When i was a child, I did read Fantomette's books while studying French, and now, after many... many years, I have rediscovered her.

My crazy idea: bring her into 21th century creating a Poser character. But I would need informations and help....

I have attached pictures of her costume. Basically this is the recipe for Fantomette:

• A girl around 12 or 14 yo with short black curled hair
• a cape black and red...
• ...tied by a gold "F"
• a yellow costume with a white neck
• a black cover for the head with a pompom  (the black wool "ball" at the end)
• the black mask
• black pants
• red shoes
• the belt with her knife

Some of these things would be quite easy to find for free or to buy, but others.... no idea. Some suggestions?

Wasn't there a French-Canadian animation series updating her to 21st C ?  I've watched it some years ago.  She's pretty cool.

Besides, the costume has been totally changed, and it is horrible, in my opinion (see picture). I prefer 200% the book version.

Giorgio

Giorgio

You could try the V3/S3 tunic with a yellow/black texture, one of the facemasks with a black domino texture, and I'm sure there's some fitting Mary-Janes (shoes) around.
PhilC has or had a free cape on his page, that could work, too.
As for the age, maybe one of Thorne's facemorphs might work as well.
There's thousands of free daggers around as well, but I'm at a loss for the head cover, sorry.

Quote - ... but I'm at a loss for the head cover, sorry.

Yes, I was sure that THAT would have been the hard part. I do not remember to have seen something like that around.

Basically it would be a sort of winter wool hat, with a loooooong tail....

Giorgio

Hmmm, try Runtime DNA, I do remember they had something similar to the hood there...

Ok, let's start with the first step: the girl.

Françoise... I meant, Fantomette... has been well characterized through the years and her face has been descripted in detail, even without her mask. Short black hair with some curls.

Should I start from V3? Or SP3? Which hair is best?

Start with Aiko, she's your best choice for a diminutive character.
DPH

Quote - Start with Aiko, she's your best choice for a diminutive character.
DPH

Never used her. Isn't she a bit too much cartoonish for a realistic character?

Giorgio

"Isn't she a bit too much cartoonish for a realistic character?"

Not when coupled with her 'Realistic' MT's.  Besides, the character you're after has a definate 'Gamine' look which Aiko can simulate perfectly.
DPH

Quote - Thanks for the suggestions...

Ok, let's start with the first step: the girl.

Françoise... I meant, Fantomette... has been well characterized through the years and her face has been descripted in detail, even without her mask. Short black hair with some curls.

Should I start from V3? Or SP3? Which hair is best?

If she is supposed to be a young teenage girl why not go with Laura from DAZ?

http://www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=2747&meta=rq

And for hair, there are a few at DAZ that might work (www.daz3d.com)
Estio Curls
Ginger Hair
Mediterranean Hair

For the character/morph I'd suggest one of Thorne & sarsa's girls, found here in the MarketPlace.  They have packs for a variety of base figures. 

Or there's a couple at this site that might work:
http://aw-autospot.com/private/poser/download/index.html
Uwabaki for Vicky
DressShoes for PreSchool

In the pictures you've shown us, her pants look more like stockings.  If you're using P5 or P6 you could simply apply a black fabric material to the relevant body parts.  There are quite a few free fabric materials here in the Free Stuff section, at RDNA, and 3DC (www.3dcommune.com)

That's all I can think of for now.  Hope that helps. 

If the "F" is sort of a hanging pendant rather than embroidered into the fabric of her shirt (it's hard to tell in the picture), then you could use the A-Z V2 by spy15 here in the Free Stuff section.

there´s 2 different types of headcovers on those images: on the first one it looks like a cowl, covering head, neck and chest, the second is a cap strapped under the chin... which one would you prefer? ----anyway, i could make them for you.

an a simple letter like that  "F" is done in a couple of minutes.

although i do not know the books, i am sure it is a very nice project and i´d be happy to help...

A.

For the hair I think you should use the Grecian Hair (for V2? V3?). It should resemble Fantomette's hair.

For the tunic and collar, Lina has one very similar to that. The collar is a bit smaller but maybe it could be morphed.

For the hat... I'm quite sure I saw a "Santa's Elf" hat last December that looks just like it down to the pompon. ;o)

Keep us posted!

Thank you very much! It is a generous offer!

There are two different types of headcovers because, over the years, Fantomette has been drawn by many artists, particularly Jeanne Hives and Josette Stefani, and all of them have put their personal style for the character.

I prefer the "cowl" style, because it has been used for the majority of the books. Let's say that the picture I enclose now (by Matthieu Blanchin) is very close to the "canon" or the "standard", except for the shoes, that should be red and not yellow. But everything else is as it should be.

Giorgio

The gel cut hair from DAZ would be nearest to what the character has! :)

For the features, my choice = Kobamax's character morphs which look cartoon pretty, and which are not anime / manga pretty .  His commercial teen morphs (which he just release) look good if you want to use the teenage girl figure from DAZ3D.

Looking forward to seeing your work in progress.

: )

would be my choice as well.

pls send me a site mail for further correspondence.....

A.

Email sent, amacord!

Project status: I am experimenting for finding the right look for the character.

Someone suggested to use Laura of the Millennium Teens, but I do not own her and, moreover, I don't know her in terms of compatibility and available accessories. For example, clothes and hair from V3 or SP3 would fit?

My idea would be choosing V3, changing her to small height and applying her "young" body morph. After all, she'll be always clothed, and 99% always with her specific costume, so the body is not very important.

For the face, I am delighted with Thorne/sarsa characters. I just need to find the right one... from the pictures, many are too much "fairy-looking" but others seem quite right. This would be my main expense.

For the costume, I'll use a lot of freebies thanks to your suggestions. I already own the V3 tunic so I'll try to adapt it to my purposes. Just don't know how to make the white "V" collar. Francemi said something about "Lina", but I don't know the reference. Can you give me a link, please?

I hope to show you some pictures in a few days.

Giorgio

YT Laura is compatible clothes wise if you have Wardrobe Wizard. [url]http://www.philc.net/WardrobeWizard.htm[/url]  I've converted many outfits for Laura since I got it and it simple and easy to use.  That way, You'd not be locked into one figure to get the achieved look, or clothes.  There is broad support for many many figures.  The can convert any outfit to any supported morphed character.

The problem with many body morphs are that the clothes don't fit any more, unless the morph info is transferred to the clothes.

Wardrobe Wizard has bailed me out of that sinking boat on more than a dozen ocassions!  It's the best $45 USD I ever spent on Poser goodies.

For that girlish cartoon-pretty face on V3, consider trying the Miu character for v3, also by Kobamax.

Just out of curiosity do you have a side, 3/4, and front profile. A side and front profile would be fine too. I could do the rest via rotoscoping by hand. It might be fun to have a go at it.

Sebastian

lina is a character sold here in the market place.

her creator has many freebies for her.

netta

I'm sorry I missed your question about Lina. What made me think of Lina is her toonish young face and all the clothes she has. You'd find almost everything you need right in her wardrobe. I dressed her in her own clothes and changed the colors to match those of Fantomette and as you can see, with very little tweaking you could achieve what you want. She is available here in the market place and she is by Toshiyo. Inexpensive and so are her clothes... and Toshiyo offers lots of freebies to those who buy Lina.

Very cute! A real Fantomette doll! ^_^

Giorgio

i actually prefer the updated version of her costume in post 3.
the original looks a little too... middle ages for me...
people dont wear tunics anymore :)

nevertheless if you are missing some little piece of her outfit and need some help making it let me know, if i have time ill whip one up as long as its not too complicated.

Quote - i actually prefer the updated version of her costume in post 3.
the original looks a little too... middle ages for me...
people dont wear tunics anymore :)

You are right, Blackhearted... and they should not wear CAPES anymore (ask Syndrome and Edna for details!  ^_^ )

But, you see, I am a romantic. I believe in eternity for super-heroes. Fantomette was 12yo when George Chaulet invented her in 1961, and she STILL is 12yo, forever. "Updating" her would be like transporting Zorro or Robin Hood at present days, and this is the reason of the cartoon flop, in my opinion.

Quote -
nevertheless if you are missing some little piece of her outfit and need some help making it let me know, if i have time ill whip one up as long as its not too complicated.

Thank you very much. Surely I'll contact you in the next weeks when I'll have fixed the first important points of the character (general look, hair, and so on).

Giorgio

@ blackhearted

now that´s more than just a question of taste, mate!

that "middle ages"-stuff is like an evergreen, if you know what i mean. there´ll always be some people who still like it.....

but that kind of toons, they come and go, they´re crawling all over! change the colours and you have a new toon! no character, just copy and paste and sell - mba!

@ giorgio

hi there - crosspost

Attached Link: Mille pompons!

Giorgio

Reading this and looking at the pictures, I'm going to say that this is the perfect for a figure like Laura -- the girl from the DAZ Young Teens pack, or one of dodger's Aeon teens.

Aside fro the age aspect, she also has the benefit of the more refined grouping and JP's of the later figures like Aiko, and she's got the right height.

Truth be told, although I'll never repeat it anywhere else, I'd like to see Blackhearted take on a custom figure for her, although it'll ever sell quite as well as his other work.

heh
the only reason i am refraining from work on the daz preteens is because V3 and Aiko3 are free, and at this point i am confident i could morph whatever i wanted out of those two bodies and save the customer some money.
in retrospect i should have made Irina for V3 as well, but at the time i was working on her SP3 was a new alternative to V3 and V3/Aiko3 had not been made 'free' yet. right before irina was released V3 was made free.

if V4 is released, i will undoubtedly make a character for her. but if she is $40, and doesnt introduce any new completely groundbreaking joints or technology (ie: not merely more morphs and higher resolution), then i will still continue most of my work on V3 since that way it will reach the biggest userbase at the lowest price.

IMO, if anything, V4 should have a lowere res, more efficient mesh than V3 and some new rigging. itll never happen though since most north americans are under the impression that bigger is better - and a 120k poly mesh must undoubtedly be twice as good as a 60k one.
since the prospect of a redone rigging system in Poser7 is probably slim (since after the initial CL allusions i havent heard a peep about it in years, and they just updated the G2 figures), i really wish rather than offering a linear alternative to poser daz would focus on better and more complex rigging in daz studio -- and REALLY give users an alternative.

This is my idea of Fantomette's face. After some days of experiments, I like her enough. Now it's time to dress her!

Anyway it's not too late for some adjustments if have suggestions for me...

Giorgio

Base: V3 with slightly enlarged head to simulate 12yo proportions

Face morph: Miu by kobamax with BlackEyes 2

Hair: Devanar by DAZ with black texture.

This is the draft of the character.

Giorgio

Tunic: standard DAZ V3  tunic should suffice.

White collar: NO IDEA YET

Gold "F": A-Z V2 by spy15

Mask: RDNA by Maveris as first idea, but looking for something better

Black headcover with pompom: NO IDEA YET

Red and black cape: still searching for the optimal solution. I have found a nice dynamic cape but it does not allow two colors on the two sides.

Belt: I need something like a "rope" belt, not a leather one. Not yet found (actually not yet searched for).

Dagger: not yet found the optimal solution (but there are plenty of options and surely I'll find the right one)

Stockings: standard V3 catsuit

Shoes: Mary Janes by Xena

This is a draft render with tunic, stockings and shoes.

Giorgio

Personally I would loose the catsuit and just change the material on her legs and hip. That way you save the memory required for the catsuit and you don't have to worry about poke through.

For the mask there is a second skin set by Angela3d and Sturkwurk over at Poser Pros that might work.