”Anime" 3D Toon Character (texture version) (Patreon)

This commentary is not a story about creating shapes (modeling), but about using coloration (textures) to create an animated look.

I will explain how to make the texture look Anime toon.

1. Make the texture a solid color

First, make the texture a solid color. Select a color from the original texture and change it to a texture without a gradient.

I think it's easy to do so far. This is where it starts!

Whether you make adjustments from here or not will make a difference in the final quality. The amount of information and color balance of the eye can make a big difference in the final result. It's a good idea to take the time to focus on this part of the process.

2. Raise the amount of information in the eyes

The amount of information in a character is important, especially around the eyes. In the current state, the eyes look floaty and uncomfortable. So we adjust the color and increase the amount of information.

① Suppress the color + add gloss

② Add outlines + drawings

③ Shape around the eyes + add shadows to the whites of the eyes

The color tone is not right, so I adjusted the color to balance with the hair and skin, and then increased the amount of information by adding outlines and dropping shadows in the whites of the eyes.

Left : Before adjustment

Right : After adjustment

This way, you can create a cohesive look around the eyes and draw attention to the eye area.

3. Balance the colors

The next step is to check the color balance. By adjusting the color scheme here, we can create a cohesive whole. Check the colors with the background image.

At first glance, you might think there is no discomfort, but when you look at it in detail, you will notice various discomfort.

For example, if you look at the background, it is easy to notice the discomfort in the balance, because there are things to compare it to, such as a lack of skin tone or a slightly darker overall look.

However, even if you notice the discomfort, it is difficult to choose the right color. From here, I will explain how to decide on colors step by step.

3-1. Try to reference the color balance from the background

If you don't know the color scheme, you can use something as a reference. For example, you can look up the colors in the reference area, such as bright surfaces from the background, neutral colors, shadow colors, etc. You can see the range of tones used in the background.

(It's also a good idea to refer to the color scheme of some other animated work.)

The first step in the process is to make a part of the background black and white. Black and white makes it easier to see the brightness. From here, we can check the Highlight , Midtone , and Shadow colors. It is better to look at the same range of materials (in the example, we are looking at the colors of the top and sides of the block and the shadows.)

By examining this, you can determine the range of colors used from light to dark surfaces, and if you decide on a color scheme within this range, it will be easier to balance the color with the background. First of all, it is better to adjust the balance of the color, not all of the colors, but just the Brightness.

Now that we know the range of brightness, we can go on to adjust the color of the character's hair.

3-2. Balance the color (hair color)

Left : Before adjustment

Right : After adjustment

The hair color was a little darker when looking at the brightness alone, so I adjusted it to be lighter. (Highlights added to taste.)

3-3. Balancing the colors (color of the clothes)

The color of the clothing was adjusted a little brighter, and outlines were drawn into the texture, which cannot be done with shaders alone.

When creating an Anime 3D toon model, outlining is very effective. but sometimes shaders alone do not produce a clean outline (such as on low-poly models). In such cases, outlining directly on the texture is more effective.

3-4. Balancing the color (skin color)

When it comes to skin color, a good thing to be aware of is shadow color. The shadow color can make your complexion feel better or worse.

Left : Original state

Center : Base color only change

Right : Change the basic color + shadow color

If the shadow color is gray, it gives a dark impression. By adding a bit of reddish color to the shadow color, the impression is brighter.

If you feel a dark color, not only change the basic color, but also pay attention to the shadow color.

3-4. Balancing the colors (dropped shadow)

Finally, draw shadows to give the character a three-dimensional effect.

Normally, it would be better to use lighting, but there are cases where shadows do not appear well due to lighting control, so it is better to draw shadows that fall from the object on the texture in advance. Draw the shadow created when the direction of the light source is from directly above to directly below. In this case, I drew shadows under the neck and under the collar. By drawing these shadows, the expression of depth becomes clearer.

3-5. Balancing the colors (results)

Left : Before

Right : After

Summary

① Original model

② Change the textures to solid color

③ Adjust the texture around the eyes

④ Adjust the color balance

If you can't get better by changing only the textures, you can improve the quality by reviewing the modeling as well.

Thank you.