remember that when you show just a character's eyes or face, then you aren't really conveying new information to the reader. Zoom out and clearly show what the characters are doing.

Gutter space is similarly important. Leave some room between panels where necessary, and be conservative with art that extends past panel edges. Avoid overly complex panel arrangements; simplicity will go a long way for readability. Panels should generally have at least 4 sides.

The world is not a white void that happens to have people in it. Study the environment around you, and take the time to give your comics environments of their own.

Give your speech bubbles breathing room. Make sure the text doesn't extend past the sides of the bubbles, bubbles don't fall off the page, keep everything well centered, etc. Poorly done speech bubbles can severely impact readability.

Don't assume readers know where characters are located, what they're doing, etc. If you start off with a group, show the group. If you add characters, show them arriving. If a character does something, show it. If it isn't in ink, there's no guarantee your reader will assume it's there.

Treat each panel as its own piece of art, not only as a stepping stone for something larger. While some simplification in comics is common, things should still be clean and crisp. Take your time. Make it look good.




Writing and Wordcraft

People don't like to read. Get used to it.

You want those people to take their eyes off their pretty pictures and pay attention to your wall of text? Make that wall of text the most delicious thing their brain has ever tasted.

How? The main thing to remember is that writing isn't just a story without pictures. It's an art, with various stylistic choices that can make or break the piece. When writing, chose every word carefully. Take your time. Find new ways to say what so many others have said before you (because it HAS been said before).

Just because you can't draw doesn't mean you CAN write. This isn't meant to be harsh; just remember that while a bad picture in unpleasant for a few seconds, a bad piece of literature may be unpleasant for several hours. When writing, it's especially important to focus on quality.

Writing generally lends itself to a different tone than visual arts. Things like slapstick tend to fall apart in literature. People trust their eyes more than they trust words, so writers have to put more effort into making their stories believable.

Literature derives most of its strength from examining the human experience. In simpler terms, this means that for writing to be good, the reader should be able to relate to it on some level. While fantastic journeys and epic battles are plenty fun, it's the humanistic strife and triumph that keeps most people reading.

Good grammar alone won't win your readers over, but bad grammar will send them running for the hills.