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.

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
(Click to enlarge)

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.