I had a little look at using different brushes and alphas today. Quite interesting stuff, I can see how easy it would be to create very interesting textures with experience. I used the clay brush when initially modeling, instead of the standard and also played about with clay tubes. I also experimented with masking, embarrassingly it took me a while to figure out how to deselect the highlighted surface but in the end it helped with the nose.
Couldn't resist letting my imagination take over today, aliens on the brain! Over the next few days I think I'll try and learn how to add/create separate elements to the model, like teeth, eyes and maybe hair. I think I'll also try and experiment with different combinations of brushes, strokes and alphas.
This is the 2nd sculpt I've made in Zbrush and I think I'm progressing quite well. Today I tried to use the pinch tool. Some quite cool brushes in Zbrush, hopefully I'll learn to use one a day or something. Starting to feel a little more comfortable with the controls now.
I've just started introducing myself to Zbrush 3 and my experience so far has been very positive! Its taken me a little while to get used to the scary interface but now I've had a proper look at the different brushes and vast options I feel little more confident. The customisable interface is very impressive and makes working feel very personal. The above image is my first attempt at sculpting anything and was pretty good fun! Thank god I've got my Wacom tablet working again!
This is my submitted work for the end of my 2nd year in Uni. It got me nominated for 'best 2nd year' which was a great honor. Its amazing how much I've learnt this year and I'm really starting to feel comfortable in programmes like 3D max. I'm looking forward to starting my 3rd year as things I didn't really understand in my 2nd year are suddenly becoming clear to me now. I still find some of the technical aspects a bit mind boggling but I remember that same feeling starting up Photoshop almost 10 years ago. If I had more time on this project (it all went so fast!) I think I would have liked to experiment with normal maps and also do more hand drawn designs.
On a more personal note, I have a feeling that because I've been doing mostly digital work lately people doubt my capability with a pencil. One person in particular who mentioned this to me was my tutor and its been eating away at me since. I've always been confident using pencils but due to spending the majority of my time trying to figure out how to use certain computer programmes to enhance my 3D work, I guess I've been neglecting more traditional skills. When I get back to Uni I'll have to make sure I keep practicing and not forget how much fun traditional methods are!
At the end of this video you'll notice my work for the BBC 'talking dog' project. This was great fun and I'm so glad I was asked by my classmates to take part in it. I've always had a huge interest in Matte paintings and always wanted to give it a go. This assignment gave me the freedom to experiment with techniques I've always wanted to try. Despite the length of the establishing shots, getting a feeling of life and movement in these images was very self satisfying! Much thanks to my friends in Motion design for teaching me how to use Adobe After Effects in such a short amount of time!
