MS Word – Add Chapter number to Table and Figure Captions

Once more, I found a useful tip and I'm documenting it here so I can easily find it again. This time, the tip is about adding chapter numbers to Table and Figure captions in MS Word.

Normally, a Caption is entered sequentially, like this:

Chapter 1

Table 1
Table 2
Figure 1
Table 3

Chapter 2

Figure 2
Table 4
Table 5
Figure 3

But, when using an engineering-style document with numbered chapters, sometimes you need a more formal method of numbering things:

1.0 Chapter Header

Table 1-1
Table 1-2
Figure 1-1
Table 1-3

2.0 Chapter

Figure 2-1
Table 2-1
Table 2-2
Figure 2-2

The info on how to do this is in this short-and-simple video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrcAmAQWSK0

Devil Wing™ Takes Flight

 Here's a character study for a comic book character I might work with. Devil Wing™ is an anti-hero in the tradition of Vampirella or Satana. Here we catch her in a light mood as she revels in the joy of flight.

Figure is V4 with Bettie Page morphs and hair. Outfit includes the top from the Rockabilly Burlesque and the boots are custom for me by Terry McG.

Workflow is Poser Pro 11 renders with clean-up in Clip Studio Paint.

© 2021 Mike Mitchell

Comics Flashback: When Hostess Ads Attack, pt 4

 Time to close out the month of September with my final mock ad. Fear not, my hot-headed Hostess hunks, I am working on more and will post at some point in the future.

Text folded, spindled mutilated and © 2020 by Mike Mitchell 

And here's the original:

Originally published in Action Comics #484, June 1978
© 1978 DC Comics, Inc.

Comics Flashback: When Hostess Ads Attack, pt 3

 We're back for some fast fun, with a faster flashback! Here's another poor Hostess Fruit Pie ad that I butchered for the Snicker-Snack Fanzine APA. As you can see, I definitely continue the sophisticated, urbane humor initiated in the last instalment featuring Batman and his not-so-bashful Boy Wonder. This time we find our fleet-footed Barry Allen on the move...

Butchered Text © 2020 Mike Mitchell

I've got to admit; this one is tied with my first Batman as my favorite. I just loved the interactions between the three bad guys.

And here's the original:

From Sad Sack and the Sarge #140, Dec. 1979
© 1979 DC Comics

And yes, that footnote is right. This FLASH ad appeared in a Sad Sack Comic!

Stay tooned for more sugary-sweet parodies!

Comics Flashback: When Hostess Ads Attack, pt 2

 Being an equal opportunity offender, I decided to jump ship and go over to Marvel for some super action. In this case, the indomitable Captain America and Nick Fury found themselves in my crosshairs...

Now, I liked most of this version, except for the final line of dialogue. So, even though the original line is okay, I updated it for this blog posting (and all future reprints).

Text butchered and copyright 2020 by Mike Mitchell

Here's the original dialogue (only the last word balloon is changed).

Text © 2020 Mike Mitchell

And, finally, here's the original as it was appeared waaaay back when.

Come back soon, folks. I've got one more outing to share with you... then I need to get off my own star-spangled ass and make some more of these!

Comics Flashback: When Hostess Ads Attack, pt 1

 As you saw in my last post, I'm a big fan of the Hostess superhero ads that appeared in comics from 1975 thru 1981. These things were a hoot! Having heroes use sugary snack treats to defeat their villains is just too perfectly "comic book" to ignore. 

So... I didn't.

When I joined the Snicker-Snack APA (it's a quarterly fanzine), I decided to have some fun by altering the dialogue to these classic ads... with a bit of a wicked twist.

Here's my first attempt at creating something funny (but naughty) out of a random Hostess Ad. This one established all the rules I would follow in this series:

1. I do not change the artwork until the last panel (see below)
2. I do not change the size of the word balloons.
3. No profanity – innuendo is much funnier.
4. I DO CHANGE the product in the final panel: Whatever Hostess product was there is updated with the Snicker-Snack logo.

Updated Ad Text and art changes © Mike Mitchell
(Click to see full-size)

Here's the original version

Our Army at War #279,  April 1975
© 1975 DC Comics

Tune in soon, same Bat Time and same Bat Channel for our next assault on common decency!

Comics Flashback: When Hostess Ads Rocked the Comics World

 As someone who grew up reading comics in the 1970s and 80s, I was in love with the humorous ads that Hostess ran in the comics. These were BRILLIANT advertising and perfectly suited to their medium: in these ads, there was a random one-page comic ad, drawn by a current comics professional (so it looked exactly "real") and featured our favorite superheroes using Hostess products to foil crime. These included Superman using Twinkies, Batman using Twinkies (and not just as a sidekick!), Hulk using Fruit Pies, and so forth.

The really wild thing was, sometimes the ads appeared in comics by other publishers, so you might see Captain Marvel or Sad Sack appearing in a Gold Key comic! Crazy times.

Here's a link to a guy who took the time to document which ads appeared in which comics:

http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/gallery.php?page=hostess 

And this guy has a great list broken down by individual hero:

http://www.seanbaby.com/hostess.htm

Here are a few of my favorite ads:

These ads are such classics that they often fall prey to parody... and as you'll see in my next blog post, I'm no stranger to such shenanigans, myself!

Archie then and now

Someone at an Archie forum posted some misgivings about thre state of Archie comics then vs. now. Here's the exchange:

Him:

Those were the days.  No alternate realities, no zombie  apocalypse, no look into the future years, no continued issues, just fun and laughter that could stand on its own for every story.

Me:

Gee Bee Not really. There were tons of "alternate" realities like "Archie 1," "The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.," the various superhero versions. Even Little Archie didn't really jive with the teen Archie, if you think about it (it was fairly well established that Ronnie moved there as a teen and did not grow up there). And what about all the witches, monsters and aliens? Seems like a lot going on that couldn't be fit into a single "universe."

Of course, what really changed was... well, everything. The world, the comics market, and the readers. Archie's has ALWAYS changed with the times. Can you imagine how the readers of the 50s felt when they saw their beloved, innocent teens wearing mod clothing and carrying protest signs? Or actually having those mop-top Beatles appear on a cover? Shocking!

To be very honest, and this isn't an attack, because it applies to me, as well. It's not that the comics today are all bad, it's just that we're getting old. On one thing we will agree, though, and that is that the talent of yore was amazing and, unfortunately, some of today's talent falls a bit short of those halcyon years gone by.

But buck up. We still have the classic comics and back issues aren't going anywhere.

So... what do YOU think?

-----------

A follow-up post by me:

Gee Bee Hey there.  Hope my long response doesn't come off as negative. I do "feel your pain," so to speak. And I definitely have days when I look at comics and feel the same way you do. 

Hey, I got sampled in the intro to a Poser 12 Tutorial Video

 Well, this is cool!

I was at YouTube and I saw a video titled "Poser 12 Tutorial: SuperFly Render Settings: Pixel Samples." Sounds like a fun topic, so I watched it. And yeah, I know that I have a weird definition of "fun," but I think we all know that! Anyway, the video opens with a bunch of still images flying by very, very fast, and I did a double-take.

"Did I just see what I thought I saw?" I asked myself (yeah, I often talk to myself because I love an intelligent conversation!).

I went back and slowed the video down and... Yup. I saw exactly what I thought I saw (and no, it was NOT a "puddy tat"). Right there at about the 2-second mark:

There it is, one of my illustrations! The line art of the guy and the gal in the car. That's so cool. 

And before ya ask: 

1. No, I don't get any money. 
2. Yes, I gave them permission (it's an option when I upload the image to their gallery).

For anyone interested, I created this illustration for a book of short stories. Honestly, I'm not happy with the way they printed the illustration (it was printed in b&w, of course). They were supposed to put it at the bottom of a page under the text, and the editor shoved it in sideways, centered on an opposite page. It looks AWFUL in print, so I really don't mention the book to anyone.

Nevertheless, here's a full-size copy of the color version (I like to add a little spot color when I post the pics online – it makes them a little more interesting):

© 2020 Mike Mitchell

 If you'd like to watch the video (which is a decent, fast little tutorial on pixel sampling; I learned stuff I didn't know), you may watch it here:

By the way, I glanced at a few other videos for Poser 12, and it appears that this illustration is in the standard intro for all of them. VERY, very cool! Apparently, this started last year (at least in November 2020), and I'm just now noticing it.

Heh. Ya snooze, ya lose!

It's still pretty cool.

Using Poser to Make Comics: Create Custom Library Collections, pt 3

When I finished last week's tutorial, I didn't think there was a Part 3 to this series. But, as I thought about some of my other organizational techniques/practices, I realized that there is one other way I approach the Poser Library that might help give you guys some ideas.

In addition to creating lists of Favorites, you can also create a custom Runtime Library with assets that will be used in your project. In other words, a Project-Specific Library. This could include customized figures (Michael 4 and Victoria 4 are my favorites), poses, buildings, landscapes, and vehicles. 

In addition to making it easy to find the items you're looking for, it also offers you the opportunity to easily make back-ups of all the assets that go into that project. For example, here's a screenshot of my current Runtime structure.

Project-specific libraries are highlighted.
Click image for a larger view.

When I create a Library for a single project, I duplicate a lot of things that are in other Runtimes. For example, the Gutshot Library (shown in the image above) is a collection of my Western assets. This definitely includes duplication with my Architecture Library, and with some stuff in My Library (which is the Daz Studio Library). I tend not to worry about duplicates in this situation because I follow one basic rule: If I start off by using an asset from a project-specific folder, I keep on doing it. In other words, I don't get the Hat out of the Gutshot folder and then get the matching bandana from the Poser 11 folder. That sort of crisscrossing can cause problems in the long run.

At any rate, like the Favorites, I only tend to use this approach when it's a Larger project with a lot of potential for confusion later down the road. With a big visual narrative project, keeping stuff where you can find it is a powerful tool/practice that can really pay off in the end.

Creating Custom Libraries

I'm not going to go through the whole step-by-step process on this process because there are already LOTS of great tutorials on this subject. Here's one that combines text and a great video:  

https://www.posersoftware.com/article/476/how-to-manage-your-poser-library

Using Poser to Make Comics: Create Custom Library Collections, pt 2

 Continuing our discussion from last time, we're going to dive into the nitty gritty of exactly how you customize the "Favorites" tab in the Poser Library, and we'll look at the ways I categorize my assets for a comic book story.

How to Save a Favorite Item to the Poser Library

1. Browse through your Library until you find an item you like (note, it must be a single item, you cannot add a folder).
2. Click on the "Favorite" icon (it's a star) at the bottom of the Library window.
3. Open / Expand the Project Folder
4. (If the folder doesn't exist, create it by clicking on the "New Folder Name" button).
5. Highlight the sub-folder where you wish to place the item
6. (NOTE: This is VERY important and easy to forget, so be careful).
7. Click "OK" button.
8. The item is now available in the "Favorites" tab in your Library.

One thing of note is that this actually creates a duplicate of the object – not a shortcut. So, if you are short on hard drive space, you might want to be judicious with your Favorites lists.

PRO TIP: If you ever need to reorganize your Favorites, you can right-click on an object and select the "Show in Explorer" option. Once there,  you can move files around. 

This is just one of the methods I've learned to use after significant trial and error, and I know it seems like a lot of work. Really, I get it. There are times when it feels like I'm spending more time "shopping" through my Runtime than I do making art. But, this process delivers numerous benefits, including:

• Helping me see what I've already got, rather than rushing off to Renderosity or Daz to go buy something that I already have (like sunglasses... Randy needs a pair and I almost bought some, but looking carefully through my stuff, I found I already had a pair that were perfect for him).
• When I post the image to Daz or Renderosity, this makes it a lot easier to track back to the item so I can list it in the promotional credits.
• Also helps remind me that, when I do find a great asset, I should go write a review.

I know that a lot of you don't use Poser, so this article may be of limited value to you, but hopefully it will get you thinking about the logistics of creating a big, Visual Narrative projects. So, for you Daz users, the takeaway I want to leave you with is simply this: Using ANY sort of asset organization on a big project will be helpful in the long run.

Using Poser to Make Comics: Create Custom Library Collections, pt 1

 

Getting Started with a Visual Narrative Project

Using Poser to create a comic (or any project that requires a lot of images/renders) consumes a LOT of assets. There are figures, costumes, equipment, vehicles, weapons and numerous other items that will be needed. Like most of you (I imagine), I have MANY thousands of items at my disposal. Purchases, freebies, and who knows what are lurking in my Runtime and it's up to me to find out what's there so i can bring the story out of my head and out into the world.

One of the approaches I use is to think of it as a movie, mentally visualizing the places and people in my story, and then doing a deep search through my Poser Runtime to find the various bits and pieces I might need or want. And this includes selecting different options, especially for clothing. If I were working on a movie, these tasks would be handled by different professionals:

• For example, some standard movie roles include:
• Set Designer / Set Construction (interiors)
• Location Supervisor (exteriors)
• Wardrobe (clothes, sunglasses, wristwatch)
• Prop Master (guns, crucifixes, wooden stakes, possibly cars)
• Hair & Makeup specialists

I'm not even including all the lighting and other stuff, such as "casting" because we kind of create our characters, rather than find them (at least partly – I frequently do look for pre-existing characters in my library and use them if they look right for the part; this is especially true for minor/background characters).

So, back to the tip I'm trying to summarize.

Poser has a great feature in the Library called FAVORITES, which is a fantastic way to organize assets. For a new project, I will open the Library and, on the Favorites tab, I will create a Project Folder (in this case, "Devil Wing 2021"). Then, I will go through my Runtime and look for the various items I will need and save the various items to separate, organized folders. As you can see in the attached screenshots, the folder names are pretty specific to what's in them.

In this case, that includes places/locations (the two big scenes take place in a mansion and in a graveyard, but I will also need some other assets, like a cityscape (she flies over it on her way to the graveyard) and a Greek island (flashback) and I'll also need trees and shrubs to flesh out those locations), interior (mansion interior includes long hallway, library, occult "study" room, & some other room yet to be determined). I'm not sure I'll need a vehicle this time, but I might in the future, so I tagged a few that I like. And, of course, I need to dress the characters (wardrobe) – for them, I will have different folders for each character, and possibly for different scenes (for instance, fancy dress versus casual).

SIDE NOTE: If the project goes beyond this initial two-issue short story, I would create a more detailed "Call List / Catalog" in Excel or Word (or the Google Docs equivalents) to better organize things and make it easier for me to sort out the various references and image credits.

NEXT TIME: Step-by-step instructions on how to create custom collections in your Poser Library.

Gaming Mouse is VERY Useful in 3D

 Last year I wrote a quick review about my recent purchase of a gaming mouse to assist with my work: http://mikemitchellonline.blogspot.com/2020/08/tip-use-gaming-mouse-with-poser-and-daz.html

I was pretty new to the whole thing back then, but a year or so later and I must amend my report to say that this mouse is a fantastic addition to my toolkit. I'm extremely happy with it and now really can't see how I got along without it.

I never did get the hang of those marco buttons on the side, so I removed them. What turns out to be invaluable is the ability to change resolution (i.e. sensitivity) at the touch of a button. The allows me to make very fine adjustments to the dials in Poser.

The mouse has these possible settings:

More Hand Movement << 1200-2400-4800-6200-8000-12000 DPI  >> Less Hand Movement

I usually keep it on 4800, which has a nice feel and speed to it. But, when I need to move the dials to make minute light adjustments in Poser, I just press the button on top of the mouse and suddenly it takes a lot more motion to move things, which means I have a lot more control of the final outcome.

Cerebus Attacks

 Cerebus the Aardvark is one of the most successfully published indy comic characters of all time. Artist Dave Sim, running 300 issues published from 1977 thru 2004. After the series veered off into politics, it faded away from my interest, to be honest. But the early issues are still brilliant and I still learn a lot from the artwork and storytelling (seriously, even though you probably cannot see it in my work, Sim's approach to lighting and backgrounds are a strong influence on how I approach comics art).

Anyway, I found a 3D figure of the Aardvark over at ShareCG, so I downloaded it and was pleasantly surprised to find that it's pretty good. It also "kind of" accepts poses for Michael 4. So, here is just a quickie illustration I did to play around with the figure and some free brushes I got from Clip Studio's website.

Typical workflow applies: Poser Pro 11 and Clip Studio Paint.

© 2021 Aardvark-Vanaheim

comic Collection Milestone

Going to hit a milestone tonight.  I will catalog my 10,000th comic in my Collectorz software.

Haven't yet decided which book that still be, but I think it is something that should be representative of my collection,  rather than just a random comic.