More Non-photorealisitic Renders (NPR II)
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I’m a lot more critical of my own stuff. I tend to start something, then throw it out because it’s not good enough. It’s the main reason, you haven’t seen much lately.
I've never touched Comic Life, so I can't offer any advise on that program at all.
Tracking (and/or kerning) is the technical name for the space between letters. It can also be called Letter Spacing.
Here's a logo in (mostly) white that I did for a role playing game (someone else painted the cover art, but I did the logo and the author's name area (plus a lot of design elements on the back, which aren't seen here). Although the logo does work for this cover (yellow was completely washed out by the background), I think white with a hint of blue might work even better on your cover because it is darker than this.
I never throw anything away, but there is stuff in my vault that I don't bother to share. You never know... a year from now I may need a quick illustration for something and that thing I didn't like back then might be perfectly fine when I'm desperate! :-)
Trying sketch rendering in Unity of the freebie: MCS female by Morph 3D (division of Daz 3D)
https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/?stay#!/content/45807
You can always STROKE (Outline) your logo, use a drop shadow and a bunch of other things to make it stand out.
Or else you'll be changing its color every issue as the backdrop changes. What if you make sentinels white and then have a white or light backdrop?
Know what I mean? I got a logo list I wrote somewhere....hold on....
------------------- Ahhh here it is...... ------------------------
Follow a few simple technical rules and then some creative rules and you'll be fine.
Technical:
1) Must be legible and clear up close and far away. (Scaled large and small)
2) Works with the colors reversed and in Black and White. [in other words, your title works against a white or black background.]
3) Don't use an uncleared font (you don't have rights to).
4) Search to see if your title is already in use.
5) Make several versions, some that are vertical and some that are horizontal.
6) Do not make every word the same size or level of importance.
7) Study the titles that are effective and not just from popular properties.
Creative
1) Treat your title like a logo and make it an Image Of Words
2) The shape of your words should be easy to recognize.
3) Don't use a font as is, edit it and make it (more) your own.
4) Avoid strange words that your (target) audience is unfamiliar with.
5) Search for titles like yours and avoid being taken as a parody of another property.
6) Pick a title that SOUNDS good AND LOOKS good. Easy to pronounce.
7) If you feel compelled to use a bad title, reconsider and make it a subtitle.
8) Make several versions (no matter how great you think the first try is/was) and compare
9) A plain title can be jazzed up by adding non-words, including symbols and shapes.
10) Study MANY titles and avoid copying - even if you think it's an obscure property.
Thanks for the tips. Here is my latest fanart. Not 100% happy with this but here it is anyway
Well, if it helps, I’m 100% happy with it.
— Walt Sterdan
I appreciate that. The only thing I don't like is the building on the left. I don't like the texture.
Thane from Mass Effect 2 and 3
This was going to be photo-real but I just like NPR better. CyberPunk 2077
Nice work, tkdrobert.
Very good advice on logo creation, but I do have to comment on the note you have about needing to change the logo color every issue. MANY (if not most) comics do exactly that, and have been for decades.
If constant color changes are good enough for the "big boys" in the industry, it's good enough for you. I would hazard to say that the note above about color in logo design is really more important to product design that will be trademakred, rather than being particularly important to comic book logo design.
Thanks buddy.
Very cool and moody, but I'd like to see more of the green glow from the monitor on his body: that would give it more of a film noir feel. I like the details of the set design, but lighting-wise, I would recommend using a few spot lights to illuminate the key figures a little more.
Is this part of your upcoming project?
In Daz, I think I changed the lighting type on the screens and they didn't project as much light on the guy, but I thought it made them l look clearer. I also experimented with bloom but didn't like it. I struggled in postwork, trying to get the lighting level right. I did want that gritty/moddy feeling. Sometimes you just have to make a choice and pull the trigger.
Oh yeah, you can only do so much, especially for work that isn't going to print.
Have you tried putting in point lights to cast extra illumination? A tiny green point light between his head and the screen (hidden from view by his head) could cast a lot of green light on his face.
Or a very small, focused green spot on his face could add the glow.
Adding extra lights is something they do in movies all the time to shift focus to where it's needed.
Do you mean in DAZ or Photoshop? If you mean Daz, no. I thought the screen would cast the light. To be honest, I'm not sure if the Daz render failed to cast the light or it was washed out by accident in Postwork. I'd have to check the original render again. As far, as Photoshop, I've not had much luck using the point lights.spotlights included in there. Probably doing something wrong. I did successfully use the lense flare feature on another Cyberpunk/Noir render though.
I meant a point light in DazStudio. The lights in Photoshop are very clunky.
When I'm setting up a moody scene with lots of shadows, I'll put a pointlight near the object I want to illuminate (like a face or object).
My experience with screen casting light (and my experience is somewhat limited), I found that if you crank up the light too high it washes out the text/image on the screen. So adding a second light to fall on the subject does wonders.
I mention it just as something for you to consider.
that;s a great effect
Thanks a lot, head wax.
Understood.
Not to be a stickler, But I just gave advice about what you can do to avoid changing the logo and you show examples of the big boys doing what I said. In fact they double down as they change the color AND THE STROKE for all those covers. You would have to show me a white logo on a white backdrop (without a stroke) to make a real case.
The scenario we are working against is when you design a black/dark logo against a white backdrop. That's common. It makes sense not to notice on your FIRST issue because you had a light blue sky. But eventually when the backdrop gets complicated or night or space, you realize you need to make some changes. Not impossible to fix, but my advice is about pre-planning to avoid, not steps to fix.
If constant color changes are good enough for the "big boys" in the industry, it's good enough for you.
Actually, this is in reverse. Good design ideas are so good, the big boys know they should use them.
I think it must be the long work week, but I'm not sure what you mean in your post above.
I was saying that most of your points were spot on for logo and cover design (didn't say it in my previous post, but you are spot-on about the need to use different sized-type to emphasize what's important), the only point I disagree with is (if I'm reading you right) is that you are saying that the logo should use the same colors and stroke every issue. Am I correct? Is that what you were saying?
My point was – in citing those examples – was to show that using a single color and stroke throughout a series is not the standard in the comic book industry.
I also marked a line up above in red: I'm not sure what you mean by that. Could you expand on it a bit?
Looking forward to hearing more from you!
Mike
Well, I figured you didn't see that my first sentence was the context of the second.
You can always STROKE (Outline) your logo, use a drop shadow and a bunch of other things to make it stand out.
Or else you'll be changing its color every issue as the backdrop changes.
Sure, you can change colors every issue. That's anyones' choice. I was just saying that one of the ways to use the same color for every issue (and background) is to use a stroke (the border around all those titles).
All of those examples have a stroke or another element that 'frames' the logo to make it standout better against any backdrop..
We're all good now.
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So, I'm trying to make a MARS. I know it's red and has craters. So I made a red planet and added....craters. lol....
The thing is, what I see in all of these, is that cities are just lights - seen from outer space. Little dots of lights....in Grand Designer you can make roads and align the cities to the coasts so you get A TON of features to play with, but at the end- it's all just little lights.
I'll need to update my review of 2D because the city works, it's just that it ONLY works on the near surface and it looks like little lights. I thought I could add a city to the full circular planet floating in the center.
Interesting. In that last image, Mars looks a little purple.
That's me adjusting the hues so ignoring the color-blindness lol - that's a basic idea of what's on offer.
Okay. Got it. Thanks.
WIth the exception of the purple hue, that is what I’m looking for. I just need a space shot of Mars that looks like it’s lived on. I don’t need detailed looking cities.
Not really satisfied with this one. I'm struggling with motion scenes.
Part 2
Attempt 3:
Great then. Man, you crank out those renders.
When I was SUPER into Robotech. Comico released a HORRIBLE comic version of the series. I bought and read it - although I hated every issue.
I would have been so happy if you were around then and could have made the Robotech comic.