Duke (art and characters)

[Enforcer84]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

I like them a lot Duke!

I gotta say though the lady in purple seems to be saying:

"Hey Rocky, watch me pull a bazooka out of my cleevage!"

 

just the position of her right hand

[Duke]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

enforcer you are totally picking up what I'm laying down! Thats exactly what she was doing.

 

Okay I'm a bit tipsy right now but it sure is funny to me.

 

Thanks again everyone.

 

[Storn]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Duke, I got some hopefullly constructive criticism and advice to lay down on you.

 

1. You tend to draw your heads a bit large and your hands a bit small. A hand, from the heel to the fingertip (outstretched) will cover the face from chin to eyebrow ridge. And if that hand is closer to the camera than the face, one has to adjust for that too, it will be slightly bigger.

 

2. coloring with a mouse is an exercise in insanity. Ask (BEG!) for a Wacom tablet for xmas. Or there are other cheaper ones on the market too. You do not need the largest size. Mine is 8.25x6.5... not huge and it works just fine. Works great in fact, I don't want a larger one even if I could have afforded at the time.

 

3. When working in photoshop, I use a duplicate layer set to "multiply". This is especially nice if I'm working over pencil, but is still nice when working over inks... because the lines will not be erased at all... if I want to change the color of a line or erase it, I work on a third, top layer set to "normal". The pristine layer is useful for when I make mistakes and need to select a selection quickly.

 

 

I think you've got real chops. Your coloring especially avoids a lot of the short cuts and repitition I see in a lot of other's digital coloring. There is a depth, a chewiness to your color that I quite like.

[greymankle]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

I use a .5 mechanical pencil to draw with first. I used to use regular to achieve that thick and thin quality line, but now I find it is much easier to use a mechanical pencil as it saves time on sharpening. HB for the lead, but depending on the time of year and time of day I change that up or down the scale. (temperature of course effects lead in the way it comes out)

I like to illustrate on Strathmore 300 Series Bristol smooth. So far I have not found a paper that works better for inking.

I use staedler pigment liner pens for inking. Since I work at 8 X 11 size usually I tend to use sizes .005 to 3 for widths.

After that I use any old scanner and of course scan it in.

Photoshop is used after that to balance out the white and black to get as much of a cutout as I can without it eating into my line work too badly.

Then of course comes the laborious task of rendering the image in colour with photoshop. I use a regular mouse no fang dangled pens or anything like that. Colouring usually takes anywhere from 6 to 8 hours it seems. though if a background is added it would take a lot more time.

 

Wow that was... specific. 6 to 8 hours for coloring? Thanks for the breakdown.

[Blue]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

1. You tend to draw your heads a bit large and your hands a bit small.

See, now I tend to think of that as a distinction of Duke's style. Most artists tend to have something that makes their work stand out from others, much the way that some draw big manga-sytle eyes. I wouldn't change it (Unless it bothers you, Duke).

[Storn]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

See' date=' now I tend to think of that as a distinction of Duke's style. Most artists tend to have something that makes their work stand out from others, much the way that some draw big manga-sytle eyes. I wouldn't change it (Unless it bothers you, Duke).[/quote']

 

Duke asked for feedback so he could improve.

 

There is style. And there is simply wrong. The head size is *bordering* on simply wrong. Look at the demon-y martial artist. If his head wasn't so large, the bent arm would look *right*. Now, it looks small, stiff and pulled into the body...not fluid or dramatic.

 

But the difference of "wrong" and "style" is sometimes a milimeter difference.

 

Here is a good rule of thumb for art.

 

You need to KNOW the rule of thumb before you can break it. The great manga artists REALLY know their anatomy. The hacks do not. The great manga artists KNOW how far they can push the distortion. The hacks just copy the distortion.

 

Not that Duke is hack. I think Duke is simply in the learning process...as we all are.

[Susano]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

You need to KNOW the rule of thumb before you can break it. The great manga artists REALLY know their anatomy. The hacks do not. The great manga artists KNOW how far they can push the distortion. The hacks just copy the distortion.

 

This is why many of the great cartoonists can sit down and draw up some amazing "straight" figure drawings. They can draw the real thing and then know how to apply that to creating a caricature.

[Enforcer84]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

This is why many of the great cartoonists can sit down and draw up some amazing "straight" figure drawings. They can draw the real thing and then knowhow to apply that to creating a caricature.

I know that's how Rob Liefield describes his art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

what?!?

[Duke]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

Storn now that you mention it, I'm sitting back and I'm looking and you are correct. The heads are a bit large compared to the figure. It's something I'm just noticing now. I think it may be because for the last year or so I have been illustrating toons, which as we all know have larger heads.
In example:





Its something I'll be watching more closely in my next few comic illustrations.
Its interesting that you use multiply to keep your line layer.

This is what I do.
When the illustration is just inks I go to channels. I grab and drag the blue layer to the new channel.
Then I switch back to layers. I then create a new layer. At the top I go to select > Load selection. I go to the channel drop down menu and I select blue copy and I check the invert button and hit okay.
Then I hit D on my keyboard to bring the colours back to black and white. Then I hit alt+blackspace to fill the area with the foreground colour. That being black. I do this two times just to be sure to get a solid black.
After that I do all my colour work on a new layer below the black line layer.
Any effects I want over the line I do on layers above the line layer.

Thanks so much for your advice, and about the colouring too. I'm just experimenting with this new colouring style.

greymankle No problem. If you ever have any questions that I can answer, I'll always do that to the best of my ability. After all I ask tons of questions all over the place.

Blue wow that was weird. I don't think that I've ever had anyone say that before. What I'm gawking at is that you said Duke's style. In my 30 years no one has ever used that term about my work. I have a style! Thanks, though personally I tend to find many "artists" use that word to cover up their mistakes. But seriously thanks that does mean something to me.

Storn I agree with you there. Style is something that an artist may try to achieve it is not an excuse for their shortcomings. Example would be cubism. That is a style, not one I am fond of but it is a style. Rob Liefield drawing the Juggernaught with 70+ teeth is not style, that is just stupidity. I don't think anyone that can draw would ever say that they are not in the learning process. Art is something that no one can ever truly master.

Susano I totally am picking up what you are laying down!

Thanks again everyone for all of the great feedback and interesting conversation.

And now for something completely different...

Here is an illustration of Soma designed by Chad Michael Ward that I did for the old opi8.com site started by Warren Ellis.



And here is another older illustration I did, that may be good as a nasty bad guy!

[Enforcer84]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Dayum! That's some cool work there Duke! I am humbled by your mastery of color and light

[Black Talon]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

I must thank Duke (my GM) for a great character picture! He turned out exactly like I imagined! With a little bit of Duke-love for the Blue Beetle thrown in!

 

Now if we can only get out of the sea cave and away from those fish-hybrids and their undead master maybe I can do the picture some justice!

 

Excelsior!

[radioKAOS]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

I must thank Duke (my GM) for a great character picture! He turned out exactly like I imagined! With a little bit of Duke-love for the Blue Beetle thrown in!

 

Now if we can only get out of the sea cave and away from those fish-hybrids and their undead master maybe I can do the picture some justice!

 

Excelsior!

 

Damn Skippy Des old boy

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Now yah have to do Orion for Craig's Champions of Vancouver game.

 

 

QM

[Blue]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

This is why many of the great cartoonists can sit down and draw up some amazing "straight" figure drawings. They can draw the real thing and then know how to apply that to creating a caricature.

When I was a kid, I attended a comic convention in Anaheim, when they used to hold one there. I think it was Jim Shooter, who was Editor-in-chief at the time, who said that the biggest problem he had with hiring artists was that they could come in and draw someone in costume, but if you asked them "Draw a man in a business suit" or "Draw a woman in a skirt and blouse" they'd have all kinds of problem.

[Duke]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Thanks again Enforcer. I'm still aiming to try something with a harder light source as shadow pools are my bane. I hate inking them and I think that it can also be achieved better through colour.

 

nevereverend thanks, though I'm trying to get away from doing toons for awhile. I needed to get focused again on something closer to realism.

 

Black Talon thanks once again. And even more thanks for the money for the drawing.

 

RK your next of course.

 

Question Man, that may be an idea but I am already finished the sketch for his character in our game. Maybe soon though. I heard the debate of spandex vs herc.

 

Blue you know I think that is totally true. Also try getting a lot of those artists to do backgrounds, or convery the proper emotion for a panel besides the few plastic expressions that comic characters always seem to have.

[Duke Bushido]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Duke----

 

I am so glad I stumbled across this thread!

 

Your art is great, and reminiscent of the work of Mark Williams, without whose art I probably would never have even noticed Champions all those many years ago, and been a much less satisfied person today.

 

Thanks for the art, good stuff!

and thanks for the nostalgia.

 

 

(the other) Duke

[Duke]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Thanks Duke Bushido.

I'm not sure I'm familuar with Mark Williams art. I did a search in google and I found some things about him but I can't seem to find any of his work. I would love to see some though if our work is simular in style.

 

I used to have 4th edition and Danger International years ago so I may have seen their work through time.

 

Once again thanks man.

[Duke Bushido]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

I never owned DI (curses! 8D ), so I can't say.

 

But he did, I believe, the bulk of the art for 2E and many supplements up through 3E. When I was appreciating the first few character pics you put up, I was physically struck by the similarities-- as I said, it was a trip down memory lane, and such vacations are always pleasant.

 

Sadly, I have been lead to believe that Mr. Williams is no longer with us.

 

Please, understand that I merely mention similarities; viewing your later works shows that your own art has advanced to a level that I never saw from him, and everything you've supplied here is sublime.

 

Duke (

[AlHazred]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Hmmm. Mark Williams. Now that you mention it, I do see a resemblance... That's a good thing! Mark Williams' art did much to define the style of the old Champions.

[Duke]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Alright now I'm going to have to go hunting for some old hero products.

[Duke]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Its been awhile and I should have a new picture to post up here soon. I did do 3 rush illustrations for the Digital Hero 33 though that is now going to be a skip month.

 

Why am I posting?

 

Last night I started making a map for my next adventure for my online champions game. Its only a fraction complete but I thought I would make it available for anyone else that may be interested in using it. I know that there are never enough maps.

Anyway I put up a jpg version of it here for any takers.

(edit taken down now to clear space on the site)

 

 

Enjoy

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Never mind that just keep making characters.

 

Craig is working on X-Men 3 as one of the Multipul Men BTW.

 

Cheers

 

QM

[RobCRogers]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Its been awhile and I should have a new picture to post up here soon. I did do 3 rush illustrations for the Digital Hero 33 though that is now going to be a skip month.

 

Why am I posting?

 

Last night I started making a map for my next adventure for my online champions game. Its only a fraction complete but I thought I would make it available for anyone else that may be interested in using it. I know that there are never enough maps.

Anyway I put up a jpg version of it here for any takers.

http://www.mayhemunited.com/champions/maps/city1.jpg

 

 

Enjoy

 

Hey, that's terrific! Do you use a program to create any of the map? If so, which one?

[Duke]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Oh is he now!

Thats damn cool.

 

So no more dungeon seige for him I guess then.

[radioKAOS]

Re: Duke (art and characters)

 

Wednesday was my last Dungeon Siege day as far as I know... looking forward to some work on X-3 where you can actually see my face...