#143 - That’s Alright
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008Ok, so I am trying this out with the normal font. Easier to read? I also tried for stronger colours rather than the faded out ones I have been using. Also I used a brush instead of a nib for most of the inking.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
looks gorgeous rene!:)
April 16th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Wohoo, I know where that is. I’ve walked past there a couple of times, during the far to few days I’ve spent in Stockholm the last couple of years.
BTW: Like the new style. Had to catch up from november 2007.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I like the stronger colors. It emphasizes your style… (is this what i’m trying to say? it’s too early over here for clarity)
April 16th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
The text before was pretty amateur-looking, so using the standard digital speech bubbles is a good call. As for the colors, they are much more expressive, textured, lived-in, if that makes sense. The last panel feels a bit more alive, jumping out rather than being a static digital image. I wasn’t a fan at first (mostly because of the washed-out colors and hand-drawn text), but I now love your vivid hand-drawn style. Please keep at it.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
no, no, handwritten font is so much better! it looks like it lives with your drawings, and it’s actually easier to read than the normal font. for me anyway.
colors look great, I dig the last panel.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
NONONONONO
I’ts all wrong Rene! too dark colors this time! sheeez…
:3
I like both your computer/hand styles. How much time does it takes you to make one of these? (compared with the pc ones).
April 16th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I didn’t mean “no, no” in a scolding way. I meant it in a “sad to see something beautiful go away” way.
I can see the time benefits of going with a normal font though.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
With this experiment, I think that you join John Allison of SGR and Ian McConville of 3PS as the most interesting artists of all the comics I read. Digging it.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I really like the handwritten text.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
im really loving this rene =] please don’t stop !
April 16th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
How the heck do you stay within the lines with water coloring, the last time i tried it at high school I made a MESS.
April 16th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
This new style completely changes the mood. its perfect, much more introspective and full of feeling.
April 16th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I really like the painting but I liked it a lot better with the handwritten speech. It was kind of messy, but that was part of it’s charm. This is goofy looking and I don’t think it fits at all. It’s somehow contrary to the entire rest of the comic, and I really don’t like it.
Also the last panel is just beautiful.
April 16th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
love it!
especially that last panel
keep it up!
April 16th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Oh my good!! Anders lives around brännkyrkagatan?! That’s my favorite street in Stockholm!
April 16th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I like the more vivid colors, but the computer added text clashes with the hand drawn (and painted) beauty.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
For some reason, I’m totally in love with panel 3. I don’t know why, but it’s awesome
April 16th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
This is so pretty, I loved your drawing style anyway but it’s so pretty in paint. As for the text, it doesn’t really matter to me, I can read both, and I think they both work….I’m helpful!
April 16th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
I really like the brush approach for this chapter. Definitely a different feel.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Rene, I love your work, whether it is hand-drawn and painted or computerized. I think you should keep up whatever style makes you the happiest; YOU’RE the artist! The rest of us will stick around to see it all no matter what! Keep up the great work!
April 16th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I much preferred the hand-written text. It matches the art, and it’s personal and unique… far too many webcomics use that same comic-font.
I’d say the same about the colors… faded was better, it emphasized the swoopy lines, which (among others
) is the really beautiful element of your work.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
i just realized that if i ever saw a dude with a real-life version of Anders’ hair walking down the street, i wouldn’t know whether to laugh at him or feel sorry for him. either way i’d steer him into a salon and try to paste that spring of hair down. :p
the comic is beautiful, rene. i really love the standard style, but there is no denying the beauty of the hand-drawn! i’ll be a huge fan no matter what.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
i love the new hand drawn comics and preferred the hand written text, for what it’s worth. if you’re going to stay with a computer font, still do hand drawn speech bubbles and pick a less sterile font perhaps? or better still, go back to hand written font. (imho)
April 16th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Aw, I loved the hand-drawn text.
The painted comics look great, Rene!
April 16th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Personally, I thought the handwritten text worked quite well. It looks a bit… Sterile, perhaps, as it is now?
Besides that - thumbs up, keep up the good work, etc etc.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I liked everything about yesterday much better.
The softer colors worked better with the subject matter, and the handwritten text just fit better into the overall scheme. The electronic font here is jarring next to the beautiful organicness of your watercolors.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
I love the hand-drawn comics and the colors. James found a great word for it: organic. The hand-drawn comics seem so alive, and the colors really reflect the mood and the introspection, they draw you into the emotions of the drawings more. I like both the bold colors of today and the lighter colors from yesterday, I think you could vary them to really emphasize the emotions.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Oh, and the text… I actually like it with the computer font better. I can’t say why, but I do.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I like today’s better than the last few days… guess I’m in the minority here. The font’s a lot easier to read, and I love the darker colors- the lighter ones just feel too dreamy and just don’t do it for me.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I love the stronger colours approximately 100% more. ^_^ it looks amazing!
April 16th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I like the computer drawing, but I love the painting.
I like the brush edges, but love those made with a nib.
To my eye, hand lettering has more character than computer fonts, but they’re both easy to read.
Dark colors or light colors? I love them all. Keep up the good work.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Look, Anna has arms!!
I liked yesterday’s colors and font better than today’s. Although I could see it being problematic to fit a lot of text into a single speech bubble if it is handwritten. But as long as handwritten text isn’t crowded, I think it looks very nice with the drawings.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Actually, I find the disconnect between hand-drawn and computer text rather disconcerting. The writing yesterday felt more natural - I didn’t even notice it was different, but today something feels off between the two.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I kind of preferred the hand lettering, although the font looks fine.
The last panel is beautiful.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
The stronger colours and brush inking are BEAUTIFUL! I absolutely adore them; I think there’s far too few bold watercolour artists out there, and it’s just so FUN to work with the bright colours. Still preferred the computer colouring somehow, but it may just be me being stubborn about change, haha.
This is going to sound weird, but I think the thing that bothers me about the speech bubbles with the computer text (which I DO find much clearer) is that the white of the bubble seems to be a “warmer” white than that on the painting. It’s such a minor difference that I almost don’t know if I’m imagining it, but it’s still visible enough to make me go “hmmm”.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I can’t believe nobody has mentioned the “paparazzi” is already the plural of “paparazzo”. It is the equivalent of using “mens” as the plural of “man”. Sorry, Italian is one of the few languages I still have some memory of, that and Spanish. I lost all my Japanese and German in the wreck…
Opus
April 16th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
I like the use of “paparazzis” v. “paparazzi.” I imagined it sounded like Papa-raz-eez. Which is fun to say.
Of course, you’re talking (ARTISTIC LICENSE) to a girl who collects, makes up, and mutilates words for fun.
April 16th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
I love this colouring! I was just going to say after the last one that I think your drawing is lovely but I think as I’m reading it on the computer I prefer the computer drawings, but this one made me not care.
Thanks for the wonderful comic & story.
April 16th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Just wanted to say that this is gorgeous.
April 16th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
see, there’s the thing. that just proves my point about the awesomeness of having different art for the book (eventually eventually, i know
). right now part of the whole POINT of all of this is to experiment and do what makes you happy and what you think fits and what you’re in the mood for or have time for, but there’s no getting around it, a book probably ought to have more continuity than that kind of experimenting.
anyway i love the hand drawn stuff…
yay!!!
April 16th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
The new style has a lot more intimate, rustic feel to it. More real. The cartoon was more or less like watching an excellently made sitcom in which you felt extremely empathetic but somehow slightly detatched. This style makes the impact all the more real.
But that’s my take on it. I like it.
April 16th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I’m really diggin the watercolors.. however, the digital speech bubbles aren’t meshing with the artwork quite as well as they could. They seem.. sterile. I like computer lettering better in general, but I think this could be made to fit the art better than it does now. 80% black instead of 100%? Matching shades within the bubbles? I couldn’t tell you the answer offhand (and it’d be silly to listen to me even if i thought i did have the answer) but I’m sure there’s any number of ways to make the digital lettering and the watercolors play nicely together. I’m just as sure you’ll figure it out.
April 16th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Love the hand-painting, and the hand font is just fine.
April 16th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
i have to say that i will miss the old style, but this new one is so beautiful that i can’t say no! the only thing is, the computerized text with the hand painted illustrations is a bit weird to me. i like your handwriting much better.
April 16th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I love it so much more now!!!! I think it was just perhaps the softer colours that I didn’t like, but now it is awesome!!! I like the computerized text with it more too, it’s…cleaner? Is that what I mean? I’m not sure, but I like it.
Awesome stuff!!
April 17th, 2008 at 12:45 am
Still just wonderful.
April 17th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Oh, and I hate these MSN styled smilies…
April 17th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Is this done in watercolours? It’s so beautiful!
Aaaawww Anders is so cute X3
April 17th, 2008 at 1:31 am
I guess the overwhelming majority prefers the new style, judging by the comments. But I guess I liked the more stylized technique you used before better. True, it was somewhat colder, but I think it was a nice counterpoint to the emotional storytelling. Oh well.
April 17th, 2008 at 2:11 am
Damn, that street’s familiar, but I can’t quite remember the name of it.
April 17th, 2008 at 4:22 am
i absolutely love the third panel. the colors are gorgeous.
April 17th, 2008 at 4:37 am
I also love panel 3!!! I like handwritten text with hand drawn much better :]
April 17th, 2008 at 5:30 am
Maybe I’m the only one who’s confused, but I’m going to go for it and ask. Which home is Anders going to–his mother’s house, or Maria’s?
Hopefully I’ll find out tomorrow, but I’ve been wondering all day today….
April 17th, 2008 at 6:03 am
Paparazzi = plural of paparazzo, I think? So “paparazzis” isn’t a word.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:10 am
Smorgasbord is a Swedish word and I’m quite sure English doesn’t pluralise it like we do in Swedish.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:25 am
…i miss maria.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Joanna, I think he is going to his and Maria’s house. The paparazzi would probably be hanging out because of his upcoming trial. Lena lives with Anders’ mom so I don’t know if she would just drop him off alone there.
Anders should so have to see Maria and Bjorn doing it.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:02 am
i really love the new style. its always good to see someone experiment artistically. considering the quality of the writing, however, i’d probably read it even if you decided to do stick figures =P
either way, this comic is absolutely fantastic.
/gush off
April 17th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I don’t see the big deal about the whole “paparazzis” business. It sounds like it would be a fairly common word to use as opposed to the “proper” spelling.. it just feels more human and casual to say it “wrong” in my opinion. At least in this case. Not in an essay, of course!
April 21st, 2008 at 10:32 pm
I think I prefer hand drawn lettering, I find it works better with your style. I love it when you experiment. This page is gorgeous.