Inkshares Community discussion
Resources (Editing, Cover, Ads)
>
Want some photo real characters for your book cover?
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Melissa
(new)
Sep 10, 2015 01:23PM
So I just decided to throw this out there to find out if anyone has need or is interested. My other passion is art and design. I made my own cover from scratch using 3D software called Blender to create all the elements before putting it all together in Photoshop. 3D art is a new and fascinating medium I've been teaching myself for the past 3 years and I think I finally have a good handle on it. The figures I used are not real, I created and posed them with software called Daz Studio. Then I brought them into Blender, modeled and textured their clothes, modeled the swords, used the awesome particle simulator for hair, beard, and fire. Did the lighting. The main badie didn't have tattoos so I added those, including a scar that I'm not sure you can see on Inkshares or here because of compression. The cavalry charge scene was also all created in Blender. Most organics I get from Daz, the rest I model from scratch. So what I'm wondering, if anyone needs a character created that looks like a real human or any other element for a book cover, I'd be happy to make something. I wish I could do it for free, but it does take some time to do. If anyone is interested or knows of someone else who is, let me know and I can figure out some pricing. I'm thinking along the $20-$80 range depending on scale of project. I'm thinking this would be cheaper than hiring a real model for photos not to mention costuming. I have lots of test screen shots from past work if you want to see more. So if there is any interest... Let me know.
reply
|
flag
I'd be interested in some test shots. Also your email. Thanks!
I just set up an album on my Facebook illustration page, hopefully this link works.https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...
My email: melissaberg@mac.com
I can manipulate anything, so if you need an Elf or a big warrior guy/woman, super big or emaciated... different skin colors... Guns... blasters, sci-fy stuff... all doable.
Wow! I've used blender and those must have taken a long time to create! They look great!
I'm getting a lot better on the work flow aspect. Mostly what took a while is watching tutorial after tutorial on how to do something, or if that didn't work, posting to forums to get an answer LOL. Lots of hair pulling, but they keep updating Blender and it's getting better and better, so the results make it all worth it.
I'm interested. My wife has drawn out the cover and I have a print of it showing on inkshares, but my wife knows that through she is an artist, she isn't on par with what I need. Maybe we could talk about turning her work into something book worthy. BTW the is not as nice as her pencil drawing. I could email both and we could talk price?Here's the link to my book.
https://www.inkshares.com/projects/to...
I could totally do this for you Jodhan. I like the idea of the imagery that she has already come up with. Is the main character in chains? I see that it takes place in atlantis, so maybe you have some ideas to incorporate that too. Here's my email:Melissaberg@mac.com
Yes that is the main character. I have a few ideas, not sure how to "bring them to life". But i'll get the scetch and the print scanned and send them to see what you think.One of the things we want to incorporate was some 'wounds. Contusions and the link. He's supposed to be scared from past wars and bruised with broken ribs.
I envisioned that we would see the arm or side of the arm of the person in front of him, likely the recreations priests machine hand in the shot, with maybe the shadow of someone in the background.
I did a scar on the bad guy in my cover, and it turned out looking pretty good. I could do bruises, use photos for the coloring to get that right. The machine hand I will need a sketch of for sure, and maybe I can find something to manipulate or change that will look like it. A shadow I can do in any post work in photoshop if you want me to do that for you. Also let me know exactly where you want the scars, are they old and white or pinkish in color. And where do you want his bruises. Are his hands in chains or shackles, and do you want that visible?
Melissa, as soon as I have some free time (Maybe tomorrow afternoon) I will send the print and the sketch along with a picture. It's of a gun shot wound, but the effect around the bullet hole look just like what I would see if this character had taken a beating. Finding a clunky machine hand, that might take some work. Also FYI the main characters are are totally black, glossy black.
Hi Melissa. I just sent you an email regarding a character image. Like I say there, I almost feel bad asking for help but I just don't have the skill set you do to create something myself. Which by the way, you really do have a lot of talent with blender!
Thanks Jordan! It's really fun to work with, a bit of hair pulling at times, but the payoff is worth it. I emailed you back :)
Jodhan wrote: "Melissa, as soon as I have some free time (Maybe tomorrow afternoon) I will send the print and the sketch along with a picture. It's of a gun shot wound, but the effect around the bullet hole look ..."Great! And I just want to make sure I understood you correctly. Were you saying the character has glossy black eyes? If so, does that include the whites of his eyes or just the iris and pupil area.
I have some antagonists that are pretty nasty in book 3 of my Shifting Balance series, they have black eyes too, but only the iris area. They are called the Shifts, basically demons that take on human form; they each represent a slightly modified version of the seven deadly sins. So they try to Shift humans toward darkness, feeding off the darker side of human nature. A fun thing to write about...
Their eyes were drawn up to his face, his eyes: his curse. Eyes of midnight hue, obsidian orbs with no whites. Glinting in their fathomless depths—veins—patterned like gold lightning bolts.
The book cover on your website, is that your art?
Oooh, gold veining over dark midnight blue/obsidian, that could be fun.Yes, it took me most of the summer, but I made all of the elements in Blender, including everything for the smaller cavalry charge picture. Then I put it all together with photoshop, and added the glowing swirling, sparkles and lighting effects.
Do you have a link to more of your work?
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...Some are test shots, some are more for lighting and figure reference for a painting I was working on.
Melissa, if you look at the mock up I am using for my cover, where would you go with that and say the pick of the bullet would and my indicating where his other scars are. Also what is your price range for that work?
It looks like a simple background of stone brick, the pose is simple, and not much clothing I would have to sculpt. Most of the work would be the scars and bullet wound, lighting too. Did you still want a shadow of another person on the wall behind him somewhere? That could easily be added in Photoshop.How about the title and your name? Do you want me to do that too? I could probably do the entire cover with type for $60. If you just want the image without the title, I can do that for $50.
One last question. If I wanted to actually show an arm as if someone was standing in front on the Main character and only a shadow and the left arm were showing, where would land us? The arm would be mechanical and crude, not flashy and refined. I have some picture i found online for the basic idea.I can send a photo of the bullet wound (I didn't need the bullet wound itself but wanted to use the surrounding pucker skin and bruising as a model.
I'd have to see the pictures, it depends on the amount of detail. I might even be able to find an element already made on Daz Studios web site. That's where I get a lot of my stuff if I can't make it myself, and then I can change things or add to them in Blender. Send me the pictures of the mechanical arm examples you found, and I'll see how much work it would be. Melissaberg@mac.com
