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.
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