Jump to content

Sprite Comics Or Hand Drawn Comics?


P962

Recommended Posts

First off: wooot, I'm late to the party. xDSo, sorry if I quote things from way back, but I want to add my 2cents here and there.Also stop mentioning me I'm not that good xp

[...]Now.. I've actually dabbled in both hand drawn and sprite. Hand drawn comics do feel more natural with the hand movements. Yet at the same time sprites feel more natural on a computer. Hand drawn feels better with people around me. This again leads back to the first point: We stick to what we feel more comfortable with. Just like how you stick to hand drawn.It's very annoying to read topics like this. Back to back discussions on the subject. They are comics, and people make them. I view both as a type of art. Maybe some don't, but I do. I have no ill feelings for hand drawn artists. So I do agree they need a bit more respect on a Comics Forum that is meant for all types of comics.Yet I doubt that is going to change, the comics forum is 98% sprite based. Or something like that.

Yes, we stick to what we are most comfortable with. That's one of the reasons why I decided to go with hand-drawn.I did try to work with sprites, but it never really worked for me. (Anyone remember the first tries? Haha, they were laaame xD)I still wonder why there are problems between the 'two sides'. I mean, if the story is great or the humour appeals to you, that's far more important than the style the comics are done in.Don't mistake the messenger for the message.I still wonder why there are so much more sprite-based comics, though. Is it just a question of tradition? I don't know, maybe I haven't been around for long enough. :shrugs:

Despite the fact it can take hours, the products don't always end up all that humorous as the artists probably think.

... same goes for hand-drawn comics. ;)

I view both as art, too - although hours it might take to actually create sprites and the like, I've seen many experienced comic makers who don't exactly have a joke to the comic. Either that or their humor doesn't exactly appeal to me; no offense to the creators themselves, but I suppose it's my sense of taste. Again, not to offend purposefully.

Sprite comics =/= humour, that's something both the comic makers and the audience should keep in mind. It can be very interesting to see a comic telling a serious story while using sprites.

What's really a shame is how hand drawn and sprite comic makers don't really.. work together. There was a time when it would happen. I remember Taka Nuvia and myself, with other comic makers- all working together to make a comic series. Hand drawn and sprite together as a team.

This so much. As cliche as it seems, why can't we all just get along? There no reason for members to hold grudges against each other over their preferred medium, and collaborating to combine the two can result in some incredibly dynamic comics with legendary potential. I'd love to see more of this if we could all lay down our arms and admit that both techniques have their advantages and pitfalls, and neither can be outright labeled as better than the other.
AGREED with every fibre of my being xDTrue words.... still more quotes than own content, so I'll put another handful of thoughts here.- How about getting some literature on the subject of comics?There are several brilliant books out there dealing with comics, making comics, and such things as storytelling and 'How to make a comic'. And I think every comic maker would benefit from reading them, they've helped me a lot. ^^- The time/effort debateI do small strips (~4 panels) for a reason - they don't take as much time. Some probably don't have the time to come up with long, brilliantly executed comics all the time, no matter what media they use.Maybe due to school some can only spend so many hours on making their comics. None of us are professionals who make their money via comics. Heck, these are fan projects. So please, apply some common sense and simply enjoy the stories. :)... now I can't think of anything else to say xD

20210512_strollin_banner.jpg

 My art collection topic - updated! (21/09/2021)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hand-drawn, fo' shizzle.Sprite comics might have been a fun idea at a time, but i always saw sprites more as something to use for movies and games.And, being an artist (yeah, right), i prefer hand-drawn for many reasons:1. so much more depth, so much more feeling2. a ton more possibility's and creative options3. pizza, for obvious reasonsAnd many more.-Dwanny

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guys, we said we'd stay away from flaming. By simply trolling me, you're making this worse. By calling me stupid, prejudice, and bias, you're both being immature. I'm going to make a simple threat: If one, yes, one person says another word about me or mentions my name, tries to troll or insult me, I will have the topic reported. I've had enough in one day of people getting on my case, and one more person mentioning my name will bring me to the point where I'm probably going to end up screaming at an innocent bystander in all of this.

Wasn't even meant as anything towards you. Your posts did have some valid points. It was actually meant as a jab at my earlier attempts at debating this, hence why I put it after the whole "sorry for the flaming; this shouldn't be serious business" bit and added all those newbish angry emoticons.Sorry, I should have made sure that it was more obvious. I'll edit it, of course. Edited by insidiousLawyer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't really have a preference myself. I mean, yes, it's great to see people putting in the effort to actually draw their comics rather than 'just placing sprites onto a background and adding text'.But both types of comic do have their downsides: neither is definitively better than the other. Hand-drawn comics are great when the respective artist to carry across the art in a clean manner and with readable hand-written text. It would also mean that detailed backgrounds aren't really a necessity. If the writing is too scrawly to read, then there would of course be a problem. Not only that, but if the art is smudged with unrefined pencil lines, then scanning said picture would make it even worse to see on screen, let alone actually read if the writing suffers the same fate. Of course, one way round this would be to draw round the art in photoshop; even better is to use a tablet, as doing so would be easier than mouse-drawing, which could leave the artwork looking a lot more worse for wear.Sprite comics are good because they are overall more simple, both in execution and in creation. However, in order to seem completed, backgrounds are really a necessity, and for some sprite comics, this can make them seem to be a little 'off'. For example, using real backgrounds which have been abnormally squashed with sprites would be effectively creating a jarring effect, and any text would have to be in a very bright colour in order to be seen if just typed without aid of speech bubbles.Sometimes, though, it isn't the work that goes into them that is what counts: Quality is also something to watch out for. People who are new to comic-making could accidentally save their latest comic as a .jpeg, thus ruining the quality. Of course, some series do do this deliberately to either spoof 'stereotypical noob' series or as a homage to other noteworthy series which have done the same.People resort to sprite comics in order to show creativity that they might otherwise be unable to show through any other mediums. If the respective artist just can't draw for toffee, they can use sprites as an alternative and thus pour their ideas into those. Of course, their ideas would be limited to whatever sprites are available at the time; hand-drawing allows for any character or object that hasn't been sprited to be shown.Sprite comics have one additional benefit that hand-drawn comics don't: through using sprites, one could very easily make an animated movie, which, given all the frame-tweening and the collaboration, takes a lot more time than anyone ever realises, and so also takes more effort in these regards. Does that make it better? More dynamic, certainly, given that one could also then use music and show scenes which would otherwise not be as exciting. Besides, in this medium, one could quite happily use sprites and draw characters in the animation software to cut down on time than if just using the latter on its own.I myself am a fan of both of these forms of comic-making. I make sprite comics, yes, but that is because I personally do not feel that my drawing ability is good enough to be put into comics here. I encourage all forms of comic-making, and I am aware that people can learn from their ealier and worse material to create better and better versions in both categories, so really one can't say whether one is better or worse when they aren't at the 'endpoint'.However, there's one comic medium which I personally think takes much more effort than any of the two mentioned here: 3D comics. Modelling bodies, masks and backgrounds would take much more time than either drawing or spriting, and it would also likely cost more to run the software. The amount of effort one has to pour into doing something like that would be phenomenal. Again, this makes the series much more dynamic and 'real' than any of the standard forms of presenting comics. It would certainly be a lot cleaner than just drawings without any attempt to spruce them up, and more effects could be placed into the models to make them appear more impressive. Not hand-drawn, but not sprites either.

Edited by Johnuva
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hand Drawn or Sprites?Hand Drawn.Hand Drawn just works for me, it's easier on the eyes, the colors tend to flow better and I'm just old-fashioned.Now, I'm not gonna bag Spriters, because I have respect for them, making comics that way.But I just never can understand them! The jokes are either not funny or inside jokes that started amongst them. The text is rather hard to read, and the colors tend to clash more then it needs to. But, I still have respect for both sides of this art.

Edited by thebeggerpie

WIP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ Not all comics are joke filled, well.. most are. I try to keep jokes at the very minimum because I actually have trouble making comics work with them.As stated before: I would much rather see an influx of more serious comics arriving. In all types of styles. Not just one.I prefer jokes and humor voiced, not drawn in some situations. Though for the sake of readers.. even serious comic makers need to throw a gag at them once in a good while.

lovewarconga2.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It really depends on the skill of the artist. I wouldn't take one over the other simply because of a different medium. You have amazing, well executed sprite comics and you have really amazing hand drawn ones that blows everything out of the water.Oh, there also isn't just "hand drawn" or "sprite" comics. There's been various other mediums for Bionicle comics, and I don't see why these two always have to be pitted against each other.(side note: I've done both too)

Up, down, turn around, please don't let me hit the ground

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer sprite comics. If I had more time, I'd hand-draw everything.Edit: I may get a drawing pad for my computer in the next year, so that I can keep the sprite characters and virtually draw the rest.

Edited by Akuna Toa of Sonics

Laughing_Man_Icon_by_CoyoteTracks.gif


Does anyone want to play the Master Chief Collection with me? I'm trying to get a team going for ranked. PM for GT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hand Drawn or Sprites?Hand Drawn.Hand Drawn just works for me, it's easier on the eyes, the colors tend to flow better and I'm just old-fashioned.Now, I'm not gonna bag Spriters, because I have respect for them, making comics that way.But I just never can understand them! The jokes are either not funny or inside jokes that started amongst them. The text is rather hard to read, and the colors tend to clash more then it needs to.But, I still have respect for both sides of this art.

You have generalized sprite comics as all hard to understand and not funny. Have you read more than one comic series? Because Not EVERY sprite comic is like that, not even close. Gavla's comics, for example, have long, serious sagas, no gags. I don't think you respect sprite comics at all, given your description of what you believe sprite comics to be.I am sick and tired of people bashing sprite comics. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with them. If you think otherwise, you're free to challnge me and my ideas. This level of bias and prejudice over something as simple as a comic... This is why I'm ashamed I'm human sometimes.

Haven't seen one of these in a long time...

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hand Drawn or Sprites?Hand Drawn.Hand Drawn just works for me, it's easier on the eyes, the colors tend to flow better and I'm just old-fashioned.Now, I'm not gonna bag Spriters, because I have respect for them, making comics that way.But I just never can understand them! The jokes are either not funny or inside jokes that started amongst them. The text is rather hard to read, and the colors tend to clash more then it needs to.But, I still have respect for both sides of this art.

You have generalized sprite comics as all hard to understand and not funny. Have you read more than one comic series? Because Not EVERY sprite comic is like that, not even close. Gavla's comics, for example, have long, serious sagas, no gags. I don't think you respect sprite comics at all, given your description of what you believe sprite comics to be.I am sick and tired of people bashing sprite comics. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with them. If you think otherwise, you're free to challnge me and my ideas. This level of bias and prejudice over something as simple as a comic... This is why I'm ashamed I'm human sometimes.
No need to get that riled up about this.Thebeggerpie, I can see where you're coming from, and humor's such a subjective thing I don't know if I can really direct you to any good series if I don't know your tastes. But if it's text and colors that you dislike being misused, I'm sure that I can scrounge up a link somewhere to some comic that does it right. I remember that Philbert once made this sort of "best of" folder with some really great comics collected in them. I'll go see if I can find that.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hand Drawn or Sprites?Hand Drawn.Hand Drawn just works for me, it's easier on the eyes, the colors tend to flow better and I'm just old-fashioned.Now, I'm not gonna bag Spriters, because I have respect for them, making comics that way.But I just never can understand them! The jokes are either not funny or inside jokes that started amongst them. The text is rather hard to read, and the colors tend to clash more then it needs to.But, I still have respect for both sides of this art.

You have generalized sprite comics as all hard to understand and not funny. Have you read more than one comic series? Because Not EVERY sprite comic is like that, not even close. Gavla's comics, for example, have long, serious sagas, no gags. I don't think you respect sprite comics at all, given your description of what you believe sprite comics to be.I am sick and tired of people bashing sprite comics. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with them. If you think otherwise, you're free to challnge me and my ideas. This level of bias and prejudice over something as simple as a comic... This is why I'm ashamed I'm human sometimes.
No need to get that riled up about this.Thebeggerpie, I can see where you're coming from, and humor's such a subjective thing I don't know if I can really direct you to any good series if I don't know your tastes. But if it's text and colors that you dislike being misused, I'm sure that I can scrounge up a link somewhere to some comic that does it right. I remember that Philbert once made this sort of "best of" folder with some really great comics collected in them. I'll go see if I can find that.
Yep, this is always where the discussion goes downhill. TBP's entitled to his opinion based on his impressions of the sample of comics he's read. Belone, he wasn't insulting your or the medium directly, merely addressing a stereotype. You can take that as a personal attack if you like, but judging by his tone and his clearly stated respect for all authors and their work, he certainly didn't mean it as such. Besides, even if he was saying he dislikes sprite comics because of his impressions cultivated by the stereotype, he's simply one out of dozens of members who clearly don't feel the same way and have stated throughout this topic that both art forms are equal.Really, let's all try to keep this civilized and not take anything so personally. It's not worth your time to start a flame war over something so trivial, trust me. Edited by Kakaru

tumblr_inline_n50tp1mirL1r0vgjj.gif
「どこに行けばいいんだ・・・」「タ・コロ村はもうおしまいだ・・・」タ・コロ村の村人達
hey it's Studio Comic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Neither.Either works if the story is good, people do some pretty cool stuff with sprites, and good hand-drawn comics are always nice to look at. I still think 3D is vastly superior and should always be used instead of everything else and people should read my comics more.

Edited by Maphrox cannot make titles

I make stuff sometimes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I should have posted here long ago before the topic so much as threatened to snowball into a huge mess. Because, really, that's about as far as it got, thankfully.I've always preferred sprite comics. To be fair, it's not like I hold any personal grudge against hand-drawn comics, and I hold a degree of respect for some of the hand-drawn comic maker community, but I really have no idea why some people who get so defensive over the whole thing believe making sprite comics is easier than making a sandwich because all you have to do is just slop things together without doing anything yourself. I actually once attempted a sprite comic series where I did everything myself, and I only recently chose to give up on it. And I worked on it for years.

And, being an artist (yeah, right), i prefer hand-drawn for many reasons:1. so much more depth, so much more feeling2. a ton more possibility's and creative options3. pizza, for obvious reasonsAnd many more.

I'm not even going to come remotely close to asking. I don't have anything against people having an opinion, and I won't discriminate you for your preference. Though I do disagree with all these points (albeit mildly), it's that third one that gets me.Seriously, was the third-best thing you could think of just a "joke" that's not even really that funny? Honestly, it makes me think you could only come up with two reasons and got stuck from there. Imagine if I said I preferred sprite comics because "artificial barbecue-flavored pork rinds, for obvious reasons". I think no one would ever take me seriously for a number of serious, non-unrelated-unfunny-food-name-joke reasons, and the fact that I began by saying I prefer sprite comics would probably be the least of them all.

Now, I'm not gonna bag Spriters, because I have respect for them, making comics that way.But I just never can understand them! The jokes are either not funny or inside jokes that started amongst them.

To be fair, this post strikes me as being quite sensible in this argument (though the capitalization of "sprites" and "hand-drawn sorta irks me). However, this point hold my biggest complaint: who is to say hand-drawn comics don't contain that kind of humor as well? Why do people act as though hand-drawn comics are the holy divine way of making comics, crafted from sheer perfection without traces of flaw? I can name, off the top of my head, a hand-drawn comic series I know of that is just DREADFUL, but out of respect and in fear of hurting feelings I'm not going to say. Edited by Gerlicky
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I should have posted here long ago before the topic so much as threatened to snowball into a huge mess. Because, really, that's about as far as it got, thankfully. I've always preferred sprite comics. To be fair, it's not like I hold any personal grudge against hand-drawn comics, and I hold a degree of respect for some of the hand-drawn comic maker community, but I really have no idea why some people who get so defensive over the whole thing believe making sprite comics is easier than making a sandwich because all you have to do is just slop things together without doing anything yourself. I actually once attempted a sprite comic series where I did everything myself, and I only recently chose to give up on it. And I worked on it for years.

I believe a few people have already explained why they think sprite comics are a cheap sandwich-making process, even if the opinion is vastly incorrect and outdated by the new breed of comics found in AIII nowadays. It's a horrid stereotype (and one that I flat-out disagree with after reading through dozens of fantastic series currently running) that may take decades to shake off, but it will always be reinforced by mediocre comics, no matter how scarce. You can say you don't understand why people still think that way, but it's the same reason any poorly-created opinion is made, through pure ignorance and bias.That said, I'm not trying to slam you or your work in any way. I have nothing but the utmost respect for you and your comics. I'm just trying to clear up a potential misunderstanding. :)

However, this point hold my biggest complaint: who is to say hand-drawn comics don't contain that kind of humor as well? Why do people act as though hand-drawn comics are the holy divine way of making comics, crafted from sheer perfection without traces of flaw? I can name, off the top of my head, a hand-drawn comic series I know of that is just DREADFUL, but out of respect and in fear of hurting feelings I'm not going to say.

AGH OKAY YOU CAN JUST SAY ITI KNOW MY COMICS ARE HORRID BUT I'M TRYING OKAY MAN :cBut yeah, I guess people tend to view hand-drawn as better (which, again, is definitely not true in MANY cases) simply because there's fewer. If not as many people make them, they must be harder, therefore more effort goes into them, or so goes the argument. Honestly it's a load of ##### to me as well, but I guess I'm not the one suffering from a lot of negative stereotypes. We can try to dispel those, (and the best way to ease the tension between the two groups would be to organize collaborative series IMO) but I don't think we will ever bring balance to AIII. It's a shame, too. We have a lot of potential there.

tumblr_inline_n50tp1mirL1r0vgjj.gif
「どこに行けばいいんだ・・・」「タ・コロ村はもうおしまいだ・・・」タ・コロ村の村人達
hey it's Studio Comic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hand drawn sprite comics!Seriously though, used properly you can produce a ton more content since you have to produce less assets. It's fun!

Rayg wins. Let's shut down the topic and go home, everyone. Debate's over.

tumblr_inline_n50tp1mirL1r0vgjj.gif
「どこに行けばいいんだ・・・」「タ・コロ村はもうおしまいだ・・・」タ・コロ村の村人達
hey it's Studio Comic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While hand-drawn can be done well, it takes far more time. I myself have done it (not on BZP, those comics were made with sixth-grade humor and as such are not suitable for this site, and they are obviously inferior to my current series) and it can distract from humor or plot with all the detail you put into a single panel. (Drains your brain dry...) Hand-drawn comics allow for more detail, but sprites are consistent (No weird proportions due to an error) and easier to use. Plus more set-accurate. With sprites, I can devote all my attention to the mental, rather than physical aspect: Plot and humor. Of course this post does show a leaning towards laziness, but I have decided to post it anyway. In the endless sea of sprite comics, I'm just a two-months in rookie trying to manage a (surprisingly popular for something I pulled out of my sock, so to speak) comic series. (Thanks, all you fans!)Just my opinion, two cents, two minutes typing at a keyboard, whatever you want to call it. Hope it provided insight to my technique. (If it's even fancy enough to be called that.)

Pk57sNJ.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought we finished beating this dead horse a few months ago. Now, to address the topic.Comparing sprite comics to hand drawn comics is relatively moot. Both have their merits and their flaws, and each medium has many examples that range from artistic or literary masterpieces or OMG WHY KILL WITH FIRE. For instance, hand drawn comics are relatively time consuming to draw and make presentable. They also have almost no limit to what they can draw, assuming the art itself is presentable. However is the fact that if you lack the ability to draw anything, you aren't going to do well with it.Sprite comics, on the other hand, are a double edged sword. It may be somewhat easier to create, as the basic forms are there and consistency won't be an issue, but because of the lack of emotion, spriters need to go out of their way to create more complex dialogue and use more vivid backgrounds and effects. In some cases it actually takes longer to create sprite comics when you factor in the lighting, shadows, text effects, dialogue, background, props, and special effects(some of which are almost impossible to emulate with a pencil like a holographic screen). For those who are better writers, sprites are a blessing for those who want to create visual art, but can't draw to save their lives. Again comparing the two mediums is kind of pointless. Based on what's been mentioned, saying hand drawn is better than sprites is like saying hand written is better than typed.As for personal preference, I'm more of a sprite kind of guy mainly because I've done both(drawing elsewhere) and it's much harder but much mire satisfying to create a sprite series. When you use your own kit modification, backgrounds, and props, you lean toward sprite's more. Speaking of which creating a kit moderator is no walk in the park and creating a sprite sheet for a series is meticulous work. Especially when you are OCD and things need to be perfect and consistent.

Edited by Doc Scratch
billiard_banner.png
(~ O ~)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hand drawn, by far. For one thing, the spites in sprite comics that I've seen have been horribly pixelated abominations for which detail is barely discernable. Hand drawn ones, not so much; they tend to reflect much more care in producing the comic.And no, this is not about one inherently involving more effort. I'm talking more about what I've seen myself and what I personally prefer.~B~

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb in this topic, but I honestly will prefer Sprite comics.However, this is only situational and depends on the context.Sprites seem to be very effective when trying to portray something simple, yet possibly charming. Hand-drawn works tend to lean toward realism. The thing to me is that hand-drawn can get away with more expression than a sprite comic, so it'd probably work better in terms of drama or action.However, I love sprite comics simply because I am admittedly biased and love these. I am a very techy guy, and I love the retro-electronic style. There's just something really appealing to me about simple six-shaded, 3-shade, or even simple 8 bit sprites. To me, this is apples and oranges.Both appeal to me and I can like both if they're used very well, but honestly, sprite comics sort of make me want to see it more.Besides, here on BZpower, we actually use a lot of sprites, but we also use some pretty realistic styles sometimes, so I guess that's something. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally, I have no preference. I like to see hand-drawn comics because they help understand the comic better IMO, but sprites also have their pluses.

--

Meiko - @georgebarnick

LUG Ambassador and administrator at Brickipedia

News reporter and database administrator at Brickset

Administrator at BIONICLEsector01

 

DISCLAIMER: All opinions and contributions made under this account are based solely on my own personal thoughts and opinions, and in no way represent any of the above groups/entities. If you have any concerns or inquiries about the contributions made under this account, please contact me individually and I will address them with you to the best of my ability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think some sprite comics are done well and some... not so well. If the comic artist puts enough work into it, it can really turn out well. Besides, I have a soft spot for all things pixel-y.Hand drawn comics are great too, but still do need enough effort to make them good. Just because it's handdrawn doesn't mean you can just make everything move like a basic sprite comic but say it's better, it still needs enough work to make it good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer hand-drawn and digitally-drawn comics to sprite comics any day, but as an artist myself I know that sometimes drawing something out from scratch is sometimes not worth the effort if you're going to be telling primarily verbal jokes. I've enjoyed the occasional sprite comic here on BZPower, but like the Comedies forum I find that they can become somewhat repetitive. Having a unique, hand-drawn aesthetic style, or even an authentic-looking but less original style, is sometimes all it takes to make a comic series feel worth following.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer hand-drawn and digitally-drawn comics to sprite comics any day, but as an artist myself I know that sometimes drawing something out from scratch is sometimes not worth the effort if you're going to be telling primarily verbal jokes. I've enjoyed the occasional sprite comic here on BZPower, but like the Comedies forum I find that they can become somewhat repetitive. Having a unique, hand-drawn aesthetic style, or even an authentic-looking but less original style, is sometimes all it takes to make a comic series feel worth following.

Okay, that's what I agree with.

WIP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...