What's my weakest skill ?
polycounter lvl 12
Really appreciated for anyone taking the time to help me with this.
I just realized I don't have 'goal'. I noticed that because now I am lost.
I thought I would just start using ZBrush and start pumping out pieces after pieces . Boy was I so wrong. What's the point of making arts with the same skills as the last ones... I have to get better during and in-between pieces. Now, I do know I could improve all my skills across. Well, one thing I learn is that it won't work with me. I have to focus.
So, these are some of the stuff I have been doing during the last few years, on and off.
Low Poly, Sculpting, Texturing, etc. I would like to know which process ruins it for me that I could improve it the most for noticeable result. They are not of any particular order, and not of the same projects.
Low Poly + Topology (Before I use ZBrush)
LowPoly + Crappy Texture (The Only Time I Texture before I use ZBrush)
ZBrush Sculpts
I just realized I don't have 'goal'. I noticed that because now I am lost.
I thought I would just start using ZBrush and start pumping out pieces after pieces . Boy was I so wrong. What's the point of making arts with the same skills as the last ones... I have to get better during and in-between pieces. Now, I do know I could improve all my skills across. Well, one thing I learn is that it won't work with me. I have to focus.
So, these are some of the stuff I have been doing during the last few years, on and off.
Low Poly, Sculpting, Texturing, etc. I would like to know which process ruins it for me that I could improve it the most for noticeable result. They are not of any particular order, and not of the same projects.
Low Poly + Topology (Before I use ZBrush)
LowPoly + Crappy Texture (The Only Time I Texture before I use ZBrush)
ZBrush Sculpts
Replies
You won't necessarily acquire these skills though modeling. Your best bet is to do a lot of figure drawing. Drawing is a much faster medium, so it will allow you to iterate on your skills much faster.
-Texturing
Only 3 out of 15 of these have any sort of texture. And the ones that do only have big chunks of primary colors and no real material definition. You really need to look into working with spec and gloss maps since that is pretty much mandatory in the games industry. And do more detailed and defined textures than just a paint bucket fill. Try to replicate real life objects, or concept art.
-Cloth
Your cloth folds are really not making much sense. You just have a handful of general folds and creases that don't seem to obey gravity or the movement of the body. Spend more time studying clothed figures. Either sculpting it or drawing (i don't know how good of a draftsman you are). Try to find some books on clothed figure drawing that break down the theory well. A former instructor at my college had a very good breakdown of different types of folds that make them easy to identify and work with. She had a book that i greatly recommend.
http://www.mightyartdemos.com/mightyartdemos-bradley.html
-Anatomy
Your proportions are generally rather good, but you lack definition. Study up on anatomy; draw from life and get some good books on anatomy like Hogarth, Loomis, or Bridgeman and learn how to identify the major landmarks. You don't need to know the name of every muscle as long as you know what to accentuate. While I said your proportions are generally good I was referring to the body, your faces tend to have a wide bug-eyed look to them where the eyes are too far apart and the mouth is too low. And they are generalyl rather featureless in terms of skeletal structure and soft masses.
I recommend Scott Eatons courses as advice.I recall myself saying "Oh,I'll never be able to draw anything related to the human body"...It's possible now.
It's always nice to look at bare models for study to see what actually gives that artist's work it's feature.
Additional,after reading Fingus's feedback,I decided to make an edit or rather add more information.You have 2048x2048 maps on your model and you gave little detail them.You should consider managing your resources a bit better.
I might be wrong and I apologize if I am, but the anatomy is apparent in the fingers and general shape, and the topology all reads the same in most areas, in particular I'm just looking for poles and tracing those around.
Beyond that, it really appears like sometimes you just rush through a piece without thinking about materials or cloth. I have given you this crit before I believe. For instance wonder woman I can clearly see the uncleaned 'dottiness' of the zbrush sculpt in your normal map, and the colors look like a block out of polypaint, without regard to actually recreating something.
Getting through a lot of pieces can be good, if you're aiming for something specific, like learning anatomy, or practicing folds, but sometimes the best bet is to really slow down and take your time, and try to do the best you are capable of without rushing it. You'll learn a lot more in-depth that way.
Last, I gave you this crit in your last thread
To which you replied
I still really feel like this is good advice worth taking note of. Whether you feel like it or not, a proper workflow will really, really help you get ahead when you're doing any art, but particularly this kind of more technical art.
"I'm doing another one right now on a different project, so I will skip that step this time" isn't a proper reason for not doing things the correct way (correct being relative). I also suspect that this attitude might be behind certain choices, like painting an arm all one color, skipping details and cleanup, and calling that a texture.
If it seems harsh I apologize, sometimes I'm not the best at being tactful about the way I say things. My advice here really is aimed at helping, so if it reads a different way it's unintentional.
The other thing I would suggest that will help a lot in Z-brush: Start low. Start as low poly as you can, and don't move up until you absolutely have to. Get every ounce of detail out of a subdivision before you divide it. That goes for Dynamesh as well. Start as low as you can get it almost perfect, then, and only then up your resolution.
Also... Don't be afraid to do studies. By studies, I mean drawing or sculpting the same thing over and over again and learning from it. Take an hour and sculpt a bust from scratch. then the next day do it again, and again, and again. Practice proportions and anatomy and see what you can do to push it a little be more each time.
Art is a lot like most sports, you have to practice to get better, and the best way to improve is by drilling core concepts until you can repeat them in your sleep.
@DemonPrincess & @Melodeus, thanks. I have been drawing (read:rough-sketch) Though I probably want to draw it fully and not just lineart. (and draw dem damn wrinkles!) Sry big pictures. Newer sketches are still in my sketchbook <_<"
@ysalex, thank you, and I want to apologize if I have sounded arrogant. I didn't and still don't mean to. You're right, pre-zbrush I mostly use the same base mesh which I kept upgrading over time.(hands remain unchanged I believe.) I think I will do more like Ramza proj where I only import basic geometries into zbrush to sculpt on (but with real body, yes.)
Kinda like that.
I also have to change my mindset. I was on 'just keep making arts, make it and finish it, and move on to the next before you lose interest.' Result was mediocre stuff. Harsh comment is what I need now. Thanks.
%YdoUwant2know, thanks. Seems I have drawing studies coming up.
One last thing I forgot to say... don't draw from memory. Get as much reference as you can and use it. Making and ear? You should have 20 images from all different angles. Drawing a nose, hand, face, arm, eye, anything else; same idea.
The average human brain can really only focus on 3 things at one time. And it can really only recall 5-6 things at a time... That means when working on art, you cannot really actively remember everything. So use reference to help you out.
It's best to draw from a real model if you can, but a good alternative is to get a large mirror and draw yourself.
Shape, line, planes, shade, ... you name it.
Here are some drawings from Jana Schirmer and Kevin Wueste - notice the "study" quality of them - every line has a purpose and nothing is randomly placed.
You should strive to learn something from any study drawings, either from reference or live model - that dictates what you want to draw in it - for example you might want to learn how the clavicle looks like and moves, and you'll focus on that, gather reference and study.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1302528630/masters-of-anatomy
This book on Anatomy looks cool. It might be helpful for you.
@huffer, thanks for the examples.