Outstanding Pajamas Wip

[StashBoogy]

Hi all --

I started with Flash about a year or so ago. After the first month I put together this little prequel vid for a series I'd written. It's a bit rudimentary, but since it's a prequel, it sorta works that it's not too pretty.

"Push to Start"

I'm hoping to have the series and all the associated bits going by this Summer. We'll see. Been a long year of learning and trial and error. I actually drew and scrapped and started the models from scratch three times. And being that there are 13 characters, turned out to be a lot of work!

I though I'd start a little on-going WIP thread here for anyone who's interested. Thanks!

Attached is the primary EST shot.

[StashBoogy]

Damage pic

[StashBoogy]

Damage "toon style" pic

[StashBoogy]

Grithrumlief pic

[StashBoogy]

Maca pic

[StashBoogy]

Psylo pic

[StashBoogy]

Sgt Baumstien pic

[StashBoogy]

Redeye pic

[StashBoogy]

Magnolia pic

[StashBoogy]

Supreme Beings pic

[372]

I like your designs. Although that animation had pretty weak well...animations going on. Felt more like watching an loosely animated story board, I would suggest you emphasize moment in the characters and their actions.

[StashBoogy]

At 2/15/13 12:55 AM, 372 wrote: I like your designs. Although that animation had pretty weak well...animations going on. Felt more like watching an loosely animated story board, I would suggest you emphasize moment in the characters and their actions.

Yeah, like I said, that was the pretty much the first ever animation I did when I first learned Flash. But I felt it was enough to at least convey, like you said, moving storyboards.

The actual series that I've been working on is full on animation. Really excited to get the first episode up here on Newgrounds. For some reason I wasn't able to upload this original prequel because of size constraints. That might be something I need to figure out sooner than later since the first episode is longer than the original animation. It must be some issue with the export. It's just the normal H.264 format I use every place else on the web. Not sure why Newgrounds specifically took issue.

But anyway, yeah -- the actual series is lightyears better (I think). I'm also working concurrently on the comic book and another web series that's a parody of some animated characters, which I'm going to try and premiere the same day as Outstanding Pajamas. We'll see.

Thanks for the feedback! :)

[bigjonny13]

How many of these are traced?

[StashBoogy]

At 2/15/13 01:36 PM, big-jonny-13 wrote: How many of these are traced?

The comic style images are largely CGI. I use a bunch of different render filters and then tinker around to clean things up. I mostly do PS stuff, though the line work happens in the actual programs except where I need a specific effect. It's efficient and leaves me more time for the animation stuff. :)

[StashBoogy]

At 2/15/13 07:19 PM, BCRice wrote:

At 2/15/13 01:36 PM, big-jonny-13 wrote: How many of these are traced?

The comic style images are largely CGI. I use a bunch of different render filters and then tinker around to clean things up. I mostly do PS stuff, though the line work happens in the actual programs except where I need a specific effect. It's efficient and leaves me more time for the animation stuff. :)

^ Not sure if that answered your question. lol I guess...none are traced? Unless you count what the computer does?

[bigjonny13]

At 2/15/13 07:41 PM, BCRice wrote:

At 2/15/13 07:19 PM, BCRice wrote: The comic style images are largely CGI. I use a bunch of different render filters and then tinker around to clean things up. I mostly do PS stuff, though the line work happens in the actual programs except where I need a specific effect. It's efficient and leaves me more time for the animation stuff. :)

^ Not sure if that answered your question. lol I guess...none are traced? Unless you count what the computer does?

CGI meaning what? Rotoscoped?
I'm just asking because there are some big jumps in quality between some images.

[StashBoogy]

At 2/16/13 01:27 AM, big-jonny-13 wrote:

At 2/15/13 07:41 PM, BCRice wrote:

At 2/15/13 07:19 PM, BCRice wrote: The comic style images are largely CGI. I use a bunch of different render filters and then tinker around to clean things up. I mostly do PS stuff, though the line work happens in the actual programs except where I need a specific effect. It's efficient and leaves me more time for the animation stuff. :)

^ Not sure if that answered your question. lol I guess...none are traced? Unless you count what the computer does?

CGI meaning what? Rotoscoped?
I'm just asking because there are some big jumps in quality between some images.

Oh, gotchya.

So there are differences between some of the images. For instance, the animation style stuff is free hand. The rest of the comic book style images are 3D model characters using different toon renderings, and then the backgrounds are typically either painted free hand, 3D CGI renders with various toon filters, or 3D CGI renders with paints.

I do a lot of little things to the 3D characters like adding reflections and stuff, but mostly they're built, morphed and then rendered in-program. It doesn't make for a perfect final product, but for someone without a lot of traditional pencil skill, it does a pretty good job. I'm always working at being a better artist, even if that style of art is a mishmash of different disciplines.

There *is* though one rotoscope item which is the little signature pic -- but that's actually a still from a rotoscope video of a friend acting as Damage. It's sort of a surrealist dream sequence thing. I'm about 50% done with it, but it's not really taking precedence right now against the other stuff. And since it's 12fps FBF, it's pretty labor intensive.

With all the different means we have to create things nowadays it can be pretty overwhelming, that's why I'm trying to just keep my focus on the short term goals which is the Flash series and the web comic stuff I'm working on. But I do plan on keeping on working towards the rotoscope, live action and CGI shorts as well.

Hopefully that answered your question. The *least* manipulated 3D renders would be the wizard and military guy pics, while the most altered would be Maca and The Supreme Beings (and consequently, the Supreme Beings pic is nearest to what I'm doing for the web comic). And you bring up a great point about when using CGI -- you really have to come to a specific style and palette for everything to mesh well. Right now all of these images could not exist in the same page together. It's been sort of an ongoing WIP over the last couple years. :)

[bigjonny13]

At 2/16/13 09:28 AM, BCRice wrote: Right now all of these images could not exist in the same page together. It's been sort of an ongoing WIP over the last couple years. :)

Okay, so for most of these images, they are made from a pre-made human model, and you just edit them as needed?

[StashBoogy]

At 2/16/13 11:22 AM, big-jonny-13 wrote:

At 2/16/13 09:28 AM, BCRice wrote: Right now all of these images could not exist in the same page together. It's been sort of an ongoing WIP over the last couple years. :)

Okay, so for most of these images, they are made from a pre-made human model, and you just edit them as needed?

Right. The way 3D models work, is that each character is modeled and then render filters are applied depending on what sort of final image you're looking for. For animated models you usually start with a set skeleton and muscle maps and then model from there. Some people go for more realistic style 3D images, but I decided to spend my efforts working towards a more traditional comic book style. Some people do employ a more traditional CGI render style for their comics, though, and they do work IMO. This one here uses more traditional rendering filters: Dreamland Chronicles

But there's a million different ways you can go nowadays. Which I think is just awesome for the medium. Here's even a live action photomanip comic that works IMO: Night Zero

I think we're still in a transitional period where people aren't 100% accepting of comics that aren't pencil-only. Animated films went through the same growing pains early on. But I think with time people will start to see 3D comics and even Photo comics as being something acceptable in the genre. But for now, I personally think it's best to stay as close to traditional comic book art as is possible for the widest range of reader acceptance.

[StashBoogy]

Here's a bit of the rotoscope vid WIP:

Damage Dream WIP

This was my very first go at lip sync when I opened Flash. I've since changed the character designs pretty dramatically:

First lip sync test

And although this is probably the back end of the back burner project associated, this is one of the shots from the (traditional) CGI Outstanding Pajamas short film:

CGI short

Like I said, though, my main focus right now is the Flash series and the comic.

[StashBoogy]

Crimson Menace pic

[StashBoogy]

Rougemaj pic

[gayhobbit]

At 2/17/13 07:34 PM, BCRice wrote: Rougemaj pic

Those are some great costume designs on the Supreme Beings image up near the top. I like that wizard image too (the first one), except for that lens flare, it is digital art taboo! The only thing that bothers me about the 3D rotoscoping is that it makes your characters and environments look lifeless and shadows are non existent or very off. To help with fixing the lifelessness, aside from working more with body language, I would add variety with thick and thin lines (the lines don't feel like part of the art, but like they are just there for convenience) and add atmosphere to those backgrounds.

On that last image, I like the expression. It seems like you put a lot more effort into the characterization than you did with the others. Neat ideas, keep working it!

[StashBoogy]

At 2/17/13 07:59 PM, gayhobbit wrote:

At 2/17/13 07:34 PM, BCRice wrote: Rougemaj pic

Those are some great costume designs on the Supreme Beings image up near the top. I like that wizard image too (the first one), except for that lens flare, it is digital art taboo! The only thing that bothers me about the 3D rotoscoping is that it makes your characters and environments look lifeless and shadows are non existent or very off. To help with fixing the lifelessness, aside from working more with body language, I would add variety with thick and thin lines (the lines don't feel like part of the art, but like they are just there for convenience) and add atmosphere to those backgrounds.

On that last image, I like the expression. It seems like you put a lot more effort into the characterization than you did with the others. Neat ideas, keep working it!

Thanks! Yeah, I really like using 3D models because it just saves a ton of time and things stay consistent which leaves me more time to focus on the writing. But it's important that I infuse the characters with the appropriate body language and emotion. The color palette overall I'm trying to keep two-tone and very flat, ala Watchmen. I've been working a lot of different ways to improve the line weights, but it's still a work in progress.

[StashBoogy]

Reflux pic

[StashBoogy]

Tantrum pic