A tale of 2 scenes (Patreon)

I wanted to share this since it was something I talked about in my panel at MFF a few months ago.

Making a comic is more than just drawing the panels, pictures, and ballooning letters. Visual storytelling is important. If your shots are flat and uninteresting, it can bring down the entire scene, regardless of a sharp script. I've probably brought this up before, but I've been trying to bring more depth to shots as it's easy to get lazy in the grind of comic making.

As I've been diving into the next scene, I ran into an issue that was very similar to when Enzo was running out the door for school. Above, I've revisited an early shot (1st draft sketch) that I was unhappy with. I've attached the original side shot also, realizing how flat it was. The story has been approaching how Arlo is going to the Academy, so there's a great opportunity to really SHOW the reader this place. I failed to do that on the first pass.

So, I redid it with using more references. The shot has much greater depth now (even tilted the camera angle). Aka... the visual communication is stronger to the reader. Yeah... this is what takes me longer on pages, but the payoff is worth it! :P

I also attached some early panels on a fresh page. The admissions office is its own adventure XD.