Fireplace primitive

 I have decided to make a quick low poly version of the fireplace in 3ds max. I have combined different elements from the references that I have gathered, and I am really happy with the composition and the outcome...I will be taking every object separately into ZBrush, add in the detail, and then, if necessary, retopologize them.. 

Week 21: Renaissance. Focus on Portrait

 This week's task was making a self-portrait in black material. I have done self-portraits before but never looking at a mirror. So I was extremely keen on taking on this challenge. I placed a mirror behind my desk, took my lamp, and set up the lighting set-up and I was good to go.

The first thing I did was a small thumbnail sketch in the corner of my drawing to determine the placement and sizing of the portrait. Then I added some guidelines, as per usual, to make sure the proportions were right.

Following that I started sketching the face, paying attention to every feature, with the goal being to get them as accurate as possible.

After the sketch was done I added some graphite powder to the paper to get a nice starting shade of grey for the portrait. At this stage, I have also erased the highlighted parts of the face.

Then the shading process has begun. Learning from the previous drawing, I tried shading everything a little smoother on the face, making it look more organic.

The last step was adding a gradient colour, to make everything pop even more, and then the drawing was done. I am so happy with how it ended up looking. Drawing looking in the mirror while having a huge light shining directly on my face was not an easy task, but it was totally worth it in the end.

For this drawing, I have used many different pencils: F, HB, H, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 6B, 8B

Pumpkin exercise and learning how to use zbrush

 Making the pumpkin was extremely fun. I found Zbrush way easier to learn than how 3ds max was. The interface looks way better, but the camera controls are horrible, especially the shortcuts... I found that using the buttons on the right side was easier than actually using the shortcuts. I guess there are some ups and downs to every program that we learn how to use.

The fireplace project

 I have said it before and I will say it again. When it comes to every project, reference is key. Just like I did with the gladiator, I started to look for inspiration right away.  I am planning on making a type of fireplace that you would see in a hunting cabin, mainly made out of wood and marble. I also want to make a staircase out of rock and maybe a deer skull on the wall.  I will make some metal spikes and bars to keep the wood inside the fireplace  and also some books to place on the fireplace.

I want the fireplace to look elegant, the type you would see in some rich people cabin, with details ingraved in it, showcasing that whoever made, really put thought and time producing it. 

I m also planning on making some wood panneling behing it on the wall.

Week 20 - Head Construction

 I was extremely happy when I saw this week's task. Portraits are my ultimate favorite thing to draw. They are the thing that I have the biggest amount of experience with as well. I have done life drawing before and I really think that should be the only way to draw a portrait, photos flattening the image so badly. It is just a whole different thing looking at a person in a three-dimensional space. The depth that is translated into the portrait is undeniably better than any other options. 

I asked a friend to pose for me and she happily agreed.

The first step was throwing some guidelines on the paper, making sure the proportions were right.

After that, I started sketching in the shape of the head and face.

Then I made a quick sketch of her entire face, making sure everything was symmetrical. 

Then I refined everything, focusing on the accuracy of her facial features, trying to make the drawing resemble her as much as possible, 

After that, I have deleted the guidelines and mapped out where the shadows and highlights were going to be.

When that was done, I went in and added some graphite powder to get a nice base colour for the drawing and erasing the highlighted areas.

The following step was starting the shading process, focusing on adding more detail to each element of the drawing.

For the hair, I have separated it into individual strands, then started to add shading to each individually.

final piece

The final step was adding a nice gradient background to make the highlighted parts pop more. It was the same case for the shadows.

I am more than pleased with how this drawing turned out and I can not wait to make more portraits!

For this piece I have used a range of pencils: F, HB, B, 28, 3B, 4B, 6B, 8B

Lighting Characters

 Lighting is very important when you are presenting something, not just in the real world, but also in the 3d universe. After all, it is the thing that literally shapes everything we see. The power it holds is huge. When used correctly, we can induce certain feelings to the viewer, showcase important parts of our work, and more... 

The lighting is crucial when displaying a 3d object, even more so a character. As a follow-up to this fact, I started researching some different lighting scenarios that are highly used in photography but also in cinematography. 

These are just some of the setups I have found:

The Rembrandt Brolly Portrait Lighting is a lighting scenario where the light is coming from the top and the side of the model, in order to create triangles on the face. This gives the image a dramatic look.

image source

The Split Portrait Lighting is a lighting scenario where the light is coming perpendicular to the model, in order to emphasize the details and texture of the skin. It gives the image a glamorous but also powerful feel. 

image source

The 3 point lighting setup is a lighting scenario used in professional video production and still photography. It is composed of three lights coming from three different positions. These are called the key light, the fill light, and the backlight.

The key light is the main and most powerful light source and it gives the scene the overall exposure. It is usually placed in front of the model.

The fill light is mirroring the key light on the opposite part of the camera, brightening the parts that are in shadow due to the key light. The intensity of this light may vary depending on how much we want the other parts to be seen.

The backlight, also known as the rim light or hair light is coming from the back of the subject, completing the setup. This creates a rim of light around the model's head, emphasizing the form and pushing it away from the background, creating a sense of depth. 

image source

Week 19 - Drawing Drapery. Anatomy of Folds

 Drapery is something that I have never drawn before. Of course, I have drawn clothes that had folds on people, but never a drawing dedicated just to that.

After listening carefully to the lecture and memorizing all the different types of folds I went in and started to play with the composition of the materials that I chose, making some quick preparatory sketches. I ended up choosing a very light and very dark material in order to get some nice contrast going on.

I ended up choosing the last one and I moved on to the final piece. The first step was doing the sketch, taking a closer look at each type of fold there was in the scene, and making sure everything looked correct.

After that, I have added some graphite powder to the drawing to dictate the tonal value of the materials, also adding a nice starting background colour, At this stage, I have also used an eraser to determine where the highlights were going to be.

The next stage was starting the shading process, starting with the material in the back. I made sure to maintain the tonal value and I added a darker colour to the background for some definition and contrast. 

Shading the darker material was easy, that being the thing completing the scenery. 

I am extremely happy with the outcome of this task. I honestly don't think I could have made it any better.

For the lighter material, I have used an HB pencil, an F, and a B.

For the darker material, I have used a 2b pencil, a 4B, a 6B and an 8B.

Week 18- How artists use value

 For this task, I decided to do something different. I realized that I am spending way too much time doing a drawing and planning everything in advance and that I am not so good at doing things on the spot quickly. So I took this task as an opportunity to do just that.

Overall I am happy that I was able to achieve that, but then I realized that the object do not really have different tonal values, a thing that I still have to work on when doing quick drawings.

For this task I have used an HB pencil, a 2B and a 6B one. 

The Future tribe project

From the first moment that I saw the brief I absolutely loved it. I have always been passionate about character design and this was a very interesting and challenging task!

Before I actually started to work on my iterations, I  had to think about the theme, the backstory, and the setting of the tribe. The thinking process was not an incredibly fast one, but I wanted to get everything right in advance, and then I came to a conclusion.

At the time the apocalypse came, humanity was already very advanced. Then, the technology stopped working and people starting living in tribes again. It was difficult to think about how a future tribe would look like. There was no way it could have looked like one from the past, that just would not make sense! It had to be something totally new. 

The people from my tribe are the descendants of the people that used to live in this futuristic city on water located in the middle of the ocean. When the apocalypse came, they were totally isolated from the rest of the world, so they had to adapt to living on top of the water, using the limited resources that they had access to. 

After the backstory was done, I had to think about how the characters would look like. What is their social status? How do they dress like? What makes them stand out from the others? What elements I could use to communicate these ideas?

So I created some different factions that I was going to base my iterations from:

-the fishermen, that had to provide the food for the tribe

-the search party, whose job is to search the ocean hoping that they will find their way back to the shore, and maybe stumble upon some other survivors from the apocalypse 

-the high society 

-the leaders

-the guards

Then I had to think about how these different characters from these different factions would look like.

The fishermen have very simplistic clothes, mainly made from recycled materials.

The search party wants to blend within the creatures of the ocean, so they try to mimic their appearance with fake tails, etc, even body parts of the sea creatures that the fisherman catch.. They also have access to scuba gear that was left in the city.

The high society does not have to worry about providing, earning money, etc.. So they are more interested in appearence, fashion, having fun, etc.

The guards had weapons,m but also decorations. Still, very light armour since they had to swim quite frequently.

The leaders have crowns and very sophisticated and stately clothing. 

Not all the technology stopped working, but the one does still works, is only accessed by the higher society. The higher you were on the social pyramid, you were able to access more and more technology.

After I gathered all the reference that I needed I started working on my iterations. I let my mind go crazy with them, and that was the best decision I could have ever made. 

I started with drawing some silhouettes and then drawing on top of them, making sure to change the designs quite frequently. I ended up working way too much on them, but I am very pleased with the results!

I know a thing for sure, it is going to be hard to choose!