jon

agreeing with the bulk of what william has said, i'd say that if the idea of working for a 'master' isn't something you want to do.... just don't do it. a good system for pairing up mentors and mentees might take on some aspects of a dating service. perhaps interns could register, listing how much time they could offer, and the skills they want to work on. likewise, potential senseis could list their strenghts and needs. if its not for you, just move on. -jon

i'm not in the mentor business, but are you actually telling folks where to provide their free support? it sounds like you want the benefits of an apprenticeship, but not the work. a true apprenticeship would involve you living at the masters house, doing all their chores, and occasionally getting to stand in the corner and watch them work. why don't you wait to see the gift horse before checking its teeth. ' ' ) -jon

sharky, your walk cycle looks good! my only comment is that he seems kinda happy, but he looks like he's walking upright on land with difficulty. so i'd suggest either a more determined look, or a smoother gait. i've got nothing to say about the model... it's great! -jon

i have to admit that's a pretty strange dream. far stranger than mine. my reality, however, is another story... ' ' ) -jon did the dwarf say why?

thats awesome work, but it looks like you need more sleep! (prolly very accurate ' ' ) -jon

ah, brings back memories of an old first-person-chatter i was involved in back in '99. it went nowhere, of course. ' ' ) i think the texturing is the high point here, but all around good characters. if that's a game engine in the last shot, it's spline based. do tell! -jon

i don't ever think about using creases to my advantage, but the best modelers do... so you're on the right track! i never noticed any big increase in render times due to hidden geometry, but i'm sure it has some kind of impact -- most likely minimal -- on the modeling and chor windows. you're really only talking about most of the arms in this case, so i'd say if your processor is over a gig, it's not an issue. you can smartskin both arms and coat... as long as they're both associated to the same bones. some folks have been known to build seperate rigs for their clothes, and traslate them to the character. i'm not that organized. ' ' ) -jon

she's looking better and better! i do notice a few triangles in her nose and midline (top of shirt collar, just under her ribcage). three point patches have a tendency to cause creases, so i'd scrutinize those areas, and remodel them if any weird artifacts appear. -jon

i'd recommend that you look at a few other face tutes. not to copy, but to see how others have approached the problem. for example: most folks start from the eyes and mouth, and then extrude the loops out. after four years, i'm still trying to smooth out my faces... it's all about practice. -jon

awesome job! you've captured the spirit of the animal with a minimum of detail in the decals and the splinage. -jon

arms? ' ' ) -jon

i think my mind was made up before i saw the movies, but i didn't change my opinion afterwards: i prefer the lineless shot. cartoons like samurai jack have helped people become more accustomed to toons without lines, so it's not completely alien. they do help viewers take in the scene more quickly -- by highlighting objects -- but your shading helps that too. the argument against would be added noise, which would be more of a factor in a busier, more crowded shot... which this isn't. ' ' ) with readability accounted for, it pretty much comes down to just style. -jon

the mouth looks much improved! i had my first full figure done within 6 months... four years later, i'm still searchnig for unnecessary splines and tweaking cps. when you stop making mistakes, you stop learning. -jon

the general vibe i've gotten -- which is verified by what little testing i did -- is that its a bit of a crutch. it does a good job of smoothing out creases, but also knocks out a good bit of wanted detail if not applied properly. on the other hand, yves poissant used it on his recent model's face (seen here, very naked), and if he uses it, it must be legit! -jon

porcelain might help, but first resolve the underlying issues as kenh has mentioned. if you're going to model the entire shark, your best bet would be to extrude an oval along the length of its body, with tapered ends for the nose and tail. keep at it! ' ' ) -jon

great anime look, and conservative splinage! one warning: those three point patches and dead-end splines near the mouth might cause you some trouble when you animate. try to build your splines as closed loops wherever you can, if you want to keep the surface smooth. overall, a stellar first model! let's see more! -jon

you might get more feedback if you posted the 2d image or a still of your model. the level of detail will have an impact on the delivery time. -jon

copyright violations can occur without money changing hands. please see 10 big myths about copyright explained. while yves' initial model was heavily inspired by mr. james' work, i doubt his improved model would excite any lawyers... in a legal sense. ' ' ) -jon

i like the character designs overall.... way over the top! ' ' ) my suggestion for mr. bomb would be to square his shoulders a little more... they seem soft. but that's based on the standard hero archtype -- you might be going away from that a bit by design. good luck with ms. d's dynamic constraints, but be warned that it might just top her earlier hair behavior for distraction value. -jon

yves, your changes to your original model are all significant improvements. you made an already great model just about perfect! i'm certainly glad you took a few moments away from quantum spline theory to get some applied work in! -jon

great character, framing, props, etc! instantly readable as a buckler of swashes with a minimum of detail. i do have to ask: were you concerned that a thinner neck would make him appear to effeminate? regarding toon lines: every year or so i try to add lines to my toon renders, and am never happy with the result. i've compensated with more intracharacter contrast (as previously noted here) and oversaturating the colors. i never could let go of smooth gradient shading, but your fellow is doing fine without em! -jon best wishes to your dad!

so your bats is sweetness and light? ' ' ) i think you missed my point: you're fellow looks pretty dark so me, so i was liking it! the body type is pretty dead-on ross, so no worries there. -jon

i've always been a fan of the darker dark knight, so overall he looks great to me! his head and shoulders seem to be the most defined, but i'd want to see more detail on his abdomen. i.e. a washboard stomach. his waist seems a bit wide for my tastes, but you might be going for the tree-trunk look. i don't mean that as a slam, that's just my impression. keep up the good work, and lets see more! -jon

i think i like mike's suggestion over my own, but for some reason i just can't find cp weights anywhere! they have those in 8.5, right? ' ' ) (i'm not budging 'till ap v11 is gold!) -jon

excellent work! too good in fact. now i'm considering adding your webbing to my squid lady. ' ' ) -jon (how about a radial bone with two aim-at constraints for those webs to smooth 'em out?)