What a silly question. It's like going to a church and asking the choir if they believe in God.

Course comic artists will say they put everything they can into their work. Comics are a lot different than the adverage drawing. It's many many drawings!

I don't think every moment is spent loving my comics and making my comics. I still feel like the comic could be better. I can still put more skill into it. I think I have heart and soul in the enjoyment of making art in general...a more holistic idea of coming up with ideas for art. Comics are a part of it, but not center stage. I am not a monk in the comic worship.

Gotta dissagree with that Jilly, tons of artists I've met say this is just something they do on the free time like a hobby and theres not really much heart in it just alot of boredome.

JillyFoo
What a silly question. It's like going to a church and asking the choir if they believe in God.

A lot of answers would be "nah, I just do it for singing practice" or "my parents made me do it." That is, if they'd answer honestly.

Time-wise? Heh, no. If I put the time surfing the net back into drawing comics, I'd be updating more often.

When I am drawing pages, though, then yes. I do the best job I can. Also, yes I do care very much about the characters and the story.

So why am I not drawing as much atm? Mainly because currently I have another outlet for my artistic creativity and energy.

Eddie Jensen
Gotta dissagree with that Jilly, tons of artists I've met say this is just something they do on the free time like a hobby and theres not really much heart in it just alot of boredome.

I've taught art classes where the assignment was to draw a comic. It's NOT easy compared to other forms of drawing. A person that would take the effort to draw mult-panal pictures that are representational drawings(a comic) just for fun there is heart to it. That takes a lot of effort.

Even the people that took the time to make a few comic pages and put them up here online for all to see... that's a real step up from the thousands whom don't have the guts to start a webcomic (or draw in the first place). We often forget that it's not just other comic artists that look at your comics. Most of your readers will be people that don't draw or make comics. They mostly just don't comment.

I find myself pouring my heart and soul more and more and more into my comic these days.

I feel that its on an intensity I've never felt before. Even during my "peak time" in 2004 in where I was totally obsessed with improving my art (there's a noticable difference in my art done in 2003 to the one done in 2004).

Its almost as if there's this inner voice telling me to do it do it do it do it do it and don't you give me that lame excuse that its 3 in the morning. Do it do it do it do it do it. :)

did you just say other forms of drawing are easy? because thats rediculous.

Eddie Jensen
did you just say other forms of drawing are easy? because thats rediculous.

No. Sigh... you don't get it.

What's harder for a person to keep doing if they don't have their heart in it?

Drawing one picture or drawing a thousand pictures with a story?

(With out getting decently paid for drawing it too no less.)

Well said jillyfoo :]

I still say thats rediculous, in a single drawing you have to put alot more effort because its only that theres no drawing after it to take away from the erros, drawing several little pictures that tell a story is no easier or harder than drawing one massive composition. I mean seriously no offence but that just sounds pretencious and stupid.

art takes an effort, ART but you can easily do some scribbles on paper and add some words in paint and call that a comic, but aslong as you did no acctual work on making it look right you did no research you have no foundation then thats not an effort and where theres no effort theres no heart. Saying all comic artists pour their heart and soul into their comic is stupid, I've critiqued several people and they say "I don't care, I'm just doing this for fun back off." because...They're not making any effort.

Also it doesnt take guts to post on the net, it takes a day of nothing to do and the slightest hint of an idea.

If you're not willing to put in the work, looking into Loomis, reading books on composition and such, not willing to listen to advice from others then you're not making an effort and theres no heart in it. Which I've encountered on several occasions. And its the same with non comic artists aswell, I've met "artists" who claim they're gonna be huge but make no effort its just ART no matter what they do, but they don't have the technical skill to back it up.

No effort no heart no soul,no pouring.

Eddie Jensen
I still say thats rediculous, in a single drawing you have to put alot more effort because its only that theres no drawing after it to take away from the erros, drawing several little pictures that tell a story is no easier or harder than drawing one massive composition. I mean seriously no offence but that just sounds pretencious and stupid.

art takes an effort, ART but you can easily do some scribbles on paper and add some words in paint and call that a comic, but aslong as you did no acctual work on making it look right you did no research you have no foundation then thats not an effort and where theres no effort theres no heart. Saying all comic artists pour their heart and soul into their comic is stupid, I've critiqued several people and they say "I don't care, I'm just doing this for fun back off." because...They're not making any effort.

Also it doesnt take guts to post on the net, it takes a day of nothing to do and the slightest hint of an idea.

If you're not willing to put in the work, looking into Loomis, reading books on composition and such, not willing to listen to advice from others then you're not making an effort and theres no heart in it. Which I've encountered on several occasions. And its the same with non comic artists aswell, I've met "artists" who claim they're gonna be huge but make no effort its just ART no matter what they do, but they don't have the technical skill to back it up.

No effort no heart no soul,no pouring.

What is heart and soul? It can be many things really.

I don't think it is skill or research or even some inner meaning only those that put heart and soul into a comic are destined to become amazing.

I think heart and soul is the love and enjoyment in the process of making art.

When I taught art the ones that didn't have anything in their work were the ones that stared at the paper did nothing, the ones that followed the directions and nothing more, the ones that did it because they had to because it was an assignment that was to be graded. The ones that make the art after the material reward has been given, they do it because they want to. The inner reward is that making the art/comic makes their heart and soul happy.

Some artists can quit making comics and go on forever hiatus, but I can't deny that those few pages they made.. the person did it because they wanted to. They may look back on it and HATE it but in the past they did it because they wanted to.

Some artists will never get better and will make comics/art that no one likes. Having one's heart and soul in art doesn't mean that it's going to be good to everyone else. There are too many people in this world. Everyone can't and won't be top cartoonist/artist. But at least the artist will have enjoyment and love in making the art/comic.

I pour them in when it is required.

Millennium requires it a little bit more, which is why it's taking me forever to finish pages for it. D: I want it to come out just right so I don't do things over again.

But I absolutely love both my comics, so yeah.

I think about both of them all day every day just about. At least, when I have nothing else to think about. My characters, they live~ so I want to do them justice when they come out on paper.

I've shaped and reshaped every aspect of their worlds just to make sure they all have their place. I just need to visibly demonstrate my commitment more in general, lol.

Luckily both comics are very long AND take me forever to do (so much so that it's kind of cutting into my portfolio time and other art projects... can't help it though, love these comics, even if neither of them have any finished REAL illustrations), so I'll have them to actively love for years to come. :D

I still say thats rediculous, in a single drawing you have to put alot more effort because its only that theres no drawing after it to take away from the erros, drawing several little pictures that tell a story is no easier or harder than drawing one massive composition. I mean seriously no offence but that just sounds pretencious and stupid.

There're whole separate sets of rules for all the different forms of art, and I think they're all as equally difficult to master.

A few years back I had more trouble drawing, say, the Pokemon Mew alone than an entire picture filled with characters and backgrounds. It all depends on what you're comfortable with.

Although admittedly drawing comics should take a lot more effort - effort that is merely on par with one very detailed, composed concept piece. And not everyone can make effective comics.

you're really not getting my point here jilly, I'm not saying you have to have skill or research to make an effort I'm saying certain people don't make an effort, just because their making a comic that doesnt mean they have their heart and soul in it it means they saw someone else do it and figured "hey I'm funny, I have free time." and then they make something that takes them 5 seconds and no effort and go back to being bored. Because they have no heart or soul in it. To say that everybody that makes a comic pours their heart and soul into it is just wishfull thinking. I've even told people that they need to put more effort thougth and heart into it and in reply I've gotten things like "I really don't care much I'm just doing this to fill time. My main focus is singing" and those types of answers. I know alot of us do put our heart and soul into it, but many of us don't either and to say anything else is just to be blind.

I understand both Jilly, and Eddie's points here.

I mean, sure you have to draw more pictures, but in comics, especially manga, there's no backgrounds in some of them, and sometimes there's just effects. It's not as hard in a way, because they are a ton of small pictures, illustrating a story.

While for just one picture, you would have to put more into it, because most pictures do have a background (I think the only ones I've seen without them, are sketches), and you would have to put more into it. You're not drawing many small things, just one big thing.

Both are pretty equal in the difficulty category of art in general.

How about treating every panel of your comic as a seperate picture? It's what I do, it makes me feel more proud of each panel.

This is referencing my good comics, of course.

I put everything into my comics, and I haven't been able to update for such a long time that I am actually getting depressed. I feel if you're writing and drawing the comic, like I do, you get attached to the characters and want to represent them in the best possible way with your art. It's a desire to show other people your ideas, the stories you've created in your mind.

To create a comic without putting anything into it makes a comic. That's it. If the artist and writers don't care about the comic, why should the readers? Putting the extra amount of time an effort into a comic shows.

If I didn't draw comics, my art would be a hell of a lot worse than it is now, so I owe them that much.

confusedsoul
How about treating every panel of your comic as a seperate picture? It's what I do, it makes me feel more proud of each panel.

That's just what I do.
Except, they are smaller pictures.

Eddie Jensen
you're really not getting my point here jilly, I'm not saying you have to have skill or research to make an effort I'm saying certain people don't make an effort, just because their making a comic that doesnt mean they have their heart and soul in it it means they saw someone else do it and figured "hey I'm funny, I have free time." and then they make something that takes them 5 seconds and no effort and go back to being bored. Because they have no heart or soul in it. To say that everybody that makes a comic pours their heart and soul into it is just wishfull thinking. I've even told people that they need to put more effort thougth and heart into it and in reply I've gotten things like "I really don't care much I'm just doing this to fill time. My main focus is singing" and those types of answers. I know alot of us do put our heart and soul into it, but many of us don't either and to say anything else is just to be blind.

Alright alright. I just think that here at Drunkduck there is a pretty good filter here of people that have gone beyond "5 seconds and no effort". (I can argue against some sprite comics but let's not go there.) I don't think anyone's making a living off of their comic here so I can assume people are doing this for non-material means.
So...back to my original analogy this question is like preaching to the choir. Of course the people here would put some heart and soul into their comic. And come on this is a forum no less. That filters it even more to the people that have decided to stick around and talk about their comics.

A lot of other things go into my comic, too. Like my sanity and patience. I would absolutely love to update and have a consistent flow of my comic, (and finally get into the actual story) but I just don't draw when I'm not in the mood.

If I draw when I'm not in the mood, then the page(s) turn out bad and I end up hating the comic. If I draw when I am in the mood, I can't stop and end up loving every second doing it (and the end result).

But to actually answer the question, sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. :\

Ye...Wheres my Heart!ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.(faceplant)

Nope, i just pour my heart ... i have some trouble dealing with my soul as of lately

Comic making is my past time, so I just let loose there. Serious heart-soul pouring goes into my books.

But I do have a certain level of devotion to some of my comics, and Wolf will be the first comic story I actually finish!

It's more like love-hate. A mistress or spouse who is supremely annoying and always wants too much at times and at others I can't live without.

It's like a marriage. If that means heart and soul. :) Well it has my heart, my heart and soul are reserved for my wife. :) (Who never reads this forum so I'm not just saying it to appease she-who-must-be-obeyed)