Tao of Guerra

Every once in awhile I get these obvious thoughts that cross my brain, at least in retrospect they’re obvious. Being an artist in a static medium these days can be really tough. Comics and graphic novels are always competing with all more exciting mediums like television, movies, and the might video game. And all of these mediums share one thing in common - movement. People will always watch things over reading them. Why? It’s easier, faster, you name it. How much of it has to do with the human psyche associating life with movement and static or inanimate with death?

Maybe I’m over analyzing. But movement is something I fight hard to bring into my work. I think cartoonists need to aware that we are really fighting an uphill battle for peoples’ attention. So, how can we work around it? If we keep it in minds that the frames we draw are moments in time, that one should connect and lead to the next, then it makes them more dynamic (to borrow a Marvel term). If you need to drop a perfect anatomy or movement, screw perfection. It almost always ends up looking stiff anyway. And if you’re drawing sequentially, it’s no contest.

People will always be attracted to something that looks natural and fluid over someone’s technique or how perfect a body part is. Giving body movement and personality to your characters will always win out. Having the whole package is the pinnacle, but we all need to focus on certain things as we build our skills. Sometimes accuracy can be the enemy of movement and dynamism. And once you spend hours on a drawing, you’re not going to want to erase. Get the movement and frame layouts first, then work in the drawing. Anyhow, that’s what was on my mind.