When you look at a webtoon you note that you get a single, usually badly rendered, panel out of 40 that features a background or environment.

This used to irritate me. Why call yourself a comic artist when your comic is 70% words on a blank canvas and 30% Sad Princess drawings?

Hello, Tapas!

I assumed it was a result of artists adapting to the extremely shit screen that is a phone, as well as trying to meet the deadlines laid out in the extremely exploitative contract they signed. These are correct assumptions since phone screens are shit and webtoon contracts are exploitative. But I came across some information that changed my view on the modern process. It may or may not be accurate because it's from the internet but here it is;

**A comic reader spends no longer than 3 seconds on a panel. Usually less time than that. **

I grabbed a bunch of comics off my shelf and tested how fast my own snobby ass read. From wordy 1960s cowboy comics to modern gag manga. Reading the dialog took up the most time. Makes sense. A 1950s cowboy comic is far more information dense and so those obviously took longer. Was I spending much time on the backgrounds though?

I had to admit, my eye time was seconds at most. Even with comics with gorgeous art. And a dense splash page that used to be popular in cape comics? Even less time as there was rarely anything in it worth inspecting. In the comic Watchmen every panel needs investigating because every panel has something that ties into the themes and plot. Random Guy in panel four on page one is going to be important in Chapter Nine. You better be paying attention.

Most comics are not Watchmen, nor are they meant to be. Let's stay real about this.

While it stings the artist's pride to know that no one will care about the hard work it took to draw a car, I grew a new appreciation for the artists who always skip drawing cars.

They understand the ancient wisdom: Don't cast pearls before swine.

Save the actual work for the commissions and the Patreon. For the people who actually care about the effort you put in for them.