Week summary - BA3a Week 5

3D Model Project

I spent the first part of this week finishing the low-poly base, making some refinements to it. I had some issues with the hands and figuring out how to use dynamesh properly, things like not realising I had to delete lower subdivisions before dynameshing.

To make the figure a little more true to the design, I figured out how to put reference images into zbrush. I now have a mid-poly base to work on, and I refined the hands and face a little more.

Here I added the trousers and gloves, planning to make the hood, cape and coat/skirt sections separate models. The hair may be separate or may be included on the base model, depending on what I think will work best.

I'm a little behind schedule but am getting faster and allowed buffer weeks for this reason. I would have liked to continue working on the model outside of university hours but my home version of Zbrush won't open newer files. 

I'm reasonably happy with the model so far, I've scaled back some of the more outlandish parts of the anatomy to make it a little more realistic - in particular I think the back and shoulders have turned out very well so far, so it's a shame they'll be covered by the cape. I've been having trouble with the circular section on the abdomen and some other areas, however. It definitely needs more polish across much of the model, which I'll start on next week.

Wax Model

This week we were working on building the pelvis and femurs of the model. I found the pelvis a difficult shape to get my head around, but the below diagram was very helpful in helping me figure it out. 

Below is the model with the base shape.

And then with the sections filled in and rounded off.

Looking at it now some sections of the model are a little wonky, and I think could do with some tweaking, which I'll look at next week.

Tasks

This week's task was to paint a material cube made of slate. 

My initial blockout was very dark, and a tutor advised me that changing the light source might make the piece more effective, so I used some masked level adjustments to change the light source before continuing on the painting.

I used almost exclusively the basic hard round brush with transfer toggled on and off as I needed it, and a basic airbrush. I think it might be as a result of this that the piece is maybe a little stylised and blocky even though I was aiming for realism; it could probably do with some more texture and the surface around the striations is maybe a little too solid, needing more grain to it. I also had some trouble at the beginning with it looking like wood rather than stone, which I'm not sure I entirely moved past. I think this is mainly a texture issue, and something I need to work on in the future.

Week Summary - BA3a Week 4

3D Model Project

Starting on Zbrush work this week, I've been looking up a lot of resources to try to make sure I'm as prepared as possible. One video in particular put me onto the idea of beginning with zspheres with basic form and building from there, focusing primarily on proportion at this stage. I've deliberately lengthened the limbs for a more skeletal feel, and it makes for a good introduction to 3D character sculpting to have a very thin character, so I can better use bone and muscle markers as I'm working. Below is my initial zsphere model next to my model sheet. The sheet isn't something I would consider comprehensive, but for the purposes of this project, where I'm going to be feeling my way through the sculpting and I'm the only one interpreting the design into 3D, it serves its purpose.

Above is my first pass with geometry. I've used a very low poly count to start with, getting very basic shapes in place before dividing further. I'm still trying to get to grips with zbrush's interface as a whole and dynamesh, in particular I need to watch the model's hands as they've started to deform quite badly under the remeshing.

Wax model

  

Progress on the small wax figure, it's not quite done but I'm satisfied I've got the technique and will probably finish it in a later session if I have the time.

Started on the large model this week, just coating the base and getting a feel for the new wax mix. It took a bit of getting used to, as it hardens very quickly compared to the other mix, especially as I have cold hands to begin with. It means I have to work much faster than I normally would though, but I'd say that's no bad thing as I have a tendency to take longer than I should. I'm looking forward to getting started on more intricate sections of the model next week.

Tasks

I chose task D for this session as it was something outside of my usual comfort zone; I've worked with traditional Japanese clothing designs before and I feel I have a preference towards designing female or androgynous characters, so I thought I should try something different for this exercise.

Not being familiar with the clothing style, I put together a small moodboard to give an idea of the style I was looking for. I found research a little difficult - most if not all results for the era came from a costuming site, and I couldn't find much else to reference. I would have liked to be a little more certain of the designs given that the focus for this task was on the clothing, but with the timeframe I decided to just do the best with what I could find. Below is the base image for the task.

I took a layered approach to the fabric, as seemed to be the historical approach, starting with a lower layer silhouette and building up on top, editing on the way, until getting somewhere I wanted. I'm not certain of the historical accuracy of the final outfit, but I think it has a nice look to it, I especially like the way the outermost layer sits on the figure and the look of the gold trim on some of the fabric edges. I'm not as happy with the rest of the painting itself; it feels very rushed and I don't like posing characters against a background like this without having worked them into their environment somehow, it feels like a cardboard cutout.

In general, I really didn't like this process very much, the given pose felt very wrong for the character, and I found it frustrating that I couldn't really alter the proportions of the figure. I also found having a rendered base underneath my work very distracting, and it tended to push me into over-rendering to try to make up for the discrepancy in polish. I can see the merits of paintovers in general, but I think I'd need to personalise the process for myself before using it as part of a character or clothing design workflow.

Week Summary - BA3a Week 3

3D Model Project

Spent this week continuing iteration and working up to a final design, with some leeway for changes to be made and details added while sculpting. I've decided to go with an automaton character, something akin to the 'Big Daddies' in Bioshock; not necessarily good or evil, but something that will defend itself if provoked.

It's a collector of souls for a higher authority, hence the slightly militaristic attire, something of an agent of fate. It's something respected by the populace but also somewhat feared, although it doesn't come for the souls of people outside its purview.

Thinking about function - the bottom section of the outfit rolls up to meet the top section to make a coat. The idea is that it can be rolled up and clipped to the cape when stealth is required (to mask the glow) or rolled down for easier access to the window on the stomach, which is where it stores collected souls before delivering them.

I've tried very hard to keep consistent shape language throughout the design - lots of triangles and diamonds and angular shapes, contrasted with a few organic sections to reflect the natural-unnatural nature of the character. This is also to help with the sculptural feel I'm aiming for when it comes to modelling the design.

I'm very happy with the final design for the character - I think it could be a little more refined in places, but given the time I allowed and the fact that I want to feel out more changes at the sculpting stage, I think this is a solid design. It feels like it could be a part of a larger world and have a story behind it, which is really what I was aiming for, and I think it makes a striking impression.

Wax Model

This week was working on the hips, head, and feet of the model. I'm getting more used to the feel of sculpting, and am really proud of how the hips turned out; I've been experimenting with cutting into the wax with scalpels to give it a more planar look which I think has a nice feel to it.

The model's head was loose, which necessitated some changes to make it more stable. Rather than remaking the whole section, I cut, heated and added some new wax to fix the problem, which worked surprisingly well.

Tasks

This week's task was a character design. I tried to use alchemy for silhouettes, but found I much prefer the spatter brush method I normally use. I'll probably keep coming back to alchemy, but for speed's sake I decided to use my usual workflow.

Goblins are usually enemies in most media so I wanted to make an endearing character, especially with it being a child and having a foolish personality. The pointy hat came up in my silhouettes, and I developed it into a character who thinks she's a wizard and likes to dress as such even given the limited materials available to her in a prison.

I used my usual workflow of block colour, then multiply and soft light layers for depth, and then outright painting, with some light texture overlays where required.

I would have liked to add some more additional details, but didn't have time due to the short deadline. I usually have a fair amount of trouble with colour palettes, but I'm really happy with the colour balance here even though it's not an entirely traditional palette. I enjoy the contrast between the dull, cool blue/green and the brighter, warmer yellow and orange. I'm quite proud of this piece as a whole, and might take it a little further on my own for my portfolio if I have the time.