Whack!! That gotta hurt 😀
This week, I’d like to introduce you to a tool I use sometimes. Ever draw something and not really know what to do with arms, legs and overall perspective of the person? I have this problem all of the time, and it turns out, so do professional Manga-ka. Thanks to a tip off from my online friend and unofficial mentor Nao Yazawa (the pro manga-ka responsible for Wedding Peach), I found the following book on Japanese Amazon in an attempt to improve my work.
This is but one of an entire series of ‘Pose Cataloges’ that I hope to collect. and this volume alone has been priceless in pulling off tricky scenes with two or more characters. I bring this up now, because the page above actually features as scene from this book:
Can you guess which scene in the Bata Neart page matches this one? 😀 In the past, I could sort of pull together an OK looking scene, but this book really helps out when I’m stuck.
As always, I’m very thankful to Nao for giving me this invaluable pointer, who also continues to inspire me to work harder in improving my work.
Next week, more of this scene and we’re also coming close to the end of the chapter!
Ah, poor Aoife. Make with the hugging now, Ashling.
That looks like a neat series of aides, indeed. 😀
Don’t worry, Aoife’s a trooper. She’ll be ok, and they’re going to make up pretty soon.
The Pose books are all kinds of awesome, and some of the best I’ve seen are printed in Japan. In addition to this Couples pose book, I have a book on hand poses too 😀
Soon I hope to get books 1 & 2 from the ‘New’ Pose Catalog, with deal with a single guy + girl respectively. I’ve also spotted one our two outside this series which cover ‘Magical Girl’ poses. That book may become very useful once Ashling starts to learn how to use her abilities.
The catalog looks good. But there should be some software animations to make things even easier, seems to me. Imagine a few decision boxes, then perspective controls; then, zoom in and superimpose over the artwork, then pick up the pen …
So much missed! I have been negligent 🙁
At least, it meant I saw how the cute twintails girl would die before I saw the leadup to it, softened the tragic drama a bit. (tho now I feel like I cheated somehow). Very well done scene tho.
And now we’re back where we were before I stopped reading the updates: Ashling has her second accidental near-death experience, but was saved by Aoife, as I suspected would happen. Hopefully Ashling has learned this time?
. . .
That pose catalogue looks really useful. Where did you get it from?
@Jim: That’s an awesome idea, and would certainly make my drawing life a lot easier. I know my hand-pose did include a CD with it, but I think that just a digital copy of the book.
@Red: Welcome back 😀 Sorry about the update spoiler there, but I’m glad you enjoyed the scene.
The book came by way of Japanese Amazon (and a lot of Google Translate to get through the checkin!!). Here’s the link if you’d like to check it out: http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4403650570/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
There’s a load of other awesome books there, that I’m gunning to buy in the near future 🙂
@Rawr: Months ago past midnight dreary,
while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious YouTube upload of forgotten lore —
I saw some animated software output that seemed to do just that trick. It looked like 3D where the user could choreograph dancing to music. No idea what the software was, but the proportions were accurate, and the perspectives and POV looked like it was controlled by the user. I don’t recall if there were shadows, but the kinematics were also smooth and accurate, far as I could tell. Of course kinematics aren’t an issue with 2D webcomix/manga, but that’s an impressive chunk o’ software someone’s produced. It was a while ago, and yeah, I was a bit weary. However, you might be able to track down the software. A couple of keywords I recall were ‘tipdamodamo’, ‘happy leap’ and ‘little my star’; it’s hard to forget Engrish like that (insert smiley of your choice here). And, there may have been underscores instead of spaces, I dunno.
One thing, though; software may be anatomically accurate, but digital circuits can’t write good stories far as I know; and there’s some subtle emotional and personal characteristics that a pen or #2 pencil in the hand of a human can convey, that can’t be duplicated in cold silicon. (OK, that’s 2 things…) Nevertheless, even the best digital software and hardware are the equivalent of nothing more than fancy reading glasses, in my personal opinion. Could computers replace humans? Nevermore!
Oooooo…probably the most poetic comment I have ever gotten in a comic 😀 I do like it!
I agree totally with what you are saying too. Software can be handy, but the human touch is hard to replicate. I feel this the reason I tend to enjoy cel animation more than CGI.
You tube is full of 3D animations of hot chicks dancing, little girls dancing, and once in a while, males dancing. The most popular software for doing 3D animations is MMD.
The faces tend to be doll like, except perhaps for animations featuring Gate Opener Alice, and some of male animations.
Here is a typical, which is to say really great, animation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th21zRbL0Ms
Not a bad approach at all! I’m a bit old-school though. I kind of enjoy using paper-based reference books for the ‘off-line’ part of my drawing. It kind of gives me a break from my digital life…which is nearly all of the time!!
Mebbe when I get stuff out of the queue, I can look at the MMD software. But I gotta say that my interests are more along the line of accurate anatomical rendering in line with the actual physical makeup. I really loved taking art classes at Chambana, and haven’t had much time to do life drawings for decades. The 3D software looks like a cheap and easy way to have a model sit for me while I do sketches, without the travel and other stuff involved with formal classes. I really prefer the natural over the silicon/silicone enhancements.