JLA: The Yesterday's War WIPs

[John Jr.]

Hi guys, I need help.
I need this guy for a new project:


I'm not a skinner, I have no talent or know-how whatsoever, but since there's no Executioner skin I'll have to do it myself. I'm working with some of The Gryphon's excellent base skins and read a lot of tutorials (Thanks for all skinners who made one, you're great!). This is the best I could do:





I need some tips of how make the skin look a little better (remember guys, no talent or know-how) and which of the two shown here is more acceptable ("better" is too strong for one of my skins).
Thanks in advance!

[chuckles]

I can see more definition on the bottom one. So I'm going with that one. Good job skinning too.

[BentonGrey]

Hey JJ, you give yourself too little credit man.  You're brave to try to pick skinning up.  It was one thing that I've never even been able to dabble in.  This guy is looking like a good beginning, and I think some of the master skinners around here will be able to offer you some good pointers on sharpening him up.

[daglob]

The pics are a little small, but it looks good to me. If the cape is alpha-eabled, you know that you can scallop the edge. What graphics program are you using?

Using REAL purple is kinda funny.

[John Jr.]

Thanks guys! You're very kind.
Daglob, I'm using Photoshop and the mesh is the good, old "Male Cape". I have no idea how I can use "alphaed" textures to change the cape's edge. I would be grateful if you could give me some tips.

[Kenn]

Male_cape isn't alpha enabled.   Male_cape_effects is.   Actually, I'd recommend good old male_alpha, since the alpha channel is enabled and the belt is flat against the body.

In Photoshop, there is a "Channels" window.   If you click that on (under "Windows") a window (in 5.5 another tab with layers) appears.  It'll show the combined RGB channel, then the red, green and blue channels and then, if the skin already has the alpha channel on, the alpha channel.

The alpha channel basically uses black and white to indicate where something is or isn't.   For instance, on the Executioner's cape, you would want to (following the TGA mapping) have most of the cape white in the alpha channel because it's mostly visible.   But you would paint the negative area of the scalloping black.   That way those areas wouldn't be showing.

By the way, I think your Executioner skin looks excellent.  I actually prefer "Exec2" since the shallower muscle definition is closer to the source picture and because the deeper shadows, while they make more "comic booky" screen shots, in motion, in the game, tend to pull the meshes into the "uncanny valley".  Also in real life, Spandex doesn't stick into every muscle crevice. 

[laughing paradox]

Very cool stuff, JJ. Glad you're starting to skin.

A suggestion would be to try all the black sections with blue highlights instead of white ones, to reflect the picture you're showing. You can decide which looks better and it's nice to have the option.

[John Jr.]

Thanks, guys!
I'll play with executioner in the next days, testing your suggestions. I'll post any updates when I'm done.
One again thanks for the help, I'm learning a lot from you.

[John Jr.]

OK, while Executioner is on standby I made a skin for his partner, the Teen of Steel himself. I know there are great skins of Superboy out there, far better than anything I could do, but, I couldn't resist give him a try. So, here is Superboy:




With Executioner I tried be as faithful as possible to Bob Brown's original design, with Superboy I gave myself more freedom. The mesh is a skope, something to make him looks like an younger version of Ren's Superman. The darker colors are supposed to reflect Clark's mourning (my story take place months after the Kents died.), just like Superman's dark costume after "Our World's at War". Of course, I'll try to do a brighter costume later.
I'm not a fan of the "second skin" like costumes, and I love C6's design for Silver Age Superboy (the one for the Male Cape Nobelt mesh) and for the Chris Reeve Superman, so I tried get something like them. I used The Gryphon's Male Cape and C6's Male Costume bases.
Feedback is welcomed. I need to know how I can make him look better, after all.
Thanks in advance!

[Kenn]

Me likes.

[Tawodi Osdi]

JJ, you seem to be doing a good job to me.  Both Superboy and Executioner seem to be true to form.  I am still trying to work on my own avatar. 

[docdelorean88]

That skope is fantastic! I almost want to put C6's Chris Reeves Superman on there and see what it looks like! Great skin as well!

[AfghanAnt]

Really nice Superboy. I had no clue you had skinning talent.

[John Jr.]

Really nice Superboy. I had no clue you had skinning talent.

Thanks, AA. But guys like you and Laughing Paradox have talent, I'm just hard working.

[John Jr.]

The third member of my "Teen JLA" is almost done, our Young Marine Marvel was the product of a team effort worthy of the Super-Friends
Benton Grey sent me a great skope, with beautiful animations and Tommyboy sent me a base skin with a near complete Aquaman costume (I just added the belt and trunks and changed the collar). I edited Superboy's and Aquaboy's faces from the base skins to give them some kind of an "unique" look.
It's the first time a done a decent looking blond hair too.







I wish to thank Benton and Tommyboy again, I would never be able to do this guy without them.

[AfghanAnt]

Nice Aquaboy. 

[BentonGrey]

Wow JJ, that Superboy is really impressive for a beginner.  You're going to have to stop saying that you're not a skinner!  Great work on Aquaboy too.

[John Jr.]

Thanks, guys. You're very kind.
I updated Executioner's skin to show the alpha'ed cape. Thanks for Daglob for teaching me how to use alpha and for sending me examples.
I'm finishing a third Executioner skin. I incorporated LP's and Kenn's suggestions on this one.
Kenn was kind enough to made a brand new Executioner mesh, with amazing animations. I'll update the topic with pics of Executioner's new mesh and skin when I finish the skin, probably tomorrow night.
Thanks to Kenn and Daglob for the help with our teenaged Masked Manhunter.

[John Jr.]

The Executioner, with the mesh made by Kenn (thanks again, Kenn!) and a new skin, with less muscles and  blue highlights, as suggested by Laughing Paradox and Kenn. I'll probably release two skins with the Mod, one purple and black and one purple and blue.
This version uses base skins from The Gryphon (Male Cape) and Courtnall 6 (Male Costume)





Now our main characters are skinned I can start to skin the villains and supporting characters.
Next time I got the idea to made a mod with never skinned before characters someone please kick me

[Kenn]

In all fairness, I skoped it - not really "made" it.  Tommy did the cape.  The male_belt_flat was... I don't remember.  The animations were Grenadier.  I just took the pieces and put them together.  They did the heavy lifting.

That said, the Executioner looks great!   Your skinning skill is great.

[AfghanAnt]

Is Executioner some weird version of Batman?

[laughing paradox]

The skin looks even better, JJ. Great job on it. 

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Is Executioner some weird version of Batman?

Apparently

Spoiler

It's an identity a teenaged Bruce Wayne used to partner up with Superboy.

[AfghanAnt]

Is Executioner some weird version of Batman?

Apparently

Spoiler

It's an identity a teenaged Bruce Wayne used to partner up with Superboy.

Why would he use that name?

[daglob]

Once upon a time, he dreesed up as Robin while a teenager. Probably been retconned out of exitence...

[John Jr.]

Is Executioner some weird version of Batman?

Apparently

Spoiler

It's an identity a teenaged Bruce Wayne used to partner up with Superboy.

Why would he use that name?

Spoiler

Bruce was a bit more revenge driven and obsessed as a teenager. When he got the costume from Superboy he said something like "This costume is black like the night my parents were killed, black like an executioner garb...!" You can figure the rest...
Of course, we could talk about his "Flying Fox" id, but it could be traumatic. Brucey really like play with costumes...

[murs47]

JJ, you can definitely skin! Keep it going.

[electro]

Good skins - Superboy's face looks really good - The Executioner story sounds pretty wierd - I want to get that issue

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Superboy_Vol_1_182

.

[Tawodi Osdi]

Wow, Electro, I vaguely remembering reading that story as a kid, but I would have been only 4 or 5.  I probably read it as a reprint in another book. 

[John Jr.]

The Executioner's story was reprinted here:


Written by Bill Finger, Otto Binder, Jerry Siegel and others; Art by Curt Swan, Al Plastino, John Forte and others; Cover by Mark Farmer

Superboy, the hero who would grow up to become Superman, battles evil alongside some of the world's greatest heroes in this new collection. Features content from ADVENTURE COMICS #216, 253, 271, 280, SUPERBOY #55, 63, 80, 171, 182 and NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY #13.
DC Universe 168pg. Color Softcover $19.99 US