Do you have any advice on how to draw more character interactions and include more storytelling on your artwork?
As much as i study and practice my fundamentals and yadda yadda i feel like this is the one thing that just refuses to click for me. I've read books on how to draw comics and the likes and i do have plenty of ideas for character interactions, stories and such. But i just can't seem to put these ideas to paper no matter how hard i try
I'm asking you because you're really really good and i look up to your work a lot on that aspect! some advice on where to start would be appreciated ^^
i had to think about this one for a bit before i could answer... because i looked through your work and it seems as though you're quite familiar with fundamentals and the Why behind character interactions and such (nice gabriel bodypillow btw), things like body language and different angles, color and character design, etc... so there's only so much i can explain with an abstract idea like Enhancing Storytelling, but i will attempt to share my thoughts from the perspective of my own work. hopefully it helps and it's not just paragraphs of Obvious stuff...
if i ask myself Why im including a specific character interaction in this scene or that scene, more often than not i'd reason it as the interaction itself being baked into the story im trying to tell. it's not just something i add in to fill space, but rather it's something to propel the story forward or send the reader a specific message. from this point of view, i think it's very beneficial to have a deep understanding or connection to the characters on an emotional level, to the point where there are things in your mind that you're not sure you could communicate with words, but want to convey anyway. like seeing an image and being gutpunched or moved by it without being able to explain precisely why.
i suppose if you take these pages as an example, the contact between kris and noelle communicates something alongside the dialogue, w/ that kind of unspoken closeness that they share.
you could also turn this idea on its head and create a scene where the expressions, body language or interactions directly contradict the tone of the dialogue or what it's saying.
like on this page, noelle's mind is simply wandering, thinking that there's parts of her that might be nice to know about, when the visuals show that 'part' of her as something grisly, raw and unsightly. the idea that all of this is meant to convey is the parallels of what happens to noelle on each route, of her daydreaming about becoming something different, vs. that actually happening in the weird route. this is also rooted in my own fascination of how different things can end up on different routes in a video game. in the end, everything i draw goes back to what i find interesting at my very core, lol
ultimately, i tend to think about character interactions and the subtle details in them as the driving force for the story. like, if a character is Standing There And Talking, is there something about seeing them speaking -- like their expression or how they're standing -- that adds to the dialogue itself? maybe it just sets the tone for what they're saying, or it suggests how they feel about a situation or another character, etc... Why Is It Important That We See This, basically.
now all of that sounds like a lot of Conceptualization Talk and not physically putting the pen to paper (/tablet) but i think hammering down why this interaction needs to be in your story will help motivate you to actually draw it, since it helps me at least... i think another thing worth practicing is just having the utmost confidence in the decisions you make, whether that's with paneling or writing or drawing each character, the angle you view them from and all that. even if it's a decision you think of as artistically amateur or even lazy, there can be some meaning derived from it. all of this is to say, if your plans are too ambitious and you're afraid to draw it, it's ok to start simple. have your two characters just talking to each other with straightforward side profiles; you can build up the interaction from there. if your characters dont Have many facial expressions they can show (like with ultrakill characters) -- how can you use those lack of expressions to your advantage? maybe you put more personality into their body language, or you use their lack of expressiveness to purposefully obfuscate their emotions, so the reader must come to their own conclusion about what's happening.
if we're taking another step backwards into How Do I Even Start This Comic In The First Place I Don't Know How, my basic suggestions for paneling are just: look at other comics/manga for inspiration, make sure your flow/reading order is reasonably clear and straightforward, and go with your heart. it's very easy to get stuck at the beginning before you've drawn anything, but you should go in with little fear while feeling excited and confident about your idea. draw as if you are So Obviously Right about Everything and you know exactly what you're doing. it's a comic, there aren't a lot of ways you can mess up. there might be decisions your brain makes subconsciously that you can step back and look at while thinking, "ohh, i thought of this because __" or "i was inspired by __ because im trying to convey something similar," etc... if anyone wants any advice on how to structure shorter fancomics, i have another ask i answered here about it not too long ago...!
anyway, if none of that was helpful, hopefully it was at least interesting... my TLDR for you is basically, approach your idea through the lens of each panel & interaction being deeply intertwined with the story you're trying to tell, how the actions/imagery enhance or purposefully contradict the dialogue, and there's no need to get too ambitious or Lifechanging with it if that's what's holding you up. go in with confidence, but you can also ask your friends for suggestions. a lot of it can be subconscious, but you can also go back and put intentional thought into some of the things you show with body language and symbolism (i also have a post talking about symbolism...). think of ways to use your circumstances with the characters and setting to your advantage. i could go on.... but i'll stop here because im losing my train of thought. i hope some of this helps you get started..! you got this! goomy believes in you
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