Hey all, thanks for the replies, I’ve since done a deep dive or two on the subject. first thing I’d like to share with you all is the free addon “stylized asset suite” which is one of those paint layer type addons but heavily focused on stylized/ toon effects and workflows. It’s the fastest way to get a toon look without going through all the minutia. It has quick functions for the outlined look. The other thing I think needs to be more widely known is the normals painting approach which allows lighting and camera angles to work with the painterly effect. Basically, you bake your normals and then using the color picker and start painting blobs directly to your normals. It’s the best method of a painterly effect I’ve seen for it’s versatility. The other thing to mention is that 3d coat textura links with photoshop in ways no other software does as far as I’m aware which grants you access to the mixer brush and it’s settings. very quick and powerful.
