#false start

If you look at the six main colors in palette, there isn't a ton of variation in the value of them. In digital art, every color has a value between 0 and 255.

There's only 9 points of difference in the value of the three lightest colors! When converted to black and white, colors are given different values to account for differences in how the human eye perceives the brightness of different color differently. With this framework, value range does increase, but it's still pretty small. The tan and peach color are especially close in value. Then you've got the biggest gap in value between the darkest and second darkest color, which is what was pulling my eye.

Because the palette is so limited, we're getting less contrast from color than usual and relying on contrasting value, but there isn't enough variance!

Take a look at this little edit I made. All I've done is make the darkest parts of the bushes a little darker.

I think it helps! The dark elements of the trees and David don't command as much attention as they did when they were significantly darker than everything else in the image. There's more contrast between the characters and the background.

Here is the same edit in color:

It's the same stylized color palette, but I think it helps the image's visual readability. Maybe you disagree! My art skills and knowledge are self-taught and I may be missing the mark.

I also want to add, Vero has proven extremely good with working with limited values in the past! I wish I could link to the latest mini-comic from the draw stream, because it is a tour-de-force in conveying tone and mood with extremely limited value options, but alas, it hasn't been uploaded yet. I think that there's some missteps here, but I expect the particular issue I've raised to improve with time.

Let's all have some patience and give Vero some grace! Art is hard, and it's easy for me to be an armchair critic when I'm not out there making the art. I think it's important to also keep in mind what Vero says about art style changes in the comic: "It’s hard to isolate the comic from everything you learn when its update schedule demands most of your drawing time. [...] The comic has been host to several experiments in media and style, and will keep changing until the end." There's going to be an inherent learning curve to executing the new style too.

All that being said, I'm interested to see the extent to which the palette will shift over pages and chapters! I hope we get some chapter-to chapter variance, and potentially even shock changes. I loved the moment in "Back and Forth" where the limited palette of the chapter gave way to the new colors of the nightclub.

It was such a visually cool moment that wouldn't be possible without the limited palette! There's a lot of potential for things like this that really emphasize shifting mood and atmosphere.