The Red Herring Strip
I was going to make a post, explaining some of the artwork functions in this strip. There’s a Canadian artist named Mark Oakley who uses the same eye technique that I used in panel one, which I thought worked very well for long distance shots since I tend to mess up when I put in too much eye detail. The result was, what I thought was, a very nice looking panel one.
Not so, apparently!
This is frustrating. I’ve taken more personal hits in the past week of steady strips and hard work than I had in three months of strips that barely happened once a week. I am, to be honest, stunned at the level of beating I’ve taken for what has really been some minor art changes.
This is a facial closeup for Wednesday’s strip. It is pretty much the same as always, not much has changed.
If you don’t like the art, stop reading. Like someone I know said, vote with your feet. Walk away.
If you want to complain about something, it would be the terrible looking puppet arms in panel two. That was an awful outcome.
For the people who do like it, or in the very least, find that it does the job (which is all I ever wanted my art to do), thank you. I really don’t want to focus on the negative, it has just been so overwhelming lately. Maybe after a few more days of this, I just won’t care and we’ll be back to the usual. I also don’t want this to spawn a bunch of suddenly positive comments/emails. I am just expressing my level of frustration, which is reaching massive levels at this point. I am sure it will level off as the people who are unhappy actually just stop reading, and are replaced with people who don’t care as much.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go put in another ten hour day so I can be ripped apart on Wednesday. This is the best job ever.
EDIT: I am feeling a bit more centered after a few hours. Waking up and checking my strip feedback probably wasn’t the smartest way to handle my morning. The post today definitely came off as whiny, and I should be more critic-proof, for sure. But apply this scenario to your own life and career… imagine (finally) doing some of the best work of your career, and having it immediately crapped on. Before you’ve even shown 5% of it.
Frustrating, huh?
I’m just asking for a bit more time before we pass judgement.
There’s another positive to this style that a lot of people are not appreciative of yet, and that is something that can’t be judged immediately. I am comfortable with it. It lets me get strips done far in advance (I’m working on Friday’s strip today, whereas I used to be finishing strips on the day they were supposed to be posted), and focus on things like writing a cohesive story.
Better writing and consistent posting are what we wanted, right? I thought so!
January 19th, 2009 at 12:25 am
This is the best art I’ve ever seen from you. Really. Panel 2 is on another level. Not all of us are spending our days bitching at you. Keep up the good work, man!
January 19th, 2009 at 1:18 am
omg….the beautiful faces…they’re…they’re…gone. :*(!
January 19th, 2009 at 1:34 am
Chicks. What can you do eh?
January 19th, 2009 at 5:10 am
The devolution continues… :(
January 19th, 2009 at 7:25 am
I must say, this strip looks incredible… except for pepper eyes in the second panel… they give me chills… :s
Keep the work!
January 19th, 2009 at 8:21 am
This strip is definitely one of the best to ever come out of you… except for the faces…
Everything else is just stunning.
January 19th, 2009 at 8:50 am
The devolution continues?
I came back for this?
Sheesh.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:32 am
I’m happy with the artwork so long as you BRING THE SEXY.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Oh god, the puppet arms. I didn’t notice them until I read what you said about them in the post. Now they will haunt my dreams for days to come.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:42 am
I didn’t notice how bad they looked until I had done initial inking. It was too late by then.
They look *bad*. I thought panel one might distract a bit, but it seems I draw at a grade three level now.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:46 am
What’s with the sweatdrop in the last panel? That’s to indicate embarrassment, right?
I think I’ve never liked those touches because the art itself should make it very obvious what the character is feeling through facial expressions and such.
That said, that’s not going to keep me away from reading this. The characters are what hooked me in the first place and they continue to do so.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:52 am
The sweatdrop can indicate a variety of things, in this case though, it is more of a “sheesh” moment.
I agree with you on most of the things with facial expression, and a good artist *can* make those things obvious. I am not that artist though, so I will use whatever crutch I can. I’m glad you will stay to read for the better reasons.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:17 am
I think the art style change is great. Experimentation is very important to art, it helps keep things fresh and distinguished. I think with your particular art style, B&W kind of works better, and I would imagine that it takes less time then coloring. I think you should just keep up the B&W strips, develop a buffer, and then use colors for the special or important strips.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Shirow (and a lot of other manga creators) have a technique where they do the first few pages in high quality colour, then switch to black and white to finish the story. I may utilize a system like that in the future, while still using full colour for the standard four panel gag strips that will occur between storylines.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:50 am
I don’t like the new style for one reason (and maybe to clarify my “devolution” statement):
I love Aikida because I always admired how you pulled it off to carry the point and character emotions over WITHOUT resorting to tools like bubble eyes or freaky manga-thingies. Your previous style worked damn well. I just flicked through some of the old strips and noticed it again. Your style worked perfect and looked damn good too! Artwork in Aikida went through a slow’n'steady improvement with each year.
I don’t think you need to resort to artistic tools as mentioned above to express character emotions and whatever. You can do this YOUR way and can do your own style. It always reminded me of the comics done by Michael Turner (may he feast and party in the afterlife :( ).
Introducing the manga thingies might be attractive to some people, to me it seems like a step backwards from an otherwise almost perfect style. Devolution instead of evolution.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:51 am
I don’t like the new style for one reason (and maybe to clarify my “devolution” statement):
I love Aikida because I always admired how you pulled it off to carry the point and character emotions over WITHOUT resorting to tools like bubble eyes or freaky manga-thingies. Your previous style worked damn well. I just flicked through some of the old strips and noticed it again. Your style worked perfect and looked damn good too! Artwork in Aikida went through a slow’n'steady improvement with each year.
I don’t think you need to resort to artistic tools as mentioned above to express character emotions and whatever. You can do this YOUR way and can do your own style. It always reminded me of the comics done by Michael Turner (may he feast and party in the afterlife :( ).
Introducing the manga thingies might be attractive to some people, to me it seems like a step backwards from an otherwise almost perfect style. Devolution instead of evolution.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Hell’s teeth! Double post! :(
*hangs head in shame*
January 19th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I dunno…I like the art just fine. Honestly, with Aikida, I’ve always been a bit more drawn to the characters and stories. Even though they sometimes don’t get completed, they are still intriguing and spark my imagination. The various art styles over the years have all been nice enough to not detract at all from my aforementioned likes.
So, please…Keep up the good work and experiment all you like :)
January 19th, 2009 at 11:32 am
I miss the color but It will not keep me from reading, hope your computer issues get resolved.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I like the “new” art, looks great to me. an if I did’nt like it I’d stop paying for…Oh snap! I’m not paying! Well any how keep up the awesome job.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Holy crap. Why would anyone even bother complaining about free stuff? Why don’t the haters go actually pay for comics instead? No? Then shut the f*&k up. If its that offensive to your eyes, don’t look at it. I’m just glad I can add another strip to my must read list.
I give props to the dude for sticking with it. I only lasted long enough for my work to get plagurised and then decided I wouldn’t bother wasting my time for ingrates. So I’m not bitter.
Keep up the good work man.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
“[...]Holy crap. Why would anyone even bother complaining about free stuff?[...]”
“[...]if I did’nt like it I’d stop paying for…Oh snap! I’m not paying![...]”
Stow it people. It’s called feedback and critique. If you don’t like reading it, I recommend heeding your own advice.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
You don’t like the art. That’s fair. It’s not changing though. Say what you want about my work, but my personal decisions on how I want to improve/change my art have served me pretty well from strip one (take a good look at this crap http://www.aikida.net/oldstrips/20011006%2006%2036%20am.gif ) to today’s strip.
With every strip I learn something new. I just wish people would wait a few weeks before passing judgment. This is the sporting equivalent of losing the first game of the season and calling for a team overhaul right away. If you could even call that a loss, because I sure don’t think of the changes as a negative.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Aikida has always been more about the characters rather than the art. That’s what’s really kept people coming back all throughout the reboots. That’s not to say that the art is bad or you should switch styles. Composition, character design, line work, use of colour and shading, and facial expressions have all greatly improved ever since it was a gaming comic. And the hatching seen recently has been fantastic. I think more people need to realize that you’re probably doing this moreso for your own enjoyment rather than others. You’re also probably more hard on yourself and defensive about this sort of thing than you should be.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Only time can tell, eh?
January 19th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I was just going to come down here and congratulate you on the fresh new look. Now I feel like it’ll sound all artificial and everything. But, uh, congratulations. On the fresh new look.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Still very appreciated.
January 19th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I’m always very annoyed when people say that if you don’t agree with something, just walk away. That’s a cop-out on both sides. As i posted on the previous strip, i was confused as to whether or not we were allowed to comment on criticisms in addition to praise, or if the only commenting allowed is supposed to be pats on the back. Apparently i got my answer today. If you don’t shine the light of heaven in your comments, don’t bother or you’ll make the artist upset. Boo fuckin hoo. Oh and to those who say it’s free, i have donated a few times in the past to support this strip, so shut the fuck up.
I LOVE Aikida. When it got shut down last year it was a huge loss for me, especially because the last storyline never got finished. I was thrilled beyond reason when i discovered that it was back. We read this comic because we love it as much as you do Fenris, so when something is amiss we want to let you know too. We have a real relationship with the characters and with you so it shouldn’t all be taken in the darkest context. Just because i don’t like the way you are drawing the faces recently doesn’t mean i hate everything you’re doing.
ah shit i lost my train of thought. Fuck. More later maybe.
January 19th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I’m going to make a point here to clarify once and for all how I apply both criticism and compliments…
I have never changed the strip based on comments, suggestions, critiques or compliments. Not once, ever. The only time I have ever bowed to popular consensus it to can Pepperwood because of low readership.
I can appreciate a compliment, because everyone likes an acknowledgement. And I can absorb a criticism, and file it away if need be. But some of this is just repetitive, and the bottom line is it isn’t going to affect anything. I’ve always run Aikida the way I wanted, and will continue to do so.
So feel free to say if you like it. Feel free to say that you don’t. Just don’t bash me over the head with it every strip. Make your point. I’ll remember it.
January 19th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
FWIW, I’m just fine with the experimentation. It’s interesting, how many ways can Akida be drawn?
all sexy
January 19th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Eh it’s fine. Josh has said before that he’s a writer not an artist. I’m here for the story.
January 19th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
The art looks good. I thought it was a guest strip until I read your news.
January 19th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I much prefered the art in previous strips but was getting frustrated with the pace. So keep going with whatever is going to get updates regular and i will be happy. I can adjust to the change i just really liked the previous style
January 19th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
That was the main point I was getting at. Thank you!
January 19th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
On a side note, have you thought about drawing future strips and having a partner color them, so you aren’t stuck holding it all?
January 19th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
If I had this mystery person on hand, I probably would have been using them sooner.
January 19th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Just don’t quit, please, no matter what I or any of the other jackasses say. I seriously get hooked on this shit.
It’s been over a year and I STILL wanna find out what came of being “Billy Joel Drunk.”
January 19th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
I’ll have to agree with fiddles. I may like the previous style better, but the change isn’t going to make me stop reading.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
I’m willing to reserve judgment until you’ve had some time to run with this style and see how it comes out. And I’m willing to concede that in the long run it’s your strip and you can do whatever you please as always. But right now I’m inclined to agree 100% with Dwight’s 10:50 post. I don’t see this as your “best work, and I think you’re a far better artist than Mr. Oakley.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Josh, just do whatever the hell you want. If you have readers, great. If you lose them, fuck ‘em.
You have lots of readers, (well, it seems like it anyhow.) and if they really care, then they’ll stick around. Whether they like it or not, your art is better than a lot of other webcomics out there that just rely on copy and paste bullshit.
But hey, what do I know, no one ever read Think Tank.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
It’s your strip man, you can do whatever you wanna do. I’m happy when there’s comics. when there’s no comics I get all stabby.
I’ve been reading here for…. well, ever.
Having said that, I do think that you convey emotion better using your old eye style. It was a style that worked, and kept your faces from looking like something out of Bleach. But again, it’s your party. I’m just here for the free drinks :)
January 20th, 2009 at 1:21 am
Hey man. I never post. I mean never this would be my first ever. But i had to. I wanted to say i think your doing a fantastic job
I can appreciate different styles. Each have their place. I think you’ve done a great job and in the words of my g/f after i done something astonishing for her. Show me your dick or your ego So i can stroke One!
Keep up the good work, and after a while I’d like to see some more variety of panel styles from you. If you can adapt this comic as Fast and brilliantly to others, as you did to this style i think we’re all in for a treat
January 20th, 2009 at 1:30 am
Whats funny here is that I didn’t even notice the change in art style until people started criticising it.
January 20th, 2009 at 1:49 am
Fool.. i’ve been reading aikida since i found it as a freshman in high school surfing for porn.. I think that your jokes are wickedly insane. Your artwork on the other hand.. I’ll tell ya, as a 3rd year history major with no practical experience in any form of drawn/painted/etc art, is fucking amazing. I really love every bit of detail that you’ve put in your panels. To be honestly sincere, i like what you’re doing with your strip. It’s adding a bit of emotional depth and character to your characters that cannot always be expressed with realistic(or whatever its called) drawings and well thought out dialogue.
now.. if you’ll excuse me, i must retrieve my nose.
January 20th, 2009 at 6:06 am
I agree with DoubleDutch, I don’t really see what all the fuss is about.
Its a great comic and as long as you make people smile it doesn’t really matter to me whether its drawn like South Park or animated as beautifully as Belleville Rendez-Vous (by the finest North Korean animators no less, read Guy Deselle’s Pyongyang, its an edumahcation)..
January 20th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Wow this comic is AWESOME!!!! You ARE AWESOME JOSH! Can this get ANY better? I don’t think it can. :D
January 20th, 2009 at 7:38 am
People are going to be talking about this comic for YEARS! I mean, look at it! Have you ever seen ANYTHING LIKE THIS?! I haven’t. This comic overshadows everything else today! I mean, wow, look at how far he’s come!
January 20th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Here’s a new Aikida FAN COMIC!!! “Aikida why you got to be so ghetto?” http://randommode.deviantart.com/art/Aikida-net-3-110110700
January 20th, 2009 at 8:59 am
You are doing some really nice art dude. If i could draw half as good as you i would be damn proud of my work. Don’t listen to other peoples shit. If you are enjoying doing it and there are people out there (like me) enjoying it, then your job is done. By the way im from Australia so…. you know…. feel proud that your impacts is world wide. Keep up the good work ay. I have been reading since day one and don’t intend to stop
January 20th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Dood! having a hellva time reading your webcomic!!, it keeps getting better and better. Screw what people think! Im always looking forward to reading your webcomic. Excellent art and the writting is always A++ material. Can’t wait till the next page man!
January 20th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Elliotd-
hey! what are you doing here? it’s back to SDC for you!
:P
January 20th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Josh, the strips awesome. Always has been. So what if you change the way you draw? Things evolve. Do what you like, im still going to keep coming back ^^
January 20th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
*quote* SDC *quote* ???
Well as far as i’m concerned i dont give a s*** how you draw aikida, as long as you make it. it’s your comic anyway and i like it for the story! but i must agree with Dwight here, that you have gone from a really good art, with feel to it, to a bad looking manga style. i don’t mind manga (i read tons of it ^^) but i’m sorry to say, your manga art looks like it kinda needs a lot of work to reach the level of your previous art . but still i will definitely continue reading, because i like the story and the laughs! I just wanted to say this because it was on my mind.
And THANKS for the laughs! You rock!
January 20th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
“If I had this mystery person on hand, I probably would have been using them sooner.”
http://www.biggercheese.com/ :D
January 20th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Josh, I’m a closet Aikida reader. I stumbled onto the comic what seems like years ago and was so infatuated with the characters I read the archives in one sitting from comic one to the present. Your comic, like the others in my bookmarks, is clearly something you made. It’s always unique, not a reflection of majority whims.
And that’s why it’s in my bookmarks.
Comics are about story, folks. If you want to see good artwork, become a patron of your local art gallery.
January 20th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
:) So basically, keep up the good work! What will be will be and all that crap. Those that don’t like it will say so and those who do will also. Two sides to every coin right. I’ve loved Aikida since I Stumbled it a year ago and have made sure to bookmark it through 3 computer overhauls. While the new style is a bit Manga-ish its not bad and you need to do what you need to do.
Just lower your head an plow through the negative and keep the ball rolling and your fanbase will grow.
Write it and they will come! ;P
January 20th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Honestly; I read the comic long, long before I hit up mIRC and then WoW. And as much as it sucks that the computer went boom, I think the period of introspection has really brought the comic along. Kudos Josh for getting back to your roots and inspirations.
Aikida is all the better for it.
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