4 Time-Saving Tips (from a guy who spent 13 YEARS drawing a comic)

[@videoswithsubscribers-xk5hb]

I spent 13 years basically doing nothing, so don't worry about it.

[@alexworld257]

Underrated comment AND profile pic

[@justjuol3703]

Sorry dude. 69 likes. Can’t do anything

[@janessapagan5214]

💀💀

[@Nawona]

*high Five*

[@fathiao4012]

That's my whole life 😂😭.

[@themonarch514]

Imagine having to keep the art style consistence for more than a decade...

[@satendra_sharma]

anime : ( ͝° ͜ʖ͡°)ᕤ

[@SaphInfection]

The Monarch This comment has 69 likes nice

[@FOGHEAD_]

The artists that can accomplish this deserve some kind of lifetime achievement award

[@-blank-4766]

Onepiece

[@amychi_]

Oof.. Right..

[@like.lauren]

Realizing how quick 13 years passes stresses me OUT

[@09nob]

Not to worry we'll all be dead soon.

[@idkdude1118]

@@09nob thanks :)

[@09nob]

@@idkdude1118 You're welcome ha ha.

[@warbrothers7745]

Matthew Lawton I’m 37 and this ALL I think about now.. I’m seriously thinking of going to therapy to get over my obsession with how quick time is passing as I age and scurry quickly to my death !!

[@09nob]

@@warbrothers7745 If you're not familiar with it? look into Zen Bhuddism it's all about being in the moment and there are lots of ideas and practices they use that can be very helpfull to slow time and get the most from it and stop worrying about it, Mindfullness is all nicked from Zen Bhuddism before anyone mentions it but Zen is a much richer and more fullfilling pursuit.

[@mysteriousgal7964]

And then there’s the issue of procrastination.

[@firebal6129]

...yeah... that'd be me

[@Guppynator25]

Firebal612 me 3

[@ragmamale4783]

Yesh that's me

[@jackie511]

procrastinating rn 😩

[@spacespider7734]

But I CANT wanna crosshatch right now,,, I have to sell my fake turnips on my Nintendo game to pay off my debts to an evil raccoon... And I also don’t want to worry about the real crippling debt

[@bananapy7278]

But dude, it looks like a freakin' masterpiece with its details! Its pretty unique looking from other comics nowadays.

[@gemgem24able]

Yah but imagine making only one project every 13 years. He gotta make money too, you know. It's an industry after all

[@FOGHEAD_]

Kuuryo , well said...

[@slsthewriter1299]

@Kuuryo There's a difference between taking your time for something as religiously significant as the Chapel, versus something you feel like doing and want to make money off of. The majority of his points were more geared towards adding so much detail that it took more time to replicate. If the ceiling of the Chapel was a comic, Michelangelo would definitely have skipped out on some details. And even then, do you think that painting took 13 years? You forget just how fecking long 13 years is. I get it, there *is* definitely a time and a place for everything, but in a world where (morbidly) death *is* the passage of time, you gotta play it smart. And, 9/10, cutting your corners and your losses leads to new and interesting things in the long run.

[@paultran4474]

@@gemgem24able Yup. It's not like he's able to charge 13x as much as comics that take 1 year to make.

[@michaelmartin9022]

@Kuuryo He probably didn't need such detailed backgrounds in every panel, though. Like the train station example, he said it could have been a street corner. Nah, it could still be a train station, just do one decently-rendered "setting the scene" panel, then the rest of the scene can just be the characters talking with far simpler backgrounds that just suggest a train station.

[@Ben31337l]

I wish that we lived for 1000 - 2000 years so we could have the time to invest passion into creative works.

[@spring7643]

Me too

[@animatorireenie8319]

Would be great... Hope it'll be able one day.

[@moodybash7334]

People in the past lived more than 1000 years 😌

[@jonathanSpg]

The more years you live the smaller 1 year looks and because of that time goes fast like when ur 1 year old 1 year is the span of your whole life so its longer when your 2 year old 1 year is just half ur life so it feels like less time....

[@Ben31337l]

@@jonathanSpg it really is true

[@merrickwells7519]

I mean, yes, while 13 years seems insane, I'd say it really, really paid off. Your work here is gorgeous

[@barrelbarry9940]

some scenes are, but that train station goodbye scene is mediocre

[@blankflank3488]

I mean, did it really PAY off tho?

[@ernodios]

His rent /mortgage probably disagrees

[@Trailtracker]

the difference between being considered underrated in 20 years and actually gaining something from a project in the now is a vast one

[@HokShunPoon]

Well if anybody was to say that in hindsight saving time is a good idea it'd have to be the guy who spent 13 years finishing one piece of work. I'd like to think there's people out there who never finish projects who would advocate for spending more time and dedication to their projects even if it feels like time is being wasted. Tonoharu looks absolutely amazing =]

[@helium-379]

"Work smarter, not harder" should the moto.

[@purpleey]

work both smarter and harder

[@krofnica1]

@@purpleey well said

[@poopcock4357]

moto moto?

[@retrogamer7543]

I think moto moto likes you

[@heyryanisonx3141]

There's a poster in my classroom that our teacher talked about on the first day that says "Work smarter, not harder" and the "not" is crossed out and replaced with "and"

[@thecolorpurple6401]

So basically: *Cut corners and be lazy.* Arright, I'm down.

[@ClockworkCrusader]

Art is art you can do what you want either work hard or not. So yeah embrace lazy

[@angrydinosaur8853]

i think that ”work smarter, not harder” really applies here

[@Romeo-le2ez]

Ani me girl

[@AvoytDesign]

you joke but yeah, that's exactly it

[@aariza.rahman3096]

Terrible generalisation.

[@ziiiboom]

Draw a comic without cross-hatching and you can get a 1000X speed boost.

[@miketheartist6865]

Tell me, do you draw art? So?

[@potatoraider7320]

@@miketheartist6865 i have tried stippling, scribbling, and hatching.... simply using these shading techniques are very time consuming when you work on a sheet the size of A4. Also they have principles you have to follow, if you dont follow the principles you end up with ugly results.

[@potatoraider7320]

@@jjsamuelgunn1136 not everyone uses digital

[@potatoraider7320]

@@jjsamuelgunn1136 i think most of your statement is unnecessary... its an overkill to be honest You couldve left it with just "i agree, not everyone uses digital because they dont have the tools to be able to do so"

[@potatoraider7320]

@@jjsamuelgunn1136 dude, chill... Why are you mad?

[@austinmcconnell]

I really, really enjoyed this video. Just ordered the Tonoharu trilogy as a result, and I'm looking forward to jumping in. Hope you're doing well, Lars.

[@lizziestired]

oh hey its austin mconell

[@useful5642]

wtf i did not expect to see you here austin, how odd

[@askinredroads5132]

Im thinking of picking it up myself, how is it?

[@silenceofthehills7610]

I love you, Austin.

[@cuboidgamez7577]

Hello hope you're having a great day!

[@the9file]

4:39 fail faster 5:43 embrace creative laziness 8:08 pick your battles 9:38 let nothing be sacred

[@kayz1832]

Ty

[@Christian_Bale_fr]

gonna eat u like a burbe as thank u

[@shjilz]

​@evanshlom1 > makes a greentext > on youtube

[@scalyfoot8142]

tldr: the only reason this happened is because he spent 90% of his time crosshatching dont be this man

[@Themambaproject]

That is wicked ..LOL

[@fiercekitty4982]

@Augustine Lobo exactly, the type of shading he uses is very time consuming (but it looks pretty if you ask me)

[@KOTEBANAROT]

Ever wanted to spend like a week on a single drawing while also destroying your wrist? Crosshatching is the answer

[@orbeezslurper]

@@fiercekitty4982 i feel like he could do it faster if he like scanned in the unhatched version and did the lines digitally imo

[@ernodios]

@BoxCrossed way to go!! That my friend is the right answer

[@RockLockster]

I would have appreciated it if you had made this video 35 seconds longer.

[@sudokms]

Curtis Lock ouch

[@emily.g4240]

Oof

[@rft1509]

yeaa would match the title somehow lol

[@GoDUsopp-gk2fx]

That would be a meta-meme

[@cheesyquokka]

haha

[@bruna7534]

One tip I want to share: Don't be ashamed to stay in your comfort zone sometimes. Surely, you must try new things and work on your weakness, but not in an actual work. If you're not that good in scenarios, don't push yourself too much, instead, invest on your strengths, drawing better facial expressions, body language, effects. Study scenarios in a sketch book or individual drawings. Don't be ashamed to use technologies help to cover it. Also, if you learn how to work on it, it will be your art style, and it's even better than being averagely good at everything, because you will not be a master in everything.

[@user-pr6gn2un8z]

Screenshotting your comment for future advice! Thanks

[@moonoftheblood]

Thank you:D

[@Gogglesofkrome]

I'm 22 and I feel like my life has been wasted up until this point already. Even though I'm still young in the eyes of many, I can't help but have this horrifying urge to accomplish 'something,' before this time begins to run short. This vid and some of the apathetic comments in the comment section really help frame it for me that I'm not wrong at worrying, however I am still wrong for being perfectionistic. Fantastic vid, really sets things into stone that the only way forward is to 'just do it,' like so many others have said. Shart out a basic low detail premise, and build up things from there.

[@Greg12839]

I feel that way now at 18

[@anarcho-doodles1596]

@@Greg12839 same and I'm 13

[@philltheotherguy1868]

You should start with a throwaway idea and not be afraid have it end up crappy.

[@Gogglesofkrome]

@@philltheotherguy1868 aye, since this point I'd been placing responsibility on myself through a schedule, and by organizing my efforts so that I keep my focus singular. It places a responsibility for me to focus and discuss either with others or with myself the concepts that I need to learn. If anything this pandemic has been a godsend for me to really sit down and make things happen.

[@terminalpictures]

That's the way you should feel. Life is over before you know it so get to fucking work, kid!

[@officialellimac262]

I read the title as “from a guy who spent 13 years in a coma.” Like goodness, don’t be so hard on yourself, you’re a medical miracle!

[@princessmae3457]

😂😂😂😂

[@qwe_qwe6299]

😂😂😂

[@andeleon6838]

Lmaooooo what time saving tips would he give if that's the case? 😂

[@lovekira793]

@@andeleon6838 "If you wanna do stuff wake up. Comas are too time consuming. Don't do them.",

[@theothercomicguy]

Could be worse, you could be 42 and have procrastinated for 26 years and make excuses for not ever starting. You did fantastic.

[@theothercomicguy]

Ps thanks for the time saving tips.

[@001variation]

Or, you get halfway through, realize deep down it's not working and you should quit, but due to sunk-cost fallacy you lie to yourself and waste another 6.5 years on crap

[@Zedryx69]

*cough cough* yandere dev *cough*

[@user-fe8gx3ie5v]

@@Zedryx69 The opposite. He worked through the game for years now, perfect or not.

[@Zedryx69]

@@user-fe8gx3ie5v this reply was 4 months ago.

[@untitledESCAPEROOMproject]

To all younger artists, embracing a faster and more efficient work flow is not only is faster, it allows your art to be more financially rewarding (because Time IS Money), and being more able to survive off your creative works means you'll be able to do it more rather than working other jobs. So faster and more efficient is not only faster, but buys you more time to continue to work on your art. It really is a win win. Hearing Lars story in this video is like the nightmare scenario that every young stubborn artist could fall into, and commiting to finishing a project under the conditions that such a young stubborn artist would set for themselves, well as Lars said, it took 13 years :( At least Lars didn't fall for another common stubborn young artist notion, that reference photos are cheating, and that EVERYTHING should come from pure imagination.

[@Captain_MonsterFart]

Sure, but how many people will ever make money from their self published books anyway?

[@zombrexgame6670]

How can I publish a comic and manga? And maybe win money?

[@PengyDraws]

Wow. I'm.... suddenly glad for embracing the teachings of efficiency and laziness so early in my life.

[@jtech4]

Yeah, I need to learn to beat that second bad habit!

[@docas518]

@@Captain_MonsterFart The chances of you making money if you publish 1 book a year are higher than if you make 1 book every 5 years.

[@aemonwarrick4654]

Brilliant. The irony is the Japanese have always mastered 'cheats' in manga and anime for decades.

[@JamieRobles1]

They also start their careers in middle school. Check out Death Note and Bakuman for reference.

[@andrehashimoto8056]

@@JamieRobles1, they had to... Either you make the delivery on time or an ax hits your series...

[@lucianaproano4109]

What are the cheats?

[@aemonwarrick4654]

@@lucianaproano4109 Swiping is one of them. Reusing the same image over and over again like furniture. There is a book on it by a guy named Macleod about comics and manga.

[@carso1500]

@@aemonwarrick4654 to be fair in the days of old those same tricks where used by everyone on the industry not just Japan, and they where used because if you didnt use them the cost of the series could very easily spiral out of control, now a days thanks to computers it's easier to actually anímate stuff instead of taking a thousand shortcuts

[@booradleyfromthemovietokil1582]

"Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." -Plato

[@justletmelistthese]

it took me 8 minutes to understand every hatching was by hand... dude... wow.

[@sleepycyborg3241]

Little tip for digital crosshatching: you don’t have to draw all the lines, you can draw 6 or 7 lines and just copy & paste and it can look just as good

[@xxscribbledragonxx9744]

old comment ik but look up hatching brushes! you can even avoid doing that 😆

[@banquo4223]

@@xxscribbledragonxx9744 just about to say the same, my life changed when I got procreate lol I was basically using mspaint before

[@Drawperfectcircles]

Ibis paint also have hatching brushes😇. Don’t copy and paste lines

[@DJarry394]

Exactly. I have a style already, and was trained in drawing class that minute detail can detract from the impact of the image, and message you are trying to convey. I learned how to “abbreviate” the image.

[@animandrw4844]

dude you finished something. that is more than the mostly did in 13 years

[@JamieRobles1]

*waves* over here. But I really shouldn't be down about it. There are a lot of graduates that have to grapple with the quicksand called debt after the fact.

[@Craftsworldsocial]

This is a really cool thing you talked about. I too have suffered with the pointless detail and backgrounds thing. It's nice to know that it's not just me

[@myrtleapple6314]

H.C.Brown hey holly love your channel and your art ❤️

[@thetwilighthunter1150]

Hey It’s Holly!

[@Rozdlc]

Not gonna lie. When I saw the detailed background I was reminded of Purgatory. Not that it's necessaryly a bad thing XD

[@georgette5124]

Haha, it seems like every second video I click on has your comment beneath it!

[@maidenlace4995]

Oh mah god it's mommy

[@thebradcolbow]

Great lessons thanks for sharing. It really does look absolutely stunning even if it took forever.

[@larsmartinson]

Cheers! Your channel is great by the way, I remember looking through your videos when I was tablet shopping!

[@agwayn]

Brad Colbow I

[@atilab99draws58]

maybe it looks good BECAUSE it took forever?

[@thisismychannel607]

larsmartinson just curious, how much did your book make you? Great video btw

[@firstnamelastname901]

Atila Balint I think they already know that.

[@thetramp123]

Maybe instead of calling it laziness call it something like "utilizing more efficient methods."

[@andrehashimoto8056]

Both fit the bill.... Be lazy is a bullet point, so short and to the point (even if in a rather extremely simplified way) is what it should be That point should just be reasoned as to not be ashamed/afraid of cutting corners or doing things the easier way, you aren't trying to sell Forbes 500 price tag stuff, you're trying to sell at most a European Premium comic (100-120 USD tag and a Graphic novel at 100-140 pages with full story in it, not multiple part, three to five volumes stories)

[@pandaexpress7673]

Lazy isn't necessarily a bad trait, but if it's the only trait then yeah

[@fatcat1414]

Efficiency still carries the air of perfectionism that this video wants to help tame, I think. Laziness has a connotation that prioritizes the well-being and enjoyment of the artist over the outcome of the work. I know many artists that would be better off indulging in healthy amounts of 'I could, but I don't want to.'

[@aedaniammx7559]

I for one am all for the glorification of laziness tbh

[@darkpinkgirl6684]

work smarter, not harder

[@DrAdnan]

Seems like it took over 10,000 hours, so it must be a masterpiece.

[@FOGHEAD_]

Adnan A , IMO just judging from the samples in the video it looks to be a masterpiece

[@MaximumCarne]

Or a huge waste of time

[@chromaticelegy1087]

I got a hand cramp just from looking at all of that cross-hatching. Definitely going to buy your books both out of respect and as a cautionary reminder.

[@emmagrove6491]

As a graphic novelist/artist/writer, I think it IS important that you work efficiently. Not quickly, efficiently. Making sure every minute at your drafting table is spent wisely. r.e.: Spend an entire day or two inking a detailed establishing shot, but minimize background detail once the focus is on the characters. In the end, this will allow you to work faster.

[@Aidenkun64]

As a perfectionist myself this video was very helpful for me since I'm working on a comic right now.

[@mercy5004]

I tend to be perfectionistic too...and the best advice I ever got from a teacher was to just stand five feet away from whatever I'm doing to make sure I'm not going too crazy. On digital work I just keep the navigator window open, but pretty small, so I can look over and see the piece "far away". It helps me to see what is important to render, and what's unimportant. Like right now, I'm looking at a fanart of Lyn im doing, and its clear that I need to render out her boots more than lets say...her eye or rope. On those, its clear on the navigator that the line art I made is doing all the "detail" work for me (even though thats very simple itself) so that lets me save time on coloring it. Whereas the boots/dress takes up far more room, is more visually important, and has less lines, so more detail is needed in the color stage. And when I feel like I'm getting frustrated by the work, I just get up and walk away for an hour, and then do a "walking pass". I just glance over while walking to do something else, and ususally I find that whatever I was getting upset over just doesnt matter because you don't even notice it anymore! the above things have helped me so much in regards to my mental health and speed. Now instead of 1 art piece per like, two weeks, I can output 1 every day or two (and I like the painterly style).

[@maty7778]

I hope yours turns out well!

[@Zero-nz1rr]

Lars: I spend 13 years on a comic *Hirohiko Araki has joined the chat*

[@regushi3733]

MUHAHAHAHAHA REALLY But we should agree, that Araki did a great job :_) and so Lars did...

[@joshuashakir2772]

lol

[@alexworld257]

He made about 100 times more stuff with his time, though.

[@Sprottel_SFM]

And its being referenced in every anime possible

[@Somespideronline]

Zer0 ever heard of Kentaro Miura?

[@johnfist6220]

I know that feel. I spent 13 years making a fake language. Yesterday I sat on a bench and laid out 13 stones to try to visualise the time I've spent, so it's weird that this video was recommended to me today.

[@liimlsan3]

As a conlanger who's only beginning to feel her language is real and supple after four years of tinkering, I salute you. Really. At present, the only real financial future I see in it is selling my friends calligraphy tattoo designs, but I'm glad I'm making it.

[@eggfucker2electricboogaloo452]

@@liimlsan3 Share, now

[@liimlsan3]

@@eggfucker2electricboogaloo452 Here, have a song. 🎶 Yoya ngi a mhara mhrama ma ka Samhaj a ngrongi mi, ngi mig, yo ten Amnu syazhla slam ten, mhin kagdr yo Lado ya shilnd ramm, lada nur ya ngi mha semh, Yo kemhon a ya mlis tol a ya yo wo mhin mijon, Ya ngrog samhaj, rig, [Yo] Mingi a ya renzuda, Mingi a ya mozadiz, Mingi yo ajrughrin, mme mhijl khajl ya Mingi a ya sta tsil mi mlya, Mingi “athyo shu” tol, Mingi mmij tol mharugzha, mme wicjikh ya. 1s.2s NEG towards love stranger PL COP 2s rule PL.def, NEG PL.indef, 1s same. Every livelihood object same (shared), PLUP think 1s, SUBJ.if 2s other man, SUBJ.then difference 2s NEG from.a.person get, 1s just towards 2s desire say towards 2s 1s the-one-who* PLUP emote, *(O turns to Wo to avoid a mora with “yo”) 2s grok know, imperative, [1s] FUT.NEG towards 2s relinquish, FUT.NEG towards 2s disappoint, FUT.NEG 1s roam, verbal.and desert volitive.from 2s FUT.NEG towards 2s cause tear PL GEN.2s FUT.NEG “I’ll be gone” say, FUT.NEG Emphatic.FUT say lie, verbal.and “slice” [emotionally wound] 2s (I won't bore you guys with IPA, just know that a J means the previous word is palatalized (Aj and Ij as in May and My, Nj as in "cañon," Cj is an unvoiced laminopalatal approximant), Mh is a voiced bilabial approximant, U's are always schwas, th's are always voiced, and the Dr is a dental ejective combined with a retroflex alveolar tap. "Aw" and "ur" are pronounced with heavy vocal fry. The cat species who speaks it merely purr, that's how a human approximates it. I promise I have multiple orthographies. For instance, the language name is Kajnjama in 90% of writing, Kaynyama in the text of my friend's in progress novel, and Käñama when I talk to conlangers who are allergic to digraphs.)

[@starmorpheus]

@@liimlsan3 I have no idea what any of those words you wrote mean, but I know that linguistics is diffcult, so bravo!

[@liimlsan3]

@@starmorpheus (It's literally a rickroll.)

[@EvanBivins]

Wow, this is an amazing display of self reflection and very helpful to all kinds of creators. BUT, holy crap, Tonoharu is flipping gorgeous.

[@IAMSOUND99]

cmon it's trash

[@HOPEfullBoi01]

@@IAMSOUND99 Hi Trash! That's... an interesting name haha... And I'm a user with an actual brain, unpleased to meet you! (:^>

[@IAMSOUND99]

@@HOPEfullBoi01 ok genius

[@Daidus]

Thanks for the lesson, I'mma try to keep these in my subconscious

[@sola9219]

Daidus Notice me senpai :

[@sunkamau140]

SQUID NEUTRAL

[@Me-rd7po]

What are You doing here ?

[@pepethefrog4932]

Wut?

[@kesal_ag]

MiraiKim 👋

[@dreamsprayanimation]

Samurai Jack is a great example of an art style that is extremely simple yet effective at storytelling.

[@jayexonauts5587]

Not just illustrators--ALL creatives could benefit from these lessons. Thank you Lars!

[@James-pb8xu]

What could he do to do better? Oh wait, you’re just a troll.

[@foxygrin]

I'm still impressed you even managed to finish a huge story like this, let alone in a way that is this incredibly time consuming!

[@jt0n]

"Fail Faster" really hit me, this speaks to me no joke

[@DylanEdgeMusic]

This guy regrets too much. Be proud of yourself.

[@drsupermonk7831]

Dylan Edge 13 years is a long time for a project though. If you want to be efficient and produce the works you plan to make after the current one, efficiency is vital

[@shashemption]

Efficiency >> Perfection

[@GigawingsVideo]

Artists tend to be like that. Even great painters tend to see their old paintings and think "Oh god I drew that? I need to get better!"

[@AlexasAlejandraencor]

I think there is value in regretting, you get to learn and change something you disliked. That doesn’t take value away from his work but it does help develop a better approach for future projects. Like he said he’d love to do the same thing, but he’d also love to be more efficient and put more of his work out there... preferably before he hits his 70s

[@khatunamezvrishvili6211]

if you wasted 13 years on a project that that could easily be done in a few years, would you be super proud? that's a really big mistake

[@michellew.3691]

Hi Lars Martinson: Here is an idea for you to speed up your scene texture creation. Do an handpainted crosshatching texture. Scan it. Bring it to Photoshop. Make the edges seamless to bring in your scanned line-drawing to life. Just choose from a predefined crosshatch textures and fill the space between your line-drawings with it. This would be even possible 13 years ago. What do you think about it? Greeting from Germany! And thank you for advice & inspirational dedication to artistry!

[@ashlynx6059]

The Mangaka from Solarin and good night pun pun das something simliar :D

[@romandorin]

It's cheating!

[@celestinahuang3483]

@@romandorin it's not really cheating if it's more effective

[@Captain_MonsterFart]

Lame. Computers are turning comics into an assembly line art form. There' some software that now can read a photo and create a 3d digital figure to trace. More and more you don't even have to be good at drawing. Long live gorgeous india ink and cross hatching by hand.

[@stroopwafelfalafel]

That's a great idea! If you do cross hatching well, all of your lines are supposed to be consistent. By doing it on a computer, you save time, and no one can tell the difference.

[@psychicghost6704]

As a stubborn perfectionist, this video really hit me hard

[@sildyboi2295]

Even if it took so long, you’ve gotta appreciate all the detail that goes into each panel. It’s amazing, time consuming, but amazing.

[@shimi_ek]

Besides giving people a couple sweet tips, this video is also an excellent, non-intrusive promotion to the book. Well done.

[@nothingposted9056]

"Inspired by 19th century illustrations" You fool

[@gunby9322]

NothingPosted905 but why

[@nothingposted9056]

@@gunby9322 because it takes forever

[@woodlhy]

hahahahhahahaha

[@lucidmoth1023]

@Joshua Peter Yeah but I mean it still took him forever.

[@getthatkatching3252]

I'm your 1000th lol, just saying

[@imatiredSara]

Totes useful tips, but I just wanna say it may have taken 13 years but you've created something truly incredible Keep up the great work man!! (( but definitely keep your tips in mind xDD))

[@larsmartinson]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@VERY_TALL_MAN]

Do you do other work to sustain yourself? How did you live without publishing anything for 13 years?

[@aislingdraconicus825]

yes this is a legitimate question please mr. lars, tell us, how did you do that?

[@IllBeDARNd]

I would imagine that he obviously did other work, which contributed to shifting priorities aways from tomoharu

[@SkyKing8707]

its no questions that he had to work other things

[@ImprovingAbility]

there's the unemployed poor and the unemployed rich

[@Alakarin]

I mean Tonoharu is about his experience teaching english in japan. So he was possibly doing that.

[@endernightthedrokain1770]

As a young 14 year old creative trying to get my big ideas (that I've had since 6th grade) down. I appreciate that I'm not alone on the stubborn creative path and that you took the time to make this video for advice.

[@djan71]

How's it going with your work now?

[@natman2939]

since the 6th grade.....so like 3 years? I guess that is a pretty long time when you're only 14 haha

[@PancakeTheKat]

Oh same, I’m 14 too! I’m trying to create a webcomic with tons of action and stuff but mostly am a character designer. How’s your creative path going?

[@Zedryx69]

@@PancakeTheKat they made this comment 2 years ago they're 16 now

[@Awesomepedia]

Great video! The "creative laziness" is something I really believe in. For example I like animating but I don't want to produce "just" impressive animation craft; I want to tell a story as efficiently as possible. I'm not a big studio so I HAVE to cut corners, but if I spend a lot of work and effort on the story, then those corners won't matter.

[@PHSPictures]

Awesomepedia I totally agree with that.

[@theartprojectsxdXdhowtodraw]

Awesomepedia Hi!! My name is dawann Allen, and am young self taught artist. I would like u to come check out some of my most best how to draw videos and tutorials. By the time u done watching my videos, u will be half way from being amazing artist.

[@CkArtGirl7]

You and I must be siblings. This is SO me, to the point of hand-illustrating an entire graphic novel over YEARS...and I do the same in my fine art. Great video! I actually am 50, and have to get my next sequential art book done BEFORE Comicon next year, and this helps!

[@antrant7533]

How did it go??

[@never-books]

Maybe this is because Lars' writing is excellent, or maybe because he is less capricious than I am, but another reason I personally want to work more quickly is to get the work out there before I feel entirely disconnected from it! It's not uncommon for me to get bored with even the best ideas for books way before they're published, and the more quickly I can get them out into the world, the more I can get to move on to exciting new projects that fit where I am at. Anyone's idea of an amazing project might be entirely different at 25 than it is at 38. That doesn't mean either is bad, they just are a better fit for where you are at in your life. Getting stuck on a project your past self decided was important enough to invest 13 years in might keep you from creating something that could have been important to you at 29 or 34.

[@lovetownsend]

I know SOOO many manga authors burn out :/ it's sad, it makes a lot of manga/anime super shitty CG or poor design cause it's faster and cheaper. Look at Berserk though, one of if not the greatest manga, it gets released once a year if that, 1 book! But it's flawless. Where'as Vagabond was written like that and the author just burned out and never finished it

[@scitto7707]

*COUGHCOUCHALSKSKE* JoJo's Bizarre Adventure *HACK COUGH COUGH AKKAAK HUEGH*

[@remisan7214]

Lol, if I killed you, id get 100 million dollars, hehe

[@kuronoroux8864]

Vagabond is finished. It was shown in a private art exposition

[@Somespideronline]

Lu Rohr lmao no

[@Somespideronline]

lovetownsend a man of culture mentioning Berserk and Vagabond.

[@mykar.418]

6:10 "Look at those sellouts...actually getting stuff DONE" "SNORT"

[@kavanpatel3836]

Artists work hard for years to create this stuff, unfortunately many people download it for free from somewhere

[@jerkestperson9577]

As an artist, your comic is worth it. It would take me days to finish your comics, I would stare at your art and appreciate each details. Your comic is beautiful ❤️❤️❤️

[@Edotter]

Wally Wood's famous rules: "Never draw what you can trace, never trace what you can Xerox, never Xerox what you can cut out and paste down". Swing these forward into the Photoshop era.

[@jeremycole2164]

That's pretty good advice! Thanks for spreading the word.

[@pasjan1183]

Edotter xerox?

[@iendedyoui]

@@pasjan1183 XD They make printers, which can scan documents.

[@gunshot911]

@@pasjan1183 thought I was the only one who was gonna ask that.. pft us photoshop era youngsters right

[@barneyy6942]

Wanna know my thoughts? I think your comic book was really under-appreciated. I really love artistic pieces which show that the artist a lot of work in detailing them. It's a real joy. I wish your comic had gotten really famous. I know how you feel. Please don't stop doing what you do. You're amazing!!

[@kerryw.burdjr.3353]

By not going a digital route AND choosing cross-hatching with an ink well, you weren't going to see your vision published in under 10 years. I'm impressed you could draw and store 10+ years worth of artwork and keep the style consistency perfect. I loved this inspiring, retrospective, behind-the-scenes documentary. In a digital world owned by Adobe products, this old school work will continue to blow me away.

[@Kaitopia_]

I have the same problem, I want to make everything so unnecessarily detailed that it takes me a long time just to finish a page. I really admire you for not losing your will to continue drawing Tonoharu all those years, it must been hard

[@r.gonzalez-arangolopez8420]

I bought the Tonoharu series and enjoyed it. So, your 13 years of work were well worth it, in my opinion. Thank you.

[@coentertainer]

This is next level marketing

[@DinoDays703]

Oof

[@EmyGrachy]

but ain't nobody complainin'

[@captainmario_]

To make a video like this, you've definitely got this! My senior thesis, hand-drawn animation took me five months in terms of actually starting the drawings, and I learned quickly that my 7,000 plus frames project needed as many boosts as I could get! That included reusing drawings, slight animations (like in Lupin III here), re-using pieces from the actual animatic, and "lightly coloring" the whole project to save time, leading to a twist in the story that the ending scene brought "life" to the character's world by only fully coloring final scene. If you remind yourself deadlines like this you'll be fine!

[@bubalubagus7037]

if it makes you feel better, it's drawn really well

[@GregLopesArt]

On a positive note, you made the work of your dreams and as an illustrator I both say it’s admirable the level of detail, and that it looks beautiful, too. I believe what’s really important, in the end, is finishing what we started with so much passion. So, thanks for the video (also as an illustrator, but one trying to create comics).

[@5moomin5]

"Sometimes, magic is just someone spending more time on something than anyone else might reasonably expect." - Teller. I would worry about losing some of the magic. Productivity for the sake of productivity can be a red herring, if you want to do something great. That being said, I write small things every day, no matter what, and it's been super fulfilling and artistically productive, so there may be a middle ground.

[@larsmartinson]

Great quote. And definitely , I think finding a good balance between productivity and quality is crucial (easier said than done).

[@yin1079]

The moment you said that you wanted to make a comic with etching style, I understood immediately why it took you 13 years- 💀

[@ScottSerkland]

Great tips! For a cartoonist with a long term project this really spoke to me. And for the record, speaking for myself and not for the people complaining because the tips don't start until 3:35, I found the fist four minutes and thirty five seconds well worth listing to.

[@ArtCreatorsChannel]

I think Tonoharu is quite an achievement, and it's good to hear you say that you are still proud of your work! Regardless of your change of heart to now "embrace laziness" and to "compromise" your future creative visions, it's great that at the time you apparently felt you did have something precious and sacred to produce, and that it was worth fighting for!! Finishing a whole trilogy of graphic novels totaling almost 500 pages in a little over 12 years is quite an achievement, and actually pretty damn fast in my estimation! Considering the level of detail in the books, it's kind of amazing you got that much done so quickly! And considering how young you were when you started, I am really impressed with the whole thing! Great job!!

[@CrossOutBryce]

I just have to say, only 2 minutes in, your comic looks like an artistic masterpiece! It's so aesthetically pleasing!

[@FerintoshFarmsPhotography]

Na, you got it all wrong lars, you've already created hundreds of masterpieces you're just counting wrong. You think the creator of Garfield looked back and thought, "Oh, well I've only made a couple books" when really he had already created hundreds of works?

[@Popyman51]

Amazing comment, I hope he has read it.

[@thejurassicchicken1445]

Thats true. But you wouldnt frame one of his pannels on a wall .

[@Popyman51]

@@thejurassicchicken1445 Yes you would. It deserves a place more than a Garfield strip.

[@zacri9434]

No its Koichi x Rohan

[@aitor.online]

@@thejurassicchicken1445 from the pictures i saw, i absolutely would

[@wahlex841]

If I could draw well, this would be my type of workflow. Before a mental breakdown after just first few years anyway.

[@comradeavocatto1839]

Everything turned grey after my depression.

[@EgoEroTergum]

Gotta work at depression physically. Go outside, jog, lift, sit in the sun. Pills and videos just aren't going to alter your body chemistry.

[@sydc4644]

@@EgoEroTergum Nobody wants to work on it that way especially because the medicine is a quick fix.

[@dany98dc]

omg Alex Krycek I thought you were dead

[@luisman369]

Syd C But you have to. Depression is not just sadness as you may already know. It's also a physical, crippling state highly related to your gut health and melatonin /serotonin levels. Many people underestimate a good intake of probiotics and the absolute hell you're putting your body in, when you go to sleep after 12:00 P.M, just to give some examples.

[@nielsprost]

I know it‘s a few years old but I loved this video! As someone who has been working on the same animated music video on and off for 5 years, it was actually really comforting and encouraging to hear that this happens to other people too. In fact you‘ve inspired me to make a similar process video once the project is complete, which is now at least on the horizon, lol! Just wanted to say thanks! 😊

[@Stahlfischkopf]

Ads are getting smarter

[@gc8972b]

better than that i guess, if he was famous he'd be in some talk show watched by millions to talk some random gibberish and oh... promote his new thing. i like this way better. an unknown promoting his work on his own and offering something actually useful to the audience. fair enough, good stuff

[@craigmargolius8207]

Dude I think it’s pretty amazing that you devoted 13 years of your life to creating your comics. You made them perfect ! That’s really awesome. I like your last point. Once you care too much about a thing you’ve created it’s hard to experiment with it and potentially improve it. And I think a better way of saying “work lazy” would be to work smart and not hard ;) but this was really inspiring

[@facunditobarra777]

I know 13 years is insane but I think this is insane and it Will become a Masterpiece with the passline of time. Great work !

[@thejoshuacarrezkg4396]

I was born on 2006 the comic is older than me

[@thejoshuacarrezkg4396]

@Anxiety's best friend. Yes I I'm Old Enough to Be On KZbin

[@bleuleuc6961]

Anxiety's best friend. Why do you need to know? What are you, the internet police? oH nO, oFfIcEr, pLeAsE dOnT aRrEsT mE, I DiDnt rEaD tHe TeArmS oF aGgReEmEnTs.

[@stroopwafelfalafel]

I know 7 year olds with KZbin accounts

[@bleuleuc6961]

Anxiety's best friend. You invited anybody and everybody to the conversation when you A.) Asked a minor for their birthday and B.) Posted it on the internet, dipshit. There’s this really cool thing called fucking the hell right off, I really suggest you try it. All you need to know is that they’re old enough to be on the internet, and that’s a fucking stretch on need-to-know information. And also, even if I was 12 or under(which I’m not), I revel in the knowledge that you’re probably a shit human being if you’re fine with swearing somebody who you assume I’d 12 or under out on the internet. What are ya gonna do with their birthday, report them? Nobody gives a shit, and honestly, you shouldn’t either.

[@teaofpastels]

Anxiety's best friend. if you do the math, 2019-2006=13 so... case closed.

[@tiff9911]

This comic is almost as old as me xD

[@lemonkerr3698]

The comic is older than me :/

[@wyattjenkinson450]

This comic is way older than me

[@janedoe5229]

Thank you! I read that when Norman Rockwell started using photo references and "tracing" photos, he felt like it was cheating. But it saved him SO MUCH time! And with photos, he could get capture more difficult poses, like cartwheels. And he also said, "No one can tell when I drew it freehand, or used a photo". As we get older and have less time, cutting corners to save time becomes more important.

[@austinwiebe3801]

I kept thinking your KZbin channel was named "I are smart person" (Iarsmartinson) but I just realized it's your name, Lars Martinson, and I'm an idiot

[@NonJohns]

Airborne Cthulhu I like your version more

[@austinwiebe3801]

Non Johns lol, thanks

[@nekozombie]

Airborne Cthulhu that's genius

[@kishantank2791]

.when u r trying to be more creative than u think u r...shit happens..

[@predicate]

Airborne Cthulhu you are not smart person

[@clairegorsch6117]

Nah man, I think you got it right the first time. "Never half ass two things: whole ass one thing." I may not be interested in the story, but I definitely admire the backgrounds you did--something that I have always avoided in my art. But I really wish I didn't. I guess that means I strive to be more like artists like you.

[@Pepius_Julius_Magnus_Maximu...]

As someone who's starting to make a Comic too (albeit in a completely different medium) I thank you for this video, I and many others will/have learnt from your hard work. Oh, and your art style is gorgeous! Edit: funny, I'm 25 too, I believe mine to be finished in 5 years instead of 3

[@hexkwondo]

Wow, I gotta give it to you! That is dedication for real! Awesome work on your graphic novel! I think I may end up buying now that I know the amount of time you put into it. I respect that.

[@HinagaMoizaf]

4:28 That gave me an existential crisis.

[@takemetoyonk]

Hinaga Moizaf looking back while looking in the future is the key to existential crises

[@dumorte]

LagiNaLangAko23 is it? Lol. Good! My point is basically that, though some things might be too late to do at this stage, learning to draw is definitely not one of them. You're 30, I'm 31, and I'm just learning too! We can learn simultaneously ^_^

[@a_bear]

Welcome to the crew :)

[@gothicspoon]

LagiNaLangAko23 It's never too late!

[@sawproductions9900]

No time waisted, your video wouldn't be the same without your story and illistrations. A huge inspiration to say the least. Thank you for this video helping others by sharing your journey

[@alexiakleij314]

Your drawings show your dedication to your work. You are right to work more efficiently when possible. Yet, famous artists (Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Rubens) are likely to have spend huge amounts of their time to create their master pieces, so it is not odd you did likewise, because your work seems to be of outstanding quality as well.

[@TheTitaniumBunker]

Michelangelo and other renaissance painters had teams of assistants to do a lot of the work for them, working on the cartoon, laying base colors, blocking out the main form etc heck even modern artists like Hirst and Warhol, literally had FACTORIES making the work for them

[@robertadefreitas9469]

the Fail faster motto may have come from Samuel Beckett's famous quote: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

[@coolkiddo3110]

Ya know, this is the first motivational video that actually motivated me. Im starting my junior year in highschool in about a month, and I hope to publish a video game by the time I graduate!!

[@MilliesTVTime2]

This show a lot of progress. There’s nothing wrong with releasing in it years. The work shows when it’s all done. Respect.

[@suenzhong7891]

As an artist and designer who suffers from perfectionism, this video really struck home for me.

[@justpaul899]

It's taken me 10 years of stubbornness, but at age 43, I've finally embraced the reality that it's not worth it to hand-craft every asset in my computer animations...especially when I may or may not use those assets in the final project. Hard to swallow that pill, though- I wanted to be able to say everything on the screen was made by myself- but ultimately, that's not why I create. I had to prioritize the impact of the end result, and not the pride of working alone.

[@dlmx13]

Speaking from personal experience, I'm finding more and more that when I "cut corners" with my artwork, I am happier with the end result. Too many superfluous details just looks distracting and overworked (in my drawings, anyway - yours look amazing). My first graphic novel (a fellow Xeric winner, from the final grant cycle in 2012) was 250+ pages long. I don't think anything I make from this point onwards needs to be that long.

[@cantatrix1401]

it appears that Tonoharu is something very special. I kept remembering Oscar Wilde's saying "All art is useless" (in the sense that the effort spent on it is devoid of practical use - it is an effort for the sake of such a useless thing as beauty) while watching (and admiring) your work in this video. Purely practically, though: it might sound like a paradox, but didn't this work hone your skills to a level where you can create same high-quality work in less time?

[@cantatrix1401]

I might have put it in a confusing way, but I find your work awesome and admire the amount of time and meticulous work invested. This effort has certainly produced an exceptional result, and I am sure you've gained so much skill in process that you should be able to produce something totally mind-blowing next, in far less time. I am looking forward to your new work and shall get myself a set of Tonoharu. And I know two people who shall enjoy it as much as I will (one of them a teacher of Japanese, another a student).

[@larsmartinson]

Sorry for the ridiculously belated reply! Yes, I think there totally is something to be said for refining your craft, and I can definitely create quality artwork more quickly than I used to be able to. But I think efficient time management is also a skill that can be improved with practice, and it's important to find a balance between quality and efficiency. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

[@yeyenico1151]

Brrrrrr!....I got chills when you said time is THE factor

[@foxkitsune7]

I really wanna buy your books 😍 they sound amazingly detailed. I'll look them up on amazon. I checked out your store but it said no international shipping? 😢 ahh the people who had your book signed by you are so lucky! I'd love to get my future books signed 😊 Good luck with your next projects! 😁 Your tips are very wise

[@anarchsnark]

This is basically the story of The Thief and the Cobbler. The film was in production for decades and it was never finished and intricate art is a contributor imo.

[@Arkylie]

But it's also visually striking, and manages to set itself apart from Disney's Aladdin even though you'd think it would have trouble doing that. Plus, I adore the mindfucks during the chase scene (like running over one rug and falling into another). Couldn't do that in any other medium.

[@anarchsnark]

@@Arkylie yeah there are scenes, as Lars said, 'battles' that were worth fighting, but stubborn perfectionism meant that film was never finished. Personally I dont know why people compare Aladdin and T&C because besides setting, they are chalk and cheese in execution, story, characters, and so on.

[@irkalla100]

Absolutely stellar advice. I do want to take a moment to express that my jaw is still on the floor. The art style, the details, everything is just amazing!

[@red-clad-vlad]

I've always been a slow artist and it takes me way too long to finish a single piece, irregardless of how much I simplify my style. And that's a big problem for me since I want to create graphic novels after I graduate... I've been working on a shortcut for my action scenes, but I feel as though it's a bit immoral and cheap: making 3d models of my characters so that I can pose and then trace them for my novel, pretty much skipping the sketching phase which is the most time consuming for me...

[@StarryKitsuKat]

Vladi L. Do it, It's still your character & you drew it so I don't think that's "cheating". And if it is, so what? Who's going to notice? If you want to share your story with the world & make more comics, do it. It is faster (& healthier, preventing a lot of stress for you). Also, some of the most popular webcomics' styles are stick figures, blobs, spin offs of Animal Crossing or Adventure Time style yet those ppl are making a living off of them. So don't be afraid to cut corners especially if you want to put your work out there for all to see. I'm also saying this to myself because I haven't started my comic lol can't decide between traditional & digital. But after seeing this video I am realizing I need to decide already and move on if I want to actually tell those stories & share with the world. Sorry for long comment, good luck on your project! =]

[@DeadpoolAli]

StarSpirits digital man. Just do it. Ppl purchase the same product and dont think twice about it.

[@Nightman221k]

What program do you use? I've been getting started on a comic and the action scene poses are something I've had to learn as I go and it's tough to get a reference for these.

[@ovxymoron]

Me: *gives up after one page*

[@Architector_4]

Me: **gives up after one line** _true story btw_

[@foxsden]

Why I’m rather envious of your work. Coming from person that struggles with procrastination and a artist myself, I would dream of spending a lot time and devotion on a project. While I rather lack the motivation and resort to just doodling when I’m bored. I guess everyone struggles with time management in their own ways. I wish the best of luck to you friend!

[@BackToSquare1]

Webcomic Artists need more exposure