Sketchbook: Brandon

Brandon.LaFrance

Hi, polycount. I've been lurking these pages for years now, and the skill that comes out of this community has been a huge inspiration to me. I have made it my goal to enter the game industry as a character artist, and I have got quite a bit of ground to cover before I can compete.

This thread is intended to be a personal record of my progress. I welcome all criticism, it is greatly appreciated.

Brandon.LaFrance

Edit: Removed dead links.

wake

Instead of working directly on top of predrawn skeletal systems, start learning the bone structure yourself. The skeletal system is foundational to any understanding of the human figure, so take the time now to learn the bones and overall structure, and then from there start learning the musculature as well. Knowing the vocabulary of what you're drawing goes a long way towards accuracy-- if you don't know what the sternocleidomastoid is called, or even what it is, it's much harder to properly illustrate it.

Keep on posting man.

Brandon.LaFrance

What up, Polycount? It's been way too long since I've posted work, so I'm bringing this thread back from the dead.

I've started on a proper ecorche and will be posting my progress here. So far I've got every bone blocked out. I've been sculpting at relatively low resolutions, paying careful attention to the proportions and large forms of each bone. From here I will begin to refining the skeleton with a focus on planes, paying particular attention to the origins and insertions of the muscles.

I'm eager to get feedback and critique from anyone that can spare the time. Thanks for looking!

Brandon.LaFrance

Brandon.LaFrance

Brandon.LaFrance

I finally found some more time to work on this again. Nearly done blocking in all of the muscles. At this time, I'm mostly concerned with origins/insertions and volume. Once all of the muscles are blocked in, I'll continue to refine towards more natural and accurate forms for each of the individual muscles. As always, I appreciate any feedback and critique. Thanks for looking!

Brandon.LaFrance

I found a few more hours to work on this project this week. I was able to get most of the muscles in the head and neck in, and finally start sculpting some detail. I'll be working my way back down through each of the muscles to get the same level of detail throughout that I currently have in the face. Thanks for checking out my thread!

Brandon.LaFrance

I made some good progress on the neck and am beginning to move down through the torso.. The forms of the back have always been a thorn in my side. There are only a few large muscles that occupy a majority of the back's surface, but there are just so many subtle changes in mass, direction, and curvature that I frequently to get lost and noodle around for far too long. Any advice here would be greatly appreciated!

I hope to wrap up the torso this weekend and move into the limbs. As always, thanks for looking!

almighty_gir

dude, this is sick! keep going!

ruebenDodds

Great work on this piece. ^_^

Brandon.LaFrance

Thanks for the encouragement, guys! More updates coming soon.

Slozhny

owesome, man!

Brandon.LaFrance

Thanks, Slozhny! Torso and arms updated, legs are coming-up next. At some point I'll circle back around and finish up the hands.

ruebenDodds

Good day Brandon,

I was wondering if don't mind me asking what reference are you using while you sculpting your ecorche for example any books, pinterest or 3D scans? Because currently I have only two anatomy books for myself, which would be use while I do a study for myself.

Brandon.LaFrance

Hi Rueben,

I bounced through several different references each with their various strengths and weaknesses. Here's a list of the major ones:

Classic Human Anatomy, Valerie L. Winslow - This book does a great job of breaking anatomy into easily-digestible chunks. It identifies each muscle's origin and insertion, as well as its action in one of the cleanest and most-concise texts that I have been able to find. The drawings aren't as detailed or well-rendered as other sources, but I used this heavily during the blocking phase.

Der Nackte Mensch, Gottfried Bammes - Bammes' drawings are amazing. He superbly distills complex forms into clear geometric shapes and planes. Invaluable.

Atlas of Human Anatomy and Surgery, Jean-Baptiste Marc Bourgery - Most detailed and finely-rendered drawings of the human anatomy that I have ever seen. However, they lack annotation, so I can be difficult to get your bearings if this is your only resource.

Gray's Anatomy - A classic. Highly detailed and descriptive drawings.

Rafael Grassetti - An awesome digital sculptor whose ecorche is what inspired me to make my own. You can download his ecorche from his gumroad page. Totally worth the cost.

Scott Eaton - Teaches online courses on anatomy and figure sculpture. Highly recommended if you have the time and money. Also collaborated on a mobile app called "L'Ecorché" that is available on both Android and iOS that is well worth the $5.

I'm sure there are tons more that I'm leaving out, but those were the big ones that I found myself returning to over and over. Hope that helps!

Brandon.LaFrance

Brandon.LaFrance

Started something new!

Brandon.LaFrance

Brandon.LaFrance

Hair and skin first pass in Marmoset:

kxhall08

Brandon.LaFrance said:

I found a few more hours to work on this project this week. I was able to get most of the muscles in the head and neck in, and finally start sculpting some detail. I'll be working my way back down through each of the muscles to get the same level of detail throughout that I currently have in the face. Thanks for checking out my thread!

I am in A&P and I have a test this week on muscles...this is amazing. I used it to write out what each muscles is. You are pretty talented my friend. Keep it up. 

Brandon.LaFrance

Thanks! I'm glad you found this useful!