Daz Store Visual Story Writing

Visual Story Writing : From Inception to Production

Drew Spence, comic creator shares his experience on story writing for your 3D art using Daz Studio. This two part tutorial set runs for 3 hours and 24 minutes in total.

Every road trip requires a map to prevent the driver getting lost along the way. Similarly the crafting of any well told story for a visual narrative is potentially a long road trip!

On the way you may find some diverting stops and detours. You might even change your mind about the final destination.

But if you are wandering aimlessly without a plan, your passengers (or readers) will eventually get tired, hungry and grumpy. They’ll think again before going on a road trip with you.

Without a proper map there is no answer to the question, “Are we there yet?”

High quality stories tell you plainly when you have arrived at the destination. Don’t leave your passengers guessing about whether you’re getting close.

Stories have deliverable payoff points- just like like the signs along a highway counting down the miles until you’ve reached your destination. They give you a sense of scale and a growing anticipation that the end is nearing.

Part I Creating Your Story from Inception to Production (tutorial 1)

• Nailing down the “Big Idea” and inspiration behind your work as you create a vision worth investing your time and resources and being worthy of reading and supporting.
• Pro Tips and the necessary elements that you should have in place BEFORE you start creating your story.
• Breaking your story into deliverable chunks and creating incentives for support and the emotional investment from your readership.

Part II Caring for your story (tutorial 2)

• Crafting characters and creating a curve. We’ll go beyond the heroes’ journey and focus on the ‘lost art’ of storytelling through images and well, more images.
• We will tackle maintaining a production schedule along with time management and the intersection between inspiration and technical skill.
• We will provide tools to address writer’s block, lulls, dry spells, rough spots and even avoiding dead ends.

Part III Closing out your story, taking breaks and exit points. (tutorial 2)

• We will address buffer zones and creating natural gaps, a hiatus and premature endings.
• We cover the techniques to ramp the entire series towards a satisfying climax.
• We finish with the finale -After the story is done and the open-ended ending.

You can find other series that Drew Spence has created with Digital Art Live for purchase in the Daz Store. https://www.daz3d.com/digital-art-live You can take classes, watch tutorials and attend webinars and much more https://digitalartlive.com/events/

Force Six comics are available on comiXology in digital format

Comic Book Creation : Part 2

The Comic Book Creation :

Foundation Course Part 2

is available in the Daz Store.

Details

How to Create Comic Books using DAZ Studio (Part 2)

Have you ever considered using your Daz 3D assets to create a comic book?

Have you wanted to turn your rendered pictures into a story?

How do you do this and where do you begin?

In part 2 we’re focusing on special effects, lighting, lettering and comic book covers. Presented by Drew Spence, the creator of the Force Six Annihilators comic series. The Griffin Avid takes his knowledge, gained from his formal education and the experience of creating one of the most popular CGI comics, and distills it into these tutorials

This foundation comic creation course is perfect if you are wondering of HOW to be most effective when dealing with lettering (speech bubbles), lighting your scenes within DAZ Studio, adding special effects and postwork to enhance your story panels and creating effective comic book covers.

Tutorial 1

The comic foundational course continues with Post Work and Special Effects. We’ll explore the four types of post-render tasks and a multitude of systems and techniques to enhance your artwork. Everything from the subtle to the sublime will be covered in great detail. As always, we’ll cover your best options from the Daz Store and explore what’s available, across all the platforms, and many free options. Drew Spence will add a conceptual approach so that the lessons from today will remain relevant for years to come.

The course includes:

• Fixes for repair and the many ways to save a “bad” render.
• Enhance and Elevate
• Envision your Environment
• Find fine details in the Frame.
• Special Effects
• Lighting Effects and Helpers

Tutorial 2

Drew Spence and Digital Art Live present the fourth and final segment of the Comic Book Foundation course. A picture says a thousand words as we look at the usage of text in our work and break down the first impression, which is our cover art. We will discover why words are more than words and how your character-driven dialogue becomes the greatest vehicle to the gaining long-term interest from your readership.

This course will cover:

• Dialogue and Text
• Word balloons and encasing text.
• Titles
• Logos
• Covering your Cover
• Publishing and pushing

The Comic Book Foundation course is commissioned by Digital Art Live and created by Drew Spence from the Dynamic Universe.

About the Presenter Drew Spence

Drew Spence is a graphic comic writer and illustrator from the United States. He creates under the title of The Dynamic Universe. He has combined his music and video into several works- including Mark of the Griffin, which is both a graphic novel and web series. He is part of the instrumental group Fallout Shelter which provides the soundtrack. The other band members are Domino Grey, Dynamics Plus and Xodus Phoenix.

Drew Spence is a graduate of Stony Brook University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art and holds various certificates from graphic arts to web design. Drew Spence was the CEO and Editor-in-chief of Producer’s Edge magazine, a quarterly publication dedicated to all aspects of music production. The magazine was packaged with a DVD which included sound samples, instructional videos, and software. He currently lives on Long Island, New York and produces his work from the aptly named Fallout Shelter Studios, where he crafts crafty and clever comics using CGI and photorealistic image manipulation.

Scene Optimizer Not Included in this Product.

In case you missed it…

Comic Book Creation : Foundation Course Part 1

Tutorial 1 Planning and Plotting

Tutorial 2 Story Telling and Sequential Art

Comic Book Creation Course PART I

Comic Book Creation :

Foundation Course Part 1

Available in the Daz Store.

How to Create Comic Books using DAZ Studio

Have you ever considered using your Daz 3D assets to create a comic book?

Have you wanted to turn your rendered pictures into a story?

How do you do this and where do you begin?

You start with The Professional Comic Book Foundation Course! It’s a tutorial presented by digital comic publisher Drew Spence from The Dynamic Universe. The Griffin Avid takes his knowledge, gained from his formal education and the experience of creating one of the most popular CGI comics, and distills it into these tutorials.

These step by step materials will prepare you for planning your comic book story, managing your scripts, panels, pages and utilizing DAZ Studio and Photoshop in the workflow.

Tutorial 1 Planning and Plotting

• Duration: 1 hour and 52 minutes
• Planning and plotting
• We’ll cover the first steps in creating your series and polish your work to a releasable level of quality. It’s a step-by-step exploration of the comic creation process and will place you in a position to tell your story with the look and feel you desire.
• –Getting your art to seem hand-drawn or look like a traditional comic book. We’ll explore over a dozen ways to turn your wonderful render into a comic panel and expand the Daz look into your own custom style. Options will include achieving a comic look before and after the render. That’s right! We can do it in post and let the Daz Studio work for you the way it always has.
• –Creating your overall story, structure and workflow. It’s the nuts and bolts of how to turn an idea into an actual system you can follow.
• –Discovering your genre and the Daz assets that will be needed. Focus your purchases into what you will need to create your story and take advantage of free items and methods to reduce your costs. Discover utility items that will help save time and expense.
• –Researching your purchases and products. You’ll learn to discern and dig deeper into the Daz asset. Uncover your hidden resources and stay one step ahead.
• As a bonus, you’ll also get a practice assignment to prepare you for part II. What are you waiting for? Join us and dive in today.

Tutorial 2 Story Telling and Sequential Art

• Duration: 1 hour and 42 minutes
• Now that part I has you off to a graphic start, Part II will explore the simple, but the powerful relationship between the panel, the page, and your script. We’ll deconstruct the narrative and study framing your renders and turn your camera shots into a live action version of your script. Then, we push your script to be more than just words of dialogue.
• –Using the Daz camera to craft your panels. Learn to work like a film director and approach your render as a larger set of pictures. We cover and help you create the basic technique for preparing your comic book pages in Daz Studio.
• –Camera Shots and special techniques. We put Depth of Field and Perspective to great effect as we start creating a sense of drama, focus and action – right inside the render! The course includes both pre-render and post work ideas. You’ll have a still-frame guide and a live demonstration, so you’ll absorb the lesson in the way you learn best!
• –How to make pages and place your panels. We’ll study the direction of the eye across your page and learn to control the interest of your readers. By the end, you’ll have a lock on the different types of pages and understand the key principles that turn pictures into sequential art.
• –Writing the Script and words to wow the world. After tackling the writing task, we cover the ways to turn your script into more than a list of dialogue points. Learn about creating your Master Guide and create a living document that grows with you as a storyteller and illustrator. The course will help to avoid common pitfalls as you acquire new skills.
• –Become the Editor and Art Director. We discuss two more jobs that you will need to perform – to bring your work to its highest level. Unlock your potential and think in macro terms about your workflow.
• –Bring your vision to life. Take the reins and render the relationship between your characters. We break down advanced dynamic theories into simple ideas and create a path for readers to adopt your characters and have an emotional investment in your comic.

“The look will get them to look. What’s in it will keep them in it.” Drew Spence

We present all of this and more. This course was designed from top to bottom to give, the Daz Studio user and 3D enthusiast, a simple and clear path to creating comics, graphic novels, and illustrations. Thank you for taking the first step in producing sequential art!

About the Presenter Drew Spence

Drew Spence is a graphic comic writer and illustrator from the United States. He creates under the title of The Dynamic Universe. He has combined his music and video into several works- including Mark of the Griffin, which is both a graphic novel and web series. He is part of the instrumental group Fallout Shelter which provides the soundtrack. The other band members are Domino Grey, Dynamics Plus and Xodus Phoenix.

Drew Spence is a graduate of Stony Brook University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art and holds various certificates from graphic arts to web design. Drew Spence was the CEO and Editor-in-chief of Producer’s Edge magazine, a quarterly publication dedicated to all aspects of music production. The magazine was packaged with a DVD which included sound samples, instructional videos, and software. He currently lives on Long Island, New York and produces his work from the aptly named Fallout Shelter Studios, where he crafts crafty and clever comics using CGI and photorealistic image manipulation.

Force Six episode 10 hits comiXology

Force Six, The Annihilators

Episode 10 Forced ENDtry on sale @ comiXology!

It’s the final episode of season I. We end at the beginning, backtrack and spin the clock back to Annihilator Day One. Get a great glimpse as the A-gang gathers!  Drew Spence writes and illustrates a graphic comic, mixing science fiction with science fantasy. It’s a superhero space saga as a group of renegades, gifted with special abilities and artificial enhancements, charge and change the fate of all those they come across. They are the Force Six, The Annihilators and this is the story of their rise, fall and ultimate redemption. $2.99 Pick it up now!

 

Eye of the Beholder (short)

EYE of the Beholder

Story & Art by Drew Spence

Have you ever beheld beauty? What is it that attracts us to another human being? What if your ultimate vision of beauty became a reality? To find the answers, we ask the most important question of all. The eye remains a window. Drew Spence writes and illustrates a short that finds beauty in the cold ugliness of space.

 

 

Uncensored version available on Patreon

Interview! ComicBookBin -Drew Spence

The ComicBookBin

Interview with Drew Spence

By Hervé St-Louis
Jul 26, 2017 – 22:27

The ComicBookBin connects with comic artist Drew Spence from The Dynamic Universe. His self-published lead title is Force Six, The Annihilators. It’s a mix of science fiction, fantasy and superhero action. He’s tackled the story-telling task with a mix of 3D art and photographic manipulation. We sit down and get a look at his creative process and hear his thoughts on graphic art and what’s really behind the render.

————————–

ComicBookBin: Hi Drew. I think that we have a good start for an interview here! (the interview started in the middle of a conversation!)

Interview? I’d better choose my words more carefully then.

Now that I’ve read the whole, thing, damn that’s wordy. Might have to make a part I and part II.

CBB: Tell me, how do you feel about 3D comics in the sense of the reaction that people have to them.

Well, it varies. I’ve heard all types of comments- how 3D is easier or is fake art or doesn’t make real comic books, etc. I take those kinds of statements as different than opinion-based reactions like “I prefer…” or “I dislike…” Someone is speaking as an authority and trying to convince me of an empirical truth whereas, the evidence actually points to the opposite. I draw too. Anyone can draw a comic. Anyone can color a page and anyone can throw some word bubbles across a panel and thus, ‘make a comic’. But what some like to do, is draw (no pun) from the greatest masters and legends of 2D work and compare that to the kid who just made his first 3D comic piece and go “See the difference?” It’s a silly exercise and your taste really needs no justification. Like what you like and support the work that you feel is meaningful no matter the chosen medium. If it speaks to you, listen. If it doesn’t, find the right conversation.

3D has established itself quite well in animation and even visual effects yet still has not made an important breakthrough in comics. Why do you think that is and how do you intend to change this?

A breakthrough is code-word for a big financial success after a big promotional campaign. That would require a book that doesn’t look like or work like traditional comics being pushed by the very same entities who’d have a lot to lose if something too different comes along and catches on. Until they have an engine in place, prepared to capitalize on a 3D trend, you won’t see any risk-taking or support from the major 2D players.

Established comics tend to have separate writers and artists, if not a whole team. The grass-roots3D is still so new and experimental, that for most, it’s still a one-creator show. When I look at many of the 3D books on offer, I find – either the graphics or the story has a challenge. So you have these wonderful illustrations doing uninteresting stuff or a great narrative hampered by the rough visuals. Somebody needs to get both parts right. And enough people need to make solid work so that it creates a wave, even if a single artist breaks first and everyone else follows.

All I can do is my part. I create a 3D comic to the best of my sensibilities and hope the readers enjoy it. I consider myself a storyteller first and illustrator second. I don’t want a book that is only worth your time because it looks cool or novel. But, we are telling stories in a very visual medium so I can’t have the limitations of my imagination or skill get in the way of the narrative.

CBB: Would you argue that 3D comics suffer from the same hyper realism fate as photo-comics?

The goal of my 3D work is not to fool you or show you ‘better looking images’. When still pictures serve as the foundation, you tend to lose the comic part. What’s a comic book- other than an exaggeration of a moment or event? Everything is pushed to its limits: fast is the fastest, strong is the strongest, evil is the most evil, etc. Hyper-real is the opposite. If the goal is to tell a fantastic story with extraordinary visuals, why would an artist choose the most faithful medium possible- a snapshot? It actually doesn’t make sense. An artist needs to control the visual punctuation. When and how do I underline? Where’s the ellipsis pause? How do I boldface and add punctuation marks? We know what to do in the bubbles, it’s important to control the volume and tone with the artwork as well.

And the opposite happens in the quiet moments. Can you capture a dynamic moment at rest? Sometimes, the inclusion of details is exactly what taps your emotion. The faithful representation of an idealized moment becomes that much more meaningful. Look at the work of comic legends John Byrne and Barry Windsor-Smith. So much happens when their characters are at rest. The weight, the posing, the heroes’ presence in a static backdrop. That’s where you need to understand the concepts of good photography along with all the tricks that come after. That’s hard to do in any photo-based engine without pre-planning or awareness.

CBB: Which 3D app do you use to render the shots?

DAZ STUDIO is the foundation. It is a free 3d rendering suite – backed by their online store, where you can purchase a massive variety of content for every genre and interest you can imagine. For comic enthusiasts, the look can be edited through shaders, which are basically filters to achieve every comic look you could want. There are morphs that can make characters look very Pixar-like or idealized like the  Marvel and DC superheroes.

For traditional artists, it’s used for anatomical reference and a drawing aide for perspective and composition. Some draw on top of the models and figures and sketch directly from the template. There are licenses for video game programmers and even some tools for animation.

The engine is really there for you to customize and you can get as deep as you want. Many digital artists do the photoreal stuff where you can’t tell if it’s CGI or Photoshop. You’ll see Daz at work for book covers, movie posters, story boards, but I make use of what it offers for comic illustration. You just need to remember Daz won’t make your artwork for you. It’s an incredibly powerful environment that places the tools in your hands, but you still need to learn the proper techniques and apply your creative talents. 3D is still not a shortcut for being an artist, it’s just a medium.

CBB: What’s your production process?

Working in 3D is more like film making where I create the characters. Dress them, make a set. Place them, do lighting and such, place a camera and snap a picture.

From there it’s all post-editing. And way after- assemble the book from all the artwork. I can work panel by panel or page by page. It’s all design decisions. My eye and taste is really what I lean on. I’m no graphic expert and I will always push and experiment. What does this do? How can I use this tool differently? What if I…

CBB: I’d like to know more about the current story that you are developing and how it fits in the greater picture of past or current work being developed by your team.

Force Six, The Annihilators is meant to combine all the things that I’m passionate about. That’s why I made the world so open-ended. Almost anything can happen. My story-telling style has the rules set in place, but we have lots of creative and visual freedom. I create many types of music so I added a soundtrack and I will be venturing into video and other 3D forms to continue telling stories.

Force Six, The Annihilators was something I started drawing back in 1984. Yep 1984 as a kid. I kept all my drawings and now, years later I’m redoing all the stories with very minor edits. In the beginning it was very silly and derivative of whatever I was into at the time. Over time, I kept adding more adult sensibilities and their world grew darker. This series is about fleshing it all out and telling the story from the beginning, well almost the beginning.

CBB: Anything else?

Yes, thank you for your time and thank you for all the readers and supporters for helping us spread the Annihilator graphic comic. We have some awesome stuff coming up, keep turning those pages.

————————————————-
Drew Spence is a graphic comic writer and illustrator from the United States. He creates under the title The Dynamic Universe. He is both interested in music and video and has created several works, including the Mark of the Griffin, both a graphic novel and web series. The instrumental group fallout Shelter provides the soundtrack for many of his releases. The band members are Domino grey, Dynamics Plus and Xodus Phoenix. He currently lives on Long Island, New York and produces his work from the aptly named Fallout Shelter studios, where he crafts crafty and clever comics using CGI and photorealistic image manipulation.

Purchase Issue #1 of Force Six, The Annihilators at Comixology.

READ THE INTERVIEW HERE

 

Episode 09 Metal Devil Maiden

Force Six, The Annihilators

In this episode, There’s a claws clause because…

Episode 09 Metal Devil Maiden

It’s a mad madcap capping caper when the cat and mouse and the rat in a trap make a maze amaze.  The Annihilators attempt to trap a temptress. It’s bait and switch, but the switch is flipped. This is a double-sized episode with the Part II: Mall Maul ready to be red and read. READ IT NOW!

They were a team of specialists assembled to bring order to a chaotic universe. Something went wrong when right became their final choice. See the transformation from Renegade outcasts to Legends. They are Force Six, The Annihilators. Story & art by Drew Spence.

We are The Dynamic Universe. We create graphic comics. They sit between traditional strips and a 3-D style of photorealistic drama. Enjoy the science-fantasy action adventure with terrific tints, great graphics and compelling story-telling. Read the comic and enjoy the soundtrack. Story and art by Drew Spence.

Get Social….

TheDynamicUniverse on FaceBook

@DynamicaMusic on Twitter

@DynamicaMusic on Instagram

Get Serious

Support The Dynamic Universe on Patreon

The Last Blood Fighter

 

Graphic Comic short from Drew Spence

Now fly forth, swift and sure and save our race!

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They fly the Last Blood Fighter and they are the only hope for a dying race. One ship, one serum, one saving sortie. Drew Spence writes a short item and places a pair of pilots in peril. Press on and press play – er click here to read it, no pressure.

Read all our graphic comics