So, I posted the MINI K.I.T.T. on the Maverick MINIs club forum, and one of the members kicked back this great tutorial on doing with Photoshop and a photo, would otherwise probably be easier and more appropriate in Illustrator. But for those of you interested in drawing vehicles but don’t want to switch apps, give this a look. At the very least, this Deviant Artist does good work!

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/448 … _scale%3A5

And check out -donbenni’s gallery for more, including one of that ‘Cuda concept…

http://donbenni.deviantart.com/gallery/?

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here!… Read on for more awesome…

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3. Returning to a Semblance of Drawing Routine

Well, I’m happy to report that the TRDL RSS Feed, promised since the TRDL 2.0 site launched last fall, is finally ready for primetime. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this technology, RSS (Real Simple Syndication) employs an XML file that is updated with new content on a regular basis. The client’s RSS Reader checks all RSS subscriptions on a set interval, and reports the new content directly to the client. Most major news sites and many tech and pop culture blogs are now employing this technology as a means of getting new content to the readers without requiring them to actually come to the site and look for it.

All you have to do is subscribe to the TRDL RSS Feed, which can be done by clicking the link on the TRDL Gateway page that looks like this:

And adding this subscription to your RSS Reader. I personally allow Firefox’s built-in Live Bookmarks function to be my RSS Reader, but you may also use an integrated component to your email client, or a standalone RSS reader application.

Every time I post updates to the TRDL illustration site, along with posting a note in the NEWS thread ands sending out a note in the email mailing list, I update the RSS Feed. So, those of you who are busy and only come by periodically will now be able to receive an automatic update when new content has been added.

Want an RSS Reader? Here are some recommended clients:

1. Firefox’s built-in Live Bookmarks: Just click an RSS Feed and it will auto-subscribe you and add the Feed’s dropdown to your bookmarks and bookmarks toolbar. Easy and Greazy

2. Sage: a well-made Firefox Extension as an alternate:
http://sage.mozdev.org/

3. Safari RSS: the official plug-in for Mac Safari users.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/safari/… Read on for more awesome…

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1. TRDL and R3 Syndication Now Live!
2. TRDL v2.0 and the Finit-e Graphic Serial are Live!
3. Finit-e Scene 04 is Live

I have resisted doing a proper tutorial for the TRDL method for illustration coloring, primarily because I don’t feel like my way of doing things is particularly sophisticated. I don’t use the common ‘channels’ method, and mine is borne more from a desire to enjoy what I’m doing, rather than efficiency. But when Joao came aboard TRDL, I put together some examples to describe how I get my consistent rendered result for all my TRDL brand illustrations, and thought some of you might be interested in taking a look, as well. Of course, this was intended as a style guide for Joao, so that our work would be consistent enough to be published side-by-side. He uses a slightly different, more lush rendering method that includes more fades and airbrushing than my anime-inspired ‘cell-shade’ technique, but I think we keep the style close enough that they work together.

Anyway, here we go! Grab a jalapeno martini and a prosciutto and melon spear, and let’s begin…

A couple of things to understand, right out of the gate:
- I color digitally the way I colored manually as a kid. I started using Macpaint back in the day (what, mid-80’s?) with a mouse, experimenting with doing all-digital illustration, influenced by, and using the same technology as, Mike Saenz’ Shatter series. A Mac, a mouse, and a lot of teen patience. Once I got my hands on Photoshop, my coloring improved, and by then I was scanning line art and rendering color only. It was a few years after that that I got my first old Wacom kit, and everything changed for me, as the Wacom, even back then, so much moreso approximated my pen stroke that it started to feel like hand-coloring. As a result, my method evolved from there in a manner … Read on for more awesome…

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2. The TRDL Method [2011]
3. A Scanner Resolutely!

I have a number of resources i’ve either scanned, cribbed from other sources or received one way or another. Where appropriate and not abusive of copyright, I’ll post them here for your use, my R3 Army…

Here’s one I especially like… I don’t even remember where I first saw it… its Wally Woods 22 Excellent Sequential Panels… shortcuts for helping create variety and flow when drawing scenes of, you know, dialog, instead of just action scenes. Ive found it invaluable in plotting out how to tell the story of Finit-e…

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here!… Read on for more awesome…

Related posts:

1. Q: How does Armor work? How do Ballistic Weapons work?
2. Q: How do ABSORPTION Powers work?
3. Q: How Does Range Work?

I have posted Vlad’s How-to-Color tutorial on the TRDL FTP site, for those of you who’d like to download it and give it a whirl. He put a lot of work into it and i think it’s an excellent resource…

http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/depot … _color.pdf

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here!… Read on for more awesome…

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This was a piece I have been promising Jason for over a year, but finally had a moment to get it done. We’re doing a little promo swap, so he’s getting this TRDL illo for his pin-up book, and I’m getting something top secret from him which you won’t see for awhile, but will like when you do! Anyway, this piece showcases three of the characters from his book, the female contingent of the SuperReal team. I tried to follow his model sheets as close as possible, while still holding to my TRDL style, and it was a lot of fun. Those SR graphics on the pieces and the parts are a little tough to nail, so to speak, but I gave it the old post-college try. Check it!

:::

Some of you may already be familiar with Jason Martin’s SuperReal comic, having seen it on the Internets, or through his exposure on Newsarama, or his appearance at the cons. The premise is great: Reality TV manufacture meets superheroes. Where Todd Nuack’s Wildguard features real superheroes auditioning for a televised reality event in a fairly straight-forward manner, Jason’s book is edgier, funnier and certainly more cynical. Jason writes from obvious personal appreciation for the reality TV show as a concept that isn’t necessarily to be obsessed about or villaified… but the comic is more about the motivations of each of the members of the team who’ve been selected, and I have to say, between his staccato dialog, the creative, personal camera angles and pacing, and the vibe of the book’s stylized art, he deserves the positive accolades he’s been getting on SuperReal this far.

If you’re curious, I encourage you to check out his site:

http://www.superrealgraphics.com

And you can read the first issue free online:

http://www.superrealgraphics.com/online … splay.html

His blog’s … Read on for more awesome…

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Fine Ancestor is a member of the Japanese government security detail, Covert Star, and one of the country’s first posthuman defenders.

Design and Origin: Thom Chiaramonte

:::

Fine Ancestor

Name: Takeshi Motoko
Affiliation: Covert Star

Attributes:

Melee: 55
Reflex: 30
Muscle: 20
Vigor: 30
Acumen: 30
Observation: 25
Will: 25

Life: 135
Influence: 80

Abilities:

Cellular Control: Fine Ancestor has the posthuman latent ability to agitate a target’s body at the cellular level, changing the rate of cellular decay in the target area. He enjoys this Ability with an Intensity of 40. This attack may occur in two concurrent ways:

1. Aura: Fine Ancestor may generate an area effect attack within close range, which cause all cellular activity in targets within range to be affected by a general level of altered cellular activity. This can be in the form of hyper-acceleration, causing disorientation and exhaustion, or optimization, causing a sense of renewed vigor and alertness. He cannot simultaneously cause positive and negative affects in different target areas, and cannot focus the aura on specific individuals within the target area. The Aura causes -1CS to all Attributes to those within 2m range (or +1CS to all Attributes for friends in range) for 1d10 turns.

2. Fists of Memory: Fine Ancestor can cause significantly greater changes to a target’s cellular activity through physical contact. Again, as with his aura, this application of his ability can take positive or negative forms. When applied positively, he can cause moderate, permanent healing by agitating the target’s immune system. When applied negatively, he can cause extremely accelerated cellular activity and decay at the locations of his strikes, in the form of necrotic activity. The physical result of these strikes is the appearance of necrotic tissue and associated reduced mobility and function in kind. When desired, Fine … Read on for more awesome…

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This was a commission done for R3 Forum member TwistedLyn. And frankly, commissions like these don’t come along very often. I had sent Buffy a number of concepts for the character’s affectations, and she basically responded with “Yes!” so I was given carte blanch to do what i wanted. Fortunately, she and I have very similar taste, so this one was VERY fun to do.

Among the obvious fetishes at play here, which should be familiar in their R3-approved rightness, such as asian-style dresses, opague leggings, exposed garters, round-toed pin-up heels with contrast stripe, spectacles, piercings, and loads of ink, I also tried to work in that classic pose that Lucy Liu struck in Charlie’s Angels in the lecture room (“Can anyone SHOW me?”) along with a blown kiss…which is probably a kiss of death, by looking at her. That’s a Walther MPL on her right hip, by the way, and a Kukri at her left (a 19th c. Nepalese weapon) so steer clear of this one!

What a blast! My new favorite piece EVER. Thanks Buffy!

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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here!… Read on for more awesome…

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This was done for the This Week jam, the subject being the book NEXTWAVE, from Marvel.

Now, I haven’t had a chance to pick this up yet, but I thought it would be an opportunity to explore Tabitha Smith’s new look. While I loved her pixie haircut, the gum-smacking idiot always kind of irritated me, so I decided to try and show her a little more mature, and certainly as appealing as possible. Hope you like it!

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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here!… Read on for more awesome…

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This was done for the This Week jam, the subject being the Atlantean Namorita, late of the New Warriors… literally.

I will always think of Namorita the way she appeared in the Marvel Handbook: a female, teen, blond version of Namor, with a scale green swimsuit and all that. And frankly, I was so out of touch with the New Warriors business that I didn’t even know that WAS Namorita when I was reading Civil War, but then I kind of thought her new look was cool, keeping with the revision in continuity or whatever that made Atlanteans blue and tribal and such. I mean, it’s hard to rationalize that it’s the same character I knew when I was younger, but hell, she’s sexy, got tats, swims well. What’s not to like…

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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here!… Read on for more awesome…

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