I've actually started rendering the disco dragon (and also ready to render Sen's comic) but I'm not that far that re-rendering in a different format is a problem. So if you have time please let me know your thoughts on what format you prefer. I need to decide this before I start.(btw check I found my old storyboard for CODE 10 lol)
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So just a quick breakdown of the options in the poll:
Old school upright with frames (like CODE10)
So this is the classic comic book format that I've already been doing for my first four comics including the Gentleman's Club. the only reason I chose to do it this way was pure nostalgia, and I actually didn't really think about the readability. Someone told me to keep going in this format just in case I ever get printed. But for laptop's and PCs its actually a bit clumsy to read.
In any case I really do like the framing of smaller pictures, it gives that old-school tintin or asterix feel to it. This is one of my favorite formats.
Same as above but then horizontal
So you could say old school comic books with small framed pictures and speech bubbles, but then lengthwise for laptop and PC screens. I don't have an example but I think Epoch did formats like this with his earlier work.
Large picture series, less pages (classic 3DX)
Here we're talking formats like what Blackadder does, and just about all other 3DX artists. The only reason I added this as an option is because, well, I am thoroughly lodged in the 3DX scene and this seems to be the standard.
Small pictures, more pages
Take this one seriously because I've been entertaining you with nothing else but this format, and seemingly to effect. First of all all my free series are this format, small but entertaining pictures, sure there's not much resolution, but people seem thoroughly entertained regardless. Second of all, my first three comics were more-or-less this format too, except placed in frames on a larger page (with a few larger full-page renders every so-many pages). The advantage of this format is the speed of production I can operate at, and therefore much more freedom in the story dynamic.
Cinematic small, flipbook style (like Impulse)
This format seemed to me to be a nice compromise between the large but resource intensive 3DX format and my small render avalanche format. The cinematic wide-angle strip worked nicely for me because first of all it gives you the feeling of the cinema, which is associated with entertainment, the wide format also gives a feeling of big and spacious, but more conveniently it removes a whole lot of pixels above and below the scene :D !! So basically I have the wideness of a 3DX format, but the height of my usual renders. I gain speed, but also presentation with this format.
This format did inspire me to experiment with flipbook-style animation, which is basically poor-mans animation. My comic Impulse was the first one I tried this with and people seemed to be convinced by it, even though it was rather vanilla.
Optimized for tablets / Optimized for Laptop / PC
These options, are not necessarily formats, but they can have an effect on preferred formats. I'm just curious what you prefer to use regarding my comics, or perhaps digital comics in general.
Same as above but then horizontal
So you could say old school comic books with small framed pictures and speech bubbles, but then lengthwise for laptop and PC screens. I don't have an example but I think Epoch did formats like this with his earlier work.
I actually planned to do this format for the Gentleman's Club but I hurried my way into production not realizing I had just started with the same old upright format! Oops.
I think I'd be cool with this format, I might try this for the next Black Desk, but it would feel odd since its not like real comics. Not sure though.
Large picture series, less pages (classic 3DX)
Here we're talking formats like what Blackadder does, and just about all other 3DX artists. The only reason I added this as an option is because, well, I am thoroughly lodged in the 3DX scene and this seems to be the standard.
I do have a small project in the pipeline that will use this format, but that project is well suited for this format since it has simply no storyline.
But even so, I doubt I could ever work with a format like this. You've undoubtedly noticed that my emphasis is much more on story, dialog and funny situations, and thus a LOAD of renders. Rendering at full 3DX format would be suicide for me, and probably useless because the detail and resolution of a render is not important when Lali and xtina are talking about what happened last night... :P lol
One thing I'd like to add here was that after the release of the Gentleman's Club, I read somewhere that someone wanted to zoom in to one of the images because they wanted to see the detail of some of the sexy stuff. But the resolution was not suitable for that. I guess this format would solve this but in all honesty, in my 3 years as a 3DX artist I have only ever received like 1 or perhaps 2 complaints that my format was too small. Even requests to make a larger version of a certain render are rare. My emphasis is definitely not wallpaper, but context. So I think I made that compromise in my comic Impulse, where I zoomed into the action for the reader.
Small pictures, more pages
Take this one seriously because I've been entertaining you with nothing else but this format, and seemingly to effect. First of all all my free series are this format, small but entertaining pictures, sure there's not much resolution, but people seem thoroughly entertained regardless. Second of all, my first three comics were more-or-less this format too, except placed in frames on a larger page (with a few larger full-page renders every so-many pages). The advantage of this format is the speed of production I can operate at, and therefore much more freedom in the story dynamic.
By the way, when I mean story I don't just mean dialog and non-erotic stuff. Look at the Gentleman's Club, you can see character-building and fun interaction during the sex-scenes. This is something I really want to perfect with my comics, that the sex scene is not separate from the story, but that is has everything to do with it! But that's not got to do with format, but yeah, the smaller, the faster I am, the more versatile.
Cinematic small, flipbook style (like Impulse)
This format seemed to me to be a nice compromise between the large but resource intensive 3DX format and my small render avalanche format. The cinematic wide-angle strip worked nicely for me because first of all it gives you the feeling of the cinema, which is associated with entertainment, the wide format also gives a feeling of big and spacious, but more conveniently it removes a whole lot of pixels above and below the scene :D !! So basically I have the wideness of a 3DX format, but the height of my usual renders. I gain speed, but also presentation with this format.
This format did inspire me to experiment with flipbook-style animation, which is basically poor-mans animation. My comic Impulse was the first one I tried this with and people seemed to be convinced by it, even though it was rather vanilla.
I think I have decided to do Sen's new comic in this format regardless, because I really want to get that Sand n Sandals '300' feel to the comic, with the flipbook animation style following the fighting (and the sex).
Optimized for tablets / Optimized for Laptop / PC
These options, are not necessarily formats, but they can have an effect on preferred formats. I'm just curious what you prefer to use regarding my comics, or perhaps digital comics in general.
Think about this one because with tablets on the rise, the old upright comic book format might be a thing to re-consider. It depends on what you're comfortable with.
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So yeah let me know what you'd like to see!
(I hope the poll widgets shows below...)
Other News?
Not much else to annouce other than that I spent the last two weeks eyebrow deep in perfecting Project E's naughty morphs. I can be so crazy perfectionist about it that I work myself into oblivion over it. Just a few days ago I hit my head on a beer bottle when I fell asleep at my desk while working on these morphs :P
And I also have a girlfriend haha, so its not like I'm missing sex!
Anyway, TMI!
cheers!
PS: One thing I forgot to mention and deliberately did not add, is the possibility of movies, because I know that option would have been very popular! Some of you might have seen the 'Lali Vines' on Renderotica, they were quite popular. But the simple fact is that movies are VERY resource, time (and beer) intensive, and that I don't have time for right now. Never-the-less I'm keeping my options open and even have plans with our good man Epoch to give it a swing with the DCV once the comic nears completion. I will definitely give it a try and who knows it might work.
(I hope the poll widgets shows below...)
What comic format do you prefer for Lali stories? You can select more than one answer.
Other News?
Not much else to annouce other than that I spent the last two weeks eyebrow deep in perfecting Project E's naughty morphs. I can be so crazy perfectionist about it that I work myself into oblivion over it. Just a few days ago I hit my head on a beer bottle when I fell asleep at my desk while working on these morphs :P
And I also have a girlfriend haha, so its not like I'm missing sex!
Anyway, TMI!
cheers!
PS: One thing I forgot to mention and deliberately did not add, is the possibility of movies, because I know that option would have been very popular! Some of you might have seen the 'Lali Vines' on Renderotica, they were quite popular. But the simple fact is that movies are VERY resource, time (and beer) intensive, and that I don't have time for right now. Never-the-less I'm keeping my options open and even have plans with our good man Epoch to give it a swing with the DCV once the comic nears completion. I will definitely give it a try and who knows it might work.
