The Wannabe Pirates

[largento]

Thanks for all the votes, guys! Doesn't look like there'll be a chance of getting into the top 100, but in the high 200s is definitely better than in the 5,000s!

 

Getting a late start at these this week, but here's #16!

 

 

This one plants a plot-seed for the next story that Ken was helping me with!

[largento]

 

Two down, three more to go for this week!

 

I did have to go back and make changes to the last one. Debating how many frames I'm going to rerender because of it. (McCrary busted me for having the sails on when the ship was in dock.)

[largento]

 

Trying an alternate punchline...

[HomeSlice]

I like the second punch line best

[KenH]

Me too. Or he might turn to Mr Sneeze and ask if you can re-christen ships. But yours pips that.

[largento]

Thanks, guys! Yeah, I liked the second one better, too!

 

Here's 2 for today (so far). Might try to tackle the last of this week's tonight! Three in a day!

 

I did these simultaneously and that seemed to work out well!

 

 

[TheSpleen]

LOL

[Fuchur]

LOL

 

Good one...

 

*Fuchur*

[TheSpleen]

LOL

 

Good one...

 

*Fuchur*

I thought it said it all.

[apprentice]

Hahaha. I lol-ed

[Gerry]

Mark, your gags keep getting better, and the posing and "acting" are great!

[largento]

Thanks, guys!

 

Gerry, I do feel like it's getting easier as a I go and thanks re: the posing and acting. I've really been working hard at that!

 

Did #20 late last night, but ran into some technical problems and need to do some re-rendering.

 

I've let another Talk Like a Pirate Day sneak up on me (it's tomorrow) and need to come up with something for it today!

[NancyGormezano]

the posing and "acting" are great!

 

yes - I am particularly impressed by that, as well as your compositions & lighting.

 

I am curious to know which rig you have installed in your characters? and what face rig/system are you using?

[largento]

Thanks, Nancy!

 

The original Wannabe Pirate models all have the TSM2 rig with Mark S.'s great face rig! The "guest stars" are pure Mark S.! 2008 rig and face!

[NancyGormezano]

Thanks Mark - that's good to know ! ... (I assume for the face rig you mean:

this one)

[largento]

I'm not sure if that's the latest and greatest one, Nancy, but yes, it's Mark's 2008 face rig.

 

The more I use it, the more I love it!

[largento]

 

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day, everybody!

[Rodney]

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day, everybody!

 

Wow. Another year has passed by already?

 

Tis time to raise yer mugs and join wit me toast.

Death to those scurvy knaves... er... ahem....

Long live the Wannabe Pirates!

[Gerry]

Yo ho ho!!

[largento]

Hey, I got my poster today!

 

My iPhone takes crummy pictures, but it actually came out looking pretty cool! Neat to have it up on the wall!

 

[steve392]

Now that is a nice poster ,I like spidey

[HomeSlice]

Excellent Mark. It looks like you found the perfect place for it too.

[apprentice]

That looks really good. Wow, you've got an extensive collection of good stuffs there.

[Rodney]

Color me jealous Mark.

That looks great!

[largento]

Thanks, guys!

 

Steve, that Spidey was a project I worked on several years ago. It's designed to go on top of a drink machine (it was done for Dr Pepper). I didn't draw Spidey in that exact position, but the idea was that Spidey was sitting on top of the machine and had one hand that went down in front of it. Either they decided to change the pose I had, or were limited by what art they could get from Sony. I don't know how many of them actually went out in the world, but I know that Sony changed the release date, so that's not the actual release date for the movie. :-)

 

Thanks, Andy, that's part of my embarrassing DVD collection ( I included some of it to try to show scale.) The poster is 20"x30", which isn't enormous, but it's a decent size.

 

If I can get a decent price on getting them printed, I'm thinking about printing up a bunch to sell on the website!

[Gerry]

That's a beautiful poster, mark! You should check out some Print on Demand services before you go getting large quantities printed. CafePress, Zazzle and Lulu come to mind, and I'm sure there are probably others.

 

EDIT: Here's a review of Zazzle I just came across... http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/22/my-review...ters-on-demand/

[largento]

Thanks, Gerry!

 

I took a look at Zazzle! I'm going to try and make a real effort to talk to some of the local printers around here in Dallas and see what kind of a deal I can get. I'd like to keep the price fairly low for the reader and still have a decent amount of profit for us!

 

Here's #20 from last week and #21 from today. I should make it to #25 by the weekend. That's the halfway point to the 50 strip buffer I've wanted to do!

 

 

There's a minor character who's going to appear a little down the road. Not important enough of a character to do a whole new model, so I gave Mr. Sneeze some plastic surgery and turned him into this guy:

 

[largento]

Here's #22! I should be able to finish #23 today...

 

Turns out Barney's transaction didn't work out as well for him as he thought... :-)

 

 

[steve392]

I like the new charector ,he work'd very well

[largento]

Thanks, Steve!

 

Finished #23! I ended up going back and making some cosmetic changes to #22, but then all of these are sort of in flux until they actually go up on the website!

 

[Paul Forwood]

This is looking better and better, Mark! I really look forward to these regular updates.

The Sea Anemone looks grand. God bless 'er an' all 'oo sail in 'er! Arrrghhh...

[largento]

Thanks, Paul!

 

I wish I could figure out a way that I could get to work on these every day for the rest of my days! I need to start playing the lottery!

[robcat2075]

Those look grand!

[largento]

Thanks, Robert!

[largento]

Finishing up the exterior set for the Parrot Review Board that I'll need for a few strips coming up. First time I've ever used hair that I know of!

 

[steve392]

You know this reminds me a lot of a so called kids program on the tv some years ago called captain pugwash ,it was very good and funny

[largento]

Never heard of this, Steve. I'll have to check it out!

[largento]

Here's #24!

 

 

Now on to #25...

[KenH]

Like the building. Could use a path and maybe a little entrance at the top for the parrots to fly in.

 

PS Please let Flem earn a parrot suitable for him. Of course, I'm imagining a cross-eyed backward flying dim witted ninny of a bird. I'll have to wait and see!

[largento]

Thanks, Ken!

 

The building's an attempt to re-create in 3D what McCrary drew in 2D for the strip and there wasn't a path in that version. I had thought about a path, but any opportunity for me to take the easy way out, I'm taking it! :-)

 

No spoilers, Ken! :-)

[largento]

And #25!

 

 

I've got a lot to do for next week's strips! I need to model the parrots and the interior courtroom!

[apprentice]

Looking really good! Go Mark!

[TheSpleen]

great strips!

[Rodney]

You are really hitting your stride with these.

 

The lighting and general styling is particulary interesting to me.

I've mentioned this before and you've hit that peak again. Its that look... you know the one where the mind relaxes and stops caring if its 2D or 3D?

 

I'm really enjoying the story.

[largento]

Thanks, guys!

 

I think that's a great compliment, Rodney! As neat as the 3D look is, ideally you should only see the characters!

[HomeSlice]

I hope you are saving these chors in an organized fashion. When you are done with the strip, you will be WAY ahead if you ever want to animate them.

[largento]

I am! I don't use projects, so everything is saved out and has a naming scheme. I normally have a choreography for each frame (the only exception was that one that was one big choreography that stretched across four frames.)

 

I have a folder for each strip, which contains the choreographies and renders for that strip. I then have a folder for models, one for actions, one for materials, etc. This lets me go back to any panel and adjust something and re-render it.

 

The strip launches the first Monday of November and I'd like to do an animated "commercial" to put up around then to try to lure in readers. I'm also doing a small webcomics convention on the 14th of November and I'd like to be able to have it running at my table.

[KenH]

One thing bothering me is the sea colour. It's too white. It ain't called the deep blue for nothing. Perhaps it's too reflective. And maybe the ripple size makes it seem like a smaller body of water. It could have such great character.

Also, in the last strip, Flems right hand is too similar for me in the first and second cells.

[largento]

Thanks, Ken! I'll have plenty of more opportunities to perfect the sea water.

 

Started modeling the first of the Starbuckler characters. This is Glimey's head. I put in a jaw hinge and a couple of bones to tilt his eyestalks to make him seem less mechanical. It was weird working on his head with just the mouth and no eyes. :-)

 

 

glimeyhead2.mov

 

I spent the weekend preparing the Parrot Review Board for this week's strips. Here's a render of what it's looking like...

 

[MJL]

As always, looking VERY good. You work is an inspiration to us beginners. I'm a little rusty on my Latin, though. What's the translation on the motto?