--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you draw in a tight, controlled…" description: "\"When you draw in a tight, controlled style, you open yourself up to - in my case, my own - criticism that things aren't quite right. If room is drawn s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bde/jessica-abel-36253_criticism_when-you-draw-in-a-tight-controlled-styl_1276163.jpg" --- # When you draw in a tight, controlled style, you open… ![“When you draw in a tight, controlled style, you open yourself up to - in my case, my own - criticism that things aren't quite right. If room is drawn so carefully, when a detail is wrong or missing, it's wrong or missing. The reader's imagination doesn't add the detail in because there are already…” quote by Jessica Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bde/jessica-abel-36253_criticism_when-you-draw-in-a-tight-controlled-styl_1276163.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bde/jessica-abel-36253_criticism_when-you-draw-in-a-tight-controlled-styl_1276163.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bde/jessica-abel-36253_criticism_when-you-draw-in-a-tight-controlled-styl_1276163.jpg) > “When you draw in a tight, controlled style, you open yourself up to - in my case, my own - criticism that things aren't quite right. If room is drawn so carefully, when a detail is wrong or missing, it's wrong or missing. The reader's imagination doesn't add the detail in because there are already so many other details. The reader is restricted to seeing the elements that are right there in front of him/her.” [Jessica Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-abel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excessive control in art can limit readers' imagination, making them focus on every detail rather than the story’s broader picture. **In simple terms:** Too much detail restricts reader imagination. Key Takeaway Balance detail with openness. Themes creativity storytelling artistic freedom Mood thoughtful instructive Type artistic educational When to use this quote - graphic novel creation - illustration workshops - creative writing classes - visual storytelling - creative direction Key Concepts visual narrative reader engagement design principles Questions to Reflect On - How much detail is enough to guide without constraining? - What techniques invite readers to fill gaps? A Different Perspective Some audiences prefer detailed worlds, risking over‑control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) ## Related quotes > [When I was very little my mother said I used to draw in the air with my fingers. I needed a pencil. Once I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/when-i-was-very-little-my-mother-said-i-used-to-draw-in-the-air-with/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [I was always a creative child. I also liked to paint and draw. 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I enjoy reading Flannery O'Connor, Patricia Highsmith, and Margaret Mitchell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-dark-stories-i-enjoy-reading-flannery-o/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [My intent was to gain experience for fiction I eventually hoped to write. But there's no question I was drawn in by the hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/my-intent-was-to-gain-experience-for-fiction-i-eventually-hoped-to/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [A children's author on a soapbox is not a pleasant sight but I have become drawn into issues, slightly unwillingly, relating to young people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/a-children-s-author-on-a-soapbox-is-not-a-pleasant-sight-but-i-have/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [But I had never drawn on a tablet before. 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I do get very interested my characters while I'm working with them, and I find the process of fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-abel/i-don-t-use-recurring-characters-i-do-get-very-interested-my/) [Jessica Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-abel/) > [Women’s voices, LGBT voices, and the voices of people of color are all needed in any art form if we want to explore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-abel/women-s-voices-lgbt-voices-and-the-voices-of-people-of-color-are-all/) [Jessica Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-abel/) > [“I sit in front of the notebook and feel like it’s just too late for me. And that this book isn’t working, nothing’s working,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-abel/i-sit-in-front-of-the-notebook-and-feel-like-it-s-just-too-late-for/) [Jessica Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-abel/) > [When I was living in Mexico, I started reassessing my drawing style, and plunged into a period of doing exercises and research to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-abel/when-i-was-living-in-mexico-i-started-reassessing-my-drawing-style/) [Jessica Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-abel/) > [Why does the need to explain comics still exist? Because that prejudice still exists. It's fading, but it's still very strong. 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But that makes them even more "cool," if I understand the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-abel/i-don-t-think-comics-use-iconic-forms-or-they-don-t-have-to-but-that/) [Jessica Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-abel/) > [“The decision to carve out time and attention to make your work is a breathtaking act of ego. You’re saying, “I don’t care what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-abel/the-decision-to-carve-out-time-and-attention-to-make-your-work-is-a/) [Jessica Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-abel/) > [Cartooning is completely different from other media: it is closely related to film and prose, other narrative forms, but the skills needed to realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-abel/cartooning-is-completely-different-from-other-media-it-is-closely/) [Jessica Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-abel/) > [It's a mystery to me why comics have been so despised for so long. 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If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-m-more-comfortable-modelling-as-a-man-because-i-don-t-get-any/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [I don't mind positive criticism, but when it is negative and personal, it is quite hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inzamam-ul-haq/i-don-t-mind-positive-criticism-but-when-it-is-negative-and-personal/) [Inzamam-ul-Haq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inzamam-ul-haq/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Everything is allowable in literature, but what is not allowable in criticism is objection on the grounds of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/everything-is-allowable-in-literature-but-what-is-not-allowable-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Lots of relationships fail because we spend more time pointing out each other's mistakes and not enough time enjoying each other's company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lots-of-relationships-fail-because-we-spend-more-time-pointing-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [People believe that criticism should be objective, whatever that means, but I really don't understand what people mean by that. I guess if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/people-believe-that-criticism-should-be-objective-whatever-that-means/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [I welcome criticism. I come from a - I wouldn't say mean, but you've got to have tough skin to be in my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saweetie/i-welcome-criticism-i-come-from-a-i-wouldn-t-say-mean-but-you-ve-got/) [Saweetie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saweetie/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) [Browse all 3,954 Criticism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you draw in a tight, controlled style, you open yourself up to - in my case, my own - criticism that things aren't quite right. If room is drawn so carefully, when a detail is wrong or missing, it's wrong or missing. 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