This is a group shot of several of the current models with some rigging

They’ve got a few issues, and the silhouetted characters are very incomplete (and unclothed, thus the silhouettes), but it’s all coming along. Oddly, the nonhuman characters like Tyron are far easier to rig.

I’ve run into a few issues where my 3D software crashes incessantly if you glance at it wrong, but that’s helped by saving early and often (which I try to do in any case)

Here’s another Art Day post.

This is the base model for Gaxurea, like Uri.  Right at the moment, it’s just a fairly ordinary bird.  Since the male and female Gaxurea look different, I built this model first, and when I’m happy with the rigging and such, I’ll modify the mesh to suit each sex.

I’ve also refined Shadow’s model since last week’s Art Day.  I’ll post that again when I get further along.  The previously posted version pretty much had a semi-realistic face with cel shading applied.  The face  was rebuilt and looks more stylized, more consistent with the drawn comics (for whatever that’s worth).  Character design wise, I’ve never been shooting for anime style in particular for Shadsly, but it seems to be what I gravitate toward, so I might as well just run with it.

She now also has hands, eyes, and ears, and I’ve improved the surfacing (it looks a more like today’s pic).

I think it’s fairly obvious that my last attempt to continue Shadsly did not go as planned (a combination of artistic frustration, frustration with Google’s apparent unwillingness to list the site, and general malaise).

Part of the problem with Shadsly up to this point is that I’ve never been fluent enough with drawing to do the thing in a timely fashion or with satisfying results.  I’m well aware that the only solution to that is practice, but my mental image far outstrips my actual ability to the point that it kills my motivation to do so.  I have to constantly fight to get something even vaguely close to satisfying, and it doesn’t help that I have to take shortcuts to get even that done on time (which is why those early comics still aren’t colored).

As such, whenever Shadsly returns (no promises when, but I’ve certainly not given up on it), it is likely to be done with a completely new process.

Since very early on I’ve debated turning Shadsly into a GMod comic, albeit one with mostly custom content, but there’re were a number of issues with that, including both process complexity and aesthetic concerns.   Still, the idea lurked in the back of my mind, and came out to dance on my skull whenever I got frustrated with drawing.

I have always considered myself to be a terrible character modeler … the picture of Tyron elsewhere in this gallery was probably the best thing I’ve done until recently.  Even that took ages and didn’t have a very good mesh flow.

However, I have been putting the downtime to good use, building up my skills and trying new things, and seem to have recently finally started to break through my character modeling “block”.  I have decided that if I go this route, I will skip GMod entirely, and just do the thing straight in my 3D app.  I would pretty much have to use the thing in any case to make stuff for GMod, and with my software I have far greater control and the ability to do comics on my decrepit laptop.  The price is less ability to use props from the Source Engine, of course, and more effort spent making backgrounds.

This picture, an (incomplete) test of a 3D model of Shadow, is part of that effort.  It’s not spectacular (and is already out of date), but it’s better than some of the cringe-worthy drawings that have ended up in the comic already.

Vaguely familiar symbol.

This is just an art day page I put up to let people know when the comics would resume.

The symbol here is the logo for Shadsly.  It’s a combination of the Cerement symbol and the one that appears on Tyron’s forehead.  It should probably incorporate the symbol from Shadow’s glove as well, but that one doesn’t fit stylistically.  All three of the symbols mentioned here can be seen way back on page 1.

That was … unexpected

Title Reference: Because it’s the end, duh.

Art Notes: That taxed my skills. I’m tired of drawing, forever. I’m going to go take a week long nap now. Then I will start a new comic next week, titled Goth Girls Are Awesome. It will be updated once every seven months.

Story Notes: No more story. That’s the end of Shadsly.  Really.  No, really.  OK, maybe. I’m an artist, I’m a flake by nature.

Fair warning, there will be no new shadsly tonight.

I’ve spent most of the time since the last one either asleep, or feverish, unable to breathe effectively, and doubled over from coughing. I do have a little work on it done, but not nearly enough. I’ll pick up again next week, hopefully.

In the meantime, I am posting this silly drawing that I did last week on a whim.