fan art

[Brian Christiansen]

In the past couple of months, I have drawn a bunch more fan art, and am
considering putting it up on my Flickr account. However, unless someone
goes and looks at it, it is kinda a waste of time.

Since I am not an internationally famous artist, the only people that
would go to it are those that I specifically tell about it (this group,
the quilting group if I choose to tell them) and the relative few that
stumble across it when browsing Flickr.

They are drawings of characters and costumes from various shows, about
1/2 of them (I didn't count, but I think that is pretty close). The
other 1/2 is pictures of my own design.

I used a basic body template in all of the pictures, and concentrated on
the costume/hair. The reason I did this is because I have fun drawing
the costume/hair and since I am not drawing these to sell, having fun
making the drawings is all that really matters, so I concentrated on
what I consider fun and not what I consider tedious.

If I do post them, I considered putting on the Flickr description what
the inspiration for the hair/costume was, or if it was my own design and
the name I made for it.

I also considered making it sort of a "game" where I put a hint as to
what the inspiration for the drawing was and let whoever happens to look
at the pictures guess who my inspiration was, putting the answer in the
comments on flickr (I think I made the settings so that is possible), on
this newsgroup, or just in your mind.

Then for the ones that are my own designs, I would say that and solicit
suggestions for what I should call them, which again you could post
here, on flickr, or just in your own mind.

So I guess my question is, should I bother posting them? If I do,
should I just put the character that was my inspiration or the name I
came up with for my own designs, or should I make it the guessing/naming
game.

Brian Christiansen

[a***@gmail.com]

Still using Inkscape?

If all you want to do is have fun drawing, then it doesn't matter if you post them or not.

I post my stuff in hopes of getting feedback that can help me improve my
artwork.

But to each their own.

This is my most recent Inkscape effort:

https://animefan188.deviantart.com/gallery/63772974/The-TG-Zone

Note that I drew this without a drawing pad (mouse only).



It's up to you if you want to post your stuff or not. But you won't get any
(useful?) feedback if you don't.

[Brian Christiansen]

Post by a***@gmail.com
Still using Inkscape?
If all you want to do is have fun drawing, then it doesn't matter if you post them or not.
I post my stuff in hopes of getting feedback that can help me improve my
artwork.
But to each their own.
https://animefan188.deviantart.com/gallery/63772974/The-TG-Zone
Note that I drew this without a drawing pad (mouse only).
It's up to you if you want to post your stuff or not. But you won't get any
(useful?) feedback if you don't.

I guess when I said "having fun making the drawings is all that really
matters," I guess that sorta implied that I do not care if I share them
or not, that is not true. It is just that I am not doing this to make
money or for any "practical" purpose.

I also suppose that I would like to become a "better artist" in some
senses, and in others I really don't care. For instance, in making the
underlying body for my characters, I might be mildly interested in
adapting it to different characters, but I really don't want to redraw
it every time.

What I am interested in is "how good an artist I am" in how well I
reproduce the characters. For example, if I draw a picture that is
supposed to be Ryuko(sp?) from Kill la Kill, will the reaction from
others be "yes, that does look somewhat like Ryuko" or "no that does not
look like Ryuko, but it might if it had this, that, or the other. That
is why I suggested the "guessing game," to see how I did on that front.

I am also kinda interested in how I am at "character design." Am I at
least a little bit original, or are my designs just sorta slight
variations on characters that already exist.

It is kinda like baking cookies. I like raisins in my oatmeal cookies.
Therefore, if I bake oatmeal cookies, raisins are going in them, even if
I am making them for an office party. If one or two people in the
office do not like (or are allergic to) raisins, they can simply not eat
the cookies. If everyone in the office did not like raisins, I would
make something else, like perhaps chocolate chip, but since I like nuts,
I would put them in the cookies and just warn people if they might be
allergic to nuts.

If I am making the oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies for one specific
person that does not like raisins or is allergic to nuts, the situation
would be different, but if I make something for a group of people, those
that like raisins can eat them, those that do not like raisins can leave
them alone. If everyone (except myself) leaves them alone, next time I
will make and bring something different.

I hope that better explains my position,

I think I will put them up even though I have no certainty who, if
anyone, might look at them. I think I will also make my guessing game
since I said that I am interested in how well I can reproduce characters.

As for tools, I am still using Inkscape. If I want to pose the a
character, I can just select the arm (or leg, or whatever) and just
rotate it to where I want it. In theory I should be able to do that in
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program, sorta the freeware version of
Photoshop), but I gave up trying to figure out how.

I have also considered seeing what I can do with Libreoffice Draw, but
don't think that has layers, which makes some things a lot easier, or
getting another drawing program from the Ubuntu software center and
seeing what I can do with that, but I really kinda doubt that they are
"better" or easier to use than inkscape.

One program that I tried is MS paint, or a least the version that comes
with XP, and that program is not really good for drawing or much of
anything. I understand that the version that comes with windows 10, or
at least what is currently available on their site is much better, but
that it only works with windows 7 (8?) or higher, but I still really
doubt that it is better than Inkscape.

I also need to get some canned air and clean my computer.

Brian Christiansen

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by Brian Christiansen

Post by a***@gmail.com
Still using Inkscape?
If all you want to do is have fun drawing, then it doesn't matter if you post them or not.
I post my stuff in hopes of getting feedback that can help me improve my
artwork.
But to each their own.
https://animefan188.deviantart.com/gallery/63772974/The-TG-Zone
Note that I drew this without a drawing pad (mouse only).
It's up to you if you want to post your stuff or not. But you won't get any
(useful?) feedback if you don't.

I guess when I said "having fun making the drawings is all that really
matters," I guess that sorta implied that I do not care if I share them
or not, that is not true. It is just that I am not doing this to make
money or for any "practical" purpose.
I also suppose that I would like to become a "better artist" in some
senses, and in others I really don't care. For instance, in making the
underlying body for my characters, I might be mildly interested in
adapting it to different characters, but I really don't want to redraw
it every time.
What I am interested in is "how good an artist I am" in how well I
reproduce the characters. For example, if I draw a picture that is
supposed to be Ryuko(sp?) from Kill la Kill, will the reaction from
others be "yes, that does look somewhat like Ryuko" or "no that does not
look like Ryuko, but it might if it had this, that, or the other. That
is why I suggested the "guessing game," to see how I did on that front.
I am also kinda interested in how I am at "character design." Am I at
least a little bit original, or are my designs just sorta slight
variations on characters that already exist.
It is kinda like baking cookies. I like raisins in my oatmeal cookies.
Therefore, if I bake oatmeal cookies, raisins are going in them, even if
I am making them for an office party. If one or two people in the
office do not like (or are allergic to) raisins, they can simply not eat
the cookies. If everyone in the office did not like raisins, I would
make something else, like perhaps chocolate chip, but since I like nuts,
I would put them in the cookies and just warn people if they might be
allergic to nuts.
If I am making the oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies for one specific
person that does not like raisins or is allergic to nuts, the situation
would be different, but if I make something for a group of people, those
that like raisins can eat them, those that do not like raisins can leave
them alone. If everyone (except myself) leaves them alone, next time I
will make and bring something different.
I hope that better explains my position,
I think I will put them up even though I have no certainty who, if
anyone, might look at them. I think I will also make my guessing game
since I said that I am interested in how well I can reproduce characters.
As for tools, I am still using Inkscape. If I want to pose the a
character, I can just select the arm (or leg, or whatever) and just
rotate it to where I want it. In theory I should be able to do that in
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program, sorta the freeware version of
Photoshop), but I gave up trying to figure out how.
I have also considered seeing what I can do with Libreoffice Draw, but
don't think that has layers, which makes some things a lot easier, or
getting another drawing program from the Ubuntu software center and
seeing what I can do with that, but I really kinda doubt that they are
"better" or easier to use than inkscape.
One program that I tried is MS paint, or a least the version that comes
with XP, and that program is not really good for drawing or much of
anything. I understand that the version that comes with windows 10, or
at least what is currently available on their site is much better, but
that it only works with windows 7 (8?) or higher, but I still really
doubt that it is better than Inkscape.
I also need to get some canned air and clean my computer.
Brian Christiansen

Another program that can be useful is DAZ 3D. It can be had for free at:

https://www.daz3d.com/home

Once you learn to alter the pose of the 3D computer figure, you can set up any
pose you want, and view it from any angle you want. This will help you get the
proportions, foreshortening etc. correct for any pose when viewed from any
angle.

Lest you think of this as cheating, remember that Hiroya Oku; the creator of the
"Gantz" manga, uses this method (though I think he uses different software):

http://gantz.wikia.com/wiki/The_making_of_Gantz

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-ok-to-constantly-trace-3D-models-of-people-and-backgrounds-when-making-manga-illustration


BTW, referring to my most recent work that I posted earlier, do you, or anyone
else have any suggestions on how I can improve my artwork?

[Bobbie Sellers]

Post by a***@gmail.com

Post by Brian Christiansen

Post by a***@gmail.com
Still using Inkscape?
If all you want to do is have fun drawing, then it doesn't matter if you post them or not.
I post my stuff in hopes of getting feedback that can help me improve my
artwork.
But to each their own.
https://animefan188.deviantart.com/gallery/63772974/The-TG-Zone
Note that I drew this without a drawing pad (mouse only).
It's up to you if you want to post your stuff or not. But you won't get any
(useful?) feedback if you don't.

I guess when I said "having fun making the drawings is all that really
matters," I guess that sorta implied that I do not care if I share them
or not, that is not true. It is just that I am not doing this to make
money or for any "practical" purpose.
I also suppose that I would like to become a "better artist" in some
senses, and in others I really don't care. For instance, in making the
underlying body for my characters, I might be mildly interested in
adapting it to different characters, but I really don't want to redraw
it every time.
What I am interested in is "how good an artist I am" in how well I
reproduce the characters. For example, if I draw a picture that is
supposed to be Ryuko(sp?) from Kill la Kill, will the reaction from
others be "yes, that does look somewhat like Ryuko" or "no that does not
look like Ryuko, but it might if it had this, that, or the other. That
is why I suggested the "guessing game," to see how I did on that front.
I am also kinda interested in how I am at "character design." Am I at
least a little bit original, or are my designs just sorta slight
variations on characters that already exist.
It is kinda like baking cookies. I like raisins in my oatmeal cookies.
Therefore, if I bake oatmeal cookies, raisins are going in them, even if
I am making them for an office party. If one or two people in the
office do not like (or are allergic to) raisins, they can simply not eat
the cookies. If everyone in the office did not like raisins, I would
make something else, like perhaps chocolate chip, but since I like nuts,
I would put them in the cookies and just warn people if they might be
allergic to nuts.
If I am making the oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies for one specific
person that does not like raisins or is allergic to nuts, the situation
would be different, but if I make something for a group of people, those
that like raisins can eat them, those that do not like raisins can leave
them alone. If everyone (except myself) leaves them alone, next time I
will make and bring something different.
I hope that better explains my position,
I think I will put them up even though I have no certainty who, if
anyone, might look at them. I think I will also make my guessing game
since I said that I am interested in how well I can reproduce characters.
As for tools, I am still using Inkscape. If I want to pose the a
character, I can just select the arm (or leg, or whatever) and just
rotate it to where I want it. In theory I should be able to do that in
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program, sorta the freeware version of
Photoshop), but I gave up trying to figure out how.
I have also considered seeing what I can do with Libreoffice Draw, but
don't think that has layers, which makes some things a lot easier, or
getting another drawing program from the Ubuntu software center and
seeing what I can do with that, but I really kinda doubt that they are
"better" or easier to use than inkscape.
One program that I tried is MS paint, or a least the version that comes
with XP, and that program is not really good for drawing or much of
anything. I understand that the version that comes with windows 10, or
at least what is currently available on their site is much better, but
that it only works with windows 7 (8?) or higher, but I still really
doubt that it is better than Inkscape.
I also need to get some canned air and clean my computer.
Brian Christiansen

https://www.daz3d.com/home
Once you learn to alter the pose of the 3D computer figure, you can set up any
pose you want, and view it from any angle you want. This will help you get the
proportions, foreshortening etc. correct for any pose when viewed from any
angle.
Lest you think of this as cheating, remember that Hiroya Oku; the creator of the
http://gantz.wikia.com/wiki/The_making_of_Gantz
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-ok-to-constantly-trace-3D-models-of-people-and-backgrounds-when-making-manga-illustration
BTW, referring to my most recent work that I posted earlier, do you, or anyone
else have any suggestions on how I can improve my artwork?

Practice! Then when you feel you have practiced enough try doing 4
coma using old 4 coma that you liked to avoid writing new gags.
Then practice some more. Don't forget backgrounds.
Writing "new" gags is very difficult without a comedic POV
that turns the everyday incident into humor.

bliss

[Brian Christiansen]

Post by a***@gmail.com
https://www.daz3d.com/home

I went to that website, and the question I have is whether my computer
can run that. My computer has 8G RAM (and that is if I am booted into
linux which is 64-bit, if I am booted into windows, that is only 32-bit
and can access only ~3.5G RAM), a mid-level dual core processor(and that
was by the standards of when I built my computer, by today's standards
it might not even be considered mid-level), and uses the onboard
graphics, not a dedicated card.

That is quite powerful for certain applications, such a reading your
email or editing your resume, but is just barely adequate for computer
animation or rendering. It is pretty powerful for comparatively simple
2d drawing, but has problems with animation (that's just 2d animation, I
have not tried 3d animation), and I suspect it would have problems with
3d animation.

I did not build it with rendering computer graphics in mind, and do the
best with what I have. If I get in the position to build another one in
the near future, I may build it with animation and 3d graphics in mind,
but right now, I do not have one.

There is also the conundrum of whether I should run the program under
Windows or attempt to run it under Wine./Linux. Windows is the system
that the program was designed for, but since what I have is 32-bit,
there is only ~3.5G of usable memory. If at some point I build a new
computer, I may put a 64-bit version of Windows 10 (or 11 or 12 or
whatever on it), but as for right now, a 32-bit version is what I have.

As for linux, that is a 64-bit system, and thus can use all 8G of the
memory, but I have attempted installing several Windows programs on
Wine/Linux, and have had mixed results.

Post by a***@gmail.com
Lest you think of this as cheating, remember that Hiroya Oku; the creator of the

I suppose there are "purists" that consider drawing done on a computer
not to be "real art," but I just don't agree with it.

I really do not consider myself qualified to critique art, so I will ask
a technical question.

One of the advantages that I consider Inkscape to have is the ability to
draw a character once and then when you want to put that character in
another panel of your comic strip, you just have to copy and paste (or
import the file), grab the arms/legs/whatever, and repose the character
if neccessary, rather than having to redraw it every time.

For example I have a bald, naked girl template on my computer. If I put
a white body suit, a red miniskirt, and long black hair on the template,
I have fan art of Sailor Mars.

If I want fan art of Sailor Mercury, I do not redraw the base body, but
I put a white leotard, a blue miniskirt, and short blue hair on my
"naked girl" template.

I assume that you do the same (or was at least wondering if you do the
same) for the characters in your strip, such as having a file called
perhaps something like "mad scientist.svg" and just importing that in
instead of redrawing that character every time.

I also said that I enjoy drawing this fan art, and that that is my
primary reason for doing so, but I also enjoy somewhat sharing it and
seeing "how close" I came to reproducing the character accurately. With
the in mind, my flickr account is located at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/brian0908/albums/, and the 3 new albums
are called "sexy villainesses," "more anime pictures," and "my creations."

For the fan art, the first 2 albums, I decided to put hints in the
description as to what they are. Anyone who decides to go to my flickr
account can look at my hints and guess, if they so choose, at what
character I at least intended. If the so choose, they can also put
those guesses in the comments (I think I have things set up so that can
be done). Or they can post their guesses here. Or they can just do that
in their mind.

As for Bobbie's comment, I am not sure if what is being referred to is
the yonkoma that I started drawing that my signature used to refer to (I
need to get around to fixing that, I don't know exactly what happened),
but the last strip I was drawing, the male character in it looked like
Hitler. I suppose that is easily fixable, but I have not worked on my
yonkoma for the past several months because of that.

As for putting stuff in the background, I have put a few things, such as
a desk with a computer in silhouette and a few other things in it, but
just am not that interested in making sophisticated backgrounds.

My "gag writer" is whoever writes for the Reader's Digest column "Life
in These United States." In fact, the title of my yonkoma is
"これらの米国の生活," which is what I got when I typed "Life in These United
States" into google translate. I have no idea if the Japanese
characters say that or if they are just a bunch of random characters
that amount to gibberish.

Brian Christiansen
http://gantz.wikia.com/wiki/The_making_of_Gantz

Post by a***@gmail.com
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-ok-to-constantly-trace-3D-models-of-people-and-backgrounds-when-making-manga-illustration
BTW, referring to my most recent work that I posted earlier, do you, or anyone
else have any suggestions on how I can improve my artwork?

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by Brian Christiansen

Post by a***@gmail.com
https://www.daz3d.com/home

I went to that website, and the question I have is whether my computer
can run that. My computer has 8G RAM (and that is if I am booted into
linux which is 64-bit, if I am booted into windows, that is only 32-bit
and can access only ~3.5G RAM), a mid-level dual core processor(and that
was by the standards of when I built my computer, by today's standards
it might not even be considered mid-level), and uses the onboard
graphics, not a dedicated card.
That is quite powerful for certain applications, such a reading your
email or editing your resume, but is just barely adequate for computer
animation or rendering. It is pretty powerful for comparatively simple
2d drawing, but has problems with animation (that's just 2d animation, I
have not tried 3d animation), and I suspect it would have problems with
3d animation.
I did not build it with rendering computer graphics in mind, and do the
best with what I have. If I get in the position to build another one in
the near future, I may build it with animation and 3d graphics in mind,
but right now, I do not have one.
There is also the conundrum of whether I should run the program under
Windows or attempt to run it under Wine./Linux. Windows is the system
that the program was designed for, but since what I have is 32-bit,
there is only ~3.5G of usable memory. If at some point I build a new
computer, I may put a 64-bit version of Windows 10 (or 11 or 12 or
whatever on it), but as for right now, a 32-bit version is what I have.
As for linux, that is a 64-bit system, and thus can use all 8G of the
memory, but I have attempted installing several Windows programs on
Wine/Linux, and have had mixed results.

If DAZ3D doesn't work for you , there's also a free program called MakeHuman:

http://www.makehuman.org/


Not sure if that would work better with your computer better or not.

[Brian Christiansen]

Post by a***@gmail.com
http://www.makehuman.org/
Not sure if that would work better with your computer better or not.

Just out of curiosity, did you look at my new pictures/yonkoma.

I downloaded and installed the MakeHuman program, but have not really
done anything with it yet except start it, mess with the interface a
bit, and watch a few You Tube tutorials.

Brian Christiansem

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by Brian Christiansen

Post by a***@gmail.com
http://www.makehuman.org/
Not sure if that would work better with your computer better or not.

Just out of curiosity, did you look at my new pictures/yonkoma.
I downloaded and installed the MakeHuman program, but have not really
done anything with it yet except start it, mess with the interface a
bit, and watch a few You Tube tutorials.
Brian Christiansem
--
My Yonkoma: https://www.flickr.com/photos/brian0908/albums/72157680223526176
The E-mail associated with the account is a "spamcatcher" account that I
got to every couple of months to empty out, and anything sent to it will
not be seen for probably several months, if it is seen at all.
Brian Christiansen

Ok, I looked, and have a few comments:

On this one:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/brian0908/32049364644/in/album-72157680223526176/

The tech rep's feet should be touching the floor. Otherwise, it makes her look
like a kid (or just really short). Also make sure the bottoms of the legs are
in contact with the top of the seat, or else it just looks wrong.


I noticed that you added ears to your characters in the latest strip, or at
least had hair covering the spots where ears should be, good touch.


In this one:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/brian0908/32896415532/in/album-72157680223526176/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/brian0908/32896413632/in/album-72157680223526176/

The mom (and the sewing machine) in the 1st image looks a bit squished when
compared to the 2nd image.


Also, you might want to cover up some of those joints. Otherwise, it makes the
characters look like marionettes.

Otherwise, it would good for you to just practice on drawing faces, proportions,
etc. At least that's the best advice I can think of.

[a***@gmail.com]

Just found another posing program called Design Doll, which can be had for
free at:

http://terawell.net/terawell/?page_id=56


In case anyone's interested.

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by Brian Christiansen

Post by a***@gmail.com
https://www.daz3d.com/home

I went to that website, and the question I have is whether my computer
can run that. My computer has 8G RAM (and that is if I am booted into
linux which is 64-bit, if I am booted into windows, that is only 32-bit
and can access only ~3.5G RAM), a mid-level dual core processor(and that
was by the standards of when I built my computer, by today's standards
it might not even be considered mid-level), and uses the onboard
graphics, not a dedicated card.
That is quite powerful for certain applications, such a reading your
email or editing your resume, but is just barely adequate for computer
animation or rendering. It is pretty powerful for comparatively simple
2d drawing, but has problems with animation (that's just 2d animation, I
have not tried 3d animation), and I suspect it would have problems with
3d animation.
I did not build it with rendering computer graphics in mind, and do the
best with what I have. If I get in the position to build another one in
the near future, I may build it with animation and 3d graphics in mind,
but right now, I do not have one.
There is also the conundrum of whether I should run the program under
Windows or attempt to run it under Wine./Linux. Windows is the system
that the program was designed for, but since what I have is 32-bit,
there is only ~3.5G of usable memory. If at some point I build a new
computer, I may put a 64-bit version of Windows 10 (or 11 or 12 or
whatever on it), but as for right now, a 32-bit version is what I have.
As for linux, that is a 64-bit system, and thus can use all 8G of the
memory, but I have attempted installing several Windows programs on
Wine/Linux, and have had mixed results.

If DAZ3D doesn't work for you , there's also a free program called MakeHuman:

http://www.makehuman.org/


Not sure if that would work better with your computer or not.