The 3D Comic Collective has issued a challenge to produce a Poser figure from an obscure comic hero from the DC or Marvel Universe. I've chosen Ragman, because I really liked reading about him in the 1970's (I think?!) But this guy's costume has proved to be quite perplexing. Just how do I go about creating a patchwork quilt type texture? This guy's costume contains evil souls in the patches, or something like that. I think the patchwork costume is the hardest thing for me to figure out.

OK, I've done some preliminary work on the mask, and think I'm making some headway. Who knows some of you may be interested. First here is a closeup shot from a comic cover.

Now here is my version of the mask so far. It is very much still a Work In Progress, since I haven't even finished painting the whole mask yet. This guy's suit is literally made from rags...and new patches keep showing up.

Attached Link: http://www.groundzerocomics.com/Fanzine/Ragman.htm

You could fine more obscure characters than Rory Regan, the Ragman, but none quite as cool. Sort of a predecessor of Spawn and Venom, what with the living symbiote costume and all.

The intricate patchwork costume will certainly be a challenge, but the cloak and hood might be tougher. The Hobgoblin cape over at the 3D Comic Collective looks like a good starting base.

Thanks for the tip, etc. I've been to that site. It was one of the most helpful ones I'd found concerning his history.

I looked at the Black and White Image Little Dragon posted, and just had to redo the mask in an effort to get more of the patchwork look. The mask is not yet attached to my figure, since I'm still learning how all this works. Do you think the black lines are a bit too large? The mask actually needs to be reduced in size to fit the head. I'm not sure why it came in so big. It was an obj file, and I imported it.

Thinner lines might look better, since they represent the demarcation between different rag-pieces. I wouldn't worry too much about getting the patchwork pattern to perfectly match the illustrations; as you said, the patches change over time.

Once you've sorted out the patches, you might want to consider what fabric goes on each; in the pic I posted, there are some striped, checked, and polka-dot patches. If you use solid colors while laying out the pattern (as you seem to be doing), then it will be a simple matter to use the Magic Wand tool in your paint program to select each patch and then paste a fabric texture into it.

When you imported the mask .obj, did you have the Percent-of-Standard-Figure-Size option checked in the Prop Import Options panel? The number to the right of that option represents how large the imported .obj will be. It defaults to 100%, which means it will be rescaled to about the same size as a typical Poser character (about five or six feet tall).

OK believe it or not I am lost when it comes to the Magic Wantd, pasting fabrics, etc. I knew this stuff decades ago and forgot most of it. As for importing the object, I didn't know what to do. It defaulted at 100% which is obviously too big. So what percentage do I choose, and what other options. I think I will go back more to the version I had without the lines on the patches, and go from there.

Don't worry about it, Ron. I feel the same way about calculus.

Finish painting the patches for your mask. Use solid colors for now. Then go find some nice fabric images on the 'Net; the more the merrier.

In your paint program, load a fabric image and copy it onto the clipboard (most programs use the hotkey command CTRL-C to copy).

Using the Magic Wand tool, click on one of the colored patches. The Magic Wand selects all pixels of similar colors, so it should select the entire patch and nothing else. If not, fiddle with the wand settings to adjust its tolerance.

Now paste the fabric image you've copied into the selection. You're on your own there; each paint program has a different hotkey for that command. Do that for each patch, using a variety of fabrics, and you'll end up with a great patchwork-quilt map.

I posted some tips for fixing the mask-size in your other thread.

Thanks again, Little Dragon. I stayed up way too late last night.. and am suffering now. I've decided this whole project will be easier if I paint the Ragman's outfit onto his head and body. I have the Michael seam guides, and that seems to be the best thing for the painting job. The nice thing about the seam guides, is that it will help make sure things line up correctly! Of course I'd use the super morphs to take care of the ears and stuff. The advantages of this approach: 1.) One less prop 2.) The texture will most likely work on both Musclebound Mike and "regular Mike." So far I haven't found a cape/hood combination that will do the job on its own. The biggest features of the Ragman cape are the huge tatters, and that long rope or string that flowa around him. How would I go about making holes in a cape? Transparency maps? How do I accomplish those? How do I make that string? I don't think I can manage to make it poseable. That would be way beyond a "newbie project."