I think I could maybe help ya out.
But personally, I'd go with Artgerm for the style you like.
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I think I could maybe help ya out.
But personally, I'd go with Artgerm for the style you like.
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While I love Artgerm's style (I've had him on my dA watch list for quite some time), I've never seen anything to indicate he does commission work (he is the creative director of IFS, after all), and IFS seems more geared towards big corp work than for doing fan art. I've looked back through his journal entries, and I've not seen a single mention of commissions, and there's no link on the IFS site for such either. 
Oh, and don't get me wrong, Jugg. I think you know I love your work (and was planning on getting something done by you as well); but for this piece, I really want a specific style. Hope you understand. 
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Oh, and don't get me wrong, Jugg. I think you know I love your work (and was planning on getting something done by you as well); but for this piece, I really want a specific style. Hope you understand.
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ABSOLUTELY.
No worries there.
It sounds like you've definately got something specific in mind. Before I officially throw my hat in the ring would you be willing to email me, or post here a more detailed description of the shot/setting you're going for?
I'm always eager to try developing new styles. You can email me at todd@toddworld.com. My art stuff is at toddworld.deviantart.com. Other random me's are at www.toddworld.com.
But I agree with Juggy, Artgerm's style looks like not a far stretch from what you're looking for. But I have no idea about commissions.
Thanks,
Todd
"Scumball in the side pocket." - 8 Baller
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It sounds like you've definately got something specific in mind. Before I officially throw my hat in the ring would you be willing to email me, or post here a more detailed description of the shot/setting you're going for?
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The best I can really offer at this point is to reiterate my comment about Appleseed: Ex Machina. When I saw the art style in this movie, I was struck with how much I would love to see Comet drawn up in that fashion.
When they were developing the art for this, Aramaki-sama was very much keen to mimicking the high level of detail that Shirow-sama brings to all of his manga, and it really shows in this movie. And both Aramaki-sama and Shirow-sama are highly respected for their work with mecha and such (while Masamune Shirow is well known, Shinji Aramaki may not be; but he was the creator and lead artist for such works as Bubblegum Crisis, and a few other works that I can't think of right now).
It's this highly-detailed mecha design style that I'm really wanting to bring to Comet's look.
How about Genzoman (sp) of Guildhelper currently?
And if you don't mind me discussing, cause I too am curious as to the style yer going for... is it a cross between 3D render and a full painted animation cell? Off the top of my head I see several things that characterize the art:
1) no black lines
2) solid cell shading with an emphasis on soft edges
by the way DA's - Lastcionz is a master at this...
3) obvious anime features : wide eyes, small nose and mouth, pointed chins, spikey hair...
Am I missing anything? Could you post a screenshot of your toon, and again the description of the layout you proppose. I would love to attempt a test of this style. Like 8baller I too love pushing myself... sometimes I think an artist can get stuck in his own skills, and thus never offer up what a client may want.
You are a particular type of client as well, as the opposite is also true, if the client doesn't know what they want, then they stick with a particular style they have seen. I have been guilty of offering too many things, and most of my clients prefer a distinct look which I guess is my style, I'm not as obvious too it, being a bit too close.
But please allow one to grow...
LJ
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How about Genzoman (sp) of Guildhelper currently?
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If he's the same Genzoman as from dA, his style is too anime-ish.
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And if you don't mind me discussing, cause I too am curious as to the style yer going for... is it a cross between 3D render and a full painted animation cell? Off the top of my head I see several things that characterize the art:
1) no black lines
2) solid cell shading with an emphasis on soft edges
by the way DA's - Lastcionz is a master at this...
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You mean this lastscionz?
He's not too clear on his prices and stuff, so it makes me a little hesitant to approach him (though I like his stuff a lot). Plus a lot of his stuff lately has been more cartoonish than realistic.
As for what I'm really looking for... *sigh* I wish I could link to some of the images from Ex Machina. Or better yet, pick up a copy and see for yourself. I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but I was so blown away by the artwork in this film, it really got me wanting Comet envisioned in that style.
Update:
So, lastscionz's got a list of friends whom he recommends on his commission page, and I've been going through them. When I ran into this.
It's an awesome pic, and what's more, he's done work for CoH players in the past (including you, Juggy). So I think I have at least one possibility, for now.
Sorry I'm making this such a pain in the rear, but... for any future commissions I have done, the work I'm getting done here will be the reference shot from this point forward. That's why I'm being so anal about this.
If you're looking tech-anime, I'm thinking Neolucky or NKK might work, I know they both drew "mecha-girl" versions of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.
Their styles tend to be more Sailor Moon and less mecha, though.
There was another artist that was cranking out transformer/mecha drawings, can't recall who it was. If I find them in my (extensive) watch list, I'll post here.
[edit] Fixed link *facepalm*
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
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If you're looking tech-anime, I'm thinking Neolucky or NKK might work, I know they both drew "mecha-girl" versions of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.
Their styles tend to be more Sailor Moon and less mecha, though.
There was another artist that was cranking out transformer/mecha drawings, can't recall who it was. If I find them in my (extensive) watch list, I'll post here.
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Had to fix your NKK link for you, Soul. 
Unfortunately, you're right; they're both too close to the 'big eyes' anime style, and that's not what I'm really seeking at this point.
Hope you find that other person on your list! 
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Update:
So, lastscionz's got a list of friends whom he recommends on his commission page, and I've been going through them. When I ran into this.
It's an awesome pic, and what's more, he's done work for CoH players in the past (including you, Juggy). So I think I have at least one possibility, for now.
Sorry I'm making this such a pain in the rear, but... for any future commissions I have done, the work I'm getting done here will be the reference shot from this point forward. That's why I'm being so anal about this.
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Absolutely. I've had nothing but good experiences with Chamba.
Heck, he did the original lines for this piece
That being said though, I gave him A LOT of leeway. I did not nitpick in the least... so I have no idea if he's patient enough to work through a process.
As for CHWhite, he's also pretty good... but IMO, not the style you're looking for.
What about Heise?
I've seen his stuff before, and it's incredibly detailed... but nothing in his gallery suggests or shows his talent with tech stuff (unless I missed something). But thanks!
okay so you've told us what you do and don't want... but what is the proposed layout you envision in your head. it's very disconcerting to see you turn every suggest artist down, when you're the only person who knows what you "see" in your head.
an idea of the final art piece would help find a capable artist.
in defense of heise, i truly believe an artist of his caliber, as well as genzoman could do anything and everything if they put their mind to it. just because they don't have examples of certain style doesn't mean they haven't done it in the past. their galleries are cohesive of what they're currently working on, not what they are only capable of...
if all you are looking for is a cell animation of your toon, why not just copy one, and photo manip it? again without knowledge of the final piece, who can say what the artist must be capable of, except you.
you've apologized for asking so much... i offer my own apology, i don't believe I have the patience you require. goodluck to you.
LJ
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okay so you've told us what you do and don't want... but what is the proposed layout you envision in your head. it's very disconcerting to see you turn every suggest artist down, when you're the only person who knows what you "see" in your head.
an idea of the final art piece would help find a capable artist.
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Well, I believe I can do that much.
Though the first thing I should mention right off the bat, is that there's probably going to end up being two commissions.
See, with the way I see Comet in my head, she doesn't fly around in brightly-colored spandex, only to have her costume covered up in a 'Jack Frost' suit (gawd I've always hated the look of the Ice Armor's graphics). Comet's out-of-armor look would be very close to the way that Briareos looks when she's in his ESWAT gear; monochrome in color, armored, though showing the elements of himself that are obviously cyberized.
When she armors up, instead of the semi-transparent blocks of ice, it would look more like Comet were wearing a Bubblegum Crisis-style of hardsuit; the colors and shading would closely match that of her CoH costume, though elements of her outfit beneath would be still visible; it would almost be like the ice armor and her regular outfit would integrate with each other.
The first (couple of) drawings would be more like concept drawings in this sense, then. Two to five shots of Comet from different angles, on a white background (front, back, and close-ups of various parts of her outfit). If I went with two sets of drawings, one would be out of armor, the other would be fully armored.
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if all you are looking for is a cell animation of your toon, why not just copy one, and photo manip it? again without knowledge of the final piece, who can say what the artist must be capable of, except you.
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My previous attempts at photo-manipulation have been pretty disastrous, to say the least. And with the amount of hours I work, I just don't find I have the required patience to get my skills up to a point where I could do what I wanted.
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you've apologized for asking so much... i offer my own apology, i don't believe I have the patience you require. goodluck to you.
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Thanks, and no hard feelings, LJ. As with Juggy, once I can get this part straightened out, I was going to come to you for a piece of art as well.
What about Bokuman?
His prices are reasonable, his style is similar to the one you suggested, and he does mech-stuff (he's a raging Transformers addict).
Usually I pimp Graver, but I know for a FACT he doesn't have the patience for this 
Bokuman just opened up, like, 7 slots.
Also Transfuse has done some amazing Samus artwork. I think they've got the eye to integrate tech/hardsuit graphics with feminine curves.
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
IF this guy can't do it, I don't know who can: IDNar...
There's only one person I trust with the type of technical details that you're looking for. But his art style would be too 'anime' for you.
John H. Staton:
http://www.marilith.com/archive.php?date=20060427
http://www.insightstudiosgroup.com/d...on_gallery.htm
http://www.leiasmetalbikini.com/Higashi_JohnStaton.jpg
http://www.libertymeadows.com/images/BGC-PO~2.GIF
The only guy I know that does mecha and girls both frighteningly well. Other artists do mecha that looks great, but Staton actually designs them to be functionally realistic. He draws exploded views of Vipers from BSG for *fun*. o.O
Shamefully I can't find many good mech pics for you, since he has no real base of operations online. The ones in the gallery page are shamefully small.
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Massacre_Melanie -the original Fire/Dark Corruptor -
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=115217
The Guide to BURN
If all else fails go to the Job Offers section of deviantArt and post exactly what you want, style, design, details etc. and a price range you're willing to work with.
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If all else fails go to the Job Offers section of deviantArt and post exactly what you want, style, design, details etc. and a price range you're willing to work with.
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Okay, I feel silly now. I've been on dA for 4 months, and never knew about that.
Thanks, Maori. Once I get my tax return, I'll post there and see what comes up.
Your anality is fascinating and I wish to see inside your head.
Well, here goes nothing!
Again, I wanna thank everyone that replied and offered advice as well as names; it was very much appreciated, and if I'm able to get these pictures done, I'll be getting a few more commissions done soon afterwards.
Hey folks. I need a bit of help here.
See, in a week or so I should be getting my tax return. While it's not as big as I hoped, I'll still have some money to play with. So I want to move forward to get some work done. But for my next piece of artwork, I have some pretty hefty requirements.
I want to create the look of my main, Halley's Comet (link to her VirtueVerse page). And I don't want this particular commission to be limited by how she looks in the game; I want this one to be how I see her in my head. For this picture, I'm going to need someone who's pretty patient; while I have plenty of ideas how I think she should look, it's not quite concrete in a few places. But there's a few things I'm sure I want:
<ul type="square">[*]Specific style: I'm looking for an artist with a lot of attention to detail. In particular, I'm really looking for someone that can somewhat emulate the style used in Appleseed: Ex Machina (if you go to the official website and check out the gallery, you'll get a good idea of what I'm looking for.) It doesn't have to be exactly this style, but the high attention to detail is very important.[*]Openness: this is kind of important to me. I know that artists like to put their own spin or interpretation in their pieces, but I really want this one to be about as much as my vision as possible. I realize that comes off as really selfish, and I apologize in advance for this. But try as I might, I can't get my ideas out of my head and onto paper; while I have a little talent at drawing, it's more at copying other's things then at coming up with my own concepts. Thus why I need an artist who'll be patient with me in this regard.[/list]
I've tried looking through deviantArt for people that might fit this, but it's really difficult to look at every artist on there; even going through the various categories and following through every artist that looks like they might work has just lead me in circles.
So, if anyone knows of any artists that would fit this bill, could you please give me some directions? I truly appreciate it.
-Arch