Stylised Nautical Beefcake Zombie

JunkieKong

Ahoy there. My study for this semester is focused on portfolio building and I really want to make some sort of character for a portfolio piece, as I want to learn the process - particularly sculpting a high-poly and baking maps to a low-poly game model.
Seeing as how I also like to draw, I'd like to do a decent piece of concept art to base the character off. This is where I'm at currently but would love to get some feedback from people before moving on and finalising the design. What works? What doesn't? Is it too busy? Does a flesh-dwelling hermit crab disturb you?


That's all for now.

BagelHero

Okay and firstly; whadda title.

Secondly, I want the flesh dwelling hermit crab to be a thing. That makes me uncomfortable in the best of ways.

Also; subbed.

lotet

This looks awesome! I like the small crab, I think the two bigger once are a bit to distracting. the hat with the bird on top of and the harpoons are awesome to, why not just go with everything?

JunkieKong

Haha, I have all these ideas floating around but thought if I put them all into one character its gonna get messy quick... but at the moment I'm liking the last concept with the crab nestled in a swollen mass of flesh, but perhaps change the scale or position of the crab a bit. And I also think a pegleg works well, so I might keep that in.

Abidus

Love that last concept as well, especially with a huge crab coming out like that with eyes and everything. I'm wondernig if they're something else you can make hold instead of an anchor, since that seems like the most generic element of an otherwise very unique idea. Anchor peg-leg maybe?

JunkieKong

hmmm I don't know if I could lose the anchor because the whole concept started with that. He would need something equally as large and imposing to hold.. maybe like a sea mine on a chain or something

dschmidt3d

I really like the last one with the big crab and the pin cushion idea. Combining those would be cool. Maybe for a different weapon he could be carrying around a cannon in his other arm. That's all I could think of that would be equally as large as the anchor.

Draygo00

Anchor strapped to back, and holding a big ol' harpoon launcher like: http://www.coolantarctica.com/gallery/whales_whaling/images/harpoon_gun.jpg

JunkieKong

Fancy seeing you here Draygo, and yeah I actually like the harpoon gun idea but its gonna take two hands to wield that badboy. I'll draw some stuff up soon...

elvor0

Gotta say, totally eye catching title, the concept art even more so. Certainly not too busy; I feel it's very distinct, everything has it's place in each of the versions.

Love the idea of the flesh dwelling hermit crab, really cool. Is the second image different versions, or just what it would be doing if it were animated? If it's different versions, I like the left one the most, maybe with it a bit more "interwoven" with his flesh.

Not too sure how I feel about the pegleg. If you go with it, could be a little bigger or not a traditional pegleg. It looks a bit too small given his hulking size.

I like the harpoon quiver, but don't know how it would work in tandem with the crab. He'd have to put the anchor down in order to use em. Heck, the harpoon launcher /could/ work, he's a pretty hefty customer, could certainly wield a stylized version, but then he loses the anchor

JunkieKong

Those crab concepts were me just mucking around with the position and how they interact with the skipper. I like the pegleg exactly for the reason that it is so skinny and contrasts with his enormous upper body mass, but I don't have to use it.
I have more concepts to show but imgur is being crap at the moment.

shotgun

The crab-parasite/pet is definitely cool, maybe push the silhouette on it.
The pegleg proportions-contrast also works well, it makes sense. I'm not too keen, personally, on the big-arm small-arm concept that has become popular...

JunkieKong

Okay got it uploaded eventually. I mucked around a bit more with the hermit crab and think I like it more at this scale and means he has two arms for lugging around a harpoon gun or whatever. Not sure about the sea mines, it would only make sense if they were not active. The idea with the harpoon gun is that it still has the mounting post underneath as if he has just ripped it off the deck of a ship - but maybe thats excessive.
Also mucked around with the anchor tied to is back but not sure what purpose it serves or if I like the look of it. I'm thinking if I do a harpoon gun I'm gonna have to ditch the anchor and keep his arms the same size, but I could use the harpoon pincushion idea and maybe that could also serve as his extra ammunition.

JunkieKong

Righto, sorry about the lack of updates - I have been super busy lately between full-time study and full-time work but I still plan on seeing this through to the end, it may just take forever.
Anyway, I've gravitated back to the anchor as I feel its nice and distinct but have changed the design to a four-pronged one and I think if he is dragging it behind him it will sell the weight of it. But I think I could make it a bigger still. And at the moment I think I'll just have him one-armed with the hermit crab in its place.
I'd like to settle on a final design in the next week or so while I have some time, so please get any c&c in now before I move on.


Cheers, Patrick.

elvor0

Yup, totally digging it. Yay for the hermit crab! I've come around to the pegleg now, certainly helps the silhouette pop, no idea why I was on the fence before.

Also glad to see this is still going, was worried you wern't carrying on with it, came here to bump it

JunkieKong

Good to hear! The hermit crab is probably the only thing I'm certain on now. I have a few more designs I'd like to muck around with still, but yes I am still keen on finishing it - you guys might just have to harrass me when things have been too quiet.
Stay tuned.

JunkieKong

Okay this will probably be the last lot of sketches before moving on to the final polished concept. In the first rough I've tried out a different kind of harpoon gun (like this http://www.thehulltruth.com/attachments/fishing-miscellaneous-items-commercial-sellers-only/140176d1289500886-price-reduced-buy-christmas-38-caliber-navy-arms-harpoon-gun-lft2.jpg) that can be used one-handed. No idea how he would reload.
In the next I've just strapped bits and pieces of nautical stuff to him, as if he is some kind of scavenger. But I think it might be getting a bit complicated.
The last one is just going back to the earlier sketch and giving him some tats, and I think that should give him some good visual interest as long as it doesn't get too distracting. At this point I'm thinking that I'll go with that design because it's keeping things simple and I reckon it will hold up. I might still jam some harpoons in his back for good measure though.

On a side note, I somehow have gotten even busier than before so bear with me. This could take some time.

BagelHero

Jam harpoons into the back of the anchor concept and I reckon you're golden.

JunkieKong

Moving on to the final piece now, but now I'm struggling to find a good composition that shows off both the hermit crab and the anchor which are on opposite sides. He could have the anchor resting over his shoulder but I feel that the big sketch with him dragging the anchor is more dynamic, but consequently you can hardly see the anchor. Maybe you don't need to though, I don't know.
I'm keen to hear some suggestions from people, I'm drawing blanks right now.

JunkieKong

So... it's been a while and I'm realising that I need to get a move on with this. I've decided to put the polished concept art on hold and jump into the 3D now, so I've got a basemesh to work with (although I may still change some proportions).

Should be getting it into zbrush soon...

JunkieKong

Not.... Dead.... Yet.... I've been pretty occupied with work but unemployment now looms ahead so I felt compelled to work on this and I should have plenty of free-time in about a month :thumbup:
So I've made a start noodling around in ZBrush, and this is pretty unfamiliar territory for me but have had lots of fun already learning about using symmetry on an assymetrical character, which is why currently there is a disembodied hand floating around. Not so elegant but it seems to work. Also this is really putting my anatomy knowledge under the hammer, I might have to spend some time until I get something I'm happy with.

I'm not gonna promise more updates anytime soon, but should be able to make some serious progress in a few weeks.

BagelHero

Yesss, good to see this is still on your radar.

(...Not so good to see that it's for a sorta cruddy reason. I hope you find yourself employed again before too long, by the way.)

JunkieKong

Hey Bagel, good to hear that this still has some interest. I've been checking in on your stuff every now and then, and you are killing it by the way.
And yeah not having a stable job isn't ideal, but I guess that's the nature of TV work. But I still have a little freelance work on the side currently.

achillesian

the underwater mine flail is an amazing idea

le0tard

dat title, I like the overall concept. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

JunkieKong

Whaaat uup. So the inevitable has finally happened and my work contract has ended, but I guess that means plenty more time to work on this sucka. I've been noodling around with it and feel I'm getting close to finishing the body sculpt, haven't done much on the head yet. Not super happy with his lumpy crab-socket, I've already made multiple passes at it but its the sort of thing I could play around with endlessly so it might just be best to move on. Nevertheless, any suggestions would be appreciated.
I guess next up I'll be taking a stab at his face. Maybe even literally.

FullSynch

Love it, Hermit crabs often have one big beefy arm/claw that they use for defense, it acts like a door to their shell as well. Incorporated into this piece the hermit crabs main claw could act as this guys left arm. That may help balance him out.

JunkieKong

@FullSynch - I've definitely considered having a claw to act as an arm, but have been pretty on the fence about it... but I'll see how I feel about it later on when he is closer to finished.

So update for today is that I've ended up separating the head to work on in a new file, which I've got a feeling I may really regret when it comes to reattaching it. May need some zbrush gurus handy to explain the best way when I'm done with the head.

Think I'm gonna have to sus out this dynamesh business when it comes to sculpting those mutton chops. But pretty happy with how its looking so far.

THendersonVFX

would really like to see barnacles on this guy somewhere, maybe as the sideburns? Just a personal though, but I already love your direction already.

Something about the abbs is bothering me... They look too flat to my eye? Dunno... maybe it will hit me later

Also, subbed

stickadtroja

this maybe will be to late now, but i think its better if the hermit crab was in a actual body cavity. (no not the ass). right now you just made a house for it with flesh, which looks contrived to me. why dont put it the stomach instead. like peering out from underneath the ribs, laying on a nest of intestine?

3dReaper

stickadtroja wrote: »

this maybe will be to late now, but i think its better if the hermit crab was in a actual body cavity. (no not the ass). right now you just made a house for it with flesh, which looks contrived to me. why dont put it the stomach instead. like peering out from underneath the ribs, laying on a nest of intestine?

Well, I believe it looks perfect where it is (the crab). It acts as an arm.

BagelHero

I read it as, like, the dude had a festering sea-wound and the crab buried itself in and made itself a new home. But design-wise, while contrived, it does balance existing asymmetry pretty nicely.

Also, great to see progress on this!

JunkieKong

@THendersonVFX - I agree, as long as it doesn't make things too busy some barnacles or other sea life could be cool to add later on. Also I did want to retopo all this once the sculpt is done so I want to watch that I'm not making too much work for myself. And those abs definitely need some more attention, I'm just trying to avoid giving too much definition.

@stickadtroja - yep you're too late I'm afraid. You're just gonna have to learn to love all his cavities as they are. And Bagel summed up my thoughts on the crab perfectly.

JunkieKong

Think I'm ready to call the head sculpt pretty much done. Not too happy with hair like the mutton chops - I still haven't worked out how people can get weird shapes like that so smooth and clean - but still, not too bad for a first attempt. But for now I have to figure out how to reattach it back to the body and I'll make any other changes after that.

Also just for a bit of fun I blocked in some potential base colours, and had a play with rendering in zbrush to make a slightly more presentable image.

xxroxx

So, only complaints are that his nose seems too deep, it should protrude a little more and also his teeth could use a bit more work. Other than that it's looking great!

JunkieKong

@xxroxx - not sure if I really understand what you're talking about; he is a zombie, so the idea is that the flesh and cartilage in his nose has decayed away, leaving just a stump.

Anyhoo, not a heap done in this update - finally got the head back on to the body with a lot of mucking around, and I've blocked in some clothes to cover his unmentionables. Those sticks in his back are just rough placement for the harpoons I'll add eventually. Also I gave the hands some attention, as shown below.

BagelHero

You're doing a good job capturing the vibe of your concepts, which is great to see. I actually agree, though, right now the skull has a very flat front. Even the features of the skull with no features on it are rounded, with the eyes deeper set, and the nose and teeth protruding.


I think some leeway can be given because it's stylised, but I feel like you could kind of double check the protrusion of those forms

Absolutely loving the way the body's going, though. Looking great!

amirabd2130

looks really creepy.
looking forward to see the final result

xxroxx

BagelHero explained what I said better. The nose bone protudes a little more on the top of it (right under where the nose meets the brow)

JunkieKong

Cheers guys I see it now, should have picked up on it earlier. I'll go back and muck around with the upper jaw/nose area soon.

JunkieKong

Okay, I went back and had a play with the head and hopefully its now closer to what you guys had in mind. I didn't want to make anything protrude too much more, but think it's an improvement although not so happy with the chin currently.

THendersonVFX

Nice progress! I still love that crab too

Crazy_pixel

Really cool character Can't wait to see more pictures :thumbup:

Eliteabix

Ew, is there a Hermit Crab living in in his arm? Thats amazing.

JunkieKong

@Eliteabix - yes, yes it is. Haven't decided what to name it yet.

So it has been a while since I've updated and mostly I have been spending way too much time mucking around with the pants and it still needs some work. But I guess I've also worked on the shoes and suspenders. And added a nipple.

JunkieKong

Been playing around with some details for the flesh-mass. I felt that he needed veins showing in areas but at the moment I can't decide if it needs more veins or less, or maybe the shapes just need to be changed. I'd be keen to hear some thoughts.
Also started shaping the hermit crab, and I think I want to go the direction of spindly insectoid kind of legs. And you may notice I put some swirly details in the pegleg but I may have overdone it.

Maxilator

Looks really good! The only thing bothering me is the fact that there isn't much of a wrist, I know its more of a design choice but personally i think it would look better with at least some indication of the joint. Keep up the good work!

skodone

such horror!:D
that muscle/tumor looks terrific

JunkieKong

Cheers guys, glad you enjoy it. And Maxilator I know exactly where you're coming from, it has been one of my concerns too but I have purposely kept any indication of a wrist pretty subtle. These screencaps don't show it off so well though.

So now I think I'm done with sculpting the crab, which means theoretically I'm pretty close to having finished the high poly model. Still a few things I need to do like the harpoons and some deets around the body but I'm hoping they won't take long.

JunkieKong

Alrighty, think I may have finally finished the sculpt. I made a broken harpoon and a much simpler variation to jam in the back. I tried having two of the big harpoons but it seemed a bit much with them right next to each other, but there is time later to revisit that.

Also had a quick play in marmoset with the sculpt and I thought it came out pretty nice.

P.S. I'm on artstation now which I imagine I'll use for showing off later on https://www.artstation.com/artist/junkiekong

JunkieKong

Before jumping right in, I decided to do a little retopo/bake/texture test with the harpoon, so here it is. This screencap is just from chucking it into marmoset and I didn't bother lighting it properly.

It's a little shonky in places because those cloth wraps were a real pain to bake down - but I think it should hold up being viewed at a distance. As you can see I want to the texture to be pretty simple and subtle - I'm avoiding any photo textures as this was all just done with textured brushes.