More Non-photorealisitic Renders (NPR II)

vrba79

The anime "The Woman Called Fujiko Mine" recently caught my attention. I dig the colored sketch look of everything, and decided to try my hand at it, using an Iray toon shader I bought a while back. I threw this together in less than ten minutes. Using G2 Animated Shape Man as a quick test subject.

 

mmitchell_houston

vrba79 said:

The anime "The Woman Called Fujiko Mine" recently caught my attention. I dig the colored sketch look of everything, and decided to try my hand at it, using an Iray toon shader I bought a while back. I threw this together in less than ten minutes. Using G2 Animated Shape Man as a quick test subject.

Impressive work for 10 minutes.

I am not a fan of the graphic pen filter effect, though (the one that looks like even brush/pen strokes). They tend to be too tight and look more like rough shadows than sketched lines. But that is strictly my preference, and I know I'm not in the majority.

Again, really good work here.

mmitchell_houston

I've been working on the next iteration of the book cover. I just sent this to the editor to get his reaction on this one.

This is based on two treatments I created in Topaz Studio 1. These are the filters/settings I used:

• Tarnished Air (0.80 strength)
• Photo Painting I (0.50 strength), and the in Photoshop I set the layer opacity to 52% (normal blending mode)

It's okay, but I think the background aliens are too cheesy. And I'm not sure the sky is the right color (which one do you like better: lighter sky or darker?). And then the sand needs editing, as does the horizon (needs some blur). And then we have the tall alien's face, which is NOT working at all for me.

 

tkdrobert

mmitchell_houston said:

I've been working on the next iteration of the book cover. I just sent this to the editor to get his reaction on this one.

This is based on two treatments I created in Topaz Studio 1. These are the filters/settings I used:

• Tarnished Air (0.80 strength)
• Photo Painting I (0.50 strength), and the in Photoshop I set the layer opacity to 52% (normal blending mode)

It's okay, but I think the background aliens are too cheesy. And I'm not sure the sky is the right color (which one do you like better: lighter sky or darker?). And then the sand needs editing, as does the horizon (needs some blur). And then we have the tall alien's face, which is NOT working at all for me.

 

I think both skys are good.  I think the background aliens are fine.  The tall alien's face bothers me as well,  I should've said something about that before.  You could try a different expression (maybe mouth open) or modify the morph you are using.

mmitchell_houston

tkdrobert said:

mmitchell_houston said:

I've been working on the next iteration of the book cover. I just sent this to the editor to get his reaction on this one.

This is based on two treatments I created in Topaz Studio 1. These are the filters/settings I used:

• Tarnished Air (0.80 strength)
• Photo Painting I (0.50 strength), and the in Photoshop I set the layer opacity to 52% (normal blending mode)

It's okay, but I think the background aliens are too cheesy. And I'm not sure the sky is the right color (which one do you like better: lighter sky or darker?). And then the sand needs editing, as does the horizon (needs some blur). And then we have the tall alien's face, which is NOT working at all for me.

 

I think both skys are good.  I think the background aliens are fine.  The tall alien's face bothers me as well,  I should've said something about that before.  You could try a different expression (maybe mouth open) or modify the morph you are using.

I think, logistically, the darker sky will work better because I can darken it a little more and put white type over it. I'm not 100% sure the tall alien has an open mouth morph. If not, I will have to fix it in post work. 

I also think that little "antenna/rod" sticking off the wreck needs to go (or bend it). We'll see what the editor thinks.

RobbyBobby

Uh-Oh...

mmitchell_houston

RobbyBobby said:

Uh-Oh...

Yikes. More trouble for poor Dumdum.

This one seems a little dark when compared to the others you've been running. The background is kinda cool, though a bit cluttered. Keep /em coming.

plasma_ring

mmitchell_houston said:

tkdrobert said:

mmitchell_houston said:

I've been working on the next iteration of the book cover. I just sent this to the editor to get his reaction on this one.

This is based on two treatments I created in Topaz Studio 1. These are the filters/settings I used:

• Tarnished Air (0.80 strength)
• Photo Painting I (0.50 strength), and the in Photoshop I set the layer opacity to 52% (normal blending mode)

It's okay, but I think the background aliens are too cheesy. And I'm not sure the sky is the right color (which one do you like better: lighter sky or darker?). And then the sand needs editing, as does the horizon (needs some blur). And then we have the tall alien's face, which is NOT working at all for me.

 

I think both skys are good.  I think the background aliens are fine.  The tall alien's face bothers me as well,  I should've said something about that before.  You could try a different expression (maybe mouth open) or modify the morph you are using.

I think, logistically, the darker sky will work better because I can darken it a little more and put white type over it. I'm not 100% sure the tall alien has an open mouth morph. If not, I will have to fix it in post work. 

I also think that little "antenna/rod" sticking off the wreck needs to go (or bend it). We'll see what the editor thinks.

I like the blue-toned sky best because there's some really good color contrast going on with the aliens in the foreground. It's also got interesting color variation that picks up tones from the rest of the image, so overall it makes the piece feel more balanced to me.

I think setting the wreck on the front cover back a bit more or even bringing it further behind them would help with the readability (or adding depth of field to it if you're doing that in post). Especially with the antenna, it looks a little like it's moving in from above to threaten them. 

The aliens hiding behind the wreckage are cool; I used to look for details like those when I'd pick up sci fi books at the library as a kid. 

RobbyBobby

Thanks, Mike. The background is 3 Ravenwood Court. It makes a good witch's residence for Hagatha and Enchantra. I'm actually working on a recreation of the Stephens' house, using Collective 3D's set. It won't be an exact match, but, hopefully close. 

Artini

Golden Madonna preset from Topaz Studio 2 applied to Daz Studio render

vrba79

Here's an Iray render I did, with a smart blur applied.

mmitchell_houston

plasma_ring said:

mmitchell_houston said:

tkdrobert said:

mmitchell_houston said:

I've been working on the next iteration of the book cover. I just sent this to the editor to get his reaction on this one.

This is based on two treatments I created in Topaz Studio 1. These are the filters/settings I used:

• Tarnished Air (0.80 strength)
• Photo Painting I (0.50 strength), and the in Photoshop I set the layer opacity to 52% (normal blending mode)

It's okay, but I think the background aliens are too cheesy. And I'm not sure the sky is the right color (which one do you like better: lighter sky or darker?). And then the sand needs editing, as does the horizon (needs some blur). And then we have the tall alien's face, which is NOT working at all for me.

 

I think both skys are good.  I think the background aliens are fine.  The tall alien's face bothers me as well,  I should've said something about that before.  You could try a different expression (maybe mouth open) or modify the morph you are using.

I think, logistically, the darker sky will work better because I can darken it a little more and put white type over it. I'm not 100% sure the tall alien has an open mouth morph. If not, I will have to fix it in post work. 

I also think that little "antenna/rod" sticking off the wreck needs to go (or bend it). We'll see what the editor thinks.

I like the blue-toned sky best because there's some really good color contrast going on with the aliens in the foreground. It's also got interesting color variation that picks up tones from the rest of the image, so overall it makes the piece feel more balanced to me.

I think setting the wreck on the front cover back a bit more or even bringing it further behind them would help with the readability (or adding depth of field to it if you're doing that in post). Especially with the antenna, it looks a little like it's moving in from above to threaten them. 

The aliens hiding behind the wreckage are cool; I used to look for details like those when I'd pick up sci fi books at the library as a kid. 

I can't really use depth of field blur with this type of post processing. I'm going for an illustrated look, not photo realistic. And I have been playing with the idea of moving the wrech a bit frather back (i.e. making it smaller) so that the logo could breath more. I'll probably try that in the next iteration. BTW: I think you are spot-on about why I like the darker sky better; I hadn't even realized consciously that it was pulling in other colors, but once you mentioned it that clicked with me. I hope this one makes the cut, but the editor is leaning more toward the birther sky. We'll see how it all looks for the next pass. Thanks for the detailed comments.

mmitchell_houston

I needed a quick illustration for the next installment of the "Anthems" article (you might recall my discussion of that from the "Conan shredding his axe" illustration a few months ago. This time I was in a real hurry, so I literally whipped this up in about 4-5 hours by grabbing the first superhero costume I saw in my runtime (Supergirl by Terry McG). The figure is V4 with Amanda Hair and Face applied. The pose and mic are from R'osity. The background is a freebie I snagged off a free clipart site.

One thing that came up from working so fast was that I ddin't spend the usual time on getting the pose, expression and lighting 100% right. So I "paid" for this by needing to do more post work than I had hoped. Oh well, all's well that ends well.

vrba79

Been doing redesigns of my comic's characters before the next chapter really gets up and going.

This one is of Camilla, a Human/Jiangshi hybrid.

 

 

darth_giles@yahoo.com

I'm supposed to be trying to write a D&D setting, but I keep just doing random pwToon renders instead. This one should be easily recognizable to D&D fans. "You all meet at an inn..."

I keep forgetting to turn on shadows, though.

Edit: Here's the pic I meant to attach earlier, but the internet was too spotty last night.

Artini

Ping the Ringtail iray render processed in PaintShop Pro 2020 with Retro Pop preset from Pic To Painting plugin.

https://www.daz3d.com/ping-the-ringtail--plushies-20

mmitchell_houston

Rats. Thought I was done with Supergirl (except for the "Anthems" logo). Then I noticed that I messed up her elbow. Gotta fix that later tonight. 

I also think she looks a little bug-eyed. Think I'll go back and do a little work on her eyes, too.

Oso3D

UltraTree converted to PWToon with my Wyrm.

 

mmitchell_houston

Okay. I fixed the arm and the eyes, plus tweaked the hair just a wee bit. Except for the logo (tomorrow), I'm finished with this one.

Martirilla

Biobotic demo with Poser.

mmitchell_houston

Martirilla said:

Biobotic demo with Poser.

Okay, it looks like you've got a very solid process here. The end result is amazing. Out of curiosity, what line width settings are you using in the comic book preview in Poser (to me, it looks like it's somewhere between 0.3 - 0.5). I like the idea of the head looking like a spotlight. Have you considered changing its color to convey different emotions or modes?

Also (just curious) why apply the b&w inked lines with color burn as opposed to Multiply? Again, just curious.

Very cool stuff.

mmitchell_houston

Here it is with the final logo. This will be printed on a small page, 5.5 x 8.5 inches (letter size, folded in half).

I played around a LOT with the logo color, finally settling for a blend of black and blue. The other combos (pure blue, pure gray) were either too light or too dark.

 

mmitchell_houston

Artini said:

Ping the Ringtail iray render processed in PaintShop Pro 2020 with Retro Pop preset from Pic To Painting plugin.

https://www.daz3d.com/ping-the-ringtail--plushies-20

This is adorable. Honestly, I think you could sell a kid's book with this style. It's very cute and very memorable. Great color choices, btw; they really enhance the composition by making the figure pop but still giving us plenty of detail in landscape. 

RobbyBobby

A quick render of the cast of I Dream of Jeannie... They did wear suits occasionally, but I am saving up to buy them uniforms.

vrba79

Another redesign, this time of my comic's resident cat girl, Joy.

 

 

kenmo

mmitchell_houston said:

Character design for a Halloween illustration I'm working on. V4 using the "Betty" morphs and hair (in other words, Bettie Page). I'm not entirely happy with it, and I may tweak it a bit before posting it to my gallery, but I thought I'd share it and see what you guys think.

Love it...

kenmo

ggrancharov said:

Long time no post here! I was busy with "real work" this whole year, but I've never stopped experimenting. The following pictures 

follow all the same style and the same editing. I use Daz to pose everything in place and later do the postwork in Photoshop by 

using a variety of actions and scripts I created for this task. I hope you like that style - contact options at the end of the post as I am not always 

very active on the forums here.

 

 

And some abstract work:

 

There is much more on my social media (#absent.g on instagram, or do a google search on absentg). 

Cheers,

George

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like this style.

kenmo

mmitchell_houston said:

Vyusur said:

mmitchell_houston said:

Vyusur said:

Teena wearing goth outfit.

Nice character design. Not sure if the sketch effects are coming through when the image is reduced, though. And the outlines are a bit inconsistent – are you using Cartoon Outline or a filter for those?

I like your choices in lighting and setting, btw.

 

Thank you for the comment and for your kind words. I agree about inconsistent sketch lines. It's a result of Akvis Sketch filter. Akvis Neon gives more pleasure result, but not always exactly what desired.

I'm a fan of Akvis Sketch! You're getting pretty good results.

One reason I used Akvis Sketch was that I wanted solid sketch renders out of Daz Studio. So I actually shrank the image before applying Akvis. For instance, if I needed a 2000px wide image for the printed version, I shrank the image down to about 800px wide, ran Akvis and then, when finished, enlarged the image back to 2000px. This made the sketch strokes very visible and prominent, which is the look I was going for.

I also did the background separate from the foreground. This let me get a wilder, more free look to the background.

 

Nice work my friend...

scorpio

Guess this fits here

juve_satriani

scorpio said:

Guess this fits here

Amazing composition and nice paint FX