Coinhero's sketchbook

[Coinhero]

MEGA SPAM

[Coinhero]

more hyper angle stuff


I keep adding and deleting the bg characters over and over and just can't decide what I want to do. I think I'll just get rid of them and polish some things here and there.



study of a background from Made in Abyss. I don't get how they make these backgrounds but they look super good and I want to make similar stuff but can't figure out the logic.

[darktiste]

I think in this case it clearly good use of the concept of camera angle and overlapping element and how the shape move the eye from the foreground to the background.I recommend learning about the principle of composition i have a few example of study i did on the subject in my sketchbook at the page 11 to 12 you can check how i approach studying those concept.

I recommend https://www.ctrlpaint.com/library

section 4) Composition Basics

to refresh your brain or to learn about those basic.

[darktiste]

I think in this case of that study the secret it clearly good use of the concept of camera angle and overlapping element and how the shape move the eye from the foreground,midground and background not only that but using also using the cast shadow to move the eye an create interest and contrast of light and dark to anchor this into realityto draw in the view with light.

I recommend learning about the principle of composition i have a few example of study i did on the subject in my sketchbook at the page 11 to 12 you can check how i approach studying those concept.

I recommend https://www.ctrlpaint.com/library

section 4) Composition Basics

to refresh your brain or to learn about those basic.

One last thing i want to mention is how the texture noise reduce as object vanish into the distanceThere also an other trick i call the camera focus for example putting blur in the foreground or background this reduce the time they have to spend on the render and it help them to frame element and in return they can invest more time rendering what is important to show.

[Coinhero]

So e few weeks ago a local game studio were a couple of my friends work opened up a job position for a 3D "Anime artist" whatever that means, basically a 3d generalist doing a little bit of everything. Naturally I applied but yesterday they hired someone so I guess the dream is dead for now. Anyway that's why I haven't posted anything here in a long time, Here's some of the 3D stuff I made in the last 2 weeks:







I mostly focused on overcoming technical problems and getting a good workflow going, also did a bunch of graphic design stuff that there's no point in posting here.



started this image yesterday to get my brain working with 2d again but I don't know if I'll do anything with it and I'm working on a photo study at the moment.

When I won the comic con art contest a month ago, got on stage and won some prizes it put me in a really productive and motivated mode but right now my head's not in it and I don't feel like doing anything. I still haven't missed a day of making art but lately it's been feeling pointless with no clear goal in mind and no project to work on. Back when I was still working on my university comic project "Momji" is when I made the biggest improvements just because I had a clear goal and I knew exactly what I have to do every day when I wake up. I need something like that to get me out of this slump, maybe dust off the part 2 script I wrote months ago and start working on a proper version of the comic and actually upload it online or just get a job working in some design studio pushing out shitty fliers and business cards all day, I have a degree in that after all.

also @darktiste I read your response the day you posted it and watched a lot of the ctrlpaint videos, I wrote up a response but didn't post it for whatever reason and then just never got around to doing so. But a good refresh it definitely what I need right now.

[Coinhero]

THE BIG GREEN SHAPE PAINTING



got bored making the previous version, this is more fun.
Also started sketching a spooky drawing but I might end up making it in 3D because it would be more fun

[Coinhero]

I started working on this thing



this is the sketch I made to establish what I want to paint, there were a couple of other versions but I painted over all of them.



some lines after a lot of fucking around trying to get something going, these were originally cropped much smaller hence why there's so much white space.



I made a 3D version to use as reference early and these lines are when I dropped the 3D sketch and just started doing whatever.



where it's at currently. I want to paint in a different style just to try and get out of the comfort zone, I also plan on making a more cartoon version of this like my normal painting style and a flat color version like from my previous post.
I have some sketches of different camera angles but I'll probably finish this because I already started and don't want to get burned out starting over and over again.

I like painting with just a flat no opacity or texture brush the most like in my previous post but I feel the need to change

[Fedodika]

I feel like your 3d is more careful and has better foundation than your 2d stuff; like if you built this witch piece in 3d and lit it, itd come out a lot stronger because the lighting would be more accurate. Aside from that you are developing an interesting style and i like how youre chiseling shadow shapes to find appealing angles and you have a subject matter you seem passionate about, which are these tiny anime girls, and that allows you to explore more and have more fun working

Like i feel if you were more dilligent with some of these pieces, they could potentially be a portfolio piece and of professional quality; Like the witch, if she was sculpted, with careful shapes and rendered in 3d, that'd be a usable design for say a video game.

or like this character
https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/ima...1570278441

if you took a razor type brush and made the edges less lumpy, say around the ears, and had a reference of a pro who you might like in a similar vein and really pushed the forms and refined them, this would also be a usable character. The presentation is good, I think with more TLC these could really shine, and i dont mean like a few minutes, like maybe a couple hours or days till its really bangin

[Rotohail]

I'm really enjoying the view from the top of that cliff, over a village. Awesome! Any tips on how to plan the lightning for those scenes? Also the girl jumping inside the river/lake/pond is really pleasing. The one with the water lotus leaves? not sure if they are called that, the ones coming up close should turn more towards the view so make the ellipses degree larger.
On a personal level, for that kind of style you are going for, using more curves and softer forms for the characters might be more appealing, and changing a bit the face proportions, but this is up to the artist so don't pay attention if you are happy with them.
So you do paintings/sketches for later on making 3D assets?

[Ash]

Nice work! I like both styles.

The rim of the hat is confusing, like a top and down view at the same time, as if it wraps around her head at 2 different places?

[Coinhero]

@Ash I just fucked up the hat :D I'm trying to get it right now, just wasn't thinking about it when I sketching.

@Rotohail That bird eye village image is a study from a background in an anime called Made in Abyss (3rd episode I think). As to how the lighting works I'm not too sure, I made that image to figure that out but the conclusion I came it is it's just a lot of tedious work till it looks right. I started off by painting the whole image with just 4 tones and divided everything in to really big shapes then just filled in the details but that approach works great for studies and not so much for making an original painting. It's just manga artists being crazy good.
I don't know what style I'm going for or what I want out of an image, I feel like I used to but don't anymore.
I recently started getting in to 3D and ended up really liking it so if I think one of my 2D images would make for a good 3D version I make it. For instance the elf bust I sculpted recently started out as a 3D project and I made a quick 2D sketch to use as a guide 

style wise I like making really sharp shapes with harsh shadows and overblown colors but I'm not sure if I like that anymore and I'm trying to go a lot softer now just to get good at it.

@Fedodika If I have to be honest my 3D is much more carefully made because I don't have much of a choice and I half ass all my 2D work. With 3D I really can't suggest detail the same way so I do much more studies and shoot reference for most things. Also sculpting feels really natural to me, I find it easier to sculpt anatomy than draw it idk.
For this witch image I might make a 3D version but it would be much more cartoony in style because getting the lighting to work and making a proper shader is too advanced for me + I like sculpting hair more than using a particle system. I keep drawing the same little girl "Momji" from the comic I made a while ago because it's much easier than coming up with new designs all the time and I've drawn her so many times now I can do it with my eyes closed, although I like really cartoony /stylized aesthetics like for example A Hat in Time. Drawing badass scenes and hot babes feels really awkward to me I rather make gap toothed elfs.

I'm going to be spending more time on  all my pieces from now on just to see how far I can push it. My sculpts look really lumpy for a couple of reasons, one being that blender doesn't have a box cutter tool yet so i can't make sharp cuts like in zbrush or 3dcoat but it's more that I'm not very good and use too many brush strokes to make things.
That little girls with the pink kigurumi that I animated a bit is actually "game ready" meaning I have all the maps made and working + it's rigged and everything, I can in theory put it in unreal and make a little walking character out of it. Making all these things for a super simple character like her is not a big deal but for that bust that you linked it would take me months x.x there's a lot of technical difficulties that take me forever (like baking a normal map and having it not look like shit)
I'm mostly looking at this guys art when sculpting www.artstation.com/yuukimorita it's nothing like what I make but it gives me a goal to strive for.

---

God this is a massive post



here's where I'm at. I keep making something work only to ruin in by painting over it and then I can't get it right again. Found some good reference for lighting but the problem is this angle make lots of really ugly shadows pop up in in places I don't want them to be. Looking at this on a tiny 13'' display (huion kamvas 13) is a pain in the ass because when I look at it on my main monitors it looks so much worst x.x 

I'll probably be repainting some parts like the hat and eyes now. I'm tempted to just bust out the old oil paints and repaint this whole image, I think it would be easier to get the look I want traditionally that struggling with digital.

looking at this image from far away it's really good but up close I hate it soo much it hurts

EDIT:
made a quick paint over 


not sure what I'll go with I'll wait till tomorrow so I can look at this with fresh eyes

[Fedodika]

i think you should carve more into the eyes and try to make them more appealing. they feel realistic right now and with the proportions you have its tipping into the uncanny valley but only a little. I think if you stylized them more itd fix it, that and spend more time on the hand as i dont find those bent fingers convincing. And perhaps add a more interesting expression than just neutral, that smoke could also be fun to paint, try bashing a photo of some clouds and adjusting the color to that green, add in some textures, see what you can pull off ;)

[Rotohail]

Oh I see! I'm gonna have to study at some point backgrounds from shows. I struggle with environments in general. More like avoid them! Ha... no, is not funny, I need to work on that!

Well there's no hard rule for style but, curves are appealing, more so if you go for dynamic gestures! Lots of sharp angles make things more rigid. Then also, softer forms I feel would match well your goals, doesn't mean you can't use sharp angles just try to combine them in a pleasing way, which is not easy to do but, look at pixar or disney, or what not! Anything that inspires you.

I would say for this last one, getting the face right would be important, is your big selling point I think! I think the paint over improved, the eyes, more of a neutral emotion now, not as much surprised as before. I would try other proportions for her features but that is better left to what you feel is pleasing for you. The far away eye looks a bit like is looking away from the cauldron. I would try a paint over if you like but it's the bane of my existence, I can do a quick drawing though, if you need assistance or a different take. Let me know.

[Coinhero]

Hard 



Soft



I like the hard version more but everyone that I've showed this to likes the soft one more so that's what I'm going with. I had a lot of things to say about this but here's a tl;dr instead: I feel like I'm just not good enough to paint certain things the way I want and it's killing my motivation. I'll probably touch up a few things here and there but it's more or less finished as far as I'm concerned mostly because I'm bored of working on this and I don't really like it all that much.
Started working on a 3D sculpt but it's a little too hard for me so I might give up on it not sure yet. It all depends on if I can get a good base to work on. Will post more later today.

edit: I forgot that I flipped it till I saw my previous post but I think I like it mirrored better

[bluehabit]

Very nice painting, the form reads really well on the face thats illuminated from the glowing pot. I like the hard version too! I would probably soften the value transition just a little bit on the cheek though. I really like this painting and its a nice work to get in the spirit of Halloween.

EDIT: Also love your under painting sketch, form reads well here even without light / rendering. Sketches I am still very weak on, your skills are impressive!

[Coinhero]

@bluehabit Thanks I worked on the face a bit more and ended up with a in between the 2 versions softening up the transitions as you said. The line sketch I wanted to be as easy to read as possible to save time in the painting part but when I started I realized that the sketch was all wrong. I made it look like a "good sketch" but it was all fake, like I made an illustration of a sketch not a sketch to work from. For my next image I'll do the same thing but have it not just look good but be good :D

---

working on a sculpt of Dizzy from Guilty Gear, mostly laying in everything I need and modeling little details. I hid the hands because they are only tubes and spheres at this point. I kind of started from the feet working my way up after I made the initial lay in of everything just to get used to 3D again. Still early-ish stages where I'm moving everything around to get the proportions that I want but it's getting there. I wish I could use some sub surface scattering but I can't figure out where to plug it in to my shader and not have it brake everything.

my main reference:



currently I'm working on the hair and after that I'll model the character behind her. The face is a huge problem like always mostly because "anime" doesn't really translate in to 3D and going for a more realistic approach makes more sense but is really hard to pull of. I can't really make a shader that's appropriate and vertex normal editing is a bit too much for me, I'll figure it out as I go. Also it would be cool if I can 3D print this but I'll have to change the pose a bit to make sure the figure doesn't brake and it would have to be a really big sculpt to get all the details right because my  friend that would print it has a really old 3D printer. I have to finish it first and not have it look terrible tho

[Rotohail]

Hey! The face on the painting improved quite a lot! I see you fixed the far away eye also! Good job! I personally think the original orientation worked for me better because I read left to right, so when seeing it I instinctively would catch a glance of the whole picture before stopping at the face, which is usually what draws attention. But for readers that go the opposite way (in case that's your way) this current orientation would make more sense. Opposite cultures!
Soft version also looks the best to me but hard ain't bad at all!

I can see what you mean with the face on this new one you are working on. Yeah I've stumbled upon the same issues when trying to paint way overly realistic shadings on abstracted styles, like you start to shade things like cheeks and eye sockets, and it starts to look weird quickly. The simpler the shading the better, on 3D that translates to custom shaders right? Or just soften the face forms quite a bit. Aesthetically I would try to match the face proportions to the original better, somehow, but that's up to you. I just suck at trying to blend realism into abstractions ha! So I take the easy route.
On the other hand you are rocking the body! Looking really good! Keep it up!

[Coinhero]

I spent too long making this and got super burned out towards the end, I wanted to do a lot more but I honestly can't stand looking at this anymore.
3D sculpt of Squiggly next and this time it wont take 2 weeks.

less tilted edit:
 I get really frustrated with how technical 3D is. For example I wanted to I wanted to make the little island she is on covered in moss / foliage, sounds easy but it really isn't. Making a particle system and painting on some grass models everywhere really didn't look right and them modeling stylized moss and manually placing it also didn't work too well, easiest solution is to just texture paint it but that doesn't work with the shader I'm using for everything else and looks super dark with my current lighting set up. I came up with a couple of different thing that would work after a while but the amount of time it would take me to get it done just isn't worth it. After making around 6-7 compromises like that it just killed my motivation and I found myself forcefully working on this rather than having fun. I guess it's just too hard and I have very little experience but really high expectations.

I think making these 3D sculpts is a really good way to learn drawing people, I'm constantly thinking about how things connect and bend, you can't really scribble something on and have it look "good enough". Down side is that mistakes are really easy to spot too but sometimes super hard to fix and you can only spend so much time trying to make the armpits and breasts not crash in to each other.



new thing I started working on. It's Squigly from skullgirls, more specifically her "daisy pusher" animation.
I learned a lot of things from my previous sculpt and have a bit more confidence going into this one. That  being said making a 3D model of a 2D image that was never meant to be 3D is always hard. Also I'm sculpting these without a base rigged mesh and in pose just to make things more difficult and force myself to learn more. 

@Rotohail The thing about making the face look stylized in 3D you either have to go low polly or know how to get the lighting and vertex normals right to get it to look "anime" but since everything else is more realistic-ish it would look out of place and there's just too many technical challenges. I remember before I started playing around with 3D looking at models on artstation and wondering why soo many people are going for a realistic look and now I get it :D it's not that realism is easier but makes more sense somehow. With her face I feel like I got the proportions right but there's sort of visual tricks lets call it at work with the reference image. For instance getting her chin to be soo small and pointed just doesn't work because if I make it not curve out and in to the neck it would look really bad in certain angles. Solution is to just have really sharp and flat lighting like in the original but I just don't know how to do that. 
Modeling everything is a much better approach for stylized 3D but I like sculpting a lot more because it's more "artistic" and more of a feeling rather than knowing all the hotkeys and functions to make a model look good.

tl';dr just not good enough to pull off the look I want.

[Leo Ki]

I don't do 3D and can't offer advice, but all your suffering paid off :)

[Ash]

Amazing!! Also, you really pulled off how the 2 characters on her back (her good & evil side?) gaze into each other, I think their interaction is even stronger than in the reference picture, because of how well you modeled his face and his expression.

For the witch, I think your observation is spot on, you're modelling her (with paint) beyond what's indicated on the sketch, so I think it's because you didn't work out those parts yet (like her cheeks, side of the nose and the plane just below her lips).

Great work!