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 Macro Heroes for character design

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argosail

argosail


Posts : 481
Join date : 2010-05-02
Location : California

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PostSubject: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptySun May 22, 2011 6:34 am

I know that almost everyone on these boards is interested in designing new characters, but some are not confident in their own art abilities. Most of you resort to a "hero maker" program, but unfortunately, the templates that those use are not really public domain. Still, a template is the best way to go, if your art skills aren't as good as you'd like them to be. I have long been a fan of "micro-hero" templates, like the ones that Yzz uses, but unfortunately, these are usually a bit small, so you don't always get a lot of detail. So, I've created my own basic gif templates, in the size and style of my Free Universe art, in case anyone on these boards would like to use them as a starting place for character design. These templates can be easily re-colored and modified to make new heroes. You can use paint, photoshop or simply print them out and draw over them. With your computer you can cut and paste pieces of one onto another. Try it out! I'd love to see other try their hand at creating art for the open source characters we discuss, and if you want to do art for PD characters I haven't gotten to yet, go for it!

Here is my new "macro-hero" template for male characters:

Macro Heroes for character design Macros

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great dude




Posts : 284
Join date : 2011-01-02

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PostSubject: RE:Macro heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptyMon May 23, 2011 3:43 am

Wow,those are so cool,
Keep up the good work.
I Would like to see more macro hero stuff.
only one question,however:
How do you save the characters you make using the macro hero templates?
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argosail

argosail


Posts : 481
Join date : 2010-05-02
Location : California

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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptyTue May 24, 2011 2:51 am

Generally, when you make a new character with these templates, you want to save your work in .GIF format or .PNG format.

If you've never done "micro-hero" artwork, you might want to start with this tutorial for creating characters with MSN paint:

http://microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/MS_Paint

That one is pretty thorough for beginners, but here is a more comprehensive set of links:

http://microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/How_to_Make_Micro-Heroes
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great dude




Posts : 284
Join date : 2011-01-02

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PostSubject: macros   Macro Heroes for character design EmptyTue May 24, 2011 4:59 am

argosail wrote:
Generally, when you make a new character with these templates, you want to save your work in .GIF format or .PNG format.

If you've never done "micro-hero" artwork, you might want to start with this tutorial for creating characters with MSN paint:

http://microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/MS_Paint

That one is pretty thorough for beginners, but here is a more comprehensive set of links:

http://microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/How_to_Make_Micro-Heroes
Wow,that's real cool.
However,I Would like to see more macro hero templates.
Keep up the good work.
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GoldenBard

GoldenBard


Posts : 369
Join date : 2010-09-27
Age : 58

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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptySat May 28, 2011 8:46 am

These are great, Argosail; thanks a lot! I look forward to playing around with these templates.

Now, at the risk of sounding like a greedy son of a *****, any chance of a female template in the near future?

BTW, for those looking for a graphic program that won't cost too much, how does "free" sound? I'm a bit fan of Paint.net (http://www.getpaint.net/). I used to work in the publish biz and monkied around a bit with Photoshop, and found that Paint.net has pretty much all of the basic, day-to-day use features for like a hundred bucks less!
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argosail

argosail


Posts : 481
Join date : 2010-05-02
Location : California

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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptySun May 29, 2011 5:45 am

Yes, I definitely intend to present a female template in the near future. I wanted to post them simultaneously, but I've not had time yet to work on the fem template...

Paint comes standard with most computers running windows and it is all you really need for pixel art (like microheroes and these macroheroes). The only thing that paint doesn't do as well as photoshop is automated gradient fills and layers, which are useful when you're cutting and pasting stuff. If you google it, you can probably find a free shareware program similar to photoshop, which may have some of those extra features...but nearly anyone with a computer should be able to customize these images for free...
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great dude




Posts : 284
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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptySun May 29, 2011 9:04 am

wow,that is great news,do you plan on adding macro accessories soon?,
If So,When?
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GoldenBard

GoldenBard


Posts : 369
Join date : 2010-09-27
Age : 58

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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptySat Jun 18, 2011 12:37 am

argosail wrote:
Paint comes standard with most computers running windows and it is all you really need for pixel art (like microheroes and these macroheroes). The only thing that paint doesn't do as well as photoshop is automated gradient fills and layers, which are useful when you're cutting and pasting stuff. If you google it, you can probably find a free shareware program similar to photoshop, which may have some of those extra features...but nearly anyone with a computer should be able to customize these images for free...

Paint.net is a free, "kicked-up" version of MS Paint, and does a great job with layers. I don't think it does gradient fills yet (I haven't had to use those, so I could be wrong), but there is a team of programmer-volunteers constantly working to improve the program (and if you download it, you get automatic notices when the next release comes out). Basically, it's an open-source art program; what could be better for working with open-source/PD characters?
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great dude




Posts : 284
Join date : 2011-01-02

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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptyWed Aug 10, 2011 6:20 am

Hi,Argosail,
Sorry To Bother You,
But I Have Some Questions To Ask You:
1.Will You Be Adding More Male Macro Templates Soon?
2.Will You Be Adding Female Macro Templates Soon?
3.Will You Be Also Be Adding Macro Accessories As Well?
4.Can I Use Your Macro Templates To Do Costume Re-Designed Versions Of The PD Golden Age Characters?


Last edited by great dude on Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:27 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : I Had Somethings On My Mind)
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GoldenBard

GoldenBard


Posts : 369
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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptySun Apr 13, 2014 9:39 am

Hey, Argosail! You still around? I was wondering, in the absence of the female template (don't you hate it when life gets in the way of your Internet goofing off?) would it be okay if I used tracings of some of the female characters on the Free Universe site to create characters?
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SuperHeroFan




Posts : 174
Join date : 2012-10-19
Age : 54

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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptyFri Oct 17, 2014 7:34 pm

@Argo, or anyone that may know,

I had a question about those 'hero maker' templates, esp. those done in HeroMachine 3, or it's variants. I guess I need an explanation in english lol. I don't understand how a blank form (the hero) can be 100% customized, yet the new work, or IP is not PD/OS. I mean, if it's just the outline, so to speak that is being used, how can it be PD?

Are blank, static poses being used by others, such a crime? For ex, if I was outlined and only outlined, how can a featureless item have any value if everything else done with it is customized to the person who used it as a template?

(I hope that the above post made some kind of sense, it's the AM, and I'm working on 8 hrs sleep in 2 days. I have a family health issue that has got me worried.)

Not intending to be mean or anything, just curious.
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captainwhizz

captainwhizz


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Age : 43
Location : UK

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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptySat Oct 18, 2014 4:04 am

Not sure I understand what you're getting at buddy. Are you asking who owns the image that's created by a user?
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SuperHeroFan




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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptySun Oct 19, 2014 5:16 pm

Hey Cap,

I guess what I'm trying to say is - if a line drawing is done, of a basic 'heroic' pose, no facial features, just blank, and someone takes that basic outline and makes a completed image of something original, it can't be someone else's design, then can it?
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captainwhizz

captainwhizz


Posts : 170
Join date : 2014-10-05
Age : 43
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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptyMon Oct 20, 2014 1:16 am

The original 'blank' image belongs to the creator of that image.
The character design belongs to the person who fills the blank in with their hero or villain.
But that doesn't necessarily mean that the character designer can use the final picture without the consent of the creator of the blank image.

If you took an image from, for example, a Spider-Man comic, where they'd published the orginal pencials for the cover, then you inked and coloured them, Marvel/ the pencil artist would still have a legal interest in that picture.

Bottom line is- even if someone has drawn a simple 'blank', unless it's super-simple like a stickman, they own that image.
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great dude




Posts : 284
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PostSubject: Re: Macro Heroes for character design   Macro Heroes for character design EmptyFri Dec 15, 2017 5:43 am

Any plans for more macro hero templates?
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