Yes! All mine!

[X Daggers]

Wha? No one's critiqued you yet (at least here)?? Yay me first!

Your characters are interesting, unique and well-thought-out (I always wonder how much I don't know about them, and every strip I usually find out something new that excites me ;D ). The character interaction is priceless, either funny or splendidly played out. (Those are my fav parts of a story!) Dialogue is good, too (they don't ramble for nothing!). Biiig words, and I know most of them!

Now on to artwork! The artwork is cute but still manages to have that horror quality to it, which is hard to do. The way things are arranged are easy to understand and I've started to even get a feel for the house.

Story: always surprises me! Earlier it was confusing how things went unresolved for awhile (and I think some things still are) and it would randomly switch to something random. It's gotten better, and I think you have some of it planned like that so it'll pop back up later and surprise me again! I do so love surprises... So that's not that bad. And you've gotten better at putting the pages together. Like you said, you left some pages out, and I could tell in a subconscious way. I love how you put the characters together though, and the different mini-plots. That also makes me excited when there're all these connections everywhere and they all end up coming into play (even if it's just Phineas making a joke about it).

It seems that you work so hard to get your work up, too, and I've enjoyed it and I thank you! From the notes you've written it seems that even if you are tired or sick you still update... You need a new computer, monkey. It likes to torture you more than most do, it seems. Mine won't play two games I have (one was even working before I had to wipe the drive!). They're evil, but you must conquer it for me!! XP

Great work! Eeeeee I love teh charries!! (Scary fangirl squeak! Eep...)

[X Daggers]

Oh yeah, I forgot to say: It's hilarious! And gory! YES! I love the pun type stuff. It really takes intelligence in language to think of stuff like that. Laughter in slaughter (that's so ironic! never noticed that) amid others.

Sorry, no constructive critisism. I really can't think of anything bad to say, no matter how much I thought about it. Which really wasn't that much, actually... Well, other than kick your computer for me ;D

[deltaT]

Your art has really improved a ton since you started!

Most of your characters are extremely engaging...it makes me want to know more about them. I am personally not so fond of the "dramatic" story lines as I am of the ones that mix humor and drama, or are just funny.

[Soap]

You know what I would like to see?

I would like to see Amy go on hiatus for however long it takes and update some of the older art. Nothing to serious; I don't mean redrawing them or anything, just give 'em a bit of elbow grease in photoshop.

I would also like to see Amy get snaped up by a comic book company and have her published all over the world and translated into 50 different languages and go down in history as one of the greatest artists of our time and have my decendants lern about her in school.

[X Daggers]

Ooo I like that last one too! Webcomics are our only art anymore, anyway. Hmm, other than art on the computer occasionally (like computer games).

[devi]

What about sprite comics? The only art in those is stolen.
[edit]
Oh, I get what you're saying. Now I disagree on different terms but what the heck, neither the time nor place for a full on debate on the merits of art in the modern era eh, Kafka?

[Soap]

lolololol Kafka. I get it ^_______^

[X Daggers]

Nooo I've got time. I like debating. Mainly what I'm talking about is that it's not emphasized on look or quality anymore. Hell, people are making big bucks on gluing a used coffee cup on a board. "Oh, that's symbolizing my abused soul being stuck to this stiff, regimented world!" God. True story, I swear. Someone made thousands by doing that. It was in "News of the Weird" in a local newspaper thingy. (I made up the "artistic expression" thing to mock it.)

There IS good art but it's not paid attention to, only the remnant works of the past are. Bleh. I'm only exposed to that and webcomics. I'm not saying ALL webcomics are good...

[devi]

I have come to the opinion that the purpose of art is to communicate something from the artist to the recipiant. This is true of poetry, literature, and movies, and I think it applies to art in general.
If a piece of Art succesfully conveys a message that involves changing the way you view the world around you then it's good, or at least it did it's job.
I must concede that many movies and many books and stories and even poems are just plasticy mass production models that have no real value to them.
My japanese teacher told me that learning must be painful, and I tend to agree with her. Unless you work for knowledge, and unless it is a challange, a difficulty and a pain to achieve then there is no value in it. That's why I believe in the socratic method. You must never tell someone the lesson. They must come to it themselves, because if you say it what do they care, but if they think of it then it means something to them.
The same goes for art. Does it need to be pretty? Does it need to be vulger or cutting edge? No. It needs to be whatever it needs to be for the creator to but the meaning into it.
That is why I'd agree with you that some conceptual art is just crap because the artist wants his/her art to exist for itself, no reason to exist except to exist. It's like making noise for the sake of noise, it is irritating and pointless and all you accomlish is to dull the minds and sesabilities of those who do try to consider the meaning of your art.
However this is also the reson that I would disagree with you. You're statement seems to imply that you are dismissing the vast majority of art without proper consideration
"Webcomics are our only art anymore, anyway"
I admit that I have not seen everything from every form of media to have come out recently but I have seen enough. I define art as that which conveys meaning, or that which conveys value, worth. I understand that whether or not a subject touches you is really a subjective matter. However enough Art has come into existence recently that I must say that if you do not believe it to be art it is because you dismissed it too quickly as cliche or as wrong or as conceptual art or however else. Not a difficult mistake to make.
A lot of people fail to classify the origional Rocky as a great film becase they either dismiss it as a sports film or they dismiss it based upon association to the other Rocky movies (which were crap IMO).
A key technique I use to determine meaning in film is to say, 'would a person in china, twenty years from now, get something out of this?'. This works for me b/c false greatness is often based on pop culture.
It's difficult to determine what, of your own generation is great, because you can never see it out of context, so you can never know if someone looking at it from a different angle than you will get something out of it.
And it is especially difficult because we do licve in a time of great cmmunication, so any good art can be seen (thanks to sheezyART deviantART etc.) but also thousands and thousands of posers and immitators whose works have no value can present their works too and be applauded simply on the prmise of beauty and skill instead of on wheter or not someone fifty years from now will still think of it as interesting or worthwhile.
So while art may be difficult to determine from the dross from time to time I do not believe that there is foundation to say that art only exists in webcomics.

Even if by "art" you did not mean a work that contained value, but instead meant pretty pictures i would have to disagree. Pretty pictures can be found anywhere.

I tend to believe that you were talking about the more intellectual definition of art though.

[Soap]

Tha'ts an interesting and very valid view of art.

I have perhaps a more cynical view of the stuff.

Art is creating for the sake of creating. It dosn't have to have meaning (however having meaning usually tends to make it "better") But if you make somthing for the notorioty or to make money, it's not art. That's a job. Or possibly a hobby. I don't think art has to be good to be art, or to intend to express anything to the viewer. The purest form of art is probably doodles that people do on their school books or such that they never intend to show anyone (wether they do show someone or not does not matter).

I think making noise for the sake of making noise is art. Anoying art, but art none the less. Cooking is not an art.

[d3vi]

I would respond to that by saying that you define art as meaningless spasms of muscle that just happen to cause pictures to show up.
There's no point.
I agree that art can't be made with anything less than honest intentions, that you can't create it to make money because then it just comes out feeling fake.
But I disagree in that art has to mean something, to the artist, to the viewer, to whoever. The art must be inspired or else it's just pretty pictures. It can still be inspiriring but do youknow what we call that? Propoganda. And that's not true art. Scribbles on paper or paint cans thrown at a wall, meaningless waste. Unless it is a social commentary, it's not art.
Hell I'm not sure if the Mona Lisa's art or if it's just a pretty picture. It must have meant something to somebody or else we wouldn't stilll have it around, but I'm not sure of how inspired da vinci was to work on it.

[X Daggers]

Actually, I think I should correct myself. "Webcomics can be good art." Art is fickle: anything can be interpreted into art but it doesn't mean it's good art to everyone. So anything can be art, but it doesn't make it good art. True art, to me, is about making others feel good and for their enjoyment, no matter what kind. Art CAN be made just because you want to create art but it is lifeless. Art only to embody some sort of meaning is lifeless; it is alive when its purpose is to tell others of something. Communication in art is good art, not just for the sake of the creator or artist but also for the receiver. Even if it's just a pretty picture, if someone enjoys it it is art. It doesn't necessarily have to have meaning and it can exist just for the meaning.

Like your example, the Mona Lisa. Originally Da Vinci did it because someone requested a portrait. I believe he did it for money but I am not sure. There is nothing wrong with that, but only doing it for that reason is still shallow. What he created, however, was special to even himself and he decided to keep it. Eventually he gave it to a museum. I believe he did it for others. People are still puzzling over it today because the expression is so subtle, so odd, that no one can agree on what it's about. People enjoy the mystery and that is why it's still around and that is why it's good art.

Posers at art are people that do it for selfish reasons, imo. In the end, good art is for others. Writing a story, music, drawing a pretty picture: if people enjoy it it is art. It may be special to someone for reasons that weren't intended but if it is important to someone it is art. Everyone interprets art differently and everyone likes different types of art.

Art can be used to teach, to express, to earn money, for fame, and just for someone's enjoyment: that doesn't mean it isn't art. Basically what we are talking about is GOOD art.

When I reread what I said I realized I didn't agree with myself, either. I meant what art was to me, something done for other's entertainment and not for profit (among being done well and worked hard on). That is good art to me. And I don't like every webcomic. Some are funny, some are pretty, some are tragic, and I like some just because I like the characters or the story. I favor them as better art because of those reasons. You can't really define art except for yourself.

Think about it: why do humans even HAVE art?

[Soap]

I agree with X. Mostly.

I don't think you can make art for the purpose pr making money. If making money is a happy side effect, then that's just fine. But not all art has to be "good" art.

Basicly us humans have two basic instincts - to survive and to reproduce. Anything that dosn't fall under those two headings is art.

[Soap]

Anyway, art in the case of this thread ment "ability to make pretty pictures that people like to look at" therefore all arguments about what art is or isn't are irrelevent.

[deltaT]

Well, all I can say is that what Amy does, IMO, is art.

[X Daggers]

Yeah, she has great art! (^_^)

[Shippo_no_Neko]

i think art is the embodiment of our thoughts, feelings, and short attention spans! thats what mine is anyway--oooh! something shiny!

[X Daggers]

(Watch the smily until it's done! Remember to take your ADD meds...)

Hehe (^_^)

[deltaT]

Stop making me jealous with your smileys!

[X Daggers]

Awww Well, if you have Firefox just get the extension for smilies. I recently found out I had it so I've been using them a lot, actually.

[deltaT]

I just have IE. *sob*

[X Daggers]

In comparison IE sucks. Go download it! www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

[Shippo_no_Neko]

my computer wont load that -.-

[X Daggers]

Hmm I dunno, it's for every computer OS that I know of.

[deltaT]

I can load it, but switching browsers is such a major commitment. I had a Mac for years, and when I finally got a P4 with XP, I was so happy not to have to worry about compatibility issues that I got totally sucked into the whole Microsoft thing. So I am wondering if you find Firefox compatible with most web content.

I just realized that I have totally hijacked this thread...sorry!

So, yeah, Amy has the most expressive art I have encountered in a comic so far. I've seen stuff that might technically be considered better, but it doesn't have the same feel that Amy's does. After all, you can go buy a comic that looks nice and well drawn, but that is not very original, or hard to find.

I've been reading comics since the early 70s, and something like Charby has an appeal that goes beyond superficial qualities. I've watched cartoons on TV for decades, read all the classic super hero comics, Archies, newspaper comics, and editorial cartoons....I even had kids to excuse my so-called childish hobbies, so I consider myself an expert consumer in this area. But I have never been hooked so fast and so obsessively on a comic before. Every aspect of it seems just right: the character's personalities, their visual aspect, the setting and backgrounds, the back stories and details, the morals and ethics of the characters...everything just sits right. So, thanks again Amy! ;D

[mang]

so how smilly land going i like smills too. lol ;D

[X Daggers]

Yeah! Good point, deltaT. I get really excited to get on everyday and feel like hopping around the room when I see it's updated. Not many things can do that for me. Yay Amy!

Firefox is safer invasion-wise than IE and it has tons of plugins to add to the browser. It's only problems is it doesn't show all the advanced HTML (like glowy letters) but they'll fix that later I'm sure. I just like the layout better now. And all the favorites get imported from IE. It's updated when it needs to be, also. I just like it a lot, it's close to being the best.

Oops, rant ;D

[deltaT]

Well, I forgive you! After all, I asked. Maybe we should start a thread for this type of thing! ;D (ordinary smiley )

[mang]

you too should your seem to be talking about it alot lately.

[mang]

so have you too desided to make another thread or not just wondering beccause it sounded like a good idea. ;D