Which is easier to do: Writing or Drawing?
- Thread starter Twyce
- Start date
I think there's enough to difference of opinion in this thread to suggest it's impossible to tell.
I was going to say drawing would be harder though, because every person is naturally trained to recognise visual objects and their representations, so most people will be able to tell if a drawing is bad up until quite a high level.
Like I don't know a thing about art but I can realise that whilst it does it's job and the stories great, this http://togm.webcomic.ws/
isn't quite as good as this
http://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch01/ch01_16.html
(Not the best example, because honestly, the writings probably a little bit better in Unsounded too, I'm not TOGM bashing, it's just Unsounded is genius to the highest levels)
whereas I don't think we're able to seperate good/bad writing quite as easily. More with dialogue but less with the actual prose and story structure. It's still not a huge difference in sensitivity between the two though.
Also stuff like Eragon and Twilight entertains a whole bunch of people, whereas I'm not sure if pictures of the same quality would be as popular. But maybe that's just because I'm a writing guy and I wouldn't be able to even point out what a picture of the same level was
EDIT: Also check out Unsoundedcomic.com
I cheated by showing a particularly good page, but even an average page looks like this and somehow it updates 3 days a week, sometimes with multiple pages and it's just one person? I'm not sure how the lady does it, but I think producing that much aren't must involve some sort of demonic pact
I was going to say drawing would be harder though, because every person is naturally trained to recognise visual objects and their representations, so most people will be able to tell if a drawing is bad up until quite a high level.
Like I don't know a thing about art but I can realise that whilst it does it's job and the stories great, this http://togm.webcomic.ws/
isn't quite as good as this
http://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch01/ch01_16.html
(Not the best example, because honestly, the writings probably a little bit better in Unsounded too, I'm not TOGM bashing, it's just Unsounded is genius to the highest levels)
whereas I don't think we're able to seperate good/bad writing quite as easily. More with dialogue but less with the actual prose and story structure. It's still not a huge difference in sensitivity between the two though.
Also stuff like Eragon and Twilight entertains a whole bunch of people, whereas I'm not sure if pictures of the same quality would be as popular. But maybe that's just because I'm a writing guy and I wouldn't be able to even point out what a picture of the same level was
EDIT: Also check out Unsoundedcomic.com
I cheated by showing a particularly good page, but even an average page looks like this and somehow it updates 3 days a week, sometimes with multiple pages and it's just one person? I'm not sure how the lady does it, but I think producing that much aren't must involve some sort of demonic pact
As someone who has been gifted enough to be able to do both really well, I'd definately say writing. It comes so much easier to me. Drawing always seems like such a chore after a while.
I'm currently creating a graphic novel. Originally I was going to handle both the writing and the drawing but I got my brother on board to do the drawing as he's better than me and he really enjoys drawing. Unfortunately he also enjoys creating games for the iPhone, so while I've written about 100 pages of detailed outline he's drawn all of one page.
I'm currently creating a graphic novel. Originally I was going to handle both the writing and the drawing but I got my brother on board to do the drawing as he's better than me and he really enjoys drawing. Unfortunately he also enjoys creating games for the iPhone, so while I've written about 100 pages of detailed outline he's drawn all of one page.
I've drawn stuff I'm pretty happy with before. On the other hand, I hate everything I've ever written.
Drawing is just copying what you can see (or imagine). Whether it's perspective, anatomy or folds on clothes, you just have to realize what it looks like and put it on paper. I think you could probably teach most people to draw, but relatively few people would ever be able to write anything worth reading.
If we take "drawing" up to "painting," then it's a different story. For me, it's not about composition or technique, those I can handle. Color, however, I just can't wrap my head around. All I can manage is 50 shades of gray.
Because it's bad.
Drawing is just copying what you can see (or imagine). Whether it's perspective, anatomy or folds on clothes, you just have to realize what it looks like and put it on paper. I think you could probably teach most people to draw, but relatively few people would ever be able to write anything worth reading.
If we take "drawing" up to "painting," then it's a different story. For me, it's not about composition or technique, those I can handle. Color, however, I just can't wrap my head around. All I can manage is 50 shades of gray.
Because it's bad.
Drawing is harder.
Because if you write something and it's not grammatically correct or just poor wording an editor can suggest ways to improve it, but they can't hold your hand to show you how to draw something.
Because if you write something and it's not grammatically correct or just poor wording an editor can suggest ways to improve it, but they can't hold your hand to show you how to draw something.
Here is an interesting point.excalipoor said:
While I stand by the idea that writing is easier, nothing you produce will be of any merit until years and years of practice + refining of tastes. Drawing is purely aesthetic, but writing is a braintease, and requires a bit more out of it to gain favor.
As an example; I started writing in 6th grade when I was 11, and it was total shit I'd rather forget ever happened. By 16 it started showing a healthy "core", as in, a story people would likely care about at all. Now at 28, I feel my stuff would make Christopher Nolan and Satoshi Kon's ghost green with jealousy. I even go back to my waaaay earlier works and am able to single out what works, versus what is trite and/or amateur.
For me, it's writing. I can spend a lot of time and get a story, essay, post, etc just how I want. It may take awhile, but the end result will be pretty entertaining/high quality.
I can't spend more than 5 minutes drawing something, I find it incredibly discouraging.
I can't spend more than 5 minutes drawing something, I find it incredibly discouraging.
I would say writting, even though I dont write that much and draw a lot. The thing is that I believe that drawing usually is more spontanious then writting. While writting isnt easy it seems like there is a wider time span to avaluate the quality of the piece and correct it. With drawing that is also possible but somehow not pratical at all.
Still, like many others said, it obviously changes drasticly from person to person (my opinion is probably heavely based on the fact that I dont write a lot).
Still, like many others said, it obviously changes drasticly from person to person (my opinion is probably heavely based on the fact that I dont write a lot).
The difficulty and time required in the creation of art increases as the art gets better.
By "art" I mean both writing AND drawing.
They are, in actuality, both as difficult as you make them to be depending on your expectations.
As for actually learning the skills, it varies from person to person.
Some people pick up art easily, others pick up writing easily. Some people do both.
By "art" I mean both writing AND drawing.
They are, in actuality, both as difficult as you make them to be depending on your expectations.
As for actually learning the skills, it varies from person to person.
Some people pick up art easily, others pick up writing easily. Some people do both.
only reason i'm quoting you for my reply is cause Calvin and Hobbs was FUCKING AWESOME, which by proxy makes your avatar awesome, and i felt i should inform you of your epic winTwyce said:
OT:
i'm gonna say drawing is harder. mostly due to how much more practice it takes to get the image onto the canvas/paper exactly how it looks in your head.
writing, less so, long as you have a decent grasp of you primary language's written form you can put a story on paper pretty easily. sure things like proper grammar/spelling (and a thesaurus to make your self sound smarter) help, but less necessary imo since its pretty easy to convey your idea to the page.
now, the IDEA FOR THE STORY, that's a whole other box of fish nuggets
I'm torn because both can be done well and poorly. I'll say drawing because writing is easier to self teach than drawing.
I like manga though because it's amazing to see people out there who can do both.
EDIT: Silly me, I meant to say writing is easier than drawing because trying to self teach yourself to draw is so haaaaaaard. (currently trying.)
I like manga though because it's amazing to see people out there who can do both.
EDIT: Silly me, I meant to say writing is easier than drawing because trying to self teach yourself to draw is so haaaaaaard. (currently trying.)
Drawing for me, but that's only really because I'm a shitty writer. >_>
It really differs from person to person, though.
It really differs from person to person, though.
I'm thinking about even personally.
More people will say drawing but I think that's only because as a skill it's one people tend to drop much earlier in life so if they had to do it now they'd suck. I think it's easier to impress an average person with a drawing than a piece of written work, again for the same reason, but when you get to higher levels it all requires a crazy amount of work and thought because to get something spot on you have to consider everything, all the tiny details which make it all mesh perfectly.
More people will say drawing but I think that's only because as a skill it's one people tend to drop much earlier in life so if they had to do it now they'd suck. I think it's easier to impress an average person with a drawing than a piece of written work, again for the same reason, but when you get to higher levels it all requires a crazy amount of work and thought because to get something spot on you have to consider everything, all the tiny details which make it all mesh perfectly.
As someone who's done both, I'd say that writing is easier to learn but harder to master. Any idiot can write a handful of sentences- many do- while they'd struggle to get anything better than stick figures and blocks on paper... but when it comes to getting someone to read your writing and envision what it describes, not only events and places but emotions and action, a thousand words (written by a truly skilled author) is worth far more than a picture.