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3d models and doing everything on the computer

David Finch leaves Batman for JLA. He states at the end of the article that he is no longer penciling but using the computer, doing his own inks and using 3d models.

I waited on a David Finch commission waitlist for over 2 years and then he up and canceled the whole process. I'm not really an unbiased reader. I hold a grudge and now don't think much of him.

Maybe a real artist could give us their opinion on relying on 3D modeling. Is this a crutch?

Comments

  • David_DDavid_D Posts: 3,881
    Paging @Zhurrie

    (I know he had knowledge and a point of view on this subject)
  • I guess it would depend on how he's using the 3D models. Is he pasting them directly into the artwork and tracing over them, or is he using them as he would a real model, to sketch from and get details on light and shadow, how the cape folds fall, etc. If it's the latter, then a lot of artists over the years are guilty of the same sin, except that they used real people instead of a computer program.
  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,736
    As part of the preparation for the New 52, DC has been gathering a library of 3-D models for things like the Batcave, the Batmobile, Gotham City, Justice League headquarters, etc., that all the artists can access so that there’s more consistency to their world and so artists don’t have to spend a lot of time going through stacks of comics for reference. As new things are created, they get added to the library.

    Now, I don’t know if Finch is going beyond that and using Poser or creating his own models for characters or not. Like Chuck said, it depends on how he’s using it. And whether an artist uses 3-D models or not, they still have to tell the story. They still have to design the panels and the page layouts. That’s the most important part of their job. 3-D models can be just another tool, just like artists from the ’30s on into the ’90s had their swipe files and like artists of the past decade had Google Images at their disposal.

    A lot of artists have already switched to digital, and a lot more will soon follow. Partly because they can then take their work anywhere and not be stuck in their studio. And partly because the traditional tools—brushes, ink, pen nibs—have become less consistent in quality and less reliable, while the quality of the digital technology has gotten closer and closer to the look and feel of the traditional tools.

    What it boils down to is that comic books are a form of commercial art, and as such the end product is all that really matters. Of course, we comic book fans are a romantic bunch, so many of us tend to see comic book art as much more than that. But as long as he’s taking those models and making them his own when he designs the panels and when he inks them, I don’t see a problem with it.
  • TorchsongTorchsong Posts: 2,794
    The proof of the pudding will be in the eating. I think we've all seen evidence of poor use of 3D rendering, and also some that's truly jaw-dropping. At the end of the day you have to ask yourself if you're enjoying what you're looking at, and perhaps not take into account how the artist got to that point.
  • Who cares as long as the end product is good.
  • I got the impression he's just talking about backgrounds. I don't mind it as long as it's actually drawn to look consistent with the rest of the work, rather than just being a mechanical image slapped into the background. Joe Quesada does a great job of it.

    There are theories that even some of the old masters used rudimentary projection. If you demand realism, there's going to be reference involved. No one can draw original poses and scenes photorealistically from memory, unless they're drawing from a limited repertoire of memorized work.
  • I suggest reading this book, The DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics by Freddie E. Williams III, to learn more.
  • jaydee74jaydee74 Posts: 1,526

    I suggest reading this book, The DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics by Freddie E. Williams III, to learn more.

    That's actually a great book and very insightful.
  • DoctorDoomDoctorDoom Posts: 2,586

    Who cares as long as the end product is good.

    I hear that.
  • John Byrne, love him or hate him, has done some very innovative things using 3d models and rendering in his art. For elements such as cars, robots, planes, buildings, etc. in the Batman Superman Generations series', he modeled the objects, posed them, and rendered them using a special technique that actually looked like his inking. Then he printed them out, and pasted them directly into his art. Then he inked them just a little more to make them blend in. It's pretty seamless.
    image
    image
  • TobyToby Posts: 91
    Tonebone,
    Really appreciate that input! Read a review recently of Trio and was saddened that it wasn't good. I used to buy everything from him no matter what. The robot above reminds me of Warlock from New Mutants done by Bill Sienkiewicz. The proof will be in the pudding, as stated by so many so far.

    Toby
  • To elaborate on Byrne's technique, he made the models with chrome materials, so they would be super-reflective. Somehow, he also made them render with a "toon" outline. Then he created a texture of some messy brushwork, and mapped it to a huge dome over the model. When the model rendered, it reflected the dome's brushwork, and looks like Byrne's brushwork on the surface of the model. He printed it out and touched it up to make it blend with the other artwork. It is pretty seamless.
  • TobyToby Posts: 91
    ...sounds like that process deserves a youtube video.
  • HexHex Posts: 944
    Off topic, I know, but... Damn I miss the good old Byrne days. I loved his style and still pick up the odd new thing he puts out, but his recent work feels a little lazy and unfinished to me. Very few backgrounds, and rushed figures. Just yesterday, I dug out his She-Hulk graphic novel for my daughter to read, and was blown away by how awesome it looked (although the cover isn't up to his usual standard of the time).
  • Yeah... he was really a powerhouse for so many years... from X-Men, Captain America, FF,Hulk, Alpha Flight, Superman, She Hulk, etc.

    His FF run will go down in history as one of the greatest ever.
  • phansfordphansford Posts: 221
    edited September 2012
    The stylus and wacom pad have basically replaced the pencil/pen and paper years ago..... it just that comics are catching up.



    http://youtu.be/DmEEwIlLLkA
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