Freedom Reborn Archive

So after being a part of this community and being inspired by so much of the work put into the meshes and skopes and skins and everything else, I decided to try my hand at some very simple skinning. I am a rank amateur to skinning, and not too knowledgeable in Photoshop, but I still gave it a good try.

After some time reading more tutorials, I decided to grapple Ten of the Royal Flush Gang, who has a very easy design, and maybe entice someone into making the rest of the members? ;)

My first attempt at Ten is here.
[spoiler]
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/ten.jpg)
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/ten2.jpg)
[/spoiler]

This is my second attempt of Ten here, to show the progression:
[spoiler]
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/tentaketwo.jpg)
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/tentaketwo1.jpg)
[/spoiler]

I would love know to learn specifically about skinning around areas where the mesh changes shape, like the waist, but the costume design remaining consistent all the way through.

If anyone wants to offer tips or advice or critiques, I'd really appreciate it. Hopefully I'll keep learning and you guys will have, eventually, another skinner in your midst.

Also, where can I find more skin bases? I've joined one group and it has a few, but I'm certain there are others.

A higher texture resolution is really a must. Those spades are waaay too blurry at the moment. Still, keep at it and who knows, one day you too might have the fanboys clamouring for your work.

Quote from: The Enigma on July 02, 2008, 02:58:23 AM
A higher texture resolution is really a must. Those spades are waaay too blurry at the moment. Still, keep at it and who knows, one day you too might have the fanboys clamouring for your work.

Thanks for the input. I realize how low-res the first one was after you mentioned it and decided to redo it. Practice makes perfect!

Skinning gets kind of addictive!

So I made a skin for Black Widow and here's how it came out.

[spoiler]
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/bw.jpg)(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/bwback.jpg)
[/spoiler]

I found a really cool brush tool in Photoshop that worked well for hair.

EDIT: This is my final take on the Black Widow

[spoiler]
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/blackwidowNEW.jpg)
[/spoiler]

Again, any feedback would be appreciated. I would love to progress further with this.

Hey, I like it! Can you send it to me?

So through some (okay, a lot!) trial and error, I've made an as-yet incomplete skin for Scrap of Dynamo 5, a great comic book by Jay Faerber.

This is the first attempt:
[spoiler]
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/scrap5.jpg)(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/scrap.jpg)
[/spoiler]

I know I have to work on the proportions for the logo on her torso to make it more accurate, but I find it very difficult to do with the separation between the upper and lower half, especially when the legs are also split in the front.

Does anyone have any tips for that? I could really use some help in shading the colors as well. I'm using color burn on the layer, but I would love to learn what some other skinners do.

Also, where can I find more skin bases? I've joined one group and it has a few, but I'm certain there are many more.

QuoteI know I have to work on the proportions for the logo on her torso to make it more accurate, but I find it very difficult to do with the separation between the upper and lower half, especially when the legs are also split in the front.

Does anyone have any tips for that? I could really use some help in shading the colors as well. I'm using color burn on the layer, but I would love to learn what some other skinners do.

Also, where can I find more skin bases? I've joined one group and it has a few, but I'm certain there are many more.

   As far as proportions at the waist, I have found that the wire frame is my best asset. Also, the only group that has base skin in it is the one linked through NPI. I'm not really a "Skinner", but something you could try would be to adjust the base skin using contrast, hue/saturation, etc. Hope this helps at least a little.

Quote from: Jakew on July 02, 2008, 09:28:35 PM
Hey, I like it! Can you send it to me?

Thanks! I'm just waiting on an updated text file and I'll send it your way.

Quote from: Cyber Burn
As far as proportions at the waist, I have found that the wire frame is my best asset. Also, the only group that has base skin in it is the one linked through NPI. I'm not really a "Skinner", but something you could try would be to adjust the base skin using contrast, hue/saturation, etc. Hope this helps at least a little.

I certainly appreciate the idea, since I didn't use much contrast or anything. I was just too psyched about actually making a skin and breezed over the details, which I realize is a mistake. And yeah, wireframes are certainly a lifesaver.

It'll take time to be able to skin very well, so any general tips not found in the tutorials would, and have, been great.

I bet you're using the same tool I use on the hair. I use the same one to burn and dodge the hair, then use it on the smudge tool to blend the ends and edges a little.

For fun sometime take a base skin, add a layer above, and and fill it wiht a color (any color). Then set the layer's Blend Mode to any of the ones shown (some won't really do anything). The blend mode setting is on the layers palette, and usually says "Normal". It offers a lot of possiblities.

One thing you can do is make your shading (burn and dodge) on a layer of 50% gray, set the blend mode to Soft Light or Hard Light, and have areas below to contain the color. Since the shading are on a different layer from the color, you can fiddle with the color until you get it right.

Gryphon has some base skins at his site, and C6 has some at Freedom Fortress (and maybe at Renegade's Toybox). tomato has a base skin (I need to use it sometime), and maybe Unkoman, and there is a FF Base Skin Yahoo group:

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/FFBaseSkins1/

Quote from: daglob on July 03, 2008, 10:16:14 PM
I bet you're using the same tool I use on the hair. I use the same one to burn and dodge the hair, then use it on the smudge tool to blend the ends and edges a little.

For fun sometime take a base skin, add a layer above, and and fill it wiht a color (any color). Then set the layer's Blend Mode to any of the ones shown (some won't really do anything). The blend mode setting is on the layers palette, and usually says "Normal". It offers a lot of possiblities.

One thing you can do is make your shading (burn and dodge) on a layer of 50% gray, set the blend mode to Soft Light or Hard Light, and have areas below to contain the color. Since the shading are on a different layer from the color, you can fiddle with the color until you get it right.

Gryphon has some base skins at his site, and C6 has some at Freedom Fortress (and maybe at Renegade's Toybox). tomato has a base skin (I need to use it sometime), and maybe Unkoman, and there is a FF Base Skin Yahoo group:

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/FFBaseSkins1/

Thank you so much, daglob! Your input has really made me create much better skins already. I see the improvement already and I find experimenting with the different techniques in shading has made a drastic difference.

[spoiler]
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/heyladies.jpg)
[/spoiler]

So I've moved on to highlighting and shading. This is what I've been able to come up with so far.

[spoiler]
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/diamondback2.jpg)

I like the way this came out, costume-wise. As evidenced, I have yet to do a good job with the face, mask and hair sections, but I'll read the tutorials available and get that working, too.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/darkstar2.jpg)

This is already my favorite skin that I've made, even if it's only out of a handful.  ;) I made the costume itself, but the hair is the standard.
[/spoiler]

Does anyone have critiques on the costumes themselves? I've tried placing the (white) highlights under a purple filter for Diamondback and play around with it, but I like the way that the black is pronounced. Either way, thanks for checking the thread out!

You can get different highlight effects by changing the dodge "target" between shadows, midtones, and highlights (same with shadows and the burn tool). Sometimes it lightens the color, other times it just adds white (actually, I thnk it always adds white). The difference is that one makes the color lighter, the other is that it looks like white paint was laid over the color. Some colors just get brighter, which may be what you want.

You know if you lay in a layer of color, set the blend mode to Dissolve, and lower the opacity of that layer, it breaks up into individual pixels with clear spots in between? If you copy the wireframe to the top layer, zoom in real close, use the Select by Color option, choose white (if the frame is low res, choose black with a tolerance of 2, and invert), then fill with bright red or (better) bright green, then set the wireframe layer blend mode to either difference or exclusion, you get a rather bizarre-looking wireframe that you can seee through.

Those are some pretty good looking skins. You are seriously improving fast.
Looking forward to seeing more.

Quote from: daglob on July 07, 2008, 05:51:22 AM
You can get different highlight effects by changing the dodge "target" between shadows, midtones, and highlights (same with shadows and the burn tool). Sometimes it lightens the color, other times it just adds white (actually, I thnk it always adds white). The difference is that one makes the color lighter, the other is that it looks like white paint was laid over the color. Some colors just get brighter, which may be what you want.

You know if you lay in a layer of color, set the blend mode to Dissolve, and lower the opacity of that layer, it breaks up into individual pixels with clear spots in between? If you copy the wireframe to the top layer, zoom in real close, use the Select by Color option, choose white (if the frame is low res, choose black with a tolerance of 2, and invert), then fill with bright red or (better) bright green, then set the wireframe layer blend mode to either difference or exclusion, you get a rather bizarre-looking wireframe that you can seee through.

Thanks for the reply! I'm going to try this out later and see what fun things I can create with it. I really appreciate your tips, they've been very helpful and really added to my progress.

Quote from: blobula on July 07, 2008, 06:37:45 AM
Those are some pretty good looking skins. You are seriously improving fast.
Looking forward to seeing more.

Thanks, blobula! I really appreciate the support. I'm pretty stoked that something I once thought was nearly impossible to do (skinning) is something I could potentially be good at. I'm going to tackle the classic Serpent Squad so we'll see how much I've learned when they are done.

I just wanted to preview some of the skins I've made for the Serpent Society. I'm not sure if I'm going to do all the members, but I've been cranking them out pretty quickly, so who knows?

Anyway, here's a teaser for some of them.

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/ssquad.jpg)
[/spoiler]

Cottonmouth (vxmale), Black Racer(vxfemale_nomouth), Coachwhip (coachwhip_tvlite)

I've taken some slight creative license on some of the skins, like with Black Racer not looking exactly as the comics portray, but I think it's close enough that it shouldn't be a problem. Also, does anyone know how to draw add the speed effect behind a character running on a Vertex mesh and how to color it in? I would like to do one for Black Racer.

Anyway, yeah...you know the drill. Tell me I'm great and enjoy. ;)

I like them very much! keep it up  :thumbup:.

I really like your Darkstar and Black Widow (my favourite version of the costume), as well as your Serpent Society.  :thumbup:

Actually, can you send me Darkstar?

Thanks guys!

Well, I'm not going to release any of them yet because I want to keep working on them (except for the Black Widow, since it's the default of that skope.) I've got some edges to sharpen and some better seams to make and a few other things. Once I think it's finally ready, I'll make sure to send Darkstar your way, Jake.

oh em ji!
i like how when u scroll down and look at the skins, they're improving!

I love the SS, and these skins are good.

Please, keep them coming. :thumbup:

The support it touching. Thanks a lot, sincerely. I really appreciate it and it motivates me to keep skinning better.

So here you go..these characters are practically done.

Serpent Society

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/serpentsociety.jpg)


I redid Black Racer from scratch because I knew I could do it better and I love the way it came out (except for that darn hair!). Diamondback finally has some hair that I can tolerate. Cottonmouth is mostly the same except for some minor details, like in the eyes. Same with Coachwhip, I only changed some minor details like seams and the snake-skin reflection. Puff Adder is one of my favorites simply because of the color palette and how it kind of resembles an actual snake skin.

Nice looking Society.
I like your colours for the costumes, very vibrant, and distinctive, but somehow with a kind of 'team' feel.

You're getting better, I must say.

I see you're trying seam usage and shadows and that good stuff. There's some places they got overlooked, but I used to do that all the time now. Still do. Is that girl with green hair Black Racer? I liked her hair before better, but her blues are nicer now. For the white on Cottonmouth I'd suggest higher contrast with much darker darks. Lots of people like to use blue for shading whites. It usually works really well but isn't always necessary (http://sjhftac.comicgenesis.com/freedom/audacious.html).

Anyhow, keep practing, and keep pumping out those skins. Especially when you do less popular characters.

Those are some fine looking skins LP.  I can tell by each skin your learning skinning skills quickly.  I love the fact that we have a new skinner that is skinning lesser known characters and is great at it!

from newbie to newbie...  :thumbup: :thumbup:  i can see you are improving and I really like what you are doing

Looking pretty good.

Thanks a lot, everyone!

Yeah, I see that a lot of better skinners are doing the bigger name characters, so I'm definitely going to be the guy who prefers to do the lesser-known heroes and villains. I could use some suggestions on some lesser-known characters that need skins.

Thanks for the tip about blue shadowing, by the way, Unkoman. I'll experiment with it and see where it goes. By the way, do you have any tips on seams? I make them using Bevel & Emboss, as per the tutorial by Murs. If you have another technique, I would love to a little about it.

Rattler and Judomaster

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/rattler.jpg)

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/judomaster-1.jpg)

You nailed Judomaster! Very cool  :thumbup:

You've improved a lot in a short time. It'll be good to see more from you as you expand your range of techniques.

Bevel and emboss? No, no, my friend. I do seams 100% natural, using the line tool. This way you have exact control of the seam, and you will never accidentally get a dark seam where a light one should be, and visa versa.

I had a tutorial about it once, but that is lost to time, I think. Wait, maybe it's on the wiki... Ah.
http://frworld.wikispaces.com/Simple+Seams
It's basically what I still do, although I've gotten better at it. The technique is the same though. Good luck!

Quote from: UnkoMan on July 13, 2008, 08:53:38 AM
Bevel and emboss? No, no, my friend. I do seams 100% natural, using the line tool. This way you have exact control of the seam, and you will never accidentally get a dark seam where a light one should be, and visa versa.

I had a tutorial about it once, but that is lost to time, I think. Wait, maybe it's on the wiki... Ah.
http://frworld.wikispaces.com/Simple+Seams
It's basically what I still do, although I've gotten better at it. The technique is the same though. Good luck!

Thanks! I'm going to try that tutorial for the seams. I'm starting to notice on some characters how bevel and emboss isn't consistent with the whole costume, but great for certain parts, so I'll try your way. Hopefully I'll get it right. :)

Here's an updated Darkstar. I'll release it for now but I'm going to try the seams on this skin and see where it takes me.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/darkstar.jpg)

By the way, does anyone know where I can find base skins for male_basic and female_basic of African American descent? Also, I have yet to find a female_basic bald base skin..does any exist?

Gryphon has African American base skins on his site and a bald female as well.

http://www.chynaman.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/FF/Bases.html

Quote from: justintyme2174 on July 13, 2008, 11:14:56 AM
Gryphon has African American base skins on his site and a bald female as well.

http://www.chynaman.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/FF/Bases.html

Fantastic! Thank you so much. 

Here's some more stuff...

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/sungirl.jpg)

Sungirl from the Titans East. I'm not entirely sold on how she came out, but I'm itching to do some other skins so I'll release it as is. It's on a custom vx mesh.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/bushmaster.jpg)

Bushmaster from the Serpent Society. I was having issues with the tail and making it cohesive with the torso, but I think I got it as close as I'm going to be able to do it at my current skill level. Special thanks to tommyboy for helping me out!

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/ferdelance.jpg)

New hex..or is it skope?...for Fer-De-Lance. (Big thanks, Johnny Patches!) I still need to find a female_basic base skin with two sides of a bald head, to add cohesion for color, so I can't release this one yet. Either I find that base skin or it'll be released when I finally have enough skills to make my own..which will be a looong time. ;)[/spoiler]

Some Alpha Flight love.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/purplegirl.jpg)

Purple Girl.

I want to find a good mesh for Laura Dean and Gobyln.

Cool!  :thumbup:

Great improvement and some great skins to match. IMHO I would maybe turn down the highlights a little, but thats just me. I like how you stick to characters that haven't been skinned so often.

I like this latest one. That top edge is really nice. The one on the leg needs some shadow under it, though. Also, for your shadows on the purple skin, try using a darker purple instead of a straight up black. Gives it a better tone. Some people go the painterly way and use the opposite colour. I tend to use a slightly tinted version. You'll figure it out.

Thanks, folks!

Thanks to Daglob's cool Spectral skins, I wanted to add to the Strangers, a great superhero team from the 90's that was released under the Ultraverse imprint.

ElectroCute
[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/electrocute.jpg)

I think my strong point to skinning so far, not to sound like a pretentious mofo, is coloring. I like the way this skin came out, especially the lightning look on the legs.[/spoiler]

Did you, by chance, release your judomaster and diamondback skins?

If so, I would love to know how to get them.

I actually did release those two skins already. I should have announced that in the Releases forum, huh? Heh.

You can find them here: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/laughingparadox/

I need to add some more files to that Yahoo group. I've been sitting on this version of Aurora for a little while, but I need to finish it up. I'm just so lazy and for some reason, this design has been giving me a lot of trouble. (I finally got someone's hair right, though!!)  :lol:


(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/aurorayellow.jpg)

Thanks for reply.

I DL'ed both of those and darkstar.  Not bad at all - you're doing well.

One thing though - you don't have the hexed character.nif with judomaster - just the skin for vxfemale2.  Looks real good, but she has the hair instead of it being hexed off.

I'll add the hex in a few. I should have realized. D'oh!

Quote from: laughing paradox on July 24, 2008, 02:04:11 PM
Thanks, folks!

Thanks to Daglob's cool Spectral skins, I wanted to add to the Strangers, a great superhero team from the 90's that was released under the Ultraverse imprint.

ElectroCute
[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/electrocute.jpg)

I think my strong point to skinning so far, not to sound like a pretentious mofo, is coloring. I like the way this skin came out, especially the lightning look on the legs.[/spoiler]

Hey, great; another one I can take off my list.

I love your Serpent Society skins :blink:

Thanks, Electro. Every time I see your avatar, I think it's my post..hehe. I have to eventually complete the rest of the Serpent Society, and I will. I finished some that I haven't previewed, but I just need to zip them up and write the read me files and so on. I really want to do Anaconda soon, especially with FFX 3.3 out and having her with a grappling move.

Anyway, here's my newest skin: Gemini from the Zodiac. I wanted to do a simple design to really test out things I've learned so far involving seams and specific shading techniques.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/gemini.jpg)

I do need help with the belt, though. I could always just hex a belt onto the mesh, but I really want to learn how to make the belt look good just through the skin. Any advice on that, or on skinning extras in general, would be great.

I also wanted to show my first skin again, to compare the first to the latest, and the improvement I've reached so far. I'm only doing this to hopefully inspire someone to try skinning: if I can do it, anyone can!  :)

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/ten.jpg)

Vast improvement. Your colours look a lot nicer now. This may be personal style, but I might make my white highlights lighter and my black shadows darker. I always end up upping the contrast on things after I've done them, though.

As to belts, I say download ones you've seen and liked elsewhere for reference. Critically look at them, and figure out where people put shadows and highlights. Really, that's all making anything is, a series of shadows and highlights. For something like a flat belt, this is quite easy. You'll get the hang of it in no time.

Oh! Another thing, that I forget most of the time too! That base you're using has no crotch. Put one in there, it looks much better.

Quote from: UnkoMan on August 09, 2008, 10:09:29 AM
Vast improvement. Your colours look a lot nicer now. This may be personal style, but I might make my white highlights lighter and my black shadows darker. I always end up upping the contrast on things after I've done them, though.

As to belts, I say download ones you've seen and liked elsewhere for reference. Critically look at them, and figure out where people put shadows and highlights. Really, that's all making anything is, a series of shadows and highlights. For something like a flat belt, this is quite easy. You'll get the hang of it in no time.

Oh! Another thing, that I forget most of the time too! That base you're using has no crotch. Put one in there, it looks much better.

Yeah, I tried contrasting the white sections of the skin and I understand what you mean, it does look better. I'm not completely sold on the blue shading on white, though. I tried it here and I don't know. Yeah, I'm just going to have to check other skins out and analyze them.

I'm tempted to be incredibly immature and make a joke about making a crotch look better, but I know what you mean. I'll see what I can do about that also. Thanks for the input, as usual, Unko. You've really helped me out, sensei.

Gemini looks nice. For the belt I would just skope a belt on. I'm big proponent to using actual objects instead of skinning wherever possible, it's a 3D environment afterall.

However, if you do want to skin the belt Unko's advice is good. Essentially you'll want to darken the areas on each side, possibly brighten the front and back and then darken the bottom edge and brighten the top edge all around.

Thanks, Podmark. Yeah. I'm definitely taking the time to check out different skins to get a better understanding about shading. I appreciate the input.

So, if Gemini wasn't evidence enough, I've decide to tackle the classic Zodiac. Here goes two more of their members.

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/libra.jpg)

First up is Libra, for the vxLibra mesh. I've learned the importance of anti-alias in this skin and how it makes a skin go from poo to pow. I love the seams on this skin and it took me so long to finish. I think that extra work payed off, though. This is the first skin where I really began to experiment with the reflection part and I think it really came off well with the chest logo.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/cancer.jpg)

Cancer is a fantastic skope created by Johnny Patches. I love this skin. Again, a lot more time went into this than my other skins. I'm toying with the shading for extras..and while not perfect, it's gotten better.
[/spoiler]

Looking good there. I like Cancer, and Libra. Cancer's seams and edges seem a bit crisper than Libras. But Libra's Logo seems to work better.
But both look good, as did your Gemini.
Must.... resist urge... to ..waste time... in rumble room.... pitting Avengers ...against Zodiac.....in 'watch' mode....

The great thing about your skinning is seeing how much you improve each and every one that you complete. Keep at it!! :)
BTW.....where did the claws for Cancer come from? I ask because I need claws similar to those for one of my originals, but the only ones that I knew of were by Fusion......and those meshes are on the no no list for skoping.

Alright. You've started skinning your extras. Good begining. For the blindfold, I can see what you're doing but the colour you are using for the shading just isn't working for me. Too grey, and not dark enough. You need a lot more contrast to really push those folds. They seem like a decent attempt though. It took me forever to get the hang of fabric (and I'm honestly still not that great). A little tweaking, though, and this will be pretty good.

As to the black spots... I tend to only leave large black portions if there is a specific style. Examples, I did one skin with a totally matte black costume, similar to Havok or something, but with actually skinned black boots, gloves, and undies. My Corpse skin, the belt is entirely black, because of the entirely white refl. This way the custom lightmap I did does all the definition, giving it a more cartoonish appearance.

For something like this, though, I would probably highlight it with grey. Granted, this is sometimes difficult. You have to be quite smooth. I can point out examples of my own skins where it just didn't work at all. Have you've ever seen my Soviet Skins (http://sjhftac.comicgenesis.com/freedom/ussa.html)? Those boots just don't work at all. The belts are meerly okay, but nothing great. Unko Man's (http://sjhftac.comicgenesis.com/freedom/unko.html) black works much better, I think. Specifically, look at the chest symbol. That's what I tend to do with every chest symbol, regardless of colour. Just adds a bit of depth. You don't have to put the highlight in the middle, of course. Do it where you think it feels right.

Also, I like that you are doing seam work, but you are forgetting something crucial. You can't just make pure light lines around everything. For example, the bottom of Cancer's sleaves and pants should be the darkest colour, not the lightest. Around his logo, it should alternate, depending on where light falls. As to logos, depending on how you want them set you make not need seams on the costume part. That is to say, usually I do logos as slightly raised elements. This means that the seams go around the logo, but the costume itself has only shading on it. If I do embedded, then I put seams on both. Once or twice I've done sunken, where I made it appear as those a part was cut out of the main costume, with something underneith.

Just first think about how the light would fall on something, and take it from there.

Okay, hope this was helpful. Keep skinning these sweet characters. They may not be as popular, but I'm sure plenty of people are looking for them!

I get what you mean about the details of the seams and I realize that's going to take more practice. This is my problem regarding the seams. I'll be as specific as possible to hopefully garner an appropriate response.

I'll have the edge of a shirt, where the selection tool (and fill bucket) was under anti-alias (to give it that smooth look.) I then add another layer to start adding the seams, which is a 1-pixel wide pencil tool, along the edge of the shirt. Now...the pencil does not have an anti-alias section, so it comes off coarse. How do I then blend the coarse 'seam' on the anti-alias shirt edge? I've been trying different things but I'm not coming up with much. Also, I realize that my coloring schematics for the seams are a bit off...I think I go too far dark, or light, at times. That's a personal preference, though..I'll eventually get that as well.

Your shading is exquisite, particularly on the UnkoMan skin, and I just have to learn how to do that with more practice. I've read (your?) tutorial on shading on FRwiki and I'm going to study it more like it's going to be on the final. ;)

Here are some skins that have been done...before reading all this great advice!...but yeah. And awaaay we go..

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/zodiac-1.jpg)

Zodiac (so far). Rollcall: (clockwise from the top left) Cancer, Gemini, Libra, Capricorn, Pisces, Virgo, Aquarius

********PISCES is NOT my skin. It's the standard for vxPisces and there is nothing I could possibly do to improve it. I just wanted to add him to the mix. Virgo is not complete, but I just wanted to add some estrogen in the picture. I fixed up Gemini's belt a bit using the reflect layer on it. I like the way it came out.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/riddler.jpg)

Riddler for detourne_me's fantastic Riddler skope. I'm aware someone else may be making a Riddler mesh, but this Riddler skope is just so cool. :) [/spoiler]

Your working is really looking good.  I'm by no means an expert, but I can also see the rapid improvement.

Great Job  :thumbup:

Cancer looks great  :thumbup:

Riddler looks cooooool.

You're using the pencil tool? Do you know of the line tool? It draws straight, anti-aliased lines. That's all it does. At different widths. That's what I always use on seams. Pencil tool is useless for skins, if you ask me. I don't think you are going too far dark or light, though. I usually use the absolute lightest or darkest version of the colour or just above or below that a touch. But that's just me. I think your choice was fine, just that you had it all light when you needed to alternate between light and dark.

That belt on Gemini came off nicely.  I really like it. Kudos. The other folk are shaping up, too.

PS: I don't know if I've ever done a shading tutorial. I don't think it'd be on the wiki though. I mean, it's possible, I just don't recall it.

Gotta love that Riddler. Good job!

Thanks, everyone! The Zodiac skins/skopes will be ready for release pretty soon. The Riddler is already in my Yahoo group.

Quote from: UnkoMan on August 12, 2008, 10:12:23 PMPS: I don't know if I've ever done a shading tutorial. I don't think it'd be on the wiki though. I mean, it's possible, I just don't recall it.

You totally should make one. It would help a lot of newbies out (including me!). I mostly meant your tutorial about the logo, because you have a blurb about shading.

So I'm going to use the line tool..and I'm figuring that since not everything is a straight line, you use it mostly by moving the line tool one pixel at a time? But it shouldn't be TOO bad since you can just cut just duplicate the layer to match the other side. Ok..I'm going to use this technique with my next skin.

Ha! Well not ONE pixel at a time. That'd be crazy. But, depending on slope, you can make a convincing curve with a few well placed straight lines.

If you really wanted, you could use the pen tool to plot out a path, and then have it get traced with a paintbrush at, say, 1 pixel 50% hardness or maybe 100% or whatever, but... I don't like doing that. For one thing I hate the pen tool in photoshop, and for another I find that no matter the hardness or size, paintbrush just doesn't give me that type of line I want. So I stick with my line tool.

Anybody who uses different, feel free to mention it!

Another thing about seams that I've seen used... just some light blurring. That way it looks like the seam is on the inside. Just saying that doesn't explain it fully, and I tend not to bother a lot of the time. I could explain more but I rarely if ever do it, so nevermind. That's for after you are comfortable doing things this way, anyhow.

Since you asked Unko, there is another way of doing it :P . Describing it might be hard though, as I've not done it in a while.

It gives an effect like this:
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a176/lunarman/DOD%20skin%20previews%20and%20final/seams.jpg)

and is done (from what I can remember) by setting up the colour layers as normal. On your coloured layer, so in this case the blue, you go to blending options then outer glow and inner glow.
Set outer glow to: blend mode normal, opacity 100%, noise 0%, colour to one slighty darker than your current colour, technique softer, spread 100%, size 1, range 100%, jitter 0%.

This gives a thin dark line around your colour like that in the photo.

Then go to inner glow and set it up like this: (basically the same) blend mode normal, opacity 100%, noise 0%, colour to one quite a lot lighter than your current colour, technique softer, spread 100%, size 1, range 100%, jitter 0%.

I find this method works very well in giving the effect of a seam/raised edge.

Maybe that will help?

Lunarman

Thank you, guys!

I am going to try both of your methods to see where it takes me and how it works for me. I really appreciate this exchange of information, guys. It's unbelievably helpful!

The rest of the Zodiac and other stuff

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/zodiacs.jpg)
The rest of the Zodiac.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/vostok.jpg)
Vostok/Sputnik of the Supreme Soviets. I want to create a Fantasia skin and the rest of the Supreme Soviets that haven't been done before. I decided to create this skin to test out the metallic finish..and because I love the Supreme Soviets, comrade.[/spoiler]

This is great stuff! I love the classic comic characters! Thanks, LP!

Nice! The metallic finish looks really good!  ;)

Congratulations! :cool:

Zodiac looks pretty good. I like Taurus a lot. Aries is really sweet too.

Vostok's metal looks very nice, and his black is okay, but I am not digging the red. Too flat. Just use the same thing you did for that belt before to fix it up, then it should be right dandy!

Thanks guys! If anyone has any trouble with any of the files, please contact me to let me know. By the way, the keyframe selection is in text file of the skin folder.

I'll definitely be adding more to the red of Vostok. Good call.

So okay..this is a WIP. I'm going to labor over this skin until my eyes bleed and my fingers fall off. I want this to be perfect because this is one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite comic books of the 80's: The Suicide Squad. I remember the first mod I've ever played was the Suicide Squad for the original  :ff:. I loved the mod but was dismayed by one thng: the exclusion of the Enchantress. So thanks to the impeccable Johnny Patches...I finally have her.

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/enchantress-1.jpg)[/spoiler]

She looks nice.  There are actually a few glaring omissions from that mod, the most notable (to me) being Vixen, Duchess (Lashina), Black Orchid, and of course Enchantress.  Vixen and Enchantress were on the table when Saracen and I were working on SS:Reloaded.  I don't think the request for Duchess ever got granted and neither of us got around to making her.

The problem with redoing the mod has always been scope.  I wanted to just update the art assets as Bearded in Lair suggested a looooong time ago, and got Charlie's permission to do so, initially.  But every time we started to do that, Charlie would want to add new characters, new levels, etc. to the point that it became more work than I was able to do.  Maybe down the line, if I could get him to do more than just help me with coding roadblocks.  Right now all I have is a new opening and main screen nif and his re-coded first level where Chimera is playable and can save citizens from the Jihad as long as she's not seen.  Rescuing so many was supposed to give you a bonus character, I think Black Orchid.

I'm anxious to check out Zodiac as well.  I had a version in Marvel Wars but I'm sure some of them could use upgrading.

Looking forward to seeing her, laughing (and another of my list  :thumbup: even if it is the older version)

Good work

this is great .. i like this

@rmt - I plan on making the Suicide Squad as my next project. I'm also interested in creating a Duchess, though I think her pants are going to be a little beyond my skills right now. I love the idea of Chimera saving people in the first level..I wish it was created! Who knows, maybe these skins/skopes will spark some interest? ;)

@sweeten - Ha, I told you before, we have similar taste in comic characters..but I like this classic look. I don't really like her current look too much.

@monsterikan - Thanks! I appreciate the kind words. By the way, does the 'rikan' part of your name stand for Puerto Rican?

So here's a look at an updated skin of the Enchantress. I've used a different technique with shading/highlights and the hair, to make everything look cohesive.
[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/enchantress1.jpg)
[/spoiler]

Quote from: laughing paradox on August 21, 2008, 09:58:53 PM
So here's a look at an updated skin of the Enchantress. I've used a different technique with shading/highlights and the hair, to make everything look cohesive.
[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/enchantress1.jpg)
[/spoiler]

Hmmm.. It looks nice and clean LP. But i think it needs some more highlights though. What technique did you use by the way?

Me Likey!

So...I've made a breakthrough with the seams. I think...only THINK...that I finally "got it".

So let's see how they worked out..

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/asp1.jpg)

I thought Asp was going to be such a hassle, but I love the way she came out. Thank god for Tommyboy's awesome meshes!
[/spoiler]

DL'ed your Enchantress - looks good :thumbup:

Both enchantress and the asp look really good.
I'd say you are progressing at a fair old pace, which is always good to see. Watching talent develop is one of the really nice things about being part of a community, especially as it means I get great skins, meshes, 'skopes and so on to play with.
Keep up the good work, if you please.

My sincere thanks. I really appreciate that others are enjoying the things I'm doing, so it makes me want to do more. (And I will!)

Seams look pretty darn good, as far as I can tell. Maybe some more shadow where costume meets skin, but otherwise...
I like the colours here. Really pale, and don't seem to stand out, but I think she'd stand out even more BECAUSE of that. Cool stuff.

I have to tell you, Asp has quickly become one of my favorite skins. Her and Plastique...

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/sgirls.jpg)

That's Nightshade next to her. Suicide Squad in the house!

Cool  :thumbup: Nice to see someone do Plastique and the SS-version of Nightshade.

Yeah, I couldn't find a Plastique when I was working on the DC mod but cobbled one together to get by.  But Nightshade had her own mesh at Alex's for quite some time.  I don't like the built-in Teleport effect in character tool, but I like it in game.

LP, are there any plans to do  :ff: versions?  I d/l'ed Enchantress to update to her and was disappointed to get the null point error in CT -- must be a  :ffvstr: only version, huh?

whoOO hooOO more Serpent Society skins :blink:

Quote from: electro on August 28, 2008, 03:52:42 PM
whoOO hooOO more Serpent Society skins :blink:

It's my intent to create all of them, eventually. I like having a complete set of things.

Speaking of...

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/viper.jpg)
Viper

And I tried an updated Black Widow. This version of her costume always had dots all across it and I think I got it closer than my previous attempts to looking sharp. It looks better in the game than it does in these pics, so yeah.
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/blackwidowUD.jpg)[/spoiler]

Your hair is lookin' nice. Try giving an extra even brighter highligh and I think they will really pop. These skins are looking alright. I'm glad you are experimenting with things.

Viper's refl layer though? Not so good. Actually, let me clarify. Her lightmap file isn't so good. I'd suggest searching for a new one. Something leathery. If you want it a bit comic booky then I suggest trying my Doctor Photon skin, not to toot my own horn. If you want it realistic, then I am uncertain where to get one. Even when you do find one, look at it and try making your own.

As to the dots... I don't know. I'm sure it does look a lot better in game and less like a crazy optical illusion suit. I actually don't mind that at all. I think it is way cool. Obviously a pattern like this will mess up at the seams. Almost impossible not to.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN'!

 :thumbup: nice skins I downloaded you first blackwidow skin I cant wait to get this new one. keep up the good work

There was a pack of lightmaps I've downloaded from a Yahoo group that I've used but I've noticed that the outcome tends to always look the same. Maybe I worded it incorrectly (maybe it has to be male_basic_lightmap instead of female_basic_lightmap), so I'll check that out. Thanks for the input, as always. I'll look at your skin file and examine it. My only problem is that I don't know what a 'leathery lightmap' should look like. ;)

Yeah, the seams look better without the dots on BW, but since it's such an integral part of her costume, it's a fair sacrifice. And I always forget to add a lighter color level for the hair! It does make the hair look better.

Thanks guys!

Quote from: laughing paradox on September 03, 2008, 09:57:18 PM
There was a pack of lightmaps I've downloaded from a Yahoo group that I've used but I've noticed that the outcome tends to always look the same. Maybe I worded it incorrectly (maybe it has to be male_basic_lightmap instead of female_basic_lightmap), so I'll check that out. Thanks for the input, as always. I'll look at your skin file and examine it. My only problem is that I don't know what a 'leathery lightmap' should look like. ;)

Yeah, the seams look better without the dots on BW, but since it's such an integral part of her costume, it's a fair sacrifice. And I always forget to add a lighter color level for the hair! It does make the hair look better.

Thanks guys!

The naming of a lightmap is crtical.  Check the standard skin of the mesh you use for its particular naming scheme and simply rename the lightmap.  I'm pretty sure you DL'd the lightmap pack I put up at the base skin yahoo group.   It does have some pretty nice ones in it.

Yeah, it's definitely that lightmap pack. It's got some great ones, for sure. So I checked and the culprit was definitely the naming..I fixed it and it looks way better.

Inspired by this, I decided to tackle a reflection-heavy skin so I could see what I could do with it.

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/copperhead.jpg)
Copperhead[/spoiler]

 :thumbup:

Is that a subtle texture I see in the reflection? Oh my!

Gotta remember to use some gradients on extra pieces. The helmet. The arm bands. That little face ON the helmet. Otherwise? Nice job. You're getting there, and I love watching the improvement.

Oh yeah, working the subtlety! So until you mentioned gradients, I had no idea what that was. (I'm still a Photoshop newb, too!) So I checked it out and it did illicit some subtle changes on the metal items, so thanks for that. I need to mess with it even more so I can get varying effects from it.

So I ended up creating a cool snake-texture for Copperhead (as well as some of the following skins)

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/copperheadb.jpg)

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/cobrab.jpg)

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/coachwhipb.jpg)
- redid the texture of her costume.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/blackwidowb.jpg)
- I changed up some of her reflections levels and it came out even better than previously.

Available for download at LP's Repository (http://sardonicparadox.web.officelive.com/default.aspx)
[/spoiler]

Some questions..

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/bombshell.jpg)

How does one make pants...look like pants? I tried whatever I could to make some jeans, but it came out looking less than stellar. Does anyone have any tips to make them look like pants, instead of tacky 1980's leggings?

I've recently purchased a new laptop and I can see from my previous Copperhead skin that the coloring is way off with the extras, but it looked right in my other laptop. I'll be correcting that.
[/spoiler]

IT MIGHT BE YOUR NEW LAPTOP!

I noticed with my new iMac that the colours and especially the blacks are way off. This might be the standard now for computer stuff (although I hope it isn't) but since I work in TV it just will not work. Not even high def. And I can't seem to calibrate the gamma to how I'd like it, thus for most image editing I still use my PC. If I was better with computers I'd find out how to connect my PC's harddrive as a slave drive to my Mac, then set up parallel desktop so I can still use windows and windows based programs, then hook up my monitor as a second screen. Even better would be if I could just use my monitor on windows most of the time and the mac as itself, so basically it's like I'm still running my old computer, except with the updated processor and superior graphics card that my mac has. But blahblahblah I have no idea how to do that and this has just been a big, off topic rant.

Onwards to skins!

Jeans? How to make jeans? Really, TUE is the best source for this, probably, but I will give my two cents. Have you tried looking for "jean textures" online? Then you can overlay/hardlight/softlight/whatever you use for textures it onto your skin. You might have to desaturate. You might have to do some level adjustment. It's all about playing with it until you've got something you like, but looking for actual jean textures is a good base point. Or, just scanning a pair of jeans yourself.

I like the seam work I'm seeing on this as a start. Since it is jeans, you'll obviously need a lot more. The crotch area is the toughest part. I don't think I've ever been satisfied with how I've done it. Again, I would reference TUE on this. Heck, just check out Flesheater. It should hold every technique you need for the skin you are doing now. Except the extensive refl. Although I do like the super contrasty one you've got going on now. Oh, and I just realized... would the seams down the legs be the reverse of what they are? IE, light is coming from the front of her (I always assume, when I skin, that the light is front, centre, and slightly overhead) so it would hit the ledge on the other side. Gosh, do those words make sense?

Anyhow, as I said, check out TUE and see what he's done, then see if you can figure out something similar.

Also on the jeans, it looks like you may need to pump up your res a bit, to get the fine grains. What resolution are you working at at the moment?

My current resolution is 1440x900. When I created this skin, on my old laptop, the resolution was at 1024x768, I believe.

I'll definitely study those skins by TUE and see what I can do with it. I think my old laptop's color schematics was a little off and this one is more correct. And yeah, good eye about the seam detail, they all have to be reversed.

I actually created that denim look from scratch but yeah..it will be better just to take a free denim texture and use that instead.

Thanks. I really appreciate the feedback.

I mean the resolution of the skin, not the screen's resolution.

Having a skin of higher res means it contains more pixels per inch and therefore is finer in detail. They're always squares, so 256x256, 512x512, 1024x1024. A good size to go for is 1024x1024, it's pretty much a standard for skinning.

Oh..hehe.  :doh:

I usually work at 512 or 1024, but I'll make the resolution even larger when I get into specifics.

Thanks again for these Serpent Society & Zodiac skins :blink:

Quote from: laughing paradox on September 18, 2008, 06:03:50 AM
Oh..hehe.  :doh:

I usually work at 512 or 1024, but I'll make the resolution even larger when I get into specifics.

Depending on preference and style 512 is fine... bigger than 1024 isn't necessary.  I've done fine at 512 and respect those with the choice of 1024... but it isn't a required res at all.

The only thing is to be considerate of those with slower connections and make sure the final product isn't greater than 512 (or smaller with non-detailed textures)

Suicide Squad

[spoiler](clockwise from top left)Black Orchid, Javelin, Rick Flag Jr., Slipknot
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/blackorchid.jpg)(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/javelin.jpg)

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/slipknot.jpg)(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/rickflag.jpg)[/spoiler]

It's extremely cool to see all of those Sucide Squad skins done so well.  :thumbup: Suicide Squad was my favourite comic.

My only niggle is with Rick Flag Jnr. As far as I know, his yellow T-shirt "costume" had a shoulder holster (there is hex of Texas Jack's Male_shoulder_holsters which is similiar) ... not two hip holsters. His hair also looks a bit "off" somehow, in comparison to how he was in the comic.

I hope you're planning to do more Suicide Squad skins ... I'd love to see Ravan, Nemesis, Atom (Adam Cray) and White Dragon.

You're right, Rick Flag Jr. (and Nemesis) use shoulder holsters, but I just immediately fell in love with the mesh it is on. You're also right about the hair. I originally skinned it for the male_hunter mesh, which has a bit of a difference with the head shape.

I'll look for Texas Jack's mesh and see if I can adjust things a little. As of now, though, I've already got Nemesis done on that mesh.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/nemesis.jpg)

I'll definitely be doing more Suicide Squad characters.  Duchess is high on that list.

Might wanta think about adding a Link to your Yahoo group from your web site - Only place I see it is in the second page of this thread - By the way new skins are Awesome :blink:

Quote from: electro on September 21, 2008, 12:54:20 PM
Might wanta think about adding a Link to your Yahoo group from your web site - Only place I see it is in the second page of this thread - By the way new skins are Awesome :blink:

I'm really only using that Yahoo group as backup for my older files. Besides, there's a link to that group on every one of my readme files. Thanks for the compliment!

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/nemesisup.jpg)(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/rickflagud.jpg)

I updated Rick Flag and Nemesis so they can go on TJ's great male_shoulder_holster mesh.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/fantasia.jpg)(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/duchess.jpg)

Fantasia from the Supreme Soviets. (My first real skope!)
Duchess (skoped by Johnny Patches and a little tweaking by me)

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/pantha-1.jpg)
Pantha (skoped by Johnny Patches) (decapitated head not included)
I've had this for a long while, but I'm not happy with this skin so I'll keep working on it, but it's good to have some kind of Pantha out there.

 :o way to go JP! :thumbup:

Fantasia, now there is a chararacter I thought I'd never see, great skin and scope, I really like your Rick Flag as well.

Thanks.

Yeah, I love those obscure characters. I'm actually trying to create everyone from that fantastic Captain America issue #342, where the Supreme Soviets, disguised as the Avengers, battle defecting Russian superheroes. I skoped a Gladiatrix (see below) and already skinned Blue Shield and Vostok/Sputnik. Speedball by tommyboy has enough skins, Crimson Dynamo was made a few times, Stankowicz could be represented by any robot mesh..so the only thing now that need to be done are Major Ursa and Perun. I'm okay with skoping very basic things, but I think Perun is going to be a lot of work.. and I don't think there's a bear mesh anywhere, so that is going to be very difficult as well.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/gladiatrix1.jpg)

ursa major would work well on a skoped (ink) caliban mesh.i gave the mesh(i think)tj gorilla kfs.it has loping run animations as well as claw looking attack.

Howdy LP!  These are fantastic!  I love the Suicide Squad, and you've done a great job with these characters......although, curse you, because now I've got to add Slipknot and Nemesis!  Any chance we'll see the SS's adversaries, the Jihad?

Herodad - Thanks for the tip on the bear! I'll check it out..by skoped, do you mean hexing parts off, or adding parts on?

Benton - Thanks. I wasn't thinking about doing the Jihad, but if you can lead me to some meshes, I'll see what I can do. ;)

I have a Perun skin I can send you, its on the Thor mesh and the skin was by Electro.

That Duchess is cool  :thumbup: ... how did you make that mesh?

If you could do Ravan for a skope of Valandar's male knifefighter, that'd be ultra cool.

Could skope the fur from Ink's sabertooth & boots from captain america onto the Thor to make a decent Perun mesh - My skin is quite old now & would love to see sothing new :blink:

NICE highlights on that latest one. Lookin' sweet, man.

LP, if you're interested in Jihad meshes, I have an updated Manticore, updated Rustam with fire sword, and a hex of Jaculi (the male one) I could probably send you later this week.  I need to make sure C/S is OK with my sending, but it's not like Reloaded ever got made and I'm not sure if/when it will.  It's high on my to-do list and may get higher after I check out your Duchess, but seems like it gets bumped easily.  I guess I tend to end up doing my mod work instead of his...   :P

I don't have anything for Ravan or Agni/Angi at this point, or other Jihad members like female Jaculi, Badb, Djinn, etc. that weren't in the original SS mod.  Ravan could use a knife since a garotte (sp?) probably isn't practical to animate.  An exploding pickaxe fx would be nice for him too.  Agni/Angi (whichever spelling they're using these days) could probably go on a male basic or maybe some sort of fx mesh, though I think the flame came and went rather than being constant, least as I remember him.

Djinn would rock but I'm not sure how he would function in game.  Maybe with a very small bounding box that only included his base...

use calibans body but give him a diff. head.zulu has a werewolf looking mesh and bobby 69 has the feline beast mesh.both may be the same but the head is what would work for ursa major.ears may be trimmed back to look more like a bear.

I should think Ravan could simply be put on a male_basic with Kung Fu kf's, he was a martial artist, right?  He was like the Bronze Tiger's opposite number, so for herofile reasons, a martial arts kf set makes sense.  For Djinn, you could use the fire elementals that Red Sun conjures in FF2, they have the right shape.  As far as making him work in game, you could design him as the "Astral Form" half of a character with Astral Projection.  Make the actual corporeal form of his a small mesh with very limited defenses.

-It's funny you mentioned the Fire Spirit, that's the same thing I thought of too for Djinn! I don't know if it would look good on that mesh, but I'll try it eventually. I've been wanting to create "shadow spirits" on that mesh. Is there a  :ff: version of the Fire Spirit? I also need to get pants cuffs for Ravan, which I'm not sure I've seen yet, because he certainly enjoys his high-waters.

-RE: Major Ursa - I don't know if you can remove a mesh's head with Nifskope, which is all I have. It's part of the mesh...if you can remove it, it's far beyond my current skill level.  <_<

-Jake, I didn't make the Duchess, but I know it was created using the Taskmistress mesh. :)

the caliban is the perfect choice for a ursa major mesh.it has the size and the claws.i guess his look would be all in the skinning.hope you give it a try.

Greetings, Comrades..

[spoiler](http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/5586/451241-ss3_super.jpg)

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/soviets.jpg)

-Red Guardian and Crimson Dynamo were NOT created by me. I just added them to complete the team.
I need to learn how to create chest hair on a skin. Barring that, a lot of stuff will be uploaded soon.

[/spoiler]

Ok, you can officially change the name of your skin thread. Your work certainly no longer shows any signs of newbie-ness.  Those are some fantasic skins there.  And nice going getting your pic to look like the comic pic :thumbup:

Wow great skins there LP, keep it up  :thumbup:.

Hehe. Yeah, like US Agent said, good job on making them pose just like in the comic cover. :P

So far so good. Can't wait to see how you do the chest hairs.  ^_^

Very nice work! Awesome stuff

These new skins look pretty darn awesome.  :cool:

Thanks, guys. I'm glad you like them. :)

Good job mate, you made a lot of progress since u started this thread.

Great work with the chest hairs!  :P

Love the new updates too.  :thumbup:

Cool skins, man ... you're doing a lot of characters I've always wanted to play with.  :thumbup:

So yeah...I think I'll be doing the Jihad.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/rustam.jpg)
Rustam, the leader of the Jihad.

And this is a total work in progress and really just experimenting. There are a lot of things going badly with this so far. I need a younger face, first of all, and I realize I'm going to have to make it...which I'm not comfortable doing yet. I also need to find appropriate boots for the mesh. And I'm also unsure on how to do the highlights for a kid. I'll figure it out, though, given time.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/packwip.jpg)

I think I may skin the Night Shift soon, the villians of Spider-Woman and West Coast Avengers.

Quote from: laughing paradox on October 15, 2008, 08:11:58 AM
So yeah...I think I'll be doing the Jihad.

And this is a total work in progress and really just experimenting. There are a lot of things going badly with this so far. I need a younger face, first of all, and I realize I'm going to have to make it...which I'm not comfortable doing yet. I also need to find appropriate boots for the mesh. And I'm also unsure on how to do the highlights for a kid. I'll figure it out, though, given time.

I think I may skin the Night Shift soon, the villians of Spider-Woman and West Coast Avengers.

Isn't there a younger face teen base skin out there we can use? Hmm, i thought you were able to make a face on your own already? ^_^  Highlights for a kid? You could probably get an idea where to put some if you look at some teen skins already out there. Will you be skinning all of Night Shift? Cool!  :cool:

Tommy has boots for his various Ironman meshes that could be used. I start some skope but throw them out. I look forward to seeing them completely though.

Also Alex is the older one (in white) while is younger but the meshes look reversed. Are you doing Franklin as well?

Woo-hoo!  I'm glad you're taking on the Jihad LP, they are great villains, and one day in the far, far, far, FAR distant future, I'd like to use them in some stories. ;)  That Rustam is just awesome.  I love the flaming scimitar, very nice work on the texture.  I think his mustache could use some highlights though, because it contrasts with his hair a bit too much, in my very inexpert opinion.

If there's a teen face base, I would love to get it. Let me know if there is one. I'd appreciate it. I don't know if I'm going to do ALL of the Night Shift..there's already a great Shroud out there, as well as Werewolf at Night, Gypsy Moth and Dansen Macabre..and Brothers Grimm...but the other members could use some new skins. Needle, Tick Tock, Digger and Misfit, at least. I may do my own version of Gypsy Moth because I wouldn't mind her on a different mesh and I would like to learn how to alpha enable skins, to get a gossamer feel for the wings.

I'll check out the Iron Man boots. The two characters are on the same mesh, actually..one looks bigger only because of the position in Character Tool. I haven't thought of doing Franklin..it really depends how much I like what I am able to do with the four main Power Pack members.

By the way, I could use suggestions for meshes for the two female Power Pack members.

Good call on the mustache highlights...I'll definitely add them. And I can't take credit for the fire effects/texture, that came with the mesh already.

Thanks for the input!

If you guys want, I have a modified Male_Smile C6 base that I used for my Dash from "The Incredibles" skin youalls can use. It gives a early- teen- ish or late pre- teen look. I can have it uploaded tomorrow, if you want.

Those look really good, LP. Thanks for the hard work. I believe I've seen a Franklin Richards fun pack somewhere that might work for Tattletale or even for kid faces. I also remember seeing a teen basic small mesh or something like that too. I will have to go hunting for them tonight. I was also thinking if hexing the sea urchin mesh might work for Katie (Energizer, yellow costume) and Julie (Lightspeed, pink costume).

You can hex Sea Urchin into a basic mesh. Yellow Lantern has a girl mesh that can be hexed for those purposes though. I would not use the same mesh for Julie because she was a couple years older. I would use Ink's Jubilee_teen mesh. This is a year teen/late preteen sized mesh that hair and boot can be skoped on.

Also the Franklin Richard mesh isn't the right shape or size for Frankie as Tattletale. It Frankie at a much older time and it has jeans and a t-shirt meshed onto the basic model. To get the right look, I would size down the existing mesh you are using and enlarge the head by 30%.

In regards to skinning, meshes don't necessarily make face appear young. You should try skinning it yourself by softening the cheek with a blur tool or painting over the existing base's face ( a technique I use) it will really improve your skills and make your skin appear less generic.

Thanks for letting me know, AA. I guess that saves me the trouble of having to look for them. What about a teen titan skin from the teen titans mod? Wouldn't there skins look like a teen?

Jihad and Power Pack? Cool  :thumbup:

Rustam is shaping up well.

Quote from: JLAfan2001 on October 15, 2008, 05:03:22 PM
Thanks for letting me know, AA. I guess that saves me the trouble of having to look for them. What about a teen titan skin from the teen titans mod? Wouldn't there skins look like a teen?

I think you mean mesh or model but it is all in opinion. I've always been of the opinion that the Power Pack were pre-teens.

Jihad and an obscure hero

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/jihad.jpg)
Jihad is practically done. Chimera is set. Manticore has a difficult wiremap for the hair, so I'm not sure I can actually do something with it. I'm aware that I can change the wiremap a bit, but it doesn't really make it easier. Djinn is actually translucent. And Jaculi is there.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/psi.jpg)
Psi was a Supergirl villain and a very short-lived member of the Suicide Squad. I don't like the skin a lot, but I wanted the character out there.
[/spoiler]

 :o wow! :thumbup: :thumbup:

Did anybody make base suggestions for more child like musculature yet? Because I would first suggest C6's costume base or, in an uncharacteristic display of egotism, my own cartoon style base. The face you'll have to learn to do for yourself, via AA's suggestions, but I think it's about time for that.

Awesome!  More Jihad members!  Jaculi is spot on, and Djinn is really impressive in his accuracy.  How did you manage that?  I see what you mean about Manticore's hair, but that face is really distinctive and violent.  Great work!

I love the Psi. It's really cool seeing characters that don't get too much attention being made.

Thanks, folks.  :thumbup:

Yeah, I'm going to have to start personalizing the faces of these characters. I know there is a tutorial on it, so I'll check that out. I was thinking about using that male_costume base, but I'll try out your cartoon base and see what will work best.

The Jihad already had unreleased meshes that rmt was kind enough to send to me. I only did some minor tweaking to the meshes, like alpha-enabling Djinn (as well as adding glow and reflection to the mesh). I also did minor skoping on Jaculi, with the headband.

Sweet Mother of All That Is Holy!

The Jihad! The Suicide Squad!

Two teams enter the Danger Room! One team leaves!

Laughing Paradox: NICE WORK!!!!!!!!

It's really cool to finally see these guys for Freedom Force.  :thumbup: How did you make Djinn?

For credits (going by memory, I think I had readme files that may be more accurate):

Rustam -- Crusader/Saracen mesh from an unreleased mod called Suicide Squad Reloaded that I was helping.  Looks like LP is skoping some extra parts on -- all I have is male basic flaming sword.  Permission was granted to release him as SSR isn't currently even in my top 5 mods to get out there list and Crusader said he's only interested in helping with ideas and dialogues, not returning to modding (no surprise, though I thought he was weakening after getting him to straighten out my tagging code for Marvel Wars).

Manticore -- Mostly Bearded in Lair, but I think some Crusader.  The max passed through several hands as I understand it.  There was a poly count issue so some of the best parts were lost.   :thumbdown:  I haven't ever talked with Bearded but believe the mesh is ok to use based on comments Crusader made.  My favorite part of the mesh isn't actually showing, which is the tail.  It has a weapon mark set to the tip too, so it will launch grenades from the tail in game.  Always a plus.

Jaculi -- I believe he was a Jfoam hex from the days before skoping existed.  Pretty sure Foam released him already but not 100% sure.  LP will need Foam's permission to be safe.

Djinn -- mine, WIP (see below).

Chimera -- no idea.  I have one from Crusader based on his Nightshade meshes, but I don't think that's the one LP has skinned.

For possible add-ons:

Ravan -- not done but on my list for possible skope.  Not sure how to do the garrotte.  Needs an exploding pickaxe fx.

Angi -- could be done on male basic or male basic with the hands fx (hint hint).   :P

Skins are looking good LP.  Wasn't sure if you were going forward as I haven't had a chance to get on the board in a while because of the move.  Glad to see you're making good progress on them.

If you want, I can look at the max for Manticore and see if I can redo Crusader or Bearded's hair (whichever one did that particular piece).  I'm not any better with wiremaps though so not sure I can improve it any.  Looks like it's currently set to apply the map from the side of the mesh, presumably mirrored to affect both sides, if that makes sense.

Djinn was so simple I could kick myself for not doing him sooner.  I took a male basic max, hacked off the legs, stretched his pelvis into a cone sort of shape and plugged it into a simple box with a couple of vertices moved to make it more angular and less square.  I had not got around to adding the alpha channel and probably haven't tried shrinking his bounding box to only encompass his magnetic bottle instead of the body -- I remember starting that but I think I messed it up so guessing it's not in LP's version.  I honestly can't decide whether I want to have that for possible danger room purposes or just use him in a mod level with his abilities set to not be affected by the game engine but some sort of custom action to kill him.  My limited recollection is that small bounding boxes can be incredibly annoying for combat, but in the comics, only his bottle was vulnerable.  I'm also not sure how to do his attacks.  He should really be melee only and no real movement, but if so, that's not going to be very fun.  He's a hard character to simulate.

LP, please note that the skin won't change, but the mesh will.  When I have time, I'm going to try to change his keyframes so the idle is just the magnetic bottle and the fall animation changes back to just the bottle with Djinn getting sucked back in.  He actually needs a lot of keyframe work since I was lazy and just deleted the bip movements so the bottle would not go anywhere.  He's not very practical yet, but I will get to him again at some point when I can see the floor of the new house and have finished figuring out what all the movers broke.

Was the Duchess with the mega-gun from the Cable mesh usable?  I liked the skope you had before, but thought it was a shame she never used the machine gun in her animations.

Wow! A lot of cool skopes/skins/characters here LP! You've got your hands full in this one. :)

I like the Manticore! I know you could those faces on your own and the metallic effects is very good!

Can't wait to see the finish product!  :thumbup:

I come bearing more gifts. I shoooould probably have all this stuff available for download this weekend.

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/screamingmimi.jpg)
Screaming Mimi (scope by Johnny Patches). This was wicked easy to do and I like how it came out.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/lodestone.jpg)
Lodestone (scope by Johnny Patches). Again, wicked quick to make (Just a big honkin' layer of green). I experimented with the extra pieces by messing with the gradient tool and yeah, there it is.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/halo.jpg)
Halo (hex by..me?!). I was messing around with the MLF and had a great Strobe skin and wanted to add that cool aura effect around her body. So what I did was hex the mask off of Ink's Star Sapphire and it looked perfect. (I have a feeling that this hex already exists, but lord knows if I could find it.) I began to think of what other female characters had long hair and an aura, so Halo came to mind. This was kind of a rush job, and you can tell in parts of the skin (particularly the 'streaks' in the hair and the highlights), but I like that low-budged quality to this skin. Besides, it's only Halo and she's no Gladiatrix![/spoiler]

pretty cool dude.very good skinning.

Good work LP. One thing you might want to look at however is on the "crotch" area for Screaming Mimi...it needs a little work. There is no defined line to separate cloth from skin and it's kinda blurry...or smudged. ;)

 :o she look awesome!
can't wait. :thumbup:

Halo looks perfect.  :thumbup:

Quote from: Blkcasanova247 on October 23, 2008, 01:55:14 PM
Good work LP. One thing you might want to look at however is on the "crotch" area for Screaming Mimi...it needs a little work. There is no defined line to separate cloth from skin and it's kinda blurry...or smudged. ;)

It's so funny that you pointed that out..I actually adjusted that section already, because I thought it was looking a little rated X in certain poses. I thought I was going to be the only one that noticed! Thanks for the input.

Thanks a lot, everyone. Everything should be up no later than tomorrow. (Hopefully!)

I've gotta say, I'm not digging the refl on Loadstone there. It's making the piece seem very flat to me. I also think the extras might be a little more defined. For example, the forearm things. You don't want a straight gradient from one end to another. As with the skin of the main body, the underarms against the body should be darker, while the tops that face away should be lighter. This is in addition to the part closer to the elbows being lighter and the part closer to the hands being darker. The more defining shadows the more believable in a 3D space it feels.

I know you like compleating many skins in a short time, and I commend you for that, but I feel that for a bit you need to slow down and consider some more things before calling a skin done. I don't want to sound harsh, because you've made great progress, but these last couple batches have felt a bit rushed to me. Halo is probably the best of the lot, with my only critique being her white dots could use some light bluish shading around the bottom.

I appreciate the input.

Regarding Lodestone, I understand what you mean about the extras and using a different mode of the gradient. What I usually do is not make the extras so dark, so that was my 'experiment' there. A different form of the gradient could definitely help. I'm actually satisfied with the reflection with this particular skin..it doesn't really translate with the picture, since movement shows it off, but it's decent.

It's curious about shading things like the underarms because I thought the base skins naturally had that effect. It's naturally darker under the arms, in comparison to the top of the shoulder, which is lighter (especially with highlights). However, it's given me something to think about.

On Halo, I've never really been a fan of the blue shading on white, personally. I can't pull it off well and I decided, to not make the white dull, is to add reflection layer on the white. (which you can't see in this pic...again!)

I think my problem is that I don't really add shadows. I just add highlights, and I end up thinking the contrast makes the darker parts look even darker.

I'm able to pump out these skins quickly because they definitely are rush jobs. I think my philosophy on it is this: get those characters out there. Before I skinned, and I saw a bunch of previewed stuff in these threads, I would be so eager to see those characters in the game and a little bummed that they wouldn't be released for a few months. I see myself more of a fan than a skinner. So, as a fan, I don't want to make people wait too long for these things. It's a balance, I realize.. and I do definitely want to get better with skinning... so yeah, there are specific characters that I will definitely take my time with and others that I will definitely be thinking, "Yeah, let's just get your butt released." Gladiatrix, for example, was something I actually took my time with.. so I'm not just only rushing them..but yeah, this last batch was admittedly rushed.

And seriously, the negative criticism is appreciated -- no eggshell walking going on in this thread. I'm from NYC, so it takes a lot to get me offended. ;) It's the only way I can get better, right? I want to thank you just for taking time out to point those things out.

Hopefully I don't ever sound too harsh. Honestly there's some threads I don't even bother posting in, since I doubt they will get better. I understand some people do just produce things so they get done (and in fact, I'll admit I've done a few of those... but I've never been satisfied with them).

I guess really I just want to see people make works of art. Is that a little haughty? Maybe. I honestly don't even play the game anymore, so that could be part of it. For the people who do play and do want to see a lot of obscure characters what you are doing is perfect. And if that is your ambition then you certainly do a great job. I don't want to force my views on you.

And anyhow, yeah, you have gotten better. I have no doubt you will continue to improve. And you certainly have the right to choose where to apply that improvement.

You pretentious windbag.....

Just kidding Unko. :P

I for one appreciate LP's dedication to getting characters released, as the 'preview' limbo is a bit torturous to us adoring fans who...you know...have no artistic talent. ;)

:EDIT:  This was NOT to be taken as a comment on the whole quality vs. quantity debate, just a light hearted statement.  I am staying completely out of matters that I have no perspective on.

Unko, don't make LP angry. He might not release anymore wonderfully obscure characters. Besides you wouldn't like him when he's angry :)

So, Johnny Patches fulfilled a request for me and I wasn't going to preview this WIP yet, but I wanted to show some more of Johnny's impeccable skillls. This is a completely random character, but yeah..

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/crimsonfox.jpg)
Le Renard Rouge, or the Crimson Fox.
[/spoiler]

Niiiiiice  :thumbup:

She has been done before (I think on Female Versatile)... but NOT this well.

she look great yo! :thumbup:

Looks good.  I must say you do get me looking to comicvine to reference your characters.  Good to see some of the less popular characters getting some love.

Keep up the great work!

I started in on some of Johnny's Masters of Evil meshes

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/moe.jpg)
Supercharger, Slyde, Sunstroke

I have to fix Supercharger's hair and that should be it.

These are all for :ffvstr:. I also have :ff: versions, but they need the reflection/glow added to the meshes. However, since I don't have :ff: installed, they would look a bit bland as is. I'm going to have to do something about that.

wow  :thumbup: awsome

Not familiar with these guys, but i like their costumes. :)

Hmmm...for constructive feedback, maybe the metal parts on Supercharger could probably use more shine like shiny reflect layers. :P Still looks good enough without it though. Sunstroke's sun symbol may look a lot better without the muscles showing through. Nice job on the detail of his wings. ;)

Keep those skins coming. :thumbup:

I like what I have been seeing from you. These characters are great and it is good to see them get skinned.
My only advice is with characters in white most skinners tend to have a little blue in the shadowy areas as opposed to the flat gray that you are putting out with Slyde and Sunstroke. Try experimenting with this as it tends to make them not look so bland.

What basic mesh is used for Supercharger?

Quote from: AfghanAnt on November 01, 2008, 11:22:38 AM
What basic mesh is used for Supercharger?

vxSynapse with Tommyboy's tom_helm_nomouth for the head.

great job! :thumbup:

Great to see Sunstroke  :thumbup: I remember him from my West Coast Avengers reading days.

Quote from: billdamn22 on November 01, 2008, 11:17:07 AM
I like what I have been seeing from you. These characters are great and it is good to see them get skinned.
My only advice is with characters in white most skinners tend to have a little blue in the shadowy areas as opposed to the flat gray that you are putting out with Slyde and Sunstroke. Try experimenting with this as it tends to make them not look so bland.

Thanks!

I've tried the blue shading and I've never been satisfied with the outcome. It may just be that I am doing it wrong. As of now, the gray shading looks better than my attempt at blue shading.

These should be released pretty soon.

I said it before and I will say it again... just look at what other people have done. It could be you use too dark a blue or too bright. If you see a blue shaded white anywhere that you like download the skin and take a good hard look.

That being said, I've occasionally used grey shading on my whites, when it suits the costume better.

Quote from: UnkoMan on November 05, 2008, 09:22:36 AM
I said it before and I will say it again... just look at what other people have done. It could be you use too dark a blue or too bright. If you see a blue shaded white anywhere that you like download the skin and take a good hard look.

That being said, I've occasionally used grey shading on my whites, when it suits the costume better.

I have, buddy. There's only so much that looking at it can do, though, y'know?

I've tried two approaches to the blue shading.

1. Desaturate the base skin. Put a light blue layer on top of that, changing the blend mode on it to Multiply or whatever..something fitting. Then I make white highlights on the muscles, so that the shade is blue, but the muscles are white. The whole costume looks more blue than white, though.

2. Desaturate the base skin. Color in the gray spots with blue, and using the smudge/blur tool, try to get it in all the gray creases. Maybe even use a slight touch of Gaussian blur.

I am having the same issue with the cool warped highlights on boot cuffs, like your Unkoman avatar. I'm not sure how to get those cool curves in the highlights, even though I've tried using the blur and smudge tools. It's just not coming out as well as yours. I'll get it, though, I'm sure...something ends up 'clicking' in my mind and it all makes sense after some tampering.

So, in the spirit of honest feedback, I could use some critical feedback on this skin. If anyone would be so kind as to spare some, go right on ahead.

[spoiler](http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/circe.jpg)
Circe, foe of Wonder Woman

One thing I've noticed so far is the fore(five)head (which I believe I can fix.) I tried to make a band around her left thigh, and under the boot cuff, but it looks like the boot has been flipped over instead. I think, to fix that, I'll simply make the band around her thigh smaller and raise it higher.

I'm having problems with the breast area. I have been trying to make the breastplate looking more circular than it does here. It's perfect on the tga file, but the mesh definitely distorts it in that area.

So any feedback would be welcome. Thanks. :)
[/spoiler]

Maybe somebody ought to do a "how to make white" tutorial or something. Generally I end up redrawing all the shadows.

As to the warped highlights, you are using the right tools. Smudge and blur tools with a touch of gradient blur from time to time to get it looking good. Another thing I tend to do is get a good faded layer, blended out nice, then I "select pixels" on that layer, make a new layer, contract my selection by 1 or 2 pixels and fill THAT with my bright highlight. It might need a tiny touch of blurring after, but is usually fine. Did that explanation make sense?

Now onto your newest skin:
Pretty good, really. There are a couple of odd things though. I will point them out and try to say how to fix them, in my opinion.

I think the light green you're using for the dark green's lines might be too light. Really you don't usually want to go much brighter than the lightest part in the piece. It looks okay on the armbands and belt, but when you get to the boots it's just glaring. The pieces themselves look fine though.

Except her one boot. The one with the extra bit of green. I don't get it. Is it suppose to be under the boot or over the boot? What's its relationship to the leg? There's no shadow where it would fall on the leg. All in all, it looks like a mistake more than anything. If it's under the boot then the boot doesn't need that big shadow on it. If it's over the boot then the line separating them should be a very dark one. (Oh, I read your words after reading this and saw you noticed. Well, my advice still stands.)

I'd also put some shadow on either side of the belt and make the seam on the top part of the shirt (in front of her chest there) lighter not darker. Then I'd put shadow where shirt meets skin. Maybe a bit of highlighting on the front of the holsters.

There's also something off about where glove meets hand. Shadows and seems again? Maybe.

And finally the breast area you mentioned? Sometimes you just have to say "forget it" and let a mesh warp, but if you really want you can overlay the wiremap and look very closely at how it bends. This helps me a lot for mesh distortion. Honestly though, I think it looks fine.

Awesome info, man. I appreciate it. I'll be applying a lot of what you've said.

Very nice to see some of the Masters. I've always had a soft spot for Slyde.

The Needle.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/needle.jpg)

I've applied the technique of blue shading on white for this skin and, after a few (many!) attempts, I got it to a point that I'm comfortable with. I think my problem was the shading of blue being too dark; I went way brighter and it works with this skin. Anyway, one Night Shift character almost down, several more to go!

To those who have asked about the rest of the Jihad, I have to ask for permission to release the rest of the characters, since those meshes aren't mine and I don't think they can be found online.. and I really want to rework Manticore's hair.. but when that's all settled, they will be available.

 :o LP that is really good!  :thumbup:

Excellent! I love the simplicity

Cool, a Needle with a actual needle looking weapon. Nice.

That's great  :thumbup:

Mantra from the Ultraverse

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/mantra1-1.jpg)

Blame daglob for my upcoming Ultraverse characters. :)

Does this mean no power pack or night shift? :(

Quote from: JLAfan2001 on December 03, 2008, 08:58:19 AM
Does this mean no power pack or night shift? :(

Oh, they'll be done, have no fear. I already did the Needle and I already started working on Misfit and Dragonfly.

Power Pack was going to be on the back burner for a while until I get a much better grasp at working on faces.. if I'm going to do PP, I want to make sure that I do them right. As I have them now, they just look like short, old men. ;)

Quote from: laughing paradox on December 03, 2008, 08:29:58 AM
Mantra from the Ultraverse

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/mantra1-1.jpg)

Blame daglob for my upcoming Ultraverse characters. :)

Good, now I don't have to figure out how to do that one either.

Quote from: daglob on December 03, 2008, 09:12:29 PM
Good, now I don't have to figure out how to do that one either.

I just wish it had a better sword. A scimitar would work... there has to be one available, right?

I'm also working on Prototype.. looks pretty decent so far.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/prototype.jpg)

Just a thought. Does the Arabian Knight mesh by Texas Jack have a Scimitar?

I think tommyboy's warrior_versatile has a scimitar.

Woops meant to thank you for that Slyde skin awhile back - So Thanks - You and Kssaints always bring the Chars I want the most - Now if I could just talk someone into skinning Tommyboy's Awesome Armadillo_new mesh :blink: (got someone on it now)

Quote from: laughing paradox on December 04, 2008, 07:15:05 AM

Quote from: daglob on December 03, 2008, 09:12:29 PM
Good, now I don't have to figure out how to do that one either.

I just wish it had a better sword. A scimitar would work... there has to be one available, right?

I'm also working on Prototype.. looks pretty decent so far.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/prototype.jpg)

Whew! There goes another one.

Prototype looks great. Colours really pop and the reflections are very nice. Good job.

Quote from: Podmark on December 05, 2008, 11:25:02 PM
Prototype looks great. Colours really pop and the reflections are very nice. Good job.

Hey, thanks. I really appreciate that.

Thanks for the suggestion on the scimitar sword, Xeno and JLA. I ended up using the Arabian Knight's sword and it was perfect.  :thumbup:

So.. ok. Before you guys thought I turned my back on Marvel or DC..

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/boomboom.jpg)

Boom Boom.

The costume is taken from Jim Lee's version of her from the X-men trading card set.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/boomboom-1.jpg)

I can't believe I haven't seen a Boom Boom made from Ink's Jubilee mesh before.. it just seemed like a no-brainer that clicked when I checked it out earlier. The only snag I hit with this skin was the hair.. as you can see, it's a solid yellow, which doesn't hurt it too bad, but I would love to add to it. Oh, and Boom Boom customarily has green shades.. so yeah.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/sunbison.jpg)

Bison and an updated Sunstroke of the Masters of Evil.. which will be available for download in a little bit.

That there is definatly the best looking Boom Boom from that era that Ive seen, I will be updating to that skope/skin.  And nice work on Bison and Sunstroke, there are a couple more characters that have never been done that I know of.

*keeps refreshing the Repository on hopes of getting the these two*

Sunstroke looks good. I can't tell much about Bison though. Really dark. I love the 2nd stringers.

Hey LP, I was just looking at Needle in the c-tool and noticed his weapon is pink.  I just added the weapon glow and refl tga files from the taskmaster mesh and it fixed it. Ya might wanna re-upload him with those files.

Thanks for the heads up, US. I added the correct tgas to the zip file now.

I'm glad you like the Boom Boom. I was trying to figure out what her signature Boom Boom costume was, but as soon as I saw that Jim Lee picture, it all clicked. By the way, Bison and Sunstroke are up.

And here's a better look at Bison
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/bison.jpg)

I actually like the way it came out. I wasn't going to add texture to the costume part, but it's supposed to be hairy and I figured I'd face the challenge.

is bison one of JP's heavies?

sweet LP.. i like them all.  :cool:

I like Sunstroke ... I really like the unconventional supervillain designs. They look cool and it makes them stand out in FFvTTR.

WOW!

Bison is a JP skope, so yes, that's his male_heavy mesh.

And here's a chick who could kick his butt.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/mistressofmartial.jpg)

Nice!

She looks great. Good job LP!

Thanks, guys!

Do you guys ever have 'milestone' skins? When I completed this skin, I just knew it was a level beyond the things I've done before (but still have so much more to go). ;)

Quote from: laughing paradox on December 09, 2008, 10:37:25 AM
Thanks, guys!

Do you guys ever have 'milestone' skins? When I completed this skin, I just knew it was a level beyond the things I've done before (but still have so much more to go). ;)

Milestone skins...hmmmm. That's a really good question LP. Worthy of it's own topic...unless you like a wave of other skinners work posted in your own thread! :P

Quote from: Courtnall6 on December 09, 2008, 03:34:26 PM

Quote from: laughing paradox on December 09, 2008, 10:37:25 AM
Thanks, guys!

Do you guys ever have 'milestone' skins? When I completed this skin, I just knew it was a level beyond the things I've done before (but still have so much more to go). ;)

Milestone skins...hmmmm. That's a really good question LP. Worthy of it's own topic...unless you like a wave of other skinners work posted in your own thread! :P

Ha, duly noted! I'll start one up now.

great looking Mantis  :thumbup:

I started this thread to show a new guy to skinning (and Photoshop) go through the process of learning how to skin. I also hoped to inspire others to join me in my journey and trade tips and ideas with each other, so it wouldn't be as difficult or daunting as it originally seemed to be. With that said, I had me a hankerin' to redo some of my earlier skins, to test the progress, like this:

Bushmaster
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/bushmaster.jpg)(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/bushmaster1.jpg)

Some other updates:

[spoiler]Darkstar
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/darkstar1.jpg)

Judomaster
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/judomaster2.jpg)

Rattler
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/rattler1.jpg)
[/spoiler]

You have improved a lot! :thumbup:

Well done and keep up the good work!

Excellent! You're showing a lot improvement. Keep it up :thumbup:

Thanks guys.  :)

I was messing around with some original characters lately and I thought I'd share just a few.

[spoiler]
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/lp.jpg)
Paradox - not my avatar, but the main hero of my originals

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/theface.jpg)
The Face - I created her (as a villain) to be an antithesis of most "Major Super Villains".. 1. she's female and 2. she's black. The Face is a temporary name.. I pictured her as a former model.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/ghost.jpg)
Ghost - My cocky "young hero grown into an adult" kind of character.. well adjusted even if he can speak to the dead and.. stuff.
[/spoiler]

Nice to see what your original characters actually look like. It would be interesting to know more about their background stories and powers. How are they connected? :)

I'm sure you've got lots more original characters to show and this is just the tip of the iceberg.  :cool:

Thanks, Outcast. Yeah, I was just showing to show.. not really going to host them or anything, but I had this elaborate comic book universe in my head since I was 8.. it's crazy the things I can remember from back then. :)

I had this old Johnny Patches skope that I had started skinning.. then forgot completely about it. Well, I found it on my comp and decided to finish it up.

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h137/excelsior420/porcupine.jpg)

This will be hosted later this week.

Well you just took him off my skins to do list. Nice one!

Very nice.

Nice job LP and JP!

There have been quite a few requests for a Porcupine like that. And I've got to say that it looks great.

I really like how you and JP are creating these characters that a) no-one has done before and b) have designs that look so distinctive in the game  :thumbup:

re: your originals ... what's The Face's story/powers, etc?

Porcupine looks really good! Very Colorful.

I love all your obscure villains. :thumbup:

wow! great job. :thumbup:

good job man!

Thanks folks, and JP for being so patient. Heh.

I need to figure out how to do FX's now, so I can get a bunch of quills to shoot out.