More Non-photorealisitic Renders (NPR II)

tkdrobert

mmitchell_houston said:

Next version, and this time I take a completely different take on the rear of the ship.

There's a lot to like with this version, but I need to run a few more renders from different angles to see if those curved elements catch light and shadows the way I expect them to, and I need to see if those fins work well. This is currently my second favorite design.

 

I like this version the best.

mmitchell_houston

Truthfully, I'm not quite sure why I didn't give up on this one. The only thing I like is the extension above the cabin: I think that grill/vent looks kind of cool. I might even make something like that and add it to whichever other model I select.

I don't think this one is really ugly or has bad proportions, but there were just so many odd things about the way the two ships fit together; this just doesn't work well when I render it. And anything that's too much work to use in the comic just won't make the cut. Nevertheless, I put it out here, so any thoughts or comments about anything that you do like about it?

tkdrobert

Here is a custom Gundam that I did.  I kit-bashed the model and posed in DAZ.  I then exported it out as an OBJ.  Next, I imported the model into Clip Paint Studio (no materials, just the geometry).  In CPS, I set the light and shadows, then converted it into a B/W layer which created the line art.  I uploaded the image into my iPad for coloring.  Finally I transfered the image back and forth between Photoshop for enhancements and background.

tkdrobert

Here is a custom Gundam that I did.  I kit-bashed the model and posed in DAZ.  I then exported it out as an OBJ.  Next, I imported the model into Clip Paint Studio (no materials, just the geometry).  In CPS, I set the light and shadows, then converted it into a B/W layer which created the line art.  I uploaded the image into my iPad for coloring.  Finally I transfered the image back and forth between Photoshop for enhancements and background.

mmitchell_houston

tkdrobert said:

Here is a custom Gundam that I did.  I kit-bashed the model and posed in DAZ.  I then exported it out as an OBJ.  Next, I imported the model into Clip Paint Studio (no materials, just the geometry).  In CPS, I set the light and shadows, then converted it into a B/W layer which created the line art.  I uploaded the image into my iPad for coloring.  Finally I transfered the image back and forth between Photoshop for enhancements and background.

Sounds like a lot of work, but I can't argue with the results. Great looking figure design and very well executed.

tkdrobert

mmitchell_houston said:

tkdrobert said:

Here is a custom Gundam that I did.  I kit-bashed the model and posed in DAZ.  I then exported it out as an OBJ.  Next, I imported the model into Clip Paint Studio (no materials, just the geometry).  In CPS, I set the light and shadows, then converted it into a B/W layer which created the line art.  I uploaded the image into my iPad for coloring.  Finally I transfered the image back and forth between Photoshop for enhancements and background.

Sounds like a lot of work, but I can't argue with the results. Great looking figure design and very well executed.

Not something I'm going to do for every project.

mmitchell_houston

tkdrobert said:

mmitchell_houston said:

tkdrobert said:

Here is a custom Gundam that I did.  I kit-bashed the model and posed in DAZ.  I then exported it out as an OBJ.  Next, I imported the model into Clip Paint Studio (no materials, just the geometry).  In CPS, I set the light and shadows, then converted it into a B/W layer which created the line art.  I uploaded the image into my iPad for coloring.  Finally I transfered the image back and forth between Photoshop for enhancements and background.

Sounds like a lot of work, but I can't argue with the results. Great looking figure design and very well executed.

Not something I'm going to do for every project.

I should think not! The results are good, but that's just a lot of work.

psiwire_7a1ce4dc0a

Spent a couple days working on this and I really like the way it turned out. 

tkdrobert

psiwire_7a1ce4dc0a said:

Spent a couple days working on this and I really like the way it turned out. 

I LIKE IT!.  Now I got the Popeye song in my head.

vrba79

That's a pretty sweet Popeye!

tkdrobert

Concept for an alien, android, superhero.  Right now I'm calling him Knight Hawk

mmitchell_houston

psiwire_7a1ce4dc0a said:

Spent a couple days working on this and I really like the way it turned out. 

Very nicely done. Good work on making the comic arms work, and in achieving such a strong likeness. Love the little turn of the label so we just see the end of the word "Spinach." Little details like this make the image seem less posed and more natural. Aging effects are really strong, too. I do think the blue shirt is just a little too dark – a few more highlights would let us see his muscles a bit more clearly, but that's just a preference on my part. The darkness does serve to anchor the composition, so it's good as it is. WELL DONE.

mmitchell_houston

tkdrobert said:

Concept for an alien android, superhero.  Right now I'm calling him Knight Hawk

Very cool design. I like the darkness and the pops of color. Two things:

• Back in the 1990s there was a short-lived comic by Neal Adams that used a hero called Knighhawk. I wouldn't worry too much about it since it was so short lived, but nonetheless, I thought I should mention it.
• Just a design question: Do you need the red on his groin? I can't help but think that the design would be stronger without that element. And maybe you need a bit more read on the head/helmet?

Just something to mull over. All in all, I think this is a great start! I'd definitely crach the cover if I came across this in my local comic book store.

Headwax

mmitchell_houston said:

Here's another take on the ship, and it did not go as well.

 

I think the proportions on the first ship were just better. This one looks a bit stubby to me. And I thought I would like that "stair step" look behind the front ship because it catches a lot of shadows, but I think it just looks odd here. I'm going to give it one more shot by including both the stair steps and the smaller triple rear engines from the first version.

I like this one

 

Headwax

psiwire_7a1ce4dc0a said:

Spent a couple days working on this and I really like the way it turned out. 

very painterly - really captured him well

 

Headwax

Carrara JOb on K4 - from our present Carrara challenge

filter forge, affinity photo, topaz impression and topaz simplify 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

psiwire_7a1ce4dc0a

 

mmitchell_houston said:

Very nicely done. Good work on making the comic arms work, and in achieving such a strong likeness. Love the little turn of the label so we just see the end of the word "Spinach." Little details like this make the image seem less posed and more natural. Aging effects are really strong, too. I do think the blue shirt is just a little too dark – a few more highlights would let us see his muscles a bit more clearly, but that's just a preference on my part. The darkness does serve to anchor the composition, so it's good as it is. WELL DONE.

Thanks. The can was actually the hardest thing to achieve in this image. The right can model was hard to find. I had to design the label and then the can wouldn't deform the way I wanted it to, so I had to do that in post.

As for the clothes, I was trying to achieve the most iconic look from the cartoons. Surprisingly all the Popeye characters have a number of different outfits that they appear in, but I thought the black and red would be the most recognizable. But since you want to see his muscles better I'll show you the shirtless variant I did at the same time.

tkdrobert

mmitchell_houston said:

tkdrobert said:

Concept for an alien android, superhero.  Right now I'm calling him Knight Hawk

Very cool design. I like the darkness and the pops of color. Two things:

• Back in the 1990s there was a short-lived comic by Neal Adams that used a hero called Knighhawk. I wouldn't worry too much about it since it was so short lived, but nonetheless, I thought I should mention it.
• Just a design question: Do you need the red on his groin? I can't help but think that the design would be stronger without that element. And maybe you need a bit more read on the head/helmet?

Just something to mull over. All in all, I think this is a great start! I'd definitely crach the cover if I came across this in my local comic book store.

I can remove the red in his going but because if the indentation there, it seems werd without the color.  I'l have to play around some more with the design.  I want to put something on his chest or modify it.

It's hard to create a superhero name that hasn't already been used.

Artini

The Popeye images are really well done - congrats.

 

mmitchell_houston

tkdrobert said:

mmitchell_houston said:

tkdrobert said:

Concept for an alien android, superhero.  Right now I'm calling him Knight Hawk

Very cool design. I like the darkness and the pops of color. Two things:

• Back in the 1990s there was a short-lived comic by Neal Adams that used a hero called Knighhawk. I wouldn't worry too much about it since it was so short lived, but nonetheless, I thought I should mention it.
• Just a design question: Do you need the red on his groin? I can't help but think that the design would be stronger without that element. And maybe you need a bit more read on the head/helmet?

Just something to mull over. All in all, I think this is a great start! I'd definitely crach the cover if I came across this in my local comic book store.

I can remove the red in his going but because if the indentation there, it seems werd without the color.  I'l have to play around some more with the design.  I want to put something on his chest or modify it.

It's hard to create a superhero name that hasn't already been used.

Oh, absolutely! Most good hero names have been taken. I just wanted to let you know about that prior usage. Considering that the hero hasn't been used since the 1990s, I certainly wouldn't worry about it.

mmitchell_houston

Headwax said:

mmitchell_houston said:

Here's another take on the ship, and it did not go as well.

 

I think the proportions on the first ship were just better. This one looks a bit stubby to me. And I thought I would like that "stair step" look behind the front ship because it catches a lot of shadows, but I think it just looks odd here. I'm going to give it one more shot by including both the stair steps and the smaller triple rear engines from the first version.

I like this one

Any particular reason?

tkdrobert

mmitchell_houston said:

tkdrobert said:

mmitchell_houston said:

tkdrobert said:

Concept for an alien android, superhero.  Right now I'm calling him Knight Hawk

Very cool design. I like the darkness and the pops of color. Two things:

• Back in the 1990s there was a short-lived comic by Neal Adams that used a hero called Knighhawk. I wouldn't worry too much about it since it was so short lived, but nonetheless, I thought I should mention it.
• Just a design question: Do you need the red on his groin? I can't help but think that the design would be stronger without that element. And maybe you need a bit more read on the head/helmet?

Just something to mull over. All in all, I think this is a great start! I'd definitely crach the cover if I came across this in my local comic book store.

I can remove the red in his going but because if the indentation there, it seems werd without the color.  I'l have to play around some more with the design.  I want to put something on his chest or modify it.

It's hard to create a superhero name that hasn't already been used.

Oh, absolutely! Most good hero names have been taken. I just wanted to let you know about that prior usage. Considering that the hero hasn't been used since the 1990s, I certainly wouldn't worry about it.

I'm not surprised.  I was thinking about just giving him a name and then a title.  Thinking of a name is harder than creating the character.  I still haven't come up with a name for my Giant Robot, Voltron-like dude. 

3141592654

This is the developing character to go along with a series of warrior quotes. I am somewhat satisfied with where it is heading, but I know there is always room for improvement ... so ... what ideas do you have for me?

Technical stuff: I took the old Aikobot shaders and tweaked the coding to make a set of sepia shaders. I am using ToonyCam to create and render the outlines. The outfit is a mix of different roman outfits across a few generations.

tkdrobert

Crash Landing

mmitchell_houston

3141592654 said:

This is the developing character to go along with a series of warrior quotes. I am somewhat satisfied with where it is heading, but I know there is always room for improvement ... so ... what ideas do you have for me?

Technical stuff: I took the old Aikobot shaders and tweaked the coding to make a set of sepia shaders. I am using ToonyCam to create and render the outlines. The outfit is a mix of different roman outfits across a few generations.

This looks very good. I really like the light sepia effect. This is a very nice effect. The character design is nice and the clothing and weapons definitely work well together from an artistic point of view.

I do have an important question for you. I hang out with a lot of historical wargamers (I tend to play only the Wild West era, myself, or pulp-style games set in the 1930s), and those guys are sticklers for historical accuracy. I only mention this because I want you to consider your audience. If your audience is full of military history nerds or grognard gamers, you might not want to mix-and-match the costume and weapons. Those guys really get ticked off about that stuff. BUT, if this is more for fun and not a bunch of history nerds, then go for it. I really like the look and it definitely sells the idea that this is some kind of Roman-style soldier.

Now that I'm done with the history, I do have two comments about the art itself:

1. The cape movement looks kind of stiff. Take a little more artistic license with his cape. It looks flat and uninteresting. 
2. The outlines are inconsistent. Although you got GREAT results from toonycam, a blow-up of the image reveals some of that camera's inherent weaknesses. Note the inconsistent and missing outlines I've identified in this illustration. For example, we see lines outside the hand but they break down between the fingers. Ditto on the toes. We also see spotty outlines on the shoulder and in a few other places.

 

Now, when you shrink the image down, these are not overly obvious. But I suggest doing a few touch-ups here and there in Photoshop (or Clip Studio Paint, which would be a perfect app for touching up lines).

Hope that didn't come off as too nitpicky! All in all this has a really strong and attractive look.

mmitchell_houston

tkdrobert said:

Crash Landing

Hey, is that the VANGUARD ship? I picked it up (and all accessories/poses) this weekend during one of the "catch-up" sales. It looks pretty cool, but it didn't render well in my first tests (that pointy nose is too curvy and it doesn't render well in the Poser 11's Comic Book Preview).

As a WIP, this is pretty cool. I really like the strong orange color palette. The sky and moon work well with the ground color. I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those smoke effects!

I'm sure you already know this, but this does need a little postwork to add some dirt/dust to the ground. It looks like a solid, flat surface that doesn't match the level of reality you're striving for. Likewise, the pose and lighting need work, too. With him pointed right at the camera, it's hard to see him clearly; when I first looked at it he came off as just a gray blob. It took a second to differentiate his body parts into the shape of his figure. And the hard shadow behind him looks like it's projecting onto a flat panel. I think that's just an illusion caused by the angle, but it is odd.

Is this from your comic? If so, you've got some cool concepts here. 

As always, I'm looking forward to seeing more!

tkdrobert

mmitchell_houston said:

tkdrobert said:

Crash Landing

Hey, is that the VANGUARD ship? I picked it up (and all accessories/poses) this weekend during one of the "catch-up" sales. It looks pretty cool, but it didn't render well in my first tests (that pointy nose is too curvy and it doesn't render well in the Poser 11's Comic Book Preview).

As a WIP, this is pretty cool. I really like the strong orange color palette. The sky and moon work well with the ground color. I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those smoke effects!

I'm sure you already know this, but this does need a little postwork to add some dirt/dust to the ground. It looks like a solid, flat surface that doesn't match the level of reality you're striving for. Likewise, the pose and lighting need work, too. With him pointed right at the camera, it's hard to see him clearly; when I first looked at it he came off as just a gray blob. It took a second to differentiate his body parts into the shape of his figure. And the hard shadow behind him looks like it's projecting onto a flat panel. I think that's just an illusion caused by the angle, but it is odd.

Is this from your comic? If so, you've got some cool concepts here. 

As always, I'm looking forward to seeing more!

Its the Shutlestar model.  The Vanguard is by the same artist.  The whole purpose of this render was to practice using Mesh Grabber to create damage to the ship and create a crash trench from a primative plane.  I tried a lot of camera angles and poses and this is what I "settled" for.  I did think about adding rocks, especially along the edge of the crash trench.  I should've done that. 

I don't know if I'll use this for my comic.  I'm still experimenting with different outfits for my characters.  The Shuttlestar will be used in the opening shot of issue #1 for sure.

tkdrobert

3141592654

mmitchell_houston said:

This looks very good. I really like the light sepia effect. This is a very nice effect. The character design is nice and the clothing and weapons definitely work well together from an artistic point of view.

I do have an important question for you. I hang out with a lot of historical wargamers (I tend to play only the Wild West era, myself, or pulp-style games set in the 1930s), and those guys are sticklers for historical accuracy. I only mention this because I want you to consider your audience. If your audience is full of military history nerds or grognard gamers, you might not want to mix-and-match the costume and weapons. Those guys really get ticked off about that stuff. BUT, if this is more for fun and not a bunch of history nerds, then go for it. I really like the look and it definitely sells the idea that this is some kind of Roman-style soldier.

Now that I'm done with the history, I do have two comments about the art itself:

1. The cape movement looks kind of stiff. Take a little more artistic license with his cape. It looks flat and uninteresting. 
2. The outlines are inconsistent. Although you got GREAT results from toonycam, a blow-up of the image reveals some of that camera's inherent weaknesses. Note the inconsistent and missing outlines I've identified in this illustration. For example, we see lines outside the hand but they break down between the fingers. Ditto on the toes. We also see spotty outlines on the shoulder and in a few other places.

 

Now, when you shrink the image down, these are not overly obvious. But I suggest doing a few touch-ups here and there in Photoshop (or Clip Studio Paint, which would be a perfect app for touching up lines).

Hope that didn't come off as too nitpicky! All in all this has a really strong and attractive look.

Many Thanks MMitchell ... this is the type of information I am looking for. At the moment, the intended audience is not history buffs ... but I can always hope this set catches on and gets noticed by a larger audience; so I should consider the historicity. And those lines in hand and toes (etc) - I should look into those - maybe I can tweak Toonycam, maybe it is just easier to use photoshop. I agree, the cape was unusually difficult as it does not have many morphs - I suppose I can try making my own in Hexagon or perhaps it will Dforce - I can play with that as well.

psiwire_7a1ce4dc0a

Angel