[WIP] Amphibiman Bust

Fogbrain

Hey guys, finally I got something worthy of posting (I hope.) This was a speed sculpt that I got way too into doing further because I really enjoyed the forms. I've never tried an original creature before and I think this went well. I got some nice reference of frogs and fishes as my main point of reference.

At the moment I'm tossing up whether or not to take it further with texturing and then game res, but heres a quick render in Keyshot that I'm using for the first time and I really enjoy the hell out of it.



I'll do a further composite with some passes and textures in photoshop to make it really come to life.

Originally he had scales and 4 eyes and horns, but I decided to scrap it because it got too mish-mashy and busy at the front, the focal point was the neck to the eyes.



So here's a small breakdwon.



Any C&C is welcome, and I'll take it all on board for future projects and even change some stuff on this bust if need be to make the texturing process really pop, if I wanna take it further.

I'll post an update hopefully later today with a fresh composite render in Keyshot and PS

DWalker

You might want to study the anatomy of similar creatures, and understand why they have evolved as they have.

Your current model seems to be missing his nose. (How does he smell? Awful... thanks, folks! I'll be here all week! Try the fish!)

Most amphibians (those from Earth, at least) have smooth skins, with the occasional thick patches (i.e. warts). The skins are thin, and water-permeable, and are often covered by a mucus layer (which would be important when you texture it).

The eyes - at least in the adults - are often large and round. The pupils usually dilate to vertical or horizontal slits, and are often quite colorful:


I'd recommend texturing your model; aside from being the final step, it will allow you to have a great deal of artistic license. Amphibians run the complete gamut from dull, camouflaged bodies to bright, contrasting colors. Even sticking to actual patterns you'll have a wide array of choices; go wild!

Fogbrain

Thanks for the feedback DWalker, to clarify, he wasn't entirely supposed to be a frog. Mostly a fictional alien or creatures, I followed what Bryan Wynia does to approach creatures and mix similar animals together to create a new species. Also he does have a nose It's just very small, and it's above his mouth in the center, you can see two wrinkled holes. The way I imagine him is to have all this fat on the bottom and exposed bones and organs on his back and neck, I seem to have had a bit of H.R. Geiger on the mind when I was making those areas.

I think I might texture him after all, to really give this creature an identity.

Fogbrain

Finished render passes and texture layovers in Keyshot as promised. I think it looks alright. Happy with this one, and I think I'm gonna leave it for now until I get into a texturing mood.

BagelHero

My main concern for this are the... gums? Lips? They kinda make it look like he's wearing very poorly made dentures. Perhaps bring them up to the level of detail as everything else, they stand out as being "unfinished" right now, even if that perhaps isn't the intention.

Other than that, this looks pretty good, but for creature designs to feel plausible you need to address some things.

How does it close it's mouth..? Is it permanently open? Does that cause health issues?
And if I stuck my hands into those holes/organs A) where would they go? and Would the creature be exceedingly uncomfortable/in pain? You said it was an amphibian, so... surely while in water twigs and stuff might get in there. He might get snagged. If he swims around head first this is actually a potentially serious concern!

You can make stuff gross, cool and kinda plausible. Not mutually exclusive things.

Fogbrain

Definitely some stuff I'll have to address, which is partially why I was skeptical to take it further into texturing/game res level. You do raise some very good points that I gotta remember when I do something like this again.

But you're pretty much on point, he is this fat, wrinkly bulbus alien with exposed bones and organs that walks out of water. Like a twisted experiment gone wrong, so I did take into account that he would be sensitive to any conflict. He's a bit of a pathetic creature :P

Thanks for the feedback BagelHero, I'll come back to this thread and nail those points in my head whenever I tackle another creature.