hi, do you have any advice about doing short image descriptions for long, complicated posts (comics or compilation posts)? I usually get overwhelmed and end up letting the posts sit in my drafts for 6 months
i don’t know if there’s any way to get around comic/multi-image descriptions being on the longer side. however, there are things you can do to make it easier on yourself.Â
i’m gonna focus on comics right now because i feel like i’ve gotten pretty good at describing them. i used to dread it and, like you said, they’d sit in my drafts for months and months. and okay, some still do. but hey. it happens.
what i’ve found works best is to describe a comic as you would a scene in a movie. that’s similar to how comics are supposed to be consumed, yeah? some folks do the whole “panel one: (description), panel two: (description)” thing, but i don’t find that particularly compelling to read/write or even, like, how a sighted person takes in a comic. it’s supposed to flow, ya know? and i think you’ll find that descriptions that flow are usually shorter and easier to parse, on both ends.
so really try to think of it like a movie scene that you’re describing to a friend who hasn’t seen the film. you don’t need to get into the nitty-gritty of everyone’s t-shirt color, etc etc. capturing the feel of the piece is much more important.
here’s an example of a comic i described recently that i’m particularly proud of. some specific tips, using that comic as an example:
notice how i don’t really describe their clothing, except as it relates to the scene as a whole. Vax’s tattered cape blowing in the wind. Gilmore burying his fingers into the feathers of his armor. this saves you some time and text space.
comics are dynamic! they’re usually rooted in action! so describe them that way. take in the comic as a whole first, without describing it. get a real sense of the scene and what’s happening. more so than in a single image, stuff is usually happening in a comic, so focus on that in your description.
colors and mood are very important imo, so mention them -- but don’t get bogged down by them.
it takes practice. i’ve been regularly describing art for a long time, and it’s only recently that i’ve come to enjoy describing comics. and i don’t enjoy it all the time! i have to be in the right mood. basically what i’m saying is, it’s okay if they sit in your drafts for a little while. but practicing will definitely make it easier over time.
