Behind the Scenes: Why 3D Model?

 It is not immediately apparent perhaps why I would 3D model spaceships for instance when I am going to draw them anyway. I am not using the 3D models as artwork, but as guides for the artwork. I want to get the ships and other structures right every time from every angle. Then once I model them and print out how they look from the desired angle, I draw them in the comic based on that.

This is an image of the 3D model of the orbital cannon in TinkerCad:

I use TinkerCad because it is very easy and quick to use, and also it is free. And here is what I drew and how I manipulated it in Photoshop:

The lines you see in the final image are usually not actually what I drew because inked lines with pens (I use Micron pens) are not black enough and don't scan black enough. So I actually select the (semi-) black color in the image, create a new layer, and pour pure black in the spaces that the semiblack occupied.

You are also not seeing it at the scale I created it at. The images on the web are 1000 x 771 pixels usually. The original artwork was done on 8.5 x 11 inches card stock, and scanned at 300 dpi. I prefer bristol board, but I have a ton of card stock that I am not otherwise using, and it is basically as good.

I always work larger than the final size because otherwise doing the small bits gets too fiddly. I am not the only one who does this, comic artists in general do it. Marvel comics for instance are originally done half-up, which is to say that the original artwork is 50% larger than the printed artwork. Or at least that is how it was done back in the day when the art was all done by hand.

Getting back to the 3D modeling, in short I 3D model to make sure I get the perspective and all the little details right every time I draw a given spaceship or structure. I also add shading or other effects in Photoshop to the scanned artwork and darken the lines. So the comic is done by hand, but it is also done by computer in many respects.

I am in the middle of modeling a whole fleet and once I am done with that I can start cranking out the next pages in Episode 1.

Addendum:
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Well now I have actually used 3D modeled artwork directly in the comic, in a page I have not released yet. I had the choice between using a very cool looking image from a 3D model or trying to do it from hand, and I used the 3D model. I tried to keep the B&W sketch-like look as much as possible though.