Any image can be simplified down to basic lines and shapes. The way these shapes work together often makes or breaks an image's quality. There are tons of books written on this very subject, and many fine artists of the 20th century experimented with how much reduction one could do to an image before the shapes became unrecognizable of what they represented. Suffice to say for this entry, though, that an artist must always at some point assess the composition in regards to basic shapes.
Unfortunately, I did this a little late in the process of making this cover for my upcoming comic. I made the rough sketch of the cover, scanned it, printed it off, and started drawing. It was then that I realized that the image wasn't interesting at all. I sketched it a few more times in my sketchbook, liked what I was getting, drew it, and repeated this process again because I like to second-guess myself. The story has a happy ending, though, because the cover was eventually finished.
The initial problem I had with the cover was that the bodies seemed stiff. If you remember what I said about lines of action a while back, you'll see it too. Both characters' backs were straight, and since the whole composition centers on them, the image suffers. Giving the characters more curve to their poses forced the rest of the image to follow suit. The curved lines and shapes were far more interesting than the blocky composition. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely a time and place for forceful, straight, direct lines and shapes: they can also provide energy and force to an image. I'm pretty sure that this cover wasn't that time or place, though.
I took these sketches through photoshop to block out what I'm talking about, so you might get a better idea of what was going through my head when I was drawing these designs. It was a quick digital overlay, but you get the idea.
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