James' sculpty stuff

[lono]

OK, I finally caved in and decided I need to start using the digital sculpting books I own and actually learn ZBrush. It gives me a nice break from painting.

I know it's not quite what people around here are used to, but hopefully if I get the hang of this, I'll be making some models to print eventually. The plan is to develop several Golden Demon entries this way, so I'll need to get my skates on and pick this stuff up soon.

At the moment I feel like I have to relearn how to sculpt stuff as well as the program itself. Where you can (even though you shouldn't) cut corners a bit on a 28mm mini, ZBrush models have such a high level of detail, there's no cheating. I'm gonna need to work in every last muscle and sinew!

Got the hang of the interface over the last few days. Now I'm working out how some of the tools and brushes should be used.

First up I just randomly started to play around and made a pretty dreadful looking face, and then I've begun to follow a tutorial on making a lion door knocker, which I've greatly slowed down on and made sure the base forms are developed better.

Not sure how often I'll get to update this as I've got a lot to paint over the next few weeks, but I feel like keeping a little thread going to track my progress and will hopefully be able to dabble every now and then.

 

[Bloodhowl]

That door knocker looks like something out of a Chistmas Carol or The Haunted Mansion! Well done!

 

[Alexandra]

Just a curiosity: after you sculpted the mini in your computer, how do you print it? I'm just asking because, back home, I've to do it the old way ( silicon casting and direct sculpting ).

 

[Bloodhowl]

3d printer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing

 

[lono]

For now I won't be printing anything, because I'm nowhere near the level that justifies the expense. 3D printers are how it's created in a physical form though and they work in different ways depending on the type you go for. Check Bloodhowl's link for more on that side of it. I've been sorting out some rapid prototyping of digital models made by others for me recently, and there are companies out there who specialise in it. It's not cheap, but it's a good bit cheaper than buying a 3D printer, much as I'd love one.

As for my sculpting, haven't had a chance to do any more this weekend, but I'm going to try and do a head sculpt over the next week or so, making the skull first, then the different muscles, and finishing off by smoothing it all down. I need to swot up on a different level of anatomical detail so this seems like the best way to practice.

 

[lono]

OK, I finally got a chance to have my first go at a human skull tonight. Rather than just make it look like how I remember a skull should look I figured it would be a valuable lesson to actually learn about the parts, how the shapes balance out and try and incorporate them properly. Whilst I don't think I've been totally successful I've learned a bit and things could have looked a lot worse. I took a print screen every so often in the building process (which took several hours believe it or not) and have added some little bits of information along with them. If anyone manages to learn a bit along with me that'll be tip top, but writing things down will probably reinforce them in my head anyway.

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Basic shape to start

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Raking in some vague forms. Really like this tool now. Much easier to see shape and form developing than with the standard brush and the direction and cross hatching seems to help natural shapes build logically and properly too

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Skipping ahead a bit now I've developed the eye sockets and nasal bone as well as building up the zygomatic bones (cheekbones)

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Defined the glabella (ridge above the nasal bone) and beginning to pull the jaw up so it is recessed under the zygomatic bone and looks like a separate element

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Added in the auditory meatus (lug hole) and mastoid process (lump under it which is where a big old neck muscle will come from) just behind the half way point of the skull and tried to add more jaw detail.

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Alternate view

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I've tried to pull a bit more shape into the zygomatic bones. I am frequently moving bits and re-shaping them as I go right now, but from checking out videos, that's pretty much exactly what I should be doing. Probably even more than I do. The temporal ridge is totally bolloxed here and I should have fixed it a good while ago! Making it look like a caveman skull or something.

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I've added more fine rake details to refine forms, then smoothed them down here and have also shifted various areas around, making the eye sockets more correct and reshaping the upper silhouette of the skull.

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The front view shows what I think is the major point of error with this skull. The zygomatic bones should extrude from the head and be pretty much the widest part, but mine are far too over the top. It needs to be tighter to the line of the eye socket at the front and work out further back. Something to sort next time.

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So, what did I learn here? Well, some silly sounding names for parts of the skull, where they go, that there is a lot more to the lump of bone that makes up your head than you may think. That I've never drawn a skeleton with anything like the correct kind of head anatomically! And I am on my way to mastering that most mysterious of GW construction elements, Skullantium. Soon I will be a master scenery builder and have a staple element to adorn every single model I make

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Added some boggle eyes and changed the material to a Sculpey styled one. This shows something I have already discovered when using standard Super Sculpey in the champagne type colour. That tone just doesn't show up depth and detail as well as others. It's why I always mixed in some other to change the look of it, and why I will never sculpt in ZBrush with this as my material!

 

[Milosh]

killer work sir. Check out the sculpting thread on planetfigure.com there are two guys using this software on full figures. They may be of some help to you.

 

[Alexandra]

I case of doubt, I usually find helpful to go back to my anatomy book. I found a site some wile a go that you might find interesting:

http://www.posemaniacs.com/blog/

It's not only shows the right place of bones and muscles, but it also show how all works together when you move. Hope it helps

 

[lono]

Milosh - cheers, I'll take a look at that. I plan to do the same eventually. Hopefully in a year I'll be at a standard where I can produce complete minis.

Alexandra - many thanks for the link, it has some really useful poses and whatnot.

Also, I talked to a mate today who is an archeologist and pretty much specialises in burial sites, so he gave me a very in depth assessment of what's right and wrong about the skull. Turns out I did ok, but have loads of stuff to change and improve for the next one, but it's good to keep on learning.

 

[lono]

Today, muscles. This was pretty fun!

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Skull slightly reshaped from last time

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Masseter, temporalis, and orbicular oris

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Buccinator and frontalis

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Zygomaticus major and minor, levator labii and flattening out the eye sockets in prep for the eyeballs

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Adding eyeballs and orbicularis oculi

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Moving the eyelids out

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Nose, lips and chin digastric and mylohyoid muscles in place

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Alternate view

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Alternate view

And next I move on to fat and skin. Lovely!

 

[supervike]

Very cool stuff James!

 

[Alexandra]

Just two things in relation to propotions:

1. in relation to the length of the face, you have a rather short nose;
2. the eyes balls are either to much on the inside or the muscle folds are to stretched.


The nose can always be by design, just remember that the ears length go between the eyebrows and the bottom of the nose. The cannon is three equal measures: from the hair line to the middle line of the eyes, from this to the bottom of the nose, and from this to the bottom of the chin. You can always alter it to give a certain personality to your character ( and therefore, by design ).


Not that good explanation, but is the best I got in english. Perhaps this will be more helpful:

http://drawsketch.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.anticz.com/heads.htm

 

[Alexandra]

Oh, just remember: I have some pics that can help you, but I'm shy to post it :blush: It's from a University work: a forence reconstruction from a Neolithic scull. Is there a mail were I can send it to you?

 

[PegaZus]

Oh, just remember: I have some pics that can help you, but I'm shy to post it :blush: It's from a University work: a forence reconstruction from a Neolithic scull. Is there a mail were I can send it to you?

Now, now, now. We'll not have any of this shyness! It shall not stand. Post it!

 

[lono]

Alexandra - feel free to email it to me, although you should never really worry about posting stuff around these parts, people are generally pretty nice. My email is james@project666.com. Thanks!

And today I couldn't help myself. Started to build up the skin and then, when I should really have been refining it and adding ears and a neck, I got into a groove and decided to play about with adding some more detail and texture. Kinda going for a battleworn Space Marine sergeant look. Far from perfect, but I'm ok with the look of it for a first play.

 

[Alexandra]

So, I apologize for the bad quality of the pics... Do take in account this was a school project
This was made from a plaster cast of a actual neolithic scull ( pic bellow ) that a museum lend me for this project. Has you can imagine, I was terrified of letting it drop while I was protecting it to apply the plaster...
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I first inserted the eyes, after the nose structure and only then the muscles.
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I started with the inside muscles first. Because the original scull didn't had all teeth, I had to work the mouth muscles in relation to it ( lack of teeth affects the muscle form ).
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With all the muscles laid out, I then started to work the fat and skin, taking in account the subjects age and habits from what was known from the arqueologic site it was found ( this pics were lost ).

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This is the final result... Oscar ( it's pet name ) is still in exhibition at the museum... Gave it to them because didn't wanted dead guys heads lying around the house The skin is not as realistic as I wanted it to be, but again, tiny budget project...

It also helped me a lot a stage makeup book I had from my dad: it had a huge collection of pics from peoples faces of several ages, chapes and colors that I could choose to construct this face. James, if you don't want your characters to be alike what's on market, I suggest you get a book like this.