Loosing my art skill?

Sadly I've been unable to keep up with my blog, I've spent most of my first half of my Christmas holiday helping out my grandparents and trying to work on my comic. Speaking of my art/comic, with the completion of my fourth page, to which I'm very proud of, I've become worried.

I tried to start on the fifth page to find I just could not get my characters right! People I'd be drawing for ages were suddenly alien to me and I grew increasingly angry out how I simply could not draw them anymore. So I consulted a friend in a fit of panic as to what to do, as they suggested doing some 30's pose sketches, to which I am doing... I am using a website called.

Posemaniacs.com

And hopefully it will be able to help me.

Art and Sketch Up

No new major news of late, I've spent the vast majority of my time working on my comic and refining my art. Because due to university I've not been able to get in enough practice for my craft and thus my skills have dulled over time. Much like a sword without a whetstone.

 

  But one thing that 'did' catch my eye was an favourite artist/writer of mine called Evan Dahm, the writer of the acclaimed Overside comic series. Cause as of last night ( 10/12/13 ), he posted how he was able to create a bird's eye view shot of the city in page 497 of Vattu.

In which he uses Google Sketch Up to create the panel as seen above. I've been considering using Google Sketch Up for my own comic's purpose, but I had only considered making models of houses and notable environments. Maybe I should also consider the idea of using it to make a 3D model of the entire city, in which Stuffy Stuff takes place.

I have sent a question, asking how far his model in Sketch Up actually goes, but I have yet to get a reply, I'm hoping to hear back from him soon.

Research Into Comics Part 1: Fuan No Tane

Fuan No Tane is a three volume Japanese Anthology horror comic published by Champion Red from 2004 - 2005. The series has no recurring characters like some western anthology and mainly focuses on a new horror for each story. The stories change length so there is no consistent theme with each story, they simply tell what is needed to be told and done.

Going on my own research of characters being key, horror anthologies like this are a perfect example, for each story can only exist with its new monster for they are the driving focus of the stories. There is also no consistent theme when it comes to the horrors, some are malevolent, peaceful, good or simply just existing and going about things in their own way. They also range in species! Some are very human, while others are humanoid and some are human in only shape, some are apparitions and some are monsters, they are all a colorful range of morbid and spine tingling, best read in the dark.

The comic is portrayed in black in white making a good use of negative space and many different forms of shading to convey a unnatural and unsettling feeling in the comic.

The one downside this comic seems to have is that, while the monsters are horrifying in context and can cause a real jump and surprise, out of context they are very laughable and more silly looking than actually grotesque to behold. As well as, some are confusing or hard to understand due to cultural differences, such as the repeated use of people made of straw. Which in the west would only be scary if it was a possessed scarecrow. This may have something to do with Japanese shrine maidens and the use of straw effigies.

To the comic's strength though, unlike it's western cousin, they do NOT, tell a full story, it is a moment in time with no resolution. This creates a more real to life feel as many people have lived with an issue that at the time, they could not explain or resolve which has led to the creation of a horror story.