10.16.2013 Worth Every Dead Nerve
I wonder if that’s why when Jam…
Here, have some mushy mushy mush. Also, Beth has a new hair style. Why? Because the old one that I tried to make work for several years finally got on my last nerve and I think this hair style is really pretty on her. If I can saw off Shana’s giant swirly-bit then I can give Beth’s hair a makeover too.
Gonna need a little feedback on this one, if y’all don’t mind! You might have noticed with those Rachel and Micheal strips that Rachel’s fingernails were pronounced. Same here with Beth’s. You might also notice some nonsense in the characters’ hair to try and convey flow or scraggliness. This is all part of an attempt to gradually add minor details that make the collective result more appealing.
I need to know if this kind of thing is adding too much visual clutter, or if it just looks unappealing. Work-load wise it doesn’t make a difference. Per character it takes maybe 10 seconds to “carefully” add those nonsense lines to the hair to give it a bit of flow. Since it barely impacts the timeline for a strip, it’s about the same amount of work with or without them.
If those lines and the small scruffs in Mark’s hair are just downright ugly, be honest about it.
To be honest I kind of like them. It’s not an obvious thing but a tiny bit of mark making and the nails look nice when you do see them.
Although, I can’t say I really noticed the nails at all until it was pointed out. The scraggles did however have an effect, of course I didn’t realise it at the time. Since he’s kinda living in his truck and all and seems tired all the time I think Mark’s scraggles suit him pretty well. c:
And I don’t think they look ugly, just adds a bit of texture to what would otherwise be completely flat bar shading and slight lines indicating indentations.
ALSO I was going to say if you’re going to pronounce the women’s fingers nails you may as well do it to the dude’s as well. I went back a page to see rachel’s nails and it felt weird seeing them and then looking at michaels nails or rather lack there of.
So the hair details are nice and subtle. Good! That’s what I was hoping for.
I may eventually make all of the characters’ finger nails pronounced, but between Rachel and Beth the idea was that they take good care of their nails with pedicures and such. Mary’s fingernails aren’t made evident in this comic, for example, because the most she does is maintain a dainty shape. Though that’s more of a reason of uniformity than anything. Currently ALL of the women have pointed fingers, and so they all technically have pointed fingernails. This would be the only hurdle, but it wouldn’t be hard to try and fix through a little trial and error.
As for the men’s fingernails, it’s not an impossibility and it may actually be a good idea considering all of them have larger hands. Plus, it could help with giving their fingers more definition and shape. They currently suffer from sausage finger syndrome and it might do them some good to get a nice pedicure themselves.
This has been a really long-winded way of saying “I’ll experiment with that.”
Long as you’re enjoying yourself. c: