My interests in ICG and CC extend beyond real time animation as I looked for a system that would allow me to generate content for comic and graphic novel material. I'm a Daz/Poser user who has used both in support of my art - but now with CC in place, I eagerly embraced the idea of working with this new toolset for illustration purposes.


Using IC6, I generated a basic set and two characters in CC and set about adapting a short script I had, "That Pale Light In The West" with the idea of enhancing the basic treatment I had already done as a straight pass render. How could I add a better pen-styled look to my work? Using Photoshop and the Akvis Sketch  plug in, I was able to duplicate, layer the 2nd art piece as a Soft Light overlay after applying a custom pencil adjustment. For me, this became a much stronger comic-inspired illustration and I imported into Manga Studio 5 for text and bubble additions plus layout.



By working with IC6, I was able to generate imagery that I found very suitable for a conversion using Akvis as a standalone B/W illustration. I composited a simple NYC street for the background here and adjusted levels and look accordingly. Below, I used the same approach extending the size of the frame using the same approach illustrated above combining a pencil sketch layer with the native IC6 render plus a BG composite in Photoshop.



I'm looking forward to continuing my exploration of IC6 and CC as I generate new work this Fall in support of y creative endeavors. Hopefully, for other visual artists here looking to explore comic-styled illustration, this post will be of help.You can follow my continued developments, tests and discoveries on my Wordpress blog here.