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.