Project Hair

As some of you may know, I have considered my skills with creating normal Hair assets sub par at best. With that in mind I started thinking of ways to compensate for this weakness. I've been experimenting with resourcing hair art from existing pieces and transforming them into HeroMachine assets. My first experiment with this can be seen below. I used Sue Storm hair as a resource and created vector artwork that can be added into HeroMachine.

Original Artwork:

SueStormArtwork_CloseUp

HeroMachine Artwork:

Hair_FlowingTEST

Now the pitch. I'm asking any interested Machinists to scour the Internet for hair art that I can use as a resource for hair creation and then add to HeroMachine. For the first phase of Project Hair I would take the top 6 suggestions (either chosen by me or a poll) and add them into HeroMachine as soon as I can manage it.

Now the catch. Image Requirements and Suggestions:

1. The artwork must be black and white and created in a style that is compatible with the HeroMachine aesthetic. Essentially Comic Book style inked artwork like the Sue Storm example above.

2. Avoid hair with headgear. I just want the hair.

3. Bigger is better. If the image is too small it may be hard to see the details necessary to create the hair artwork.

4. I've found inked artwork depicting heroes with lighter hair, better suited for HeroMachine adaptation. Dark hair is usually depicted with larger black areas. If we want hair with bigger, black  shapes we can go that route though.

5. Post the link of the artwork into this blog post. Or jump on over to my item creation thread in the forums and add the suggestion there. http://www.heromachine.com/forums/topic/dblades-whiz-bang-item-dispenser/

Together we can make HeroMachine a whole lot hairier.

16 Responses to Project Hair

  1. Wild Card says:

    Here’s some of my suggestions for art for hair examples:
    http://spiderguile.deviantart.com/art/Black-Queen-Jean-Grey-aug6th2014-473605451
    http://spiderguile.deviantart.com/art/Nightcrawler-inks-June2nd2014-473059811
    http://spiderguile.deviantart.com/art/Storm-Drink-n-Draw-Feb19th2014-435773622
    http://spiderguile.deviantart.com/art/Supergirl-Paris-Manga-2011-264426257
    http://spiderguile.deviantart.com/art/Black-Cat-unmasked-90241479
    http://dlimaart.deviantart.com/art/Black-Cat-389468744
    http://vagnerskyblue.deviantart.com/art/Baroness-518465668
    http://vagnerskyblue.deviantart.com/art/Mary-Jane-Watson-485721462
    http://vagnerskyblue.deviantart.com/art/Silet-Hill-377884482
    http://vagnerskyblue.deviantart.com/art/ragnorok-commission-194197650
    http://vagnerskyblue.deviantart.com/art/Black-Widow-188223066
    http://vagnerskyblue.deviantart.com/art/Aphrodite-IX-185779601
    http://lcfreitas.deviantart.com/art/Magik-519693549
    http://lcfreitas.deviantart.com/art/Mary-Jane-501702280
    http://johncastelhano.deviantart.com/art/Leochaid-Ink-505885184
    http://johncastelhano.deviantart.com/art/RIGANA-ink-501796440
    http://johncastelhano.deviantart.com/art/Eiko-1-ink-514816991
    http://edhale.deviantart.com/art/Jade-by-Francis-Manapul-470016792
    http://edhale.deviantart.com/art/Black-Canary-by-Vagner-Fernandes-373765830
    http://edhale.deviantart.com/art/Witchblade-by-Vagner-Fernandes-372849973
    http://edhale.deviantart.com/art/Powergirl-by-Brett-Booth-366334284
    http://edhale.deviantart.com/art/The-darkness-by-Tyler-Kirkham-353139762
    http://edhale.deviantart.com/art/Supergirl-by-Marcio-Abreu-350685699
    http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1266048
    http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=878215
    http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=699811
    http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=667256
    http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=614735
    http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=160503

    As you can see I try find some male hair but its mostly female hair

  2. collex says:

    Hi, old-timey lurker/casual Heromachine user here.
    As much as I want new hair, I am worried here. Are you sure this is legal? This is taking artwork from artist and putting them in a software that makes (very little, but still) money. It might be considered fair use because you have to redraw the hair a little and recode it, but I would double and triple check that to be sure. Just so nobody gets in trouble.

    If this solution turns out to be unusable, may I make an alternative suggestion? A lot of people in a previous comment thread expressed admiration for the hair artwork of this artist: http://dark-sheikah.deviantart.com/ Maybe we could ask her if we could use some of her design in Heromachine? Would that be something feasible?

    If you have already made sure this was legal, awesome. Like I said, I like the idea, I’m just not sure it is legal.

  3. JR19759 says:

    collex:
    Hi, old-timey lurker/casual Heromachine user here.
    As much as I want new hair, I am worried here. Are you sure this is legal? This is taking artwork from artist and putting them in a software that makes (very little, but still) money. It might be considered fair use because you have to redraw the hair a little and recode it,but I would double and triple check that to be sure. Just so nobody gets in trouble.

    If this solution turns out to be unusable, may I make an alternative suggestion? A lot of people in a previous comment thread expressed admiration for the hair artwork of this artist: http://dark-sheikah.deviantart.com/ Maybe we could ask her if we could use some of her design in Heromachine? Would that be something feasible?

    If you have already made sure this was legal, awesome. Like I said, I like the idea, I’m just not sure it is legal.

    dblade, hate to be a downer here, but I’m inclined to agree with collex here. It might be an idea to check this out first and if needs be, ask for permission. As much as I want new hair items, I’d rather still have heromachine.

  4. Nug says:

    Who ripped off copyrighted characters?? I didn’t see anyone rip from copyrighted characters.

    With that said…
    http://orig05.deviantart.net/566e/f/2015/301/d/9/plagiarism_by_nugarius-d9epr9p.png

    I think you’ll be ok. 😉

    I have hair stuff too, D, but it looks like you got more than a few suggestions already.

  5. collex says:

    Those items are already in a blurry grey area, but since they are original drawings and not strict copies, there is an argument for fair use that can be made. But extracting pieces of artwork to use them as is is a different thing altogether.

  6. dblade says:

    I discussed this with Jeff before posting this blog and he said it was okay to do so. If he decides that this is unacceptable at any time I will cease the Hair alterations.

  7. AFDStudios says:

    TL;DR: Yes, I talked with dblade about this and I think it’s ethically and legally ok, though as always I acknowledge that I might be wrong and I’m willing to have my mind changed.

    Copyright laws are a confusing mess and in the US you can sue anyone for anything. So the answer legally is, there’s no clear legal guideline for this kind of situation. IP attorneys make a lot of money for this reason.

    Having said that, you can’t copyright a hair style. You can copyright an illustration, but others are allowed to sample from your work. The hair portion of an illustration is a very small bit, particularly so if it’s one panel on a whole page in a whole comic book full of pages. It’s not like a logo that has a distinctive and marketable identity (in other words, it doesn’t matter that Superman’s S logo is just in one small part of the panel, it’s his logo). His HAIR, on the other hand, is just hair.

    So then I thought about how I would feel if I saw some hair from a drawing I’d done used in something else. Or a glove, or a style of drawing an eye, or something equally small and relatively generic. It wouldn’t bother me. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong for it to bother someone else, of course, and setting aside any legal issues, if an artist told me something in my app were uncomfortably close to something they’d done, I’d take it down even if legally it’s ok.

    Anyway, that’s my thinking on it.

  8. Fabien says:

    Some suggestions :
    A reverse mohawk ( like the Centauris in B5)
    A sidewise crests ( like Despero)
    Thin tentacles
    Bony plates

  9. redwoodhats says:

    http://media.comicbook.com/uploads1/2014/07/pacheco-cap-falcon-103088.png

    http://40.media.tumblr.com/958ee3f64906fe8be1f60cdb98d629c6/tumblr_nvknunxhsU1qc9h6eo1_1280.jpg

    More African American hair that isn’t an afro! For men and women. I’d love to see more receding hairlines too but I’m having trouble finding them.

  10. Wild Card says:

    A few more for your consideration:
    http://madman1.deviantart.com/art/Mark-head-shot-15538418
    http://madman1.deviantart.com/art/WonderWoman-Day-14-inks-480694854
    http://madman1.deviantart.com/art/Batmans-Rogue-Gallery-inks-444135741
    http://madman1.deviantart.com/art/Green-Lantern-2011-inks-211167291
    http://madman1.deviantart.com/art/Abreu-White-Queen-Inks-200597965
    http://madman1.deviantart.com/art/Goth-Ghost-Girl-inks-68505892
    http://madman1.deviantart.com/art/SheDragon-1-20257662
    http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1093508
    http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1023170&GSub=157829
    http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=717120&GSub=31026
    http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=412974&GSub=66253
    http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=67897&GSub=9525
    http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=190108
    http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=155912
    http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=991726&GSub=135023
    http://lcfreitas.deviantart.com/art/Joker-551247277
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Miho-564682760
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Vampirella-Inks-518780841
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Stargirl-Inks-497672267
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Bounty-Hunter-480144619
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Beauty-and-the-Beast-Inks-459119360
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Feruda-ink-425592793
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Power-Girl-Inks-386999161
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Shahrazad-1-Inks-369092035
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Power-Girl-Inks-365790993
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Aspen-Inks-338164935
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Princess-Leia-Slave-Inks-286834208
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Green-Lantern-Inks-324209189

    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Dragon-Lady-Inks-2-0-274852732
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Riot-Shell-Inks-262395230
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Velocity2-Cover-212350809
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Wraithborn-Cover-2a-Inks-213811732
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Power-Girl2-213522199
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Jessica-Rabbit-inks-188667242
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Velocity-2-Page-Inks-185994117
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Elsa-Bloodstone-Inked-182835479
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/The-Baroness-Inked-180315020
    http://devgear.deviantart.com/art/Red-Sonja-Inks-177862795

  11. dblade says:

    Thanks for all the links! I will take a look at everything and pick some out for adaptation to HeroMachine 3