dd's "Higher Education" chapter illustrations

woman22980 · Post by **woman22980** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 1:59 am

Taurec wrote:Thanks for the helpful links and sketches.

No problem, and thanks! If anyone needs art related links I have TONS of really great ones.

I've gotten the inked version done of Sousuke carrying Kaname to the hospital. On the picture - I still don't like Sousuke's head in the main frame so I think I'll be searching through my manga for reference to change it. I don't really like the top frame either but that one really is the best I think I can do with my present level of skill. The last frame in the bottom right I like the best, and though it'll be receiving a few changes when gradients are added the basic line structure won't change at all.

-_- ......my arm hurts..... Av? can I have some aspirin?

Sgt. Sagara Sousuke · Fri Aug 06, 2004 11:30 am

Nice. His hair looks funny but I can't quite place it. You make me feel like drawing too. Actually, since I'm in class and this class is so boring, I'll just draw. The teach will never know...

Too bad I have no scanner and will have to up it on Mon

dd · Post by dd » Fri Aug 06, 2004 11:36 am

@sss

Hair looks a bit odd out of context.... but Sousuke has just come out of a fight with a bunch of terrorists, so he needn't be well groomed.

Carrying a wounded and unconscious (or semi-conscious) girl from a fight... not the best time to take out a comb...

terran empire · Post by **terran empire** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 11:39 am

Sgt. Sagara Sousuke wrote:Nice. His hair looks funny but I can't quite place it. You make me feel like drawing too. Actually, since I'm in class and this class is so boring, I'll just draw. The teach will never know...

Too bad I have no scanner and will have to up it on Mon

Pay Attention MR. Sgt. Sagara Sousuke

drawing in class is nothing i watched anime in class now that is goofing off

Avlor · Post by **Avlor** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 1:44 pm

/Av pulls a bottle of aspirin and a bottle of water out of her need it now pocket.

there you go Wo0.

You do a beautiful job at inking your pictures. (I'm jealous!)

woman22980 · Post by **woman22980** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 4:51 pm

/Jenn takes bottle of aspirin and pops a few.

Thanks Av.... I'll get back to work now

*L*

I think I figured out what's wrong with Sousuke's face - one, his hair highlights are all wrong, as well as his hair going too high. two, his jaw should be more square, and third, his eye shape needs to be altered slightly. Sousuke's eyes generally have no outward curving parts, only inwardly curving ones.

So! Thank God for computers since pixels can be moved, added, and erased infinitely. With ink on paper, once the ink's on there it's NEVER coming off, so you either do it right the first time or it just stays wrong. I've actually thought about doing some of these illustrations on vellum paper, because on that at least you can erase ink using a special eraser. But then I have to cut and size it myself, and it's a lot more delicate than the manga paper... *sigh*

woman22980 · Post by **woman22980** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 8:47 pm

I implemented the tweaks to Sousuke's head the inked picture, check it out again and tell me what you guys think! I'm going to leave the old pic up for comparison (for a while anyway) If no one has any other suggestions I'm going ahead with the screentones and shading!

Avlor · Post by **Avlor** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 8:54 pm

It does look better.

Just a thought tho... my initial impression is there's something wrong with his eyes (particularly the pupils). ARe they a bit too far apart or is it the higlights tricking my eyes? (I also may be misinterpreting where his eyes are focusing...)

cultnirvana · Post by **cultnirvana** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 8:57 pm

Oh, that looks so great!! How do you keep the lines so clean?

woman22980 · Post by **woman22980** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 9:08 pm

@Av - Yeah, I think you're right, I think it's that his pupils are too large (no eyelight in that frame), so I modified the pic again. Go ahead and check out the original link. It's also a larger version by 2x so you guys can see things better.

@Cult - thanks! answer is that I don't! The original inking always has various pen mistakes, jitters in the lines, blotches, that kind of thing. It gets scanned at 300dpi then cleaned up in photoshop, which is a very long and aggrivating process. It's a good lesson in "do it right the first time and you won't have to do it again." *sigh* practice.... practice....

/EDIT - this is the head referenceI was thinking of when I revised the picture. Would have been smart if I'd referenced it from the beginning, grrrrr........

Avlor · Post by **Avlor** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 9:13 pm

I think the smaller pupils help alot. A little easier to tell where he's looking.

(Also adds to the "shock" feeling)

terran empire · Post by **terran empire** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 9:40 pm

well done my dear well done

dd · Post by dd » Sat Aug 07, 2004 1:05 am

tell me what you guys think!

Awful!

As in awfully good!

Sgt. Sagara Sousuke · Post by **Sgt. Sagara Sousuke** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 4:53 am

Pretty picture...

How do you make the line so dark? Do you enhance them after you scan the pics?

woman22980 · Post by **woman22980** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 7:03 am

dd wrote:Awful!

As in awfully good!

Thank you! I'm going to start working on roughs of some (hopefully all) of those scenes you'd mentioned before, then we'll have a poll!

Sgt. Sagara Sousuke wrote:How do you make the line so dark? Do you enhance them after you scan the pics?

Hmm.... process..... *thinks* Ok! Answer to your question is yes! I start out with the pencil drawing, then take my trusty Micron pens that I have from my architecture classes and go over all the lines as best I can. With inking pens not all pens are created equal, some are actually a dark brown or red, or are grey instead of black. The Micron ones are very good, they produce a very nice black line, however even with the good pens the scan needs to have the lines darkened some, so....

I scan at 300 dpi then use Photoshop for everything else from touchups to screentones. I convert the scan to Greyscale mode, then using Brightness/Contrast I turn the contrast up high enough to make most of the areas completely black, but without distorting the lines (which can happen if you turn it up too high.) This takes care of 90% of the making the lines solidly black effort, and then touchups to areas that need to be darkened is usually just with the paintbrush tool as I go along cleaning up. You can also use the Burn tool to achieve the same darkening effect as brightness/contrast, and I do occasionally.

So, on to the newest finished picture! This is the LARGE file, and this is the SMALL file. I felt like I was running out of different textures to use for their clothes and the background, but I think it contrasts enough I'm happy with it. My favorite pattern is the one for Kaname's shirt. My favorite part of the picture... I'm caught between the closeup of Sousuke's face and the tree in the background. /woman22980 likes drawing trees, which is good because she drew TONS for architecture class.... but also likes lots and lots of Sousuke too

Hmm.... what else.... I probably spent about 6-8 hours touching up the black outline and putting the screentones on. It probably took another 4-6 hours to get the original sketches correct as well, so around 12 hours total? I should start timing myself.

Suggestions for change are always welcome! Thanks to Av's suggestions for instance Sousuke's eyes in the main frame look much better. (he looked like he might have a concussion before with those blown pupils

)