Some random head sculpts

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#2

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#4

#5

Hers a selection of some character heads I made the other day. I created a nice base mesh head which made it easy to form a variety of different faces relatively quickly. They aren't very detailed but the essence of each character is noticeable - which is what I was after! 

Its amazing how some subtle enough changes (eye size, eye distance. angle of mouth) to a simple base mesh can alter a persons appearance so drastically.

Click on the images for larger shots. (#1, #3 and #5 are my favourites of the bunch)

(The top one is the only one I bothered posing/adding asymmetry to so far, so thats why the others might look a little 'odd' and 'blank'  initially)

Shapula Free Base Mesh for Sculpting

I made this nice little mesh which is a great for starting off sculpting a character with. I never personally use any of the base meshes that come with Zbrush and instead prefer just modelling from scratch with a dynamesh ball...but this model I created is one I ALWAYS use lately for starting off a sculpt. 


-The download file is in a .zip format (which you can unzip using any of the popular or free software such as WinZip, 7Zip, etc). 

-Once you've unzipped the contents you will have an .obj file of the model which you can load in any 3d software package.

The model is totally free and can be used for any commercial or noncommercial use.
If you make anything nice with it feel free to link back and let me know if you want :)

You can download the .zip file from here 

Head Sculpt WIP#2

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Another work in progress image of a male head sculpt. Direct screenshot from Zbrush.

The Dark Prince - Zbrush W.I.P #2

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I abandoned this guy for a bit and decided to come back and finish him.
I've never really had a set idea of what I wanted him to look like, so just ended up designing him on the go.
The anatomy of this version is much better than previously.
And I finally got a head design that I like: a mouth and no eyes suits the general feeling of a dark, menacing lord-of-darkness vibe I'm going for!

Head Sculpt WIP#1

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A work in progress image of a male head sculpt. Direct screenshot from Zbrush.

Lord Xamachial - Zbrush W.I.P #03

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I eventually got around to painting his skin and giving him a tattoo.

Zbrush clay render Turnarounds of previous sculpts

Today I'm posting some clay render shots of some of my previous sculpts in Zbrush.

The main reason behind doing this is to gauge my sculpting progress over time. When I first  picked up Zbrush a couple of years back (around this time of year in 2012) I had never sculpted a thing in my life! 

Actually thats not true: when I was 14 or 15-years old I made an alien for a school project in some sort of clay. Needless to say it was crap! It had 3 'legs', no arms or eyes, and a long snout with 'teeth' at the end. 

But anyways, ignoring that particular sculptural disaster, sculpture just wasn't my thing. So when I tried Zbrush it was a whole new territory for me. And I loved it. Now I wasn't very good at it mind, but it was a lot of fun using the program. 

I'm happy to say that I've got better at it and more confident in what I can make with it.

A big help was the endless supply of quality work that inspires me - people such as these talents, amongst many others:

http://pilcrowdesigns.deviantart.com/

http://trevorgrove.deviantart.com/

http://alfredparedes.deviantart.com/

http://marknewman.deviantart.com/

http://boularis.deviantart.com/

http://thiagoprovin.deviantart.com/

http://locasciodesigns.deviantart.com/

http://monsterpappa.deviantart.com/

I've written a little about each of the images below explaining what I've learned from each.

1: click to enlarge

 1: The character heads above have something my earlier sculpts didn't - 3-dimensionality! Seriously, my earlier sculpts where designed to be seen purely from one angle alone (meant for 2d paint ups only). In the two shots above I'm pleased to say that they could be viewed 'in the round' and not look like s**t.
I paid special attention to the eye area - something I always try to get right. if you lose the eyes, you've lost the character.
If I was making these again I would work more on facial creasing by using the Dam Standard brush which is perfect for that kind of stuff.

2: click to enlarge

 2: The full body images above show 'Alien Shorty' and 'Blue Nose the Clown'. Both were made around the same tie as can be seen from the similar bodies of both. I created their base mesh for another uncompleted character which I just tweaked to suit these guys. The muscle definition and overall anatomy is pretty decent on these two. It's believable. Notably this was the first time I ever made toes! Toes are complicated little fellas. But  details  are important even if they're not gonna be seen.

3: click to enlarge

3: The two images above show 'Diet of Worms' and 'The Old Man of the Sea' which both feature a 'tentacle' theme. The fat woman's anatomy is pretty good by my standards and, again, believable for the character. I paid attention to her fingers and hands which is something I would previously have just glossed over and hidden from view, probably. I tend not to make female characters, but a big fat female with layers and layers of fat is the type of thing I can work with!
The Old octopus-shaped guy has a nice, relaxed pose. His body was fairly easy to make as I knew at the time it would be mostly covered in tattos so detailing was kept to the minimum.If I was making him again I'd work more on the detailing of the tentacles and the definition of skin creases and folds to emphasize his elderly, sagging skin.

Mister Pointy - Zbrush W.I.P #1

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Here's a Zbrush screen grab of a little fella I just started called ' Mister Pointy'.

I took an old Zbrush sculpt I did ages ago and reworked it with some improved anatomy and a completely  different head.

I've also got really excited about using the Dam standard brush, which I never ever use. It really is brilliant for working in sculptural details such as wrinkles and folds.

The thing I love most about Zbrush is how you can be using it for ages and yet still discover new tricks and techniques you never considered before.

Zbrush Character Torso WIP

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A Zbrush screen-grab of a character I'm working on.

Lord Xamachial - Zbrush W.I.P #02

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Heres an update on a character sculpt I keep abandoning and then coming back to :)

Some more Krita Sketches

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Some more random Krita symmetrical character sketches.
My personal faves of this bunch are: 1st row #3; 2nd Row #4; 3rd Row - all of them!

Blender and Zbrush working together

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Here's two screenshots from Blender of two characters  I'm working on - Lord Xamachial and The Dark Prince (both still rough W.I.P's as you can probably tell)

I tend to always sculpt and render from Zbush (and then fiddle around in Gimp afterwards for good measure), but for these two I'm gonna try and do a little Blender 3D rendering.

So far the results look good (well, to me it does!)

More updates when I...ahem, update :)

Lord Xamachial - Zbrush W.I.P #01

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This is a Zbrush character I took a break from and came back to.
A lot of things to still work on but the basics are all there.

Click the image to view the screenshot in a larger size.

Some Krita sketches

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A few more Krita symmetrical sketches.
A cool way to come up with quick character concepts.

Some random Alchemy and Krita sketches

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A few more quick sketches using symmetry mode in both Alchemy and Krita.

I downloaded and tried out Krita for the first time today - just to try the symmetry mode.
Its like a nicer/neater version of Gimp.
It has a nice professional interface that is simple enough to get the hang of. 

If I can make a few scratchy brushes in Krita that have a random element to them like those of Alchemy then I'll be very happy.

In the above image sketch #1 and #5 were done in Alchemy, while #2,#3 and #4 were done using Krita. The first image has a type of lighting I usually wouldn't even consider, and that is mainly down to to the randomness of Alchemy's workflow.

With Alchemy I feel like I don't know exactly (or at all!) where the sketch will lead - and thats a pretty cool feeling.

Some Alchemy sketches

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Heres a few sketches I did using Alchemy.

I recently gave a the program a try after a period of 'artist's block' to try and get my brain thinking again!

What I really like about Alchemy is that it encourages you to consider every brush stroke as everything can be so unpredictable. 

One false move and a nice looking image is gone forever with no undo. Reminds me of working with a biro pen in that way.

I probably wouldn't have used the lighting setup in the above images only for the fact that I was using Alchemy, which encourages you to try different things and think outside the box.

CGHub.com gone/disappeared

It was one of the very best websites for viewing top quality artwork but now it seems that CGHub.com has shut down.
And not only shut down but disappeared - images and portfolio's completely gone (including  my own feeble offerings, I might add)!

Here's a Facebook post on the closure:
https://www.facebook.com/264398057068394/photos/a.265401656968034.1073741828.264398057068394/265401163634750/

I noticed last Friday morning that it wasn't loading and I was instead redirected to CGHuG.com.
"WTF???!!!", I thought to myself.
So I go to http://www.isitdownrightnow.com/cghub.com.html to see if its just me or are  others  having trouble accessing the site.
At that time it said the site was still up and running. "Must be just me", I thought.
Obviously not.

Conspiracy theories abound on the closure (read the links here and here)
It's a sad loss and a bizarre end to a very important website inspiration-wise.

DeviantArt.com is a better 'community', so to speak but CGHub simply had better art.
You had to search hard to find crap/amateurish images on CGHub... whereas DeviantArt (sadly) is full of the damn stuff!

Little Billy Alien - Zbrush

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"Little Billy Alien" 

Sculpted/Polypainted/rendered in Zbrush, composited/repainted in Gimp, final touches IrfanView.

Zbrush Wip - Alien Dude #2

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Heres a Zbrush screenshot of an Alien Dude I've started working on again. I began him a while ago and have decided to go back and complete him.

There's just something about his sad expression.....he kinda looks like he's pleading with me to "finish the sculpt, Shane!"

The Dark Prince - Zbrush W.I.P #1

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This is a work-in-progress sketch-over of a Zbrush sculpt called The Dark Prince.
Click the image to view my notes on what I need to add.

I did a little sketch late last year of this guy, then a few weeks back began the preliminary stage of figuring out who exactly he is and what exactly he should look like.
But I've never quite got to the stage of making him - until now, that is!

The other day I made a nice new male base mesh in Zbrush and used that as the base to sculpt this guy from. I gathered up loads of my armor/fantasy reference and basically starting throwing ideas together until some cool shapes began emerging.

The image is mostly gonna be dark and focusing on the face, but I still want to be able to show enough armor detail because it will help make the character have character.

Reptilian Man - Zbrush sculpt

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Here is my completed REPTILIAN MAN character.

I'm actually surprised how quickly and easily he came together...and still managed to come out looking pretty good.

He was modeled and polypainted in Zbrush. Including the fibremesh hair, in total he was approximately 2.8million polygons in size (I generally keep all my models below 3 million, most are only about 1.2 - 2 million)

I rendered out several BPR (Best Preview Renders) renders in Zbrush, but I depended mostly on direct screenshots (as I knew I was gonna be blurring/smudging everything anyways in Gimp)

Zbrush screenshot turnaround image
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The good stuff started happening in Gimp where I composited the layers and repainted bits and bobs. Its actually kinda depressing when you first start piecing the images together as they tend to look ...crap! A whole lot of experimentation with different masks and multiply/screen/burn/hue layers slowly masks the picture start looking a bit more decent. 

I settled on a nice 'look' that suggests this guy has been photographed in a studio setting. Maybe it's his actors headshot so he can land big roles in some Hollywood movies? Maybe not....

Anyways, hope you enjoy he image as much as I enjoyed making it.

Reptilian Man - WIP #2

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Another  update on my REPTILIAN MAN character I'm making in Zbrush.

This is a direct screenshot from Zbrush as I go looking for the correct angle and lighting.
I haven't yet decided whether I'll just have a single image or if (much like the clown I did previously) do a turnaround render of him.

The modeling and texturing is pretty much complete (and it was all done extremely quickly!) and just have to render out a few images before importing them to Gimp where the real fun starts to happen.

Reptilian Man - WIP #1

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Here is a Zbrush screenshot of a REPTILIAN MAN character I just started.

Growing up I remember seeing a fella called David Icke on the telly talking about lizard people and other mad stuff. He was always wearing a shiny shell-suit (Mr Icke, not the Lizard people!)and had a weird page-boy haircut (that he still sports to this day. The fact that he had some bonkers beliefs and was a former footballer just made him seem like a very interesting person to a kid...especially when the TV show V was massive on telly at the time!

Anyways, the whole idea of all the important, decision-making people of the world belonging to a race of alien lizards was the starting point for this sculpt.
I want to make him 'normal' enough to be believable as a human-being (after a bit of make up to disguise the reptilian skin)but also menacing and creepy too.

But as this is a Work-In-Progress anything can change!

Dark Prince - Work-in-Progress sketches

I've been unfortunate lately and have struggled to do any art. First I had the flu and then I cut my finger so couldn't even hold a pen!
Anyways, I'm on the mend and doing this character provisionally  titled THE DARK PRINCE.

These are just quick and dirty sketch-overs in Gimp of a base mesh I've started in Zbrush. I'm trying to find the right  silhouette  and shape to the  character  before getting to work on him in 3D.
At the moment the one of the far right is my favourite...but still in the (very)early stages yet.

Blue Nose The Clown

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Here is the completed character named Blue Nose the Clown.

Sculpted in Zbrush (frilly  collar  made in Blender),  rendered  with Zbrush BPR and composited/repainted with Gimp.

This guy went through multiple changes as I tried to figure out what exactly his character was. 

Eventually it dawned on me: he was an evil, midget punk clown!

I was pleased with the sculpt but something about the rendering stage  didn't  seem right. 

It was only in Gimp that everything came together. 

The face paint helped push him forward but it was actually the little  Mohican-style pink hairdo that finally drew everything together in a satisfactory manner.
After that the lighting was a really enjoyable experience. 

Anyways, hope you like it :)

Blue Nose - Zbrush WIP #5

Screenshot from Zbrush

A quick pic from the paint-up on Blue Nose the Midget Clown.

Compared to the face he had a few posts back this one is way, waaaaay superior in every way!

Still have to do his hair - which probably will be a curly blue wig style. Also gotta pose him (this is a straight up symmetrical pose)

Gave him tattos and stuff to make him a bit more 'street' - yeah, you know: one of those tough-guy clowns that prowl the city at night causing mayhem!

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EDIT: Above is a comparison of the first version of 'Blue Nose' (posted a couple of months ago) compared to the latest version.
The difference is dramatic and I'm posting it here as a reminder to myself to always keep improving and learning.
I was actually very pleased with the original version at first, but seeing the incredible work of other digital and traditional sculptors forced me to set out to try and improve - and I'm glad I did!

Blue Nose - Zbrush WIP #4

Straight Zbrush screenshot using custom light setup.
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One of these bloody days I am eventually gonna get around to completing this character!

"Blue Nose the midget clown" has undergone plastic surgery: his previous face just didn't seem 'real' enough to me, so I redid it. 

And I'm glad I did because he now appears to have far more character and personality than previously.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Zbrush Wip - Alien Dude #1

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This is a fella I'm working on.

Kind of a weird, freaky alien-esque humanoid dude.

The base mesh was one I made a little while ago - which I am particularly proud of, I might add. 

Starting a character from scratch is tedious. Its always nice to at least start from a solid foundation and then tweak it as you progress until something cool starts falling into place.

I have no idea how he'll develop but I'm sure it'll be fun seeing how it goes!

Blue Nose - Zbrush WIP #3

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Again I've been tinkering with this fella. This is a screenshot from inside Zbrush with some nice film noir-ish lighting.

From the previous postings you may have noticed a few slight
changes: gone are the horns and the massive elongated arms.

I've settled on making him an evil midget clown.
Just that name alone sounds cool!

Zbrush Alien - 'Shorty'

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Here's the finished zbrush alien character I created.

The names ' Shorty'.
Why? Well, I have no idea....but thats the name to came into my head while saving the 3d files in Zbrush so I guess it just stuck!

Modeled in Zbrush and also polypainted and rendered in same program.
I then composited the rendered images in Gimp and also added  particle effects and hair etc.

Alien Sculpt W.I.P

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I've been messing around with this alien fella and I'm finally beginning to get a design I[m actually satisfied with.

He started off as a short, dumpy little chap but has morphed into a more elongated form. 

I'm mainly using this sort of character to improve my anatomy sculpting - despite him being alien he is basically just an exaggerated human anatomically!

Having thankfully (hopefully!) gotten over that awkward 'blobby-shapes' period in Zbrush, the part that interests me the most nowadays, sculpting-wise, is trying to represent organic natural forms such as sinew, skin and muscle. I'm getting better at it but have a lot more to develop and learn through trial and error.

Some Zbrush W.I.Ps

Just posting some work-in-progress images. These images are all screenshots direct from that beloved software program Zbrush.

Working on making FiberMesh hair for this clown fella and painting him up like look nice and purty!

Originally named 'Blue Nose', I decided to rework him... because  I wasn't happy with how he looked!

A monkey wearing clothes? What is this madness!

A sulky alien - partially inspired by the face of actor Benedict Cumberbatch after watching a repeat of Sherlock on the telly the other night. Yeah, I know he doesn't look at all like him, but I did say  'inspired'! 

Blue Nose - Zbrush WIP #2

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Happy New Year!
Ok, I'm a bit late with that but, hey, what the hell - better late than never!
I left this little guy 'Blue Nose' aside for a bit and just got back to working on him....so here's a little update.
I refined a lot of his anatomy and gave him horns because they nicely balance his massive (blue) nose and add further interest to his head seeing as his beady eyes are so, erm, beady.