3D reflection 4

Substance Designer was a challenge as it took me a long time to remember what each node did and how it effected the final texture. I experimented with the node functions by making some bathroom tiles. I tested various different appearances, such as a rotated tile pattern using a tile sampler, and merging two patterns together using a blend node.

I also managed to apply noise and grunge using the roughness and normal nodes to make the tiles more visibly interesting. Overall my first experience of making procedural textures in Substance Designer was tough, so I will continue to practise through experimentation. This will result in more complex node layouts.

Digital reflection 7

I made improvements to my bug character photobash based on the feedback I received from my peers. I used the crit script to divide my feedback into categories.

One of the elements I needed to improve was the use of shading to define the position of objects or clothing. For example, the position of the hair was not well defined; It wasn't clear if it was sitting behind the head or coming around and under the collar. Therefore I went back into my photoshop file and made appropriate adjustments, adding the shadowing to bring the hair around the collar which is where I wanted it. This suited the level of volume that was inspired by the moth hair that I took my photobashed image from.

I also edited the chain on the front of the outfit. At first I had used a chain brush to create a swooping regal silver chain, but this left the chain looking flat as there was no shape definition of each individual link. Therefore I searched for an image of a chain and photobashed it onto my character. The effect was much more convincingly realistic. I also took more bug parts, such as a beetle pincer which I used as robe decorations. They look like heavy solid silver now that the colour has been changed, giving the impression of weight and wealth.

The last thing that I did was make a new value study to see how I had adjusted my values from the original as I went. I like the current values a lot better as there is more variation and interest.

Older version of character and value study

Final version of character and value study

3D reflection 3

ZBrush was the next new programme that I started to learn in class. We produced models based on any concept or idea that we wanted, but the aim was to practise using the interface and tools such as ZRemesher, Dynamesh and Subdivision tools to adjust the topology. I decided to make my own version of the stylised Geralt concept that I wrote about previously, by Julen Urrutia. This was  challenging as I did not want to rip off his work, I needed to put my own spin on it. Therefore I very heavily focused on his 2D drawings to draw my own interpretation from them. I found this challenging as doing a stylised model meant that it had to be clean and well structured.

I found the eyes the most difficult to create as I needed to find a suitable way to sculpt them. I decided that as it was a stylised bust model, I would not need a transparent eyeglass cover over the iris like I might need if I was producing a realistic model. The parts that I was most satisfied with were the hair sections. I made the hair in sections as it was easier to create these layered areas using the extract tool.

I learnt a lot from modelling this bust. I now know the modelling basics for organic objects.

The next challenge was to export and resize the model ready for retopping. I lowered the Subdiv level of all the subtools, and then used GoZ to export it to 3Ds Max to resize it using unit setup. I then used GoZ to bring it back into ZBrush to unify the sizes of all the subtools, before doing a final. I needed to do this so that I could retop the object as it did not work very well in such a small size. I did find it difficult to remember all of these steps, but I will practise it again in the next lesson.

Traditional reflection 3

I went to the Abbey Road Pumping Station Museum to study complex machinery and other objects. I did four initial sketches to prepare for a final piece. At first I focused on bigger objects, such as pipes and gears used for steam machinery. However, I decided to explore smaller and more intricate objects, such as parts of a knitting machine that I saw and a clothing mangle handle and wheel. I  worked on elements of depth when drawing objects behind each other, and used the putty rubber to disturb lines that were too harsh to bring objects further into the background.
I decided to draw the first piece of machinery that I studied for my final piece as I liked the different textures such as the rust, the shiny reflective paint and the streaks of oil that layered up on the surface. I also favoured this perspective as it was challenging to draw and would make for a good final composition.

Digital reflection 6

We started a new photobashing task, which was to create a character wearing futuristic bug armour. There was a focus on value design initially, and I used the symmetry tool in photoshop to develop some interesting value designs for armour. I stuck closely to the human silhouette at first, but then I explored with different armour shapes, such as robes that could be worn over the top.

I decided to go forward with this design, and used it as reference whilst photobashing.  I took many references from different bugs, such as beetles and butterflies, but most of my references came from white moths as I wanted to create a mage-like character that used the regal-looking features of moths, such as the furry wings as a cloak, and the antennae as a headdress.
I wasn't completely satisfied with the first version of the moth character. I thought that too much of the photobash looked hand-painted and the eyes of the moth did not fit over the eyes of the base photo correctly. I wanted to make a mask that resembled a moth head but I needed to remake it to fit the anatomy correctly. I also wanted to adjust the value design to make certain parts stand out better, such as the fur around the head and the cloak.

I went back to edit the concept, and used stronger photos for my photobashing, such as bigger and clearer antennae. I also added layer effects such as linear dodge to make some of the lighter values stand out and to give them a neon futuristic appearance. I was a lot happier with the final design as it looked a like photobashed concept with my own edits put in to make it my own work. I think I could have added more elements of bug armour on the skirt and the shoes, but for a first character photobash I am satisfied with the result.§

Digital reflection 5

I completed my final photobash of the non-humanoid robot according to my 5-point-plan. I constantly compared my work to the work of Nivanh Chanthara whilst I was editing my photobash. There was a lot I edited, such as the lighting, adding new materials and heavily editing the perspective of some objects. I also added a background for context, playing around with the field blur tools to create convincing depth to the image. I also added shadow underneath the robot, and laser shots and sparks to show the robot in action. I removed the light from the front as I thought that it took away from the laser effect and I wanted to distribute colour around the robot in a different way, by using decals for example.

I was very pleased with my final outcome, as I felt that it put the robot into a suitable context that could be used for a game. I really enjoyed playing around with the background, and building it using photobashing from two separate images and adding effects. I could have brightened the decals around the robot as they are not that noticeable now that the laser light has been added, and maybe I could have added some cable silhouettes in the foreground to add depth to the final image.

Traditional reflection 2

In the third week we focused on using line weight and different forms of line mark making to draw a still life scene. I found this piece particularly challenging as there were times that I overdrew my lines to the point where the objects looked like they had been shaded, and I had quite heavily used crosshatching which was too dense in some areas. However, the part of the drawing that I liked most was the basket with the grapes. I felt that I had used line weight particularly well here and where it was most appropriate, such as to imply shadows and depth. For the next line drawing I will try to limit my use of crosshatching and use simpler lines.

First line drawing from class

EDIT 16/10/19: I completed the second line drawing, using slightly different line making techniques from the first drawing. There were aspects of this drawing that I liked far better, such as the delicate and organic petal shapes captured better with thinner lines, but I still preferred the bold crosshatching that I used specifically for the basket in the first drawing. Overall, I am pleased with the results of my experimentation with line weight and style.

Line drawing self directed

Traditional reflection 1

In the first two traditional lessons, we focused on drawing detailed and tonally accurate drapery. I found it difficult to maintain the correct levels of contrast between different tones of materials, but I felt that the overall texture of the drapery was well achieved. I used the putty eraser and light pencil strokes to make the appearance of wrinkles and creases which added to the textural variety. I practised what I had learnt by doing the optional drawing task, which required that I set up my own drapery setting with fruit. I really liked the contrasts of the objects in this piece.

First task

Self-directed task

For the test piece, I had to draw a drapery backdrop with a foreground composed of: sea shells, a glass flowerpot and flowers, and walnuts. This was a highly challenging piece as it took an extensive amount of time to complete, and I often had to go back and rework parts of the drawing such as the highlights on the creases, and the crevices of the shells. However, I was quite happy with my final piece as I feel that the contrasts were well achieved and the different textures can be clearly seen in my drawing.

Detailed class drapery piece

Digital reflection 4

I used my peer crit to adjust some elements of my work, such as perspective issues and silhouette problems with the leg placement, as well as adding drop shadows. This did immediately improve the effectiveness of my work, however, I did another crit of my work against a professional concept artist in industry to further improve.

Nivanh Chanthara uses photo-bashing to create organic humanoid and non-humanoid robots, using various different shapes, colours and materials. Some of the points that I took from looking at a piece of Chanthara's work was the use of fabrics, amongst metal structures such as joints and cabling. This adds interest and helps to separate parts of the robot from others. I also liked the use of decals on his work, which bring the eye around the photo-bash, as well as the way he grounded the robot within a contextual environment. Some of the other notes I took comparing our work can be viewed below, in my Five-Point Plan that I made. This was created by placing mine and Chanthara's work side by side, and picking out what the artist does well, and what techniques I could use with my work.

Comparing my work to the work of Nivanh Chanthara

Digital reflection 3

In the second digital art lesson, we did a peer crit of our photo-bashing, according to points on a peer-crit document, the 'Crit Script'. Some of the major points that I received was that I had used good shape language to portray the function of the robot well, such as the use of sharp shapes to indicate a threat. However, there were points for me to improve, such as the silhouette of the legs, which were in slightly the wrong place, and some issues with shadowing, as well as needing to bring the viewer's eye around the robot with the use of colour and panel break-up. These are points that I will use when improving my photo-bash, alongside using industry work as inspiration and to compare my work against.

3D reflection 2

This lesson I learnt how to retopo complex 3D models into a simple well topologised mesh, and then used the techniques from the previous lesson to bake the model. I used a Zbrush model of a chair provided by my tutors, which was imported into 3Ds Max. I then created a new object layer, and used the retopo tools to create new polygons on the surface of the model. One of the new tools was the Step Build tool, which allowed me to place my verts and create a face to efficiently retopo my model. I found it difficult to use as sometimes the faces would appear in the wrong places, and it relied on the angle that the camera was facing to place the faces effectively. I also utilised tools such as Swift Loop, and the shift + drag function to extrude out edges, increasing the speed of my workflow. I was happy with my final simplified mesh, and once this was made I used UV unwrap, before preparing to bake the model and export it into Marmoset.

Although it took me a while to get used to the retopo tools, I was happy that I could use both retopo and the baking process together to see the full process, and I was very satisfied with the final chair model. This will give me a strong base knowledge for future projects that will utilise these processes.

Digital reflection 2

In response to the photo-bashing tutorial, I designed a non-humanoid robot using this technique. I initially sketched over a mechanical box image that was provided as a template, playing around with ideas such as animal and bug legs, as well as thinking of the robot's possible functions, such as defence or delivery service. my favourite sketch was of a four-legged defence robot. I liked this design best as there was a potential to create complex interesting shapes with the legs, and being able to photo-bash mechanical systems within the structure of the robot legs.

My initial sketches and blending practise.

I then took this sketch and the original mechanical box, and used new resources such as Photobash.org, where I collected images of machinery such as flight landing gear, industrial cables, as well as everyday objects such as a pen and an asthma pump, which I used to create the turret. I also utilised the colour match tool in Photoshop to create more accurate lighting, and colour-picking. I ensured that I heavily edited the images I used by transforming them to fit the perspective and warping them to adjust the shape, as well as using paint brushes to work over the top. I was very pleased with my final photo-bash, as I felt that it had a certain level of realism and also showed originality with my own adjustments to the images.

Finished photobash

Digital - blog topic 1

For the first digital art lesson, we tackled the topic of photo-bashing, and whether or not it was ethical to use as an artist. I think that photo-bashing is an efficient and acceptable form of concepting, but it is difficult to measure how much of a person's work can be used in your own. Using small details from a photo is ideal as you can take the smaller more unusual elements and use it to add detail by blending it into your own work, such as pieces of wiring or grating for a sci-fi project, taken from a photo of a plane interior. It is however, easy to abuse the power of photo-bashing, for example using an entire photo for a backdrop in a digital painting with very little alteration.



I also feel that photo-bashing, whilst it is developing its own sense of an art style identity, can cause a digital artist to lose their own painting style and limit their painting skill. Many photo-bashed pieces of work tend to look similarly photorealistic, and lose the original charm of an individual art style. However, it can be argued that some artists have taken a hold of photo-bashing and have integrated it into their own style, and it is even being parodied by some artists, such as Mr. Concept Art. These parodies are being made as a reaction to the lack of creativity and skill of some photobashing artists, who appear to entirely rip off images from other sources without altering them much at all. Although photo-bashing does not seem to have its own manifesto as other art movements do, it has encouraged reactionary artwork to combat and parody the idea of photo-bashing.

'The Last of Us' concept By John Sweeny

 Soldier design, by Mr. Concept Art - a parody of photobashing

3D reflection 1

I started using new functions that I had not previously used before when modelling in 3Ds Max. I was shown the turbosmooth tool to create high-poly models with more refined edge shape, as well as learning other ways to retopologise models. I have used the boolean tool before during a game jam event, but after the lecture I realised that there were a lot of things to consider when adding operants to boolean. For example, having to retopologise the model to avoid Ngons, and to maintain a neat enough triangulated mesh ready to be imported into Zbrush and then baked.

To practise what I had learned, I attempted to model a small metal jug. For my first attempt, I used a cylinder and added loops as I went to create the body of the jug. However, I began to struggle when making the spout as I had created the inside and outside surface separately, and so when turbo-smoothed the results were mismatched edges and an untidy mesh. I started the model again, this time making one half and using the shell modifier to automatically produce an even interior to the jug, and then I applied a symmetry modifier which greatly increased the quality on my model and reduced errors and modelling time. I used a similar method for creating the rounded feet, although I used a cube which had been spherified. For the handle I used an extruded spline, and again used turbo-smooth to create a refined edge.

From making this model I learnt a lot about efficiency when modelling, and the importance of a proper setup before modelling, e.g. preparing to use symmetry and having appropriate hotkeys such as for applying smoothing groups.

3D - blog topic 1

I chose a piece of 3D Witcher 3 fanart by Julen Urrutia. I really like this piece as it is a satisfying caricature of Geralt, as his most prominent features have been well stylised so that it is still recognisable as the original character, whilst also having the artist's own aesthetic twist. There is a subtle but effective use of grunge texturing on the clothing which clearly represents the material, such as with the leather and iron gauntlets, as well as with the face details, such as the skin pores, scars and colouring. The use of subsurface scattering when the character model is placed in a warmly lit environment enhances the depth and colours of the skin and creates a realistic effect, yet it still binds well to the stylised proportions of the body. The expression is the most striking part, as the artist has managed to utilise the original by translating it into a more exaggerated and stylised version which is true to the original character.

Head render of stylised Geralt, by Julen Urrutia

Body render

                           

'Geralt of Rivia - The Witcher III Wild Hunt - Stylised', by Julen Urrutia- placed into a scene in game

Traditional - blog topic 1

I chose a digital painting by game concept artist Sergey Kolesov, who worked on Dishonored 2. The piece is called 'Jewel of the South at the Edge of the World'. I chose this piece as it evokes a serene and yet a mysterious atmosphere, presented by the warm sunlight on the right hand side, juxtaposed against the colder appearance of storm clouds overcasting the bay from the left hand side. The combination of softer organic shapes such as the rolling white clouds and vegetation and jagged hard pointed shapes of the man-made structures creates a dissonance in form and mood. All of these elements can be used as symbolism for the game narrative, such as an approaching looming threat, or to emphasise the hard mechanical and boxy appearance and negative effects of human settlement in a natural environment. What I find the most interesting is that both man-made and natural elements make way for more supernatural events which take place in the game, of which there is a definite sense of in this piece.


The colour palette uses mainly blues, greens and yellows, and these are used against each other to create contrasting cool and warm tones which create a depth in the piece. For example, on the left hand side of the composition, there is a strong use of blue grey tones which set the hills further into the background. This greatly contrasts against the foreground area of cliffs and wind mills which have been brought to the forefront not only through composition, but also through the use of yellows and warm greens.


The composition itself uses the rule of thirds, as it is split into three main focal points - the first is the town on the lower left hand side, and the eye is led from the town by the red pylons up to the sharp mountain face in the upper half of the composition, and brought across to the clouds, and finally down to the right hand side of the piece which focuses on the foreground rocks and manmade structures.

'Jewel of the South at the Edge of the World', by Sergey Kolesov.