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I've always appreciated this forum thread. There's a lot of great tips in here about comic book production using Daz and related tools. Just thought I'd contribute to it by sharing a few panels from a sword-and-sorcery story, a work-in-progress.
I used Daz for its assets and to set up the scene. I then exported it to Blender for cel shading. Dialog and post-work was done with Clip Studio Paint.
In the preceeding squence, two characters, a half-orc paladin and a dragonborn cleric, make camp for the night. In this set of panels, the conversation turns to a mysterious break-in at the temple of Bahamut, with the cleric producing the only clue that was found. For the half-orc, the mask only dredges up painful memories. These panels are supposed to kick off a flashback which narrates his tragic past.
Cheers!
Very nice! thanks for sharing. Your Orc character's fangs are lost during the comic style conversion. You may need to review the color so the are not hidden in green skin texture.
Pannels work for this story section. The "not again"statement may neet to be changed to a thought baloon since it appears the intent is that it was not voiced. Keep going looking forward to future segments.
@Tugspx,
Thanks for the feedback along with the encouragement! The half-orc's teeth are greyish; that's why they slightly the same shade as his skin. I had to take a closer look to see that the colors are what they were meant to be.
We'll see where this story goes. In the meantime, I wish folks would revive this discussion thread about comic books and share their thoughts and works.
Cheers!
Long time not going to the forum, due to "photoshop" works and works.
What I have to see it's one thing, the pages attached are top, the use of black and white it's a top idea, I really appreciate how you used the comic's camera angle on Daz Studio, a great job!
csaa said:
I used Daz for its assets and to set up the scene. I then exported it to Blender for cel shading. Dialog and post-work was done with Clip Studio Paint.
In the preceeding squence, two characters, a half-orc paladin and a dragonborn cleric, make camp for the night. In this set of panels, the conversation turns to a mysterious break-in at the temple of Bahamut, with the cleric producing the only clue that was found. For the half-orc, the mask only dredges up painful memories. These panels are supposed to kick off a flashback which narrates his tragic past.
Cheers!
Use of Clip Studio paint isn't easy, I never understood how to handle with it! It's an awesome page; good job from you!
@chicago01921,
I shared those comic strip several months ago. Didn't think anyone would pay attention to it afterwards. Here's something I wanted to share to you as a way of saying thanks ...
Cheers!
Concept splash for a comic idea I'm kicking around. Reusing a character I created almost 20 years ago for another comic project. Though back then the character was made using one of LLF's Koshini character for Poser 4. Anyone remember Koshini?
The concept of "Afterlife/Afterdeath" focuses on Annie Leibowitz aka The Grim Reaper finding her status quo upended. The Department of Eternal Affairs has modernized and decided that a personification of Death is no longer required. So they hand her a pink slip and dump her on Earth.
Sometimes in a D&D game I mix up the mood with a comic strip. Here's one I shared with my players recently. The blue haired one is a wizard who tends to shoot first before asking questions and isn't above a little hijinks from time to time. Hopefully they picked up on the friendly advice.
Cheers!
"...I didn't ask how big the room was, I said I cast Fireball."
@LynnInDenver,
That was an inside joke --- I wasn't sure anyone would get!
Here's another comic panel I plan to share with my players. It's part of the backstory for John, the dragonborn cleric: at one piont in the past, he was captured and confined by Tiamat's followers.
Cheers!
Awesome! Daz studio is seems like such a good tool for quick comic / graphic novel production
These all look awesome. Makes me reconsider my plan to make a game. I'm thinking about telling my story as a digital comic instead. The only thing I haven't figured out, is the speech bubbles. Does everyone just create their own, or are there templates?
There are softwares that can help with page layouts and speech bubbles. Examples would be: Comic life 3 and Comic creator studio. there are others.
https://plasq.com/apps/comiclife/macwin/
https://summitsoft.com/products/comic-creator/
@3dartist10, @livepassioneveryday: Thanks for the generous feedback!
@livepassioneveryday, if I'm not mistaken you wrote about producing your story as a game, using RPG Maker. Have you considered visual novels. There is a forum thread about using Daz for visual novels.
Cheers!
Yet another comic panel I plan to share in my D&D campaign. When he's not adventuring with the rest of the party, Bernard the dwarf works on a personal vendetta against a rival thieves guild. The backstory is that years ago the guild struck at Bernard's clan, stealing their prized heirlooms. Aside from settling scores with poison and knives, Bernard is on a mission to collect the scattered treasure and redeem his clan's honor.
Thanks for your interest. Cheers!
Hey! Wow! I created a mock-up comic book cover about a week ago and thought I'd share it here as it fits the thread. Neat work CSAA! Going for that old 1920's vibe... I think that was about the time.
LINK TO MYSTERIOUS PLANET GALLERY POST HERE
This is probably some basics, but it is interesting to watch and acquire the knowledge about comics:
This one is even shorter:
@junk,
I've come across your wonderful art at the forum and in the galleries. Comic book covers like the one you just shared really fits well in this forum thread which, above all else, combines storytelling with imagery. Hope to see more.
Cheers!
https://blambot.com/pages/lettering-tips#gallery-1
Here is a tip on how to avoid the crossbar "i" in the middle of words, since I am still seeing it a lot. :)
Sgt. Inez, who usually chases after the bad guys, faces a tough situation. I still have a lot to learn about Clip Studio Paint beyond the basic touch ups and word blobs. So this is all for now. At least CSP handles the dotted/crossed "i" for me.
Thanks for your interest.
Cheers!
I like the art style with your Sargeant Inez character.
@FirstBastion,
Thank you. I try. It's fun bringing back the toon style I grew up enjoying.
In my mind, Sgt. Inez has a mix of Japanese, Malay and Spanish in her parentage. The character and the setting of the story is supposed to be in near-future SE Asia.
In terms of Daz G8F figures, there's a bit of Kim Seohyun and Grace Yong in her face, plus Jamile for the anime proportions. As I learn more about cel shading Daz assets in Blender, I make minor tweaks. There's still a lot to cover in terms of telling a good story with her character. Comic books have a visual grammar and conventions of their own that I'm just discovering.
Cheers!
A while back in the D&D game I run, the players found themselves in a setting that borrowed heavily from Greek mythology. Circe the Enchantress was a character I introduced, and to make the meeting interesting I wrote a short comic narrating the encounter. Back then I used Comic Life 3. Late this year I revisited Circe's figure and gave her an "upgrade" using Blender and Clip Studio Paint. Below are before-and-after images. Note that in both cases, I used Daz assets.
Thanks for your interest.
Cheers!
CC: @LynnInDenver
Tempestuous and vain, Circe gets upset really easily. In a pinch she'll cast a spell to turn any offender into a pig!
Why do digital comics makers love to do 'black on black on black'? It... Just... Doesn't... Work.
@Martirilla,
I wasn't sure if your remark pertained to the images I shared previously, or if you were opining about the state of things in general. Just in case it's the former, I opened the JPEG to check the RGB values. I'm pretty certain there was no black-on-black because the starry field in the character's outfit -- which is colored RGB black -- is set against a dark violet/purple background. Nowadays with varying display technologies we use, it's hard to compare colors and tones on a one-to-one basis unless folks employ a standard. To this end, callibration software such as Spyder helps cut down on misunderstandings.
As a matter of personal opinion or preference, part of me is on the same page with you. You see, I grew up in a culture in which the color black was shunned. Up until technicolor became widely used after 1950s/60s or so, film and TV were the only hold outs in the custom of avoiding black colors. Why the taboo? Well let's say that the culture strongly believes in forces beyond our comprehension -- Fate, spirits, Heaven and Hell, and so on. According to the logic of this world view, the color black was associated with death and bad luck; to use it was discouraged. But as an adult I discovered that other cultures give different meanings to the color black, that it could be associated with neutral and even positive meaning. My views have since become more expansive.
As a practical matter, I also understand why black-on-black, as you put it, "Just ... Doesn't ... Work". As a form of storytelling, cartoons and comics trace their roots to print medium. I was reminded of this recently when a client who commissioned a B&W illustration asked me to bring the grays back into the dark tones in the early drafts. The reason behind the critique wasn't aesthetic at all. The client intended to use the image in PDF book as well as in print. For the project's budget, the client wanted to avoid the expense that came with too much dark ink on white paper; not to mention the issue of fidelity between digital display and print. I wasn't 100% convinced, but I had no problem adjusting the shades and introducing fill-in patterns to suggest blackness. Things ended happily and I got paid.
Ultimately art is a form of language, yes? Just as with words, art has its own grammar and vocabulary that we use to express our ideas. And just as there is a polyglot of languages in the world, there's a multitude of ideas, many different points of view. I find it curious that people appear to suggest that there is a univeral, over-arching set of rules and conventions at all. A so-called One Ring To Rule Them All sounds true as an exception rather than as a norm. Hmm. So in the spirit of hearing out different opinions, why do you say, "to do 'black on black on black'? It... Just... Doesn't... Work." Maybe there's something I'm missing here.
Cheers!
It happens because there is a lack of training and the absence of editor who can overrule the artist's (wow, this is a tough thing to say without being really condescending) "lack of experience" in favor of readability.
I don't want to rattle off a long list of credentials, but I have them. I have been working as a creative professional (graphic designer, technical writer/illustrator, etc.) my entire adult life (more than 3 decades). I have also taught graphic design in college (which means I have a Master's Degree in the related subjects). And I'm not trying to squash your commentary (you definitely have an interesting world view), but perhaps you need a little more pracical education in graphic design. The real reason black on black is "shunned" in commercial art (and comics are commercial art: they are a commodity) is not cultural. It is 100% practical: The biology of the human eye is very good at detecting movement and nuances of color, but there must be a certain amount of contrast in order for us to see what's going on. When artwork doesn't deliver that contrast, often times the artwork fails. This is not to be confused with using negative space to isolate figures or to provide focus to a layout. We're talking about not using key lights or other techniques to isolate figures from a background when it is needed to advance the story. And Martilla is mostly right: Too many Web comics don't do that well.
I'm going tell you two things that I have told my students:
Now, all that being said before I slip away and go back into lurker mode (heaven knows I don't want to be called out again for being so negative), I want to add that I've looked at your work and I see the germ of something good there. I think that you need to work on your camera angles a little more, and also try playing with the focal length of your camera to add some variety and increase the impact of your figures (you will be surprised what going to a 25mm or even a 15 mm lense will do to your scene). And add more variety of figure sizes to your pages (in other words, sprinkle in more close ups and don't forget to add more establishing shots).
Good luck in the new year.
@mmitchell_houston,
Nothing given; in turn nothing received.
That's a sagely advice I remember from my art teacher that summed up the risks of putting oneself out on stage for critique. Believe it or not I'm not a glutton for punishment sharing my work on this thread. In the months that I've lurked here I realize there's a number of you who've Done the Do and have had solid experience under your belts. I'm genuinely looking for feedback, the kind that's specific, constructive and actionable. So I appreciate your response, particularly the practical pointers you've shared.
Cheers!
Wow! So many inspirational posts in this thread. I'm primarily a screenwriter but used DAZ to storyboard my latest film project and it was a lot of fun. I'm now exploring the possibilty of turning one or two of my scripts into comics or graphic novels. I already have most of the tools necessary (Photoshop, Comic Life 3, CSP) but it all feels so overwhelming and daunting. Especially figuring out how to achieve that perfect inked comic look and style. One of my fellow screenwriting friends is working on a horror comic series, but he partnered up with an artist and just sticks to writing. Does everyone here write their own stuff or do any of you collaborate with writers and focus on the art side?