FourFortyFour Comics @fourfortyfourcomics - Tumblr Blog

Sitting Pretty

I've been busy with life stuff for the last month or so, so with this render I was just getting back into how Daz works, and working on improving my postwork, too.

I was reading some tutorials on Daz postwork, and learned that some people are essentially using filters for automatic airbrushing to soften the skin/reduce noise, etc. (tip #1 from this tutorial). I tried that, and I think I like the way it looks. I'm never going for hyper-realism with my renders, so I think the simplification of the softening works within the semi-realistic zone that I tend to work in.

Rendered in Daz Studio, postwork in Photoshop + Topaz Studio 2

#daz iray #daz 3d studio #daz #daz studio #3d man #3d artwork #3drender #3d art #3d #man #sitting #daz render #iray render #cg render #3d render #render

Tired

Sometimes you just need to waste some water and relax. A rain shower and beautifully decorated bathroom with an outdoor area doesn't hurt, either!

The guy from my last few renders finally has a name- Nikolaos, though he just goes by Niko. He's very into fashion and style, so his hairstyle changes often. Right now he's a bleached blond.

Rendered in Daz, postwork in Photoshop

#daz iray #daz 3d studio #daz #daz studio #3d man #3drender #3d art #3d artwork #3d #man #shower #rain shower #cg render

Lollipop

"Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolli lolli lolli"

Lollipop - The Chordettes

This is the same guy as in Prop 65 (he still has no name). I'd originally designed him for his lips, but the smoke in Prop 65 covered them a lot, so I wanted to give him a chance to show them off.

I also wanted to try this Andy Warhol style of color after a happy accident when I was making one of the early versions of Sunny Contemplation. It includes a combo of Photoshop saturation layers set to hot pink, a gradient map, a LUT, and some custom painting to make the shiny areas really pop. The colors were so tricky, I took screenshots of the Iray preview and wound up going back and forth between the Daz version and the Photoshop layers until I was able to get everything working harmoniously. Only then did I make the real render, and then copied over all the effects to that image.

The lollipop is a free Renderosity model by gandalf_1.

Rendered in Daz Studio, postwork/paintover in Photoshop

#lollipop #candy #lollypop #lolly #lips #daz 3d studio #daz studio #daz render #daz iray #3d render #3d artwork #3drender #3d art #3d #cg render #3d man #man

Prop 65

My first black and white render! I've been wanting to make one for a while, but never had the right subject until this one.

You'll definitely see this guy again. He was just meant to be a one-time character, but he's too handsome not to use again. You're also seeing my second Blender Mantaflow smoke simulation. I know Daz recently added the ability to make volumetric renders, but as far as I can tell it requires either finding free VDB files or buying them, and they're static, not simulations. But Blender smoke is free, easy enough to make, and fully customizable, so I prefer it right now. It just requires compositing it into your Daz render when you do your postwork.

And for those who are wondering, Prop 65 (AKA Proposition 65) is a warning label in the US. It can be found on smokable products, foods, furniture, and more. It's a warning for when products carry carcinogenic or birth defect risks.

Made with Daz Studio and Blender, postwork/paintover in Photoshop

#daz #daz iray #daz 3d studio #daz studio #3drender #3d art #3d #3d artwork #cg render #smoke #smoking #black and white #b and w #b&w #3d man #man

Sunny Contemplation

Fall is a quiet season, as the world starts to slow down in preparation for winter. It makes for a nice time to sit outside and think while enjoying a hot cup of coffee or tea.

The set used here is this free balcony by TruForm on Renderosity.

Made with Daz Studio and Blender, postwork/paintover in Photoshop

#daz iray #daz 3d studio #daz studio #3drender #3d art #3d #3d artwork #coffee #tea #coffetime #teacup #tea cup #cg render #daz #daz 3d

Dripping Mad

Demons and water generally don't mix, so if Dante went through the effort of swimming through this cavern, someone's really in trouble.

This is Dante from my short comic "Midnight." I don't know why he's in a watery cave, but he sure looks cool doing it!

Rendered in Daz Studio, postwork/paintover in Photoshop

#3d man #3d artwork #3drender #3d art #3d #daz render #daz iray #daz 3d studio #daz studio #demon #water #cave #dark #fantasy #fantasy art

Black Beauty

Back when I made digital paintings, horse portraits were always my go-to when I wanted to relax. I don't know why, but it's always find them to be very calming. This one came out with a kind edgy Young Adult novel cover feel to it, but that's fine. I didn't have a particular goal for this one, I mainly needed a project where I could try out something new- painting over the render.

Naturally, this process took longer than just rendering and then doing my usual photo editing style adjustments. But I really like how it came out. In particular, painting over the render fixed something that often bugs me about my renders- hard edges. Depending on the surface materials, the lighting, etc., some subjects catch the light in a way that makes their edges look unnaturally hard. For example, while this horse rendered out with hard edges as if it was plastic, in real life, horses have short fur that would give them softer edges when photographed.

Anyway, if you want to see how this image looked before my paintover (and without my photo editing filters/adjustments), you can see the comparison on my deviantArt.

Rendered in Daz Studio, postwork/paintover in Photoshop

#horse #horseart #daz 3d studio #daz studio #daz iray #daz render #3d artwork #3drender #3d art #equine #horselover #cg render #iray render #3d render #render

The Hitman

He always wakes up early on the days he has a job. He spends the extra time waiting, perfecting the plan in his mind, until it's time to execute it... and his target.

---

The comic is on pause for the time being. I missed being able to do what I did here- noodle a single frame to as close to perfection as I can get it. I suppose I could do this with the comic frames too, but then an already long process would take even longer. Plus, I miss being able to show different sets, different characters, different moods, etc. But I'm not abandoning the comic. I might just convert it from the shot by shot approach I'm using so far into a more summary approach- single renders to highlight the key moments of the story. But I haven't officially decided yet.

Made in Daz Studio, postwork in Photoshop