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| The state of 'ol Loydster's mind, MOST of the time! Brain-storms (especially of the creative kind!) are pretty regular happenings! |
You know, if you would've told me--- even as little as 9 or 10 years ago, that I would be able to do the kind of 'digital-tinkering' I'm able to do on a fairly basic, not-a-lot-of-bells-and-whistles lap-top--- with the ALSO fairly basic 'Windows Paint' program... I would have said that was CRAZY!
But-- here I am, 'tinkering' away! Yes, I know that the 'Photo-Shop' program, on Apple computers-- is the 'state of the art' way to do the kind of stuff I DIG on doing! Alas, I'm just a poor old 'working-class-stiff', with the above-mentioned 'basic' lap-top, so it's also a case of 'working-with-what-ya-got'! (Heck, the current lap-top I have, was a GIFT from my son a couple of years back!---which replaced a USED one I'd had.... since around 2014!)
Besides--- it's kind of a creative challenge, to try doing some of the stuff I've been doing, with such a 'basic' program like '...Paint'!
There's also the factor of having NO space (for close to TWO years now) for the usual kind of stuff 'ol Loydster get's a kick out of!--- Building / customizing / displaying the occasional model or toy, putting up cool / unique images in frames, etc! So, what better way to scratch that 'ol 'creative itch', than in the 'virtual lap-top-world'!
This latest round of 'digital scribbling', all started with an idea I had for doing some 're-mastering' of an old image, that I created a number of years back! Of COURSE, it involves my two FAVORITE characters! (Take a wild GUESS who the number ONE favorite of the two is!)----
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Like it says above, a cool image (drawn for some of my nephews, as I was saying above-- a few years back) that--- for the MOST part, I've always liked! BUT--- a couple of things in it have ALWAYS bugged me a little! Namely: Batman's chest-symbol and some of the line-work on his cowl!
Some of the 'source-lighting' on both the Supes and Bats figures is a bit 'off' too! So--- off into the 'Paint' program it went!----
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I'm now MUCH happier with the image, even though all the changes are pretty subtle! Bats now sports his 'classic' oval-shaped symbol, (which was drawn by hand, then scanned into my 'puter & 'pasted' onto the figure!) and the high-lights and line-work on his cowl are a BIG improvement over the earlier effort! I also worked on his eyes, to make them a bit more symmetrical.
I improved the 'source-lighting' here and there on BOTH figures, and added in 'gold'-colored highlights to the yellow areas on their costumes. A copy of this one just MIGHT go up in the next 'Bat-cave'! |
The next series of images I tinkered around with, involve The original '66 Batman himself, Mr. Adam West! (Or, at least the costume he wore anyway!) I stumbled across a whole crop of VERY nifty images of the '66 cowl (actually on an Adam West 'display head'!), put up by the VERY cool business known as 'Williams Studio2'!
It's a 'man-and-wife' / 'mom & Pop'- ran business, that specializes in making AMAZING replicas of the '66 Cowl! They also make the replicas in LEATHER! Check out some of their handiwork! Then, click on the link to their site below, to see even MORE wicked-COOL '66 Batman stuff!---
Williams Sudio2 COOL Bat-items!
This series of images was just for my own GOOFY-GEEK-A-ZOID amusement, as well as to satisfy my 'Bat-fanatic'- curiosity! Just HOW 'comics-accurate' are those 'classic TV show' cowls, anyway??? (Not to mention the VERY neat-o leather cowls!---Check out the one in blue-&-black below!) well, see for yourselves!----
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| A few careful strokes with the mouse on my lap-top, utilizing the colors gray and light gray--- gave me the answer! Those '66 TV-Cowls were VERY much faithful to the 'source material'! (The leather cowls--even MORE so!) 'Comics-accurate' INDEED! Though Mr. West would've probably had a TOUGH time actually SEEING in a cowl with 'eye-slits' like these! |
After the '66 Bats stuff, I turned my attention to another image I've had here on the lap-top for a good chunk of time! It's actually a pic of a statue based on an Alex Ross painting.
While I'd NEVER be so just outright SILLY, to even TRY to tinker / mess-around with an actual Alex Ross painting (that would be like drawing a MUSTACHE on the MONA LISA!) The 'ol 'Bat-fanatic'-curiosity made me wonder--- just WHAT would a 'Ross-Bats' look like, with 'comics-accurate' white / gray 'eye-slits', and shorter ears on the cowl! See the results below!
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1. The original image, complete with EXTRA-long ears (hey, somebody like Alex Ross can get away with that in a painting! On a statue.... well, it looks a little odd-ball!)! Not to mention, 'ol Batsy's eyes look a bit 'crossed'!
2. The results of my 'digital scribbles'! It just shows how VERY close Mr. Ross followed the 'Golden Age' design of the Bat-suit! Even Batman's head & Jaw-line, have a bit of a 'Dick Sprang look' and feel to them! (If you don't know who Dick Sprang is---- you just haven't been paying attention to THIS blog!) |
Next--- again, for bit of 'giggle-inspiring-goofiness'--- I did some 'scribbling' on an image of an old 'Mego' Batman action figure! (JUST like the one I had as a kid!) This one has also been in my 'puter for a while!----
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| 1. The original figure, how it looked 'fresh-out-of-the-package'! 2. My 're-touched' image! Another time a Bat-cowl can look a LOT more 'comics-accurate'--- with a bit of help from the 'ol 'Paint' program! |
After doing the above projects--- which were just, as I was saying before-- mostly for 'grins & giggles'-- I decided to get more intense, and a little more ambitious in my efforts! At least a couple of the following images are DEFINITELY gonna wind-up framed & hanging up in the NEXT (hopefully NEAR-future) 'Bat-Cave'!
Once AGAIN, they ALL feature a certain 'Caped Crusader'!---
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1. Another older image, that's actually migrated across a couple of other 'puters---- before winding up in my current lap-top! While the NIFTY '40s 'Bat-Logo' and figures of Bats & Robin are positioned well, the image itself is a grainy, pixelated MESS!
2. After making a copy on my handy-dandy printer, I re-traced over the logo and figures in nice, DARK ink---using a heavy line, so it would all have the look of an actual (Golden Age) comic-panel or cover!
3. The start of my work on 'colorizing' the whole thing! The 'Batman' letters in the logo, Bats' uniform and Robin's cape were all colored by hand, then scanned back into the lap-top--- so I could attack the rest of the image in the 'Paint' program! I also ended up re-coloring the 'Bat-suit' digitally.(It just looked better & more 'solid' in 'digital gray'!) I then took a deep breath, and dove into the rest of what I knew was probably gonna be a LENGTHY effort!---- |
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| 4. After nearly a week, and around 10-12 hours total, of CAREFULLY moving my trusty mouse around (I slowly thrashed-away on this image, in my spare time here and there!)---- The Dynamic Duo of the Golden Age (AND-- that STILL awesome '40s 'Bat-Logo'!) are sporting BRIGHT, primary colors! A LOT of time, a LOT of effort! BUT--- by golly, I think it was WORTH IT! |
This next project also started out with the image of an otherwise VERY cool statue, that I've had here in the lap-top for a while! (Hmmm.... notice a 'pattern' here yet???) One featuring the Dark Knight of the late 40s & 50s!---
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1. The original image, featuring a VERY 'Dick Sprang / Shelly Moldoff'-looking version of the Gotham Guardian! While fairly nifty--- the FACE of the figure just looked a little TOO 'cartoony', and also a little too 'waxy' or 'doll-like'!
2. After digging around on-line, I stumbled across this 'head-only' pic of 'ol Bats! It's one of the 'alternate heads' that come with the 'Golden Age Batman' figure, from Mezco. (Check out their site of WICKED-COOL figures! If you're a 'Bat-freak-a-zoid'--- you WILL drool!!) The face was MUCH more 'life-like', while still retaining that 'Sprang / Moldoff'-feel to it! Still, it needed a little 'scribbling', to make it feel right!
3. The 'head-only' shot, after the required 'scribbling'! I was now ready to----
4. GRAFT the two images together! Some folks may be critical of the kinda '2-D' look to the upper-face area and neck--- BUT--- I think it makes it look almost as if it's been done by the animators at Pixar or something! --'weirdly-neat-o'! I get a kick out of it, each time I look at it! |
The final project I'm showing off here--- is one that will DEFINITELY have to find it's way into a frame, in my 'Bat-Cave-to-come'! As most of you--- who've been following along with me on this here little bloggy-woggy-thingy-thang--- know, I've LONG been a MAJOR-fan of the original '40s 'Bat-Logo'! It's easily my ALL-TIME favorite comic book logo!----
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1. The original image, which--- like SO many of the images I've stashed into my lap-top-- I found on the web. As I've said before, one of the GREAT graphic designs / symbols / icons of the 20th century! BUT--- I found myself having one of those 'brain-storms' again!
'What if,' I thought, '... that CLASSIC design were put on comics' covers today'? What would it look like? Then I started doing some further 'brain-storming'--- AND scouring the web for the proper 'raw' material to put what I had in mind together!
2.Yet ANOTHER 'head only' shot of the 'Golden Age' Bats. Also from one of the Mezco figures (this time with an 'all-black' cowl!) I would combine this image, with that of the logo--- making it (hopefully!) have a '3-D' appearance!
3. My first crack at the more '3-D' version of the 'classic logo'. I 'digitally squeezed' the head somewhat, and kept the background red, just like in the original image. 'NOT too shabby', I thought to myself! '....BUT....'--- |
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| 4. What I at first thought would be the 'final draft' of the '3-D / 'classic logo'! LOTS of careful working-of-the-mouse, to make the background ALL yellow (I just decided the color had a more 'Golden-Age-cover-feel' to it!) The head still looked just a bit... 'off' though! When I enlarged it to fit into the logo, it had become a little too pixelated. So--- back into '...paint' it went! |
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5. Just like it says above--- 'WHAM'! More 'web-scouring' had produced an even MORE 'comics-accurate' image of the 'Bats-head-shot'!---AND-- it was a LARGER, less-pixelated image! I'm VERY proud of how it turned out! There WILL be a spot found for it to hang in my future 'crime-fighting-hobby-and-tinkering-hide-out'!
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Now you know, folks! Just what an EXTREMELY geek-a-zoid individual like the 'ol Loydster--- who, at the moment-- is EXTREMELY limited in the space he has for displaying any sort of 'nerd-tastic' material--- has been able to do as an alternative!
I should also say, (just in case any 'legal-eagles' from DC / Warner Brothers are checking up on little 'ol me!) that ALL of the above projects were done JUST for the FUN of it, and I plan to make NO sort of profit from ANY of it, of ANY kind! That goes for just about EVERYTHING else posted up on this here blog, for that matter! (Especially when it involves 'copyrighted / trademarked' characters, owned by MEGA-corporations, though!)
it's ALL for the FUN of it, and if an item or two has made even a LITTLE goofy-grin break out on your face (in THIS post... or ANY post, in fact!)---- then, hey.... my mission here is accomplished!
--- See you NEXT time, gang! ---
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