Wait, what? Why? I mean, it doesn’t look like you’re too big on facial symmetry, or even quality, when it comes to these. Why on Earth should slightly altering the shape of the face, changing the direction of the nose and putting the hair length down the other side be such a problem?
In art class, my teacher said that for right-handed people it’s usually easier to draw the character facing to the left. If you’re left handed, it’s easier to draw them facing to the right.
Weirdly enough, I’m one of the opposite camp. I find I’m always drawing people facing to the right, and am right handed. I suppose there’s always that exception that proves the rule.
But seriously, it’s fucking difficult to flip that script when you’re accustomed to drawing the character facing a particular way.
Yeah, me too. Might have something to do with me starting to draw as an attempt to make sprites for videogames, which usually have the characters facing right…
I can usually do it either way, although things like the hair will be a bit different. If I have bilaterally asymmetric characters, though (like if somebody has, say, a coat draped over their left shoulder most of the time I draw them), and I try to draw them facing in the other direction, I usually have to flip that part of them (making the coat on the right shoulder instead).
Is that why the fellow who drew my avatar wanted hamster pictures to practice drawing? Apart from reference, he said he wanted to get a feel for the shape of hamsters. So was this a muscle memory exercise?
After drawing the same thing a few hundred times, changing it drastically can destroy the chance of it being recognizable and really mess up getting back into the groove.
Think of it like writing! (It’s actually pretty much exactly the same thing!) You’ve been writing your words the same way for years and years.
Now, I demand you write a sentence mirrored.
Um, yeah, actually, I have. Since I was five. I’m actually drafting a comic book right now. And I’m not denying keeping characters facing different ways consistent is hard.
It’s more that, well, these are quick little doodles, and it doesn’t seem like he’s worrying about how good they come out to begin with. Coupled with the quality we’re seeing in left-facing Leslie, I fail to see how one facing to the right is going to come out much worse.
The dodgy part is when, halfway through drawing a right-facing Leslie, his muscle memory kicks in, and he ends up drawing her with two faces, or two backs-of-heads. And since he’s drawing in marker…
It would break him. Financially. “@#$%! Here’s another for the ‘ruined’ pile; could you put in another order with the manufacturer for me, Maggie? I’m gonna need it.”
I hope he just creates a “character” called “To The Right” or some corruption there of, and said “character” is really just a circle with perhaps a squiggly line inside of it for features.
Then when he gets these requests, he can draw that circle to the left of the character in question. And ALSO put down several naughty words.
Yes, because just “flipping the sprite” really works when he’s drawing free hand on paper with a permanent marker.
It also wouldn’t really work even on the computer. Every artist, when they draw a character, usually does so asymmetrically. Especially David Willis. He’s more of a visceral artist, which usually means that he doesn’t care about perfect symmetry. So if he were to just flip the character design around in Photoshop, it wouldn’t look right.
Artist’s usually can’t help but let their hand orientation show. If you take something drawn by a right handed person and flip it, you can see it’s usually slightly tilted and overall it just doesn’t look right.
I considered rambling about something, but remembered a favorite quote of mine which rather summarizes the point well. I won’t waste your time with the overall body of it, so I’ll simply cut to the important part:
“When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” –C.S. Lewis
Leslies sounds like it should be slang for something. You’ve got a big set of leslies. I just got the leslies kicked out of me. It’s driving me completely leslies. This is so leslies.
Why not draw up a few, scan them into your PC and then print them out onto decal paper and affix them as needed? Plus you can use photoshop to make minor variations so everyone gets something unique and you don’t get carpal tunnel syndrom.
Just saying Kinkade pioneered “DNA fingerprinting” and a couple other technological stand-ins to avoid having to personally sign or handle his limited edition offerings.
I promise that I will never ask you to do a rote sketch of Leslie looking to the right. Especially not in the middle of a muscle-memory-driven sketching session.
If I ever find Willis giving out sketches at a con, I’ll probably be an arse and ask him to draw Shortpacked! Leslie talking to Dumbing of Age Leslie…..
Simple answer to this is draw Leslie to the left, flip it to the other side of the paper, put a light source under it, trace the already made lines, and then suggest that you did somebodies mom….. or at least that is how mike would do it I assume.
What if you looked in a mirror?
Or would that break you D=
Only if it is one of those non-reversing mirrors as they show you what you look like to the rest of the world and that could break you.
The real question – does he reflect?
Pale skin – seen outside only at night – aversion to sunlight …..Hmmmm
Willis’ Kryptonite!
I have that issue too, don’t worry.
Wait, what? Why? I mean, it doesn’t look like you’re too big on facial symmetry, or even quality, when it comes to these. Why on Earth should slightly altering the shape of the face, changing the direction of the nose and putting the hair length down the other side be such a problem?
You baffle me.
Muscle memory. His hand gets used to doing it a certain way.
That, and it’s actually just quite a bit easier to draw people facing left for some reason. Try it.
Tis true, although I’ve drawn one character looking right so long that it’s harder for me to draw him correctly looking left.
In art class, my teacher said that for right-handed people it’s usually easier to draw the character facing to the left. If you’re left handed, it’s easier to draw them facing to the right.
Weirdly enough, I’m one of the opposite camp. I find I’m always drawing people facing to the right, and am right handed. I suppose there’s always that exception that proves the rule.
But seriously, it’s fucking difficult to flip that script when you’re accustomed to drawing the character facing a particular way.
Yeah, me too. Might have something to do with me starting to draw as an attempt to make sprites for videogames, which usually have the characters facing right…
I can usually do it either way, although things like the hair will be a bit different. If I have bilaterally asymmetric characters, though (like if somebody has, say, a coat draped over their left shoulder most of the time I draw them), and I try to draw them facing in the other direction, I usually have to flip that part of them (making the coat on the right shoulder instead).
Is that why the fellow who drew my avatar wanted hamster pictures to practice drawing? Apart from reference, he said he wanted to get a feel for the shape of hamsters. So was this a muscle memory exercise?
Maybe. And also, he probably wanted to draw something that resembled a hamster.
After drawing the same thing a few hundred times, changing it drastically can destroy the chance of it being recognizable and really mess up getting back into the groove.
Think of it like writing! (It’s actually pretty much exactly the same thing!) You’ve been writing your words the same way for years and years.
Now, I demand you write a sentence mirrored.
Yllis s’taht, sreay rof revo dna revo sdrow emas eht nettirw ton evah I.
You misspelled sraey
.oot yllamron etirw uoy nehw semitemos sneppah taht ,lleW .spoohW .did I oS
¡sill iwu oynmad!
Clearly, you’ve never drawn a day in your life.
Um, yeah, actually, I have. Since I was five. I’m actually drafting a comic book right now. And I’m not denying keeping characters facing different ways consistent is hard.
It’s more that, well, these are quick little doodles, and it doesn’t seem like he’s worrying about how good they come out to begin with. Coupled with the quality we’re seeing in left-facing Leslie, I fail to see how one facing to the right is going to come out much worse.
Thanks for the presumption, though.
The dodgy part is when, halfway through drawing a right-facing Leslie, his muscle memory kicks in, and he ends up drawing her with two faces, or two backs-of-heads. And since he’s drawing in marker…
It would break him. Financially. “@#$%! Here’s another for the ‘ruined’ pile; could you put in another order with the manufacturer for me, Maggie? I’m gonna need it.”
Ooh, can we request a dual-facing mutant Leslie?
Now I want a dual-facing mutant Leslie, too.
Janus Leslie
Shortpacasso!
If I wanted it to face the other way, I just flip it.
That doesn’t really work when the character’s design is asymmetrical.
So? Mike’s hair doesn’t make sense anyway you look at it.
I’m not sure drawing it upside-down counts as facing it the other way.
The same thing, but to the opposite side it faces?
WHAT SORCERY THIS IS.
Muahahahaha! I shall be your doom next time I see you at a con! ;p
I hope he realizes how many right facing Leslies he’s going to get a request for when the next book comes out. >.>
I hope he just creates a “character” called “To The Right” or some corruption there of, and said “character” is really just a circle with perhaps a squiggly line inside of it for features.
Then when he gets these requests, he can draw that circle to the left of the character in question. And ALSO put down several naughty words.
Yes, I’d like a drawing of Eilsel, please.
Some one needs a vacation?
Would you draw the exact same thing, but facing to the right? Please? Very very please?
Yeeee-up.
if you need it to face the other way just flip the sprite. it will also switch which arm the sprite has had amputated if that is the case at the time.
That seems like a Midnight Crew reference to me.
Very Good.
Yes, because just “flipping the sprite” really works when he’s drawing free hand on paper with a permanent marker.
It also wouldn’t really work even on the computer. Every artist, when they draw a character, usually does so asymmetrically. Especially David Willis. He’s more of a visceral artist, which usually means that he doesn’t care about perfect symmetry. So if he were to just flip the character design around in Photoshop, it wouldn’t look right.
Artist’s usually can’t help but let their hand orientation show. If you take something drawn by a right handed person and flip it, you can see it’s usually slightly tilted and overall it just doesn’t look right.
I think they were kidding rather than seriously suggesting it. Seems like it might have been a Homestuck reference even.
You are correct. A Homestuck Reference.
I’m not sure which one of Leslie’s arms you think has been amputated.
The one with the mysterious dystopian barcode on it, obviously. #jokesthatwerentgotten
You have to flip it.
TURN-WAYS
I like Homestuck too but as least I have the decency to be ashamed of it in public.
You also have a Naruto avatar. I think talk of public shame from you is probably invalid.
I shall never be ashamed of anything that makes me myself.
Your self-image is formed by the webcomics you read?
I considered rambling about something, but remembered a favorite quote of mine which rather summarizes the point well. I won’t waste your time with the overall body of it, so I’ll simply cut to the important part:
“When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” –C.S. Lewis
As another right handed artist, I hoped to one day overcome this handicap.
But if you can’t, well, I’m screwed.
No story continuation today? There’s no valid excuse for-
Oh, Arkham City? Carry on, I understand (only a few more riddles to go!).
I was SO PUMPED when I finished the physical challenges last night. I was like “Hell yeah, I’m the goddamn Batman.”
And then I started the combat ranked challenges. >.> I would have thought I would have gotten better at this after the last game dammit!
We’re Batman.
This game is awesome so it’s forgivable if we get no strips until Arkham City is completed.
But bewarned we are now all the Batman and we don’t forgive.
you’re going to get so many “facing right” requests now
Now man y will take this as a challenge XD
well I know what I am asking next comic con
He needs to tack on a surcharge for all “facing right” requests.
Hmm…when is willis’s next con…
I think I’ve heard that left handed people have the exact opposite problem.
HA, HA, HA, HA! And now I know your true weakness, Superm-erm, I mean, Mr. Willis!
Ah, ha. Good laugh, there. People need to madly cackle more.
It’s a great stress reliever.
So panel 3 was flipped, right?
Ha! You can’t fool me! I know that you Really draw her to the right naturally, what you really don’t want is to Draw Her To The Left!
Leslies sounds like it should be slang for something. You’ve got a big set of leslies. I just got the leslies kicked out of me. It’s driving me completely leslies. This is so leslies.
This isn’t Leslies. it’s Leslies Macintyre!
Leslie is starting to look a little like Ethan here.
Why not draw up a few, scan them into your PC and then print them out onto decal paper and affix them as needed? Plus you can use photoshop to make minor variations so everyone gets something unique and you don’t get carpal tunnel syndrom.
If people wanted something printed out and not hand-drawn, they have the other 199 pages in the book.
Whoosh, that’s completely missing the point of a sketch.
Go back to the Kickstarter project:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/326540223/shortpacked-a-mighty-book-collection-of-webcomics
“PLEDGE $35 OR MORE
133 BACKERS
Name in the back of the book plus an autographed sketch on a special page on the inside! “
Remember, this is David Willis, not Thomas Kinkade (if you know limited edition art prints this MAY be funny)
Emphasis on may.
Just saying Kinkade pioneered “DNA fingerprinting” and a couple other technological stand-ins to avoid having to personally sign or handle his limited edition offerings.
Head-on shots also seem to be causing you some distress…
REVERSE THE POLARITY
Still not taking this as an arkham city comic.
To make it an Arkham City comic, all Willis would need to do is add a “I’m Batman” text bubble.
The man is a genius. he’s brought the very essence of what we call “Batman” down to a science.
Reading this, I imagined an Evangelion-like Lesliequarium, with a lot of Leslies floating inside…
I promise that I will never ask you to do a rote sketch of Leslie looking to the right. Especially not in the middle of a muscle-memory-driven sketching session.
But could I have one of her looking *up* ?
Oh, that’s easy. I’d just move her eyes further up her forehead.
OH! I KNOW! Leslie looking into a mirror!
If I ever find Willis giving out sketches at a con, I’ll probably be an arse and ask him to draw Shortpacked! Leslie talking to Dumbing of Age Leslie…..
My suggestion, turn two steps to the right & drawn Leslie as you normally do. Then you are drawing the same character, but facing to the right.
See? Semantics fix everything.
Simple answer to this is draw Leslie to the left, flip it to the other side of the paper, put a light source under it, trace the already made lines, and then suggest that you did somebodies mom….. or at least that is how mike would do it I assume.
So very, very reminded of Zoolander.
OHHHH Like Zoolander!
Thanks for the sketch of right-facing Leslie. I hope this ensures my income in my old age.