#kids graphic novel series

[bugzappercomics]

This week's Bug Zapper comic--

[hyliagirl42-art]

Character refs for the wimdy boy!! Catboy of all time ehehe

Also he can clip his windwaker into one of his cutlasses and use it to control the wind as he fights :D

[timelesslords]

If you like the post-apocalyptic and worldbuilding and religious deconstruction and found family aspects of tlou I am B E G G I N G you to read parable of the sower by Octavia E. Butler it’s so good you will not regret it I promise

[shelldrawsandanimates]

Welp. Time to go on a reading spree!

[craneboys]

was wondering why tf i keep getting crushes on bald middle-aged men that are sensitive and pathetic then realized it was all his fault

[barrenceallence]

Okay I’m finally watching Alex rider hbo series. This is what my 11 yr old self would have wanted

[bookwyrminspiration]

The graphic novel’s cover looks like a lot of kids catered things these days- the bigger eyes, vibrant colors, etc. It makes sense, though. After all this is a series meant for kids as young as 10. That said, I do kind of wish they hadn’t had asked the artist to change her style or anything- her original style is beautiful and would’ve worked just as perfectly (if not better), but I feel like this has been done already with artists who work with the series professionally.

Madebyinkjar on Instagram was tasked with doing a few Foxfire portraits a while back and things seemed so stiff and just.. off compared to what she typically does. The hair especially appears to be quite a bit different and more along the lines of those mobile games targeted towards little kids to play while their parents grocery shop or something. As for the colors, she seems to be comfortable using vibrant tones, but the shading style and pallet she’s chosen for them feel… strange. It’s almost like she wanted to (or was told to) make the pallet as eye catching as possible.

Meanwhile, artists like Artofmachira and Jason Chan, who are tasked with making less characters- and are likely given a much larger time frame- look to not only give more care to the work (because, again, they probably actually have the time to do so), but also stick to their personal art style. Additionally, the colors they choose aren’t as intense as the ones Madebyinkjar have used. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still vibrant and eye catching however, everything fits together nicer. Jason Chan and Artofmachira also look to be known more as digital painters with the way they blend, shade, and highlight.

The weird thing, to me, is that Itsbrych’s style, in both pallet choice and coloring style, seem like it should fit into the same category as Jason Chan and Artofmachira’s art. Chianello’s art looks like she could paint it. The blending isn’t as seamless as the other two, but it’s still softer than what I’d personally call a cartoonish way of shading. It makes it feel like, if what Shannon and/or co. wanted to do was use a more child-like style, they should’ve commissioned Madebyinkjar once again instead of asking this artist to change their style or possibly not giving enough time for her usual style.

To sum it up: I am confused on why they chose Gabriella Chianello (though not at all upset, she’s amazing) if they style they were looking for was more cartoonish.

I am so sorry if this made no sense I just word vomited at you <3

I've done just a smidge more digging, and I think maybe they chose her because she has a cartoonish style, it's just not her only style. What she posts on her IG and Tumblr are her personal artworks, not her professional work.

I found this portfolio of artwork by her, which is way more stylized and cartoonish than the paintings she posts, and more similar (though not exact) to what we see on the cover. That's likely more like what the people who hired her would've looked at and based their decision off of, as well as her actual graphic novel work. The Nightmare Before Christmas graphic novel is much more stylized and similar to the keeper cover than her personal artwork, so I wonder if when she said the artwork was a different style than her usual, she meant what she usually posts? But while different from her painterly personal style, it's still similar/in the realm of what she does professionally.

I don't think Madebyinkyjar would've have been a great choice for the novel though--not because her art is bad, I just am not aware of any qualifications for this kind of thing. Being a "freelance character concept artist" (taken from her twitter) is a big difference from illustrating entire graphic novels, something Chianello has done before.

This is very light digging and speculation, but my guess is that they hired her based on her prior graphic novel work, not her personal art style posted on her social media. And since those are different, it seems like an odd choice to us without that knowledge. None of us have (that I'm aware of) seen her actual graphic novel work in depth, and a really involved painterly style (more like what we have seen from her on her socials) isn't asrealistic for a graphic novel. That's my guess for the discrepancy we're noticing.

That being said, I am a little disappointed that it's so...mainstream? Like you said, it's catered towards kids, and I'm well aware i'm beyond the intended audience, but it feels a little mundane. And I think kids who are the intended audience deserve a variety of art styles and medias! They already see that Bratz doll style elsewhere, and I think it'd be better to break away from that rather than lean into it. However, leaning into it is marketable and therefore profitable, and that matters more than creativity and expression in today's world. So I can understand why they did it, but I think it could be better.

Does it truly impact my life? No. But I can enjoy and be excited about the graphic novel while also observing that it seems to be another consequence of popular culture--none of which is the fault of the artist or any single individual, just something I'm noticing.

Maybe I'm way off, but it makes it feel a little cookie cutter-esque, and I think it and the people reading it (of all ages, whether in the demographic or not) deserve more than that, but it's a problem that goes way beyond keeper.

Anyway, you're making sense Ozzy, dw. Hopefully I am too :)

[catchdacraze]

Only 2 days left! Doodie got all dressed up for you. Will you support his story and make a pledge today? http://kck.st/3LMsV8m

#kickstarter #crowdfunding #art #artist #comics #indiecomics #cartoon #story #series #graphicnovel #books #kidsbooks #Doodie #Alien #scifi #comedy #adventure #goodreads #booksworthreading #booksforkids #comicbooks #artbook #illustrated

[transcalkestis]

[image ID: a screenshot from wookieepedia, with the text 'masters' followed by, in two bullet points, 'Yoda' and 'Garfield'. end ID]

truly, what a legacy to live up to. standing on the shoulders of giants

[bugzappercomics]

New Bug Zapper comic in the most recent Sunday Haha, along with more wonderful comics:

[shannonsketches]

You think you'll never get old and then one day you log on and there's a "First Manga" poll that Bleach, Sailor Moon, Naruto, and DBZ didn't make the cut for

[aminta]

found out the guy who stalked me is a lowkey nepo baby apparently lmfaooooo

[spectrumspace]

yall remember babymouse

[randompolykin]

✨wings of fire✨

I don't know about you guys but i really miss seeing "high fantasy" dragons in media, high fantasy dragons are like Smaug (The Hobbit), Draco (DragonHeart), Saphira (Eragon) and Spyro (Spyro the Dragon games franchise) for example, they have their own free will and cannot be controlled, they are highly intelligent and capable of speaking and even writing or drawing. It seems the version of dragons that has taken over is the animalistic and realistic version, that are basically huge dogs that can breath fire, bring back intellectual dragons that like to make riddles to fool intruders, bring back grumpy dragons that live isolated from everyone but they are actually lonely and in need of a friend, bring back the loyal and brave dragons that are willing to sacrifice themselves to save the ones they love, dragons that will talk to you about the mysteries of the world and the universe, JUST BRING BACK HIGH FANTASY DRAGONS GODDAMIT

[barrenceallence]

@bisexualtedlasso sorry tumblr is not letting me reply so I’m just making a post BUT YES THERE ARE GRAPHIC NOVELS!! The first started out as a adaptation of the movie but then ones after that are adaptions of the books. I remember reading up to eagle strike and I’m not sure if they went beyond that