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What's with all the 3D modelling variant covers now?
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38 posts in this topic

1 minute ago, littledoom said:

Definitely not lazy. This takes a lot of time. A lot isn’t what it seems. This is art. Is it original? No. Does it sell? Yes. Comic publishers are in the business of selling and that’s smart. 

Its lazy. I used to do it for Game design. Its MUCH easier, way faster. 

Some do it better than others. Mayhews stuff lately is just awful and transparent. I am pretty sure Jorge Jiminez uses 3d for a base, but he draws so much overtop that it looks brilliant. MUCH more effort and skill. 

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1 minute ago, littledoom said:

Clayton Crain has been incorporating paint/digital for decades 

I'm aware. But there's a definitely difference there. Look at the effort he puts in. Like Jiminez, its clear anything 3d is just a base, NOT a key part of the work. He doesn't use it for everything either. 

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On 3/31/2021 at 8:13 AM, F For Fake said:

You know, it's a shame about those covers, because it's my recollection that Mike Mayhew actually can really flat out draw, and doesn't need the bells and whistles. To be sure, drawing digitally is still drawing, and you have to be a skilled artist to use those tools. But with covers like these, it's like they make the "digital" aspect the feature, rather than a tool to enhance the "drawing" part. Different strokes and all that. I'm sure some folks love it, because there seems to be a lot of it. For what it's worth, I hate comic covers these days anyway. Covers used to tell a story in and of themselves, and give you an idea of what you're going to be reading inside. Today, covers are essentially miniature posters, and who cares what's inside? A lot of cool images out there, but they have nothing to do with storytelling. Give me a solid bronze Marvel cover over all of the Artgerms in the world, any day of the week.

Agreed. I love Archie Digest covers. I have never been a bonafide Archie collector, but the covers always give you a great idea what the comic will be like. I have always wished superhero and other comics would do this more.

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On 3/31/2021 at 1:31 PM, littledoom said:

Definitely not lazy. This takes a lot of time. A lot isn’t what it seems. This is art. Is it original? No. Does it sell? Yes. Comic publishers are in the business of selling and that’s smart. 

 

 

 

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On 5/2/2021 at 7:46 AM, oldmilwaukee6er said:

Does Bjorn Barends on his Spawn covers count as 3d digital ?? It's my understanding that he sculpts a figure and then builds the cover image around it ...

spawn-313-barends-A.thumb.jpg.79ac6daffaf28aee232f65ad6626e54d.jpg

spawn-315_a4b51efb51.jpg.5761de9f75a945488d6a129369d628eb.jpg

JAN210218.thumb.jpg.83d8d3a8edc2b195d6104bd65bf8e9e2.jpg

STL182737_900x.thumb.jpg.b04ff186436c670f19252bb058950605.jpg

 

Good question. I've been on the fence with this guy. its clear hes using 3d models, but he does a lot of paintover work too...much more effort here. That said I still don't like them personally. :D

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Who the hell holds a knife like that?

Yeah maybe have your ring and pinky fingers out like that, but your index? Your index is the strongest part of your hand, he's looking to drop it, not look cool.

 

sadf3.JPG.f176267176307f446ed95a89080fe014.jpeg.jpg

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On 3/31/2021 at 1:31 PM, littledoom said:

Definitely not lazy. This takes a lot of time. A lot isn’t what it seems. This is art. Is it original? No. Does it sell? Yes. Comic publishers are in the business of selling and that’s smart. 

I started my career as a comic book artist for Marvel, DC, and Harris, then became a 3D artist in video games (Epic, Square, THQ, Universal), a VFX artist in films (Space Jam, Spider-man, Daredevil, etc), then started a school for Game artists. I have a lot of experience making in art in a variety of mediums, including 3D. Below are my comments:

1) I have never seen well-executed 3D art in a comic or on a comic book cover. It may exist but I haven't seen it. My overall impression is that the average quality is poor.
2) Making anything to a high level of finish in 3D takes much longer than making a drawing. This is why game artists will frequently throw together a few cubes or other existing assets, like vehicles made for a different project, to quickly lay out a scene, and then paint over it to add detail they don't have time to create in 3D. These are called "paintovers". The paintovers I've seen in the game and film industry are superior to the feeble attempts I've seen in comics.

3) The principal problems with comic book covers that incorporate 3D elements, either as a paintover or final art are: very poor textures, terrible lighting, lack of expected detail, poor drawing/painting skills.

4) My preference is for hand-drawn art but I do recognize that some artists are able to rough out otherwise time-consuming mechanical detail in 3D as a sketch for final art. When it is not rendered but inked like the rest of the art, this can look fine. I saw this recently in a Batman comic, though I forget the artist offhand. The scene included a complicated clock that would have taken considerable time to layout by hand.

www.paqart.com

Edited by paqart
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3 hours ago, paqart said:

I started my career as a comic book artist for Marvel, DC, and Harris, then became a 3D artist in video games (Epic, Square, THQ, Universal), a VFX artist in films (Space Jam, Spider-man, Daredevil, etc), then started a school for Game artists. I have a lot of experience making in art in a variety of mediums, including 3D. Below are my comments:

1) I have never seen well-executed 3D art in a comic or on a comic book cover. It may exist but I haven't seen it. My overall impression is that the average quality is poor.
2) Making anything to a high level of finish in 3D takes much longer than making a drawing. This is why game artists will frequently throw together a few cubes or other existing assets, like vehicles made for a different project, to quickly lay out a scene, and then paint over it to add detail they don't have time to create in 3D. These are called "paintovers". The paintovers I've seen in the game and film industry are superior to the feeble attempts I've seen in comics.

3) The principal problems with comic book covers that incorporate 3D elements, either as a paintover or final art are: very poor textures, terrible lighting, lack of expected detail, poor drawing/painting skills.

4) My preference is for hand-drawn art but I do recognize that some artists are able to rough out otherwise time-consuming mechanical detail in 3D as a sketch for final art. When it is not rendered but inked like the rest of the art, this can look fine. I saw this recently in a Batman comic, though I forget the artist offhand. The scene included a complicated clock that would have taken considerable time to layout by hand.

www.paqart.com

I love you. 

YOU, sir, are bang TF on. I did some texture stuff for Digital Extremes WAY back in the day and man the stuff I'm seeing now is so stiff and obvious. Those examples of Mayhews that I posted, how painful are those to look at? Looks like that reboot show from 20 years ago. Just amateur AT BEST. First year student really. Then then to produce "original artwork" out of it...ugh. 

Edited by mediaslave
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18 hours ago, mediaslave said:

I love you. 

YOU, sir, are bang TF on. I did some texture stuff for Digital Extremes WAY back in the day and man the stuff I'm seeing now is so stiff and obvious. Those examples of Mayhews that I posted, how painful are those to look at? Looks like that reboot show from 20 years ago. Just amateur AT BEST. First year student really. Then then to produce "original artwork" out of it...ugh. 

Here are some of my illustrations. No 3d involved, no paintovers, painted from scratch over my drawings. The Thor is acrylic on paper, the rest are painted in a 2D program called Sketchbook Pro.

Harsh Realm cover 01.jpg

Avengers 104 scaled.jpg

CF054385.jpg

Marvel Premiere 9 d.jpg

Captain America 164 reference 6.jpg

Hulk 168.jpg

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3 minutes ago, paqart said:

Here are some of my illustrations. No 3d involved, no paintovers, painted from scratch over my drawings. The Thor is acrylic on paper, the rest are painted in a 2D program called Sketchbook Pro.

Harsh Realm cover 01.jpg

Avengers 104 scaled.jpg

CF054385.jpg

Marvel Premiere 9 d.jpg

Captain America 164 reference 6.jpg

Hulk 168.jpg

I remember you posting these before! Good stuff :) 

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On 4/30/2021 at 1:01 PM, mediaslave said:

Mayhew strikes again. 

Weak. As. F.

Like, straight up poser models with minimal repainting. 

Why do these sell?

STWHIGHREP2020003_DC81_540x.jpg

STWHIGHREP2021004_DC91_540x.jpg

SWHR5A_COA_540x.jpg

I quite enjoy the first one and paid a good chunk of money for it. You're free to not buy any of this stuff.

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