Recently, Millie and I have been watching Gokusen.

I wanted to make some fan art of Yankumi, so I took the time to try doing a study of her actress, Yukie Nakama’s face. I didn’t end up making it look right in the end, though. I lost her likeness somewhere along the way, but I really wanted to get something done, so I pushed through regardless.

Unfortunately, I’m not happy with how it turned out. The proportions aren’t right, and I wasn’t able to rig it correctly. Or rather, I didn’t want to spend the time needed on finicky bits like faces and hands. I need to get better or quicker at them.

I also couldn’t get my shader to work right. It didn’t work well when applied to her model; I’m considering going back to the start with it. I’ve been reading up on painting techniques recently and thinking about how I might apply those in my work.

I just used Freestyle, so the linework isn’t great. I also wasn’t able to deform the clothes mesh the way I wanted to make creases; I’ll have to revise the technique I was planning to use.

On another note, I recently discovered a comic book artist called Brian Haberlin. He’s currently using 3d art in Sonata and The Marked.

• 

• 

It’s encouraging to see successful artists making use of 3d. I searched for information about him online, and found a video he did some time ago on YouTube demonstrating his techniques.

I was disappointed, though. I learned he mostly uses models purchased online, and then retools them as he needs,or even just uses their default controls to give specific likenesses.

I can see the benefit of that in terms of time and effort, but…It’s not very artistic to me. Where’s his own style in a model he bought from someone else? Appropriating other assets and modifying them to your purposes…I don’t think it leaves a fingerprint the way something you’ve made yourself does. And that may be good for technical quality, depending on whether an artist making everything from scratch is skilled or not, but if technical quality was all that mattered we could just stage photos using real people and take those to make comics. Style and personal distinction are hugely important, at least to me. So, while I can understand benefits like consistency and time saving, I don’t agree with using models like that. It doesn’t feel right to me to just buy stuff to adapt like that, and misses out on the artist’s own style.

I was also disappointed to see the simplicity of the technique. He uses Poser, and it’s just the inverted hull outline method, a black and white colour ramp, and texture maps for lines on the model. I hoped there would be something to learn there that I didn’t already know about, at least as far as shaders go.

I also noted the difference colour can make. Sonata uses more gradual shading and colour variation, and it disguises the 3d better. The Marked is using more high contrast shading, pretty much cel shading, and it reveals the ugly telltale shading of 3d a lot more because of that. I suspect it may even have been rendered straight out, rather than coloured in 2d, judging by the shape of it.

All in all, I need to work more and get better. I need to nail down my own techniques and work out how to create the look(s) I want, and efficiently, and learn more about making things like clothes and rigging.