Zbrush fun...

Because I have been working Graphic Design I haven't had as much time for Zbrush sculptures, but here was a quick, fun character sculpt to get my tablet-legs again.

I have also been getting ready for convention season and stocking up on alters.  So much painting.  :)

Travels north...

I recently took a Social Media Graphic Designer freelance gig and was able to work remotely, so I decided to take a trip up north, visit family and work from Oregon.  What was supposed to be a week long gig and a week long visit was extended when they kept me on for much longer.  I ended up staying up north for three months and have a HUGE Oregon beard that just feels silly now that I am back in the Hollywood area.

I worked on 5 films with the company, including The Frozen Ground, We're the Millers, and Hunger Games - Catching Fire.  It was fun, but I am ready to get back to studio work.

I have been working on some video game models that I can't show until they are done and uploaded, but to keep this blog going I will upload a random logo design for a french babysitting service.  Really quick piece, but it was fun none the less.  Myrtille & Citron translates to blueberries and lemon.

A random one hour lunch crunch speed sculpt.  Dog guard.

I have been working on a lot of traditional stuff lately, so I thought I would stretch my zbrush muscles and do a quick sculpt.  Chimp study.  About 30 - 40 min to get this, will do some details and fur tomorrow.

MORNING UPDATE - Another hour to hour and a half...

Looking back at it, I think that if I continue working with the fibermesh rather than sculpting the hair I will start using more passes to get a more believable look to it.  I am not really liking the groom tools as they are now and hope they get a revamp in version 5.  I think it works for a speed sculpt though.  :)

"Gettin' it done" challenge...

So I was working on the frog prince for the gettin' it done challenge at zbrushhangout.com when I saw that blizzard was hiring for an environmental artist and put it down to start modeling out the prop piece.  Then I realized that the prop piece still conforms to the rules for the challenge and I was stoked.  I switched over to using this, but will probably have enough time to get both of them done.  Here is where I am at currently.  Finish up the lighting, a bit of paint and a final render will let me move on to the next piece.

More to come....

UPDATE:  And a bit of color.

Prop...

So I fiddled around with the base mesh for a while before realizing that using GoZ to import the maya model into Zbrush does things that I don't want, and after trying to fix it a number of times I decided that from now on I will just export an obj and import it the normal way.  It seems to have less complications.

I redid the base mesh, brought it into zbrush and re-sculpted everything for a much cleaner model.  I liked the depth of the old model a bit better, so I am going to add a bit more marks, then a dirt map, then on to the other objects but here it is 7:30 in the morning and I have yet to sleep again.  I think time for a nap.  Later today I might be heading out for some archery practice, and shooting arrows while drowsy might not be the best idea.  :)

UPDATE:  After some much needed sleep, I brought in the skulls from the first version of the model and started adding the ropes to the scene.  Ropes are a bit fun and a bit aggravating.

UPDATE Again...  

Ropes in place. 

UPDATE:

And yet another WIP...

Fixed the lighting to a 3 point, started basecoloring the tools, added noise, kept pushing details.

Environmental / Prop Sculpture...

Seeing a job posting on Blizzard's website made me realize how little environment / prop modeling I have to show on my site, so I sculpted a quick skull to start an assets library.  I will clean it up at a later date if I am going to use it for anything high res, but for what I have in mind I really don't need it high poly.

Now the concept piece I have is Banderlog's work, but I wanted something fun to model and I like his style. I have blocked out the shapes, and am ready to start working the details.  After that, I am really excited to use zbrush to create some cool rope in the scene.  

UPDATE:  Couldn't sleep, so I went back to work.  Textured and base painted the post.  I am excited about getting the rope in there... seems like it could be a nice learning experience.  

6:30am and a crash?  Time to try for a little sleep.  Ug.

"Gettin' it done" update

Update on the Gettin' it done challenge from zbrushhangout.com.  Massed in the shapes better, stated adding  clothes and refining likeness.

UPDATED
Continuing to refine, and added a bit of base color to show differences.  Need to finish the hands, then I will be ready to start detailing.

Stepping away...

I am stepping away from the bird / dinosaur sculpture to take part in a two week challenge at zbrushhangout.com.  The idea is to take a concept image you like and make a film ready asset in two weeks any way you can.  I have chosen a piece called "The Frog Prince" by Steve Carruthers (www.veshaku.com) for my entry.

I am still massing in the shapes and anatomy, and will be doing a nude before I get into the clothes.  I want to have the ability to change outfits if needed.

And a quick update with it a bit more flushed out....

Reworking an old sketch #2...

So here is another old model that I started playing with to clean up, and quickly changed it to an illustration style sculpture.  My current idea is going to be the last dodo standing on the nose of a t-rex skull, surrounded by saber tooth cats.

And a quick update... Added some more environment elements (rocks, spine, teeth).  I am really liking the ease of GoZ and how it allows me to quickly take one element in zbrush into Maya and model other elements that would be done faster polymodeling.  Below is an image of the skull and jaw brought into Maya to model and place the teeth, then exported/imported in zbrush and dropped in place.

I need to move the bird to the nose and really rework the character for more appeal, add in some plant life and the cat creatures as a story element.  

Final Wooly Rhino (RhinoBear)

For now, unless I readdress it in the future, I am saying this fella is done and am moving on to the next model.  I am really enjoying zbrush.

Another update,
Had to unify the model to get fibermesh working correctly in zbrush, but here is a first run at getting the fur going.  Gonna play around with the settings... maybe do a couple different layers to get a believable coat.

UPDATE:  Fiddled with the fibers and am getting a closer look to what I was intending.  Not sure if I would call it believable yet, but definitely getting better. 

So after a crash... painting in zbrush... I took a break and walked away.  Then I went back and repainted a skin texture for the RhinoBear.  I am now going to figure out fibermesh for the fur, then on to rendering.  Here is an update of how the head looks.

I also uploaded a WIP turnaround to Vimeo... You can check it out here...

The Rhinobear

Since I am able to update the blog again, I decided to look back though it and update something from the past.  I also wanted a break from working the death's helm for something a bit more alive.  I found this image...

... and thought it would be fun to sculpt.  So quick into Maya for a base mesh... 

... and in lunch crunch fashion, I got to here.  The second and third images below show a rough area that I am later going to use fibermesh to create a thick, polar bear style fur.  

 After the hour, I decided that I liked the character enough to spend a couple more hours detailing it out.  This is my current progress, and I have done a couple different fur tests, but am waiting for all detailing do be done before I finish working the fibers.

UPDATE:  Spent a little time adding some underpainting colors and roughing up the fur a bit...

Some WIP updates...

A couple work in progress updates...

First, the Death's helm sculpt...

Then, a digital painting piece I am working on for a playmat.  Rough BG, about to start massing in the mid and foregrounds.  

More to come.

Finally was able to transfer permissions to my real profile...

So I have been dealing with permissions and getting into this account for a while now, but I think I have everything worked out so it will be functioning correctly.  Lots of new stuff to update too.  Might as well start it off with an add.  I just made a society6 storefront and have 6 images up to start merchandising off of.  :)

I have also been steadily working in zbrush whenever possible and thanks to the society at zbrushhangouts.com I feel much more comfortable moving around the interface.  Below is a WIP sculpture done off of Steve Carruther's (www.veshkau.com) concept.

Now that the blog is set up correctly, expect lots more posts in the future...