Advice on presentation

Rebecca Nix

Hi, this is my first time posting my work but I would really like some critique and advice on how best to present my work.
I've spent a while on this model and I'm not sure what else I can do to make it look better. I've been messing around with Marmoset but I want to get some good renders that I can put on my portfolio.

This is the model and the renders that I have taken so far.





I'm still tweaking the model when I have time, like I'm still tweaking the wings since I'm not sure of the best way of doing them.
Any feedback is welcome and hopefully I will be posting more of my work up in the near future.
TY,
Becca.

Brian "Panda" Choi

Did you try drawing/sketching thumbnails of how you want to present it?

Also consider WHO the character is.

What I mean by that:

When I was working on Retro Jinx, elements that influenced the original concept like 1960s Sci Fi, Golden Age Sci Fi, Flash Gordon, and having something wallpaper friendly but still presentably influenced how I wanted to present the model. Also, rig issues influenced how crazy I could get with the character post.

But being able to pitch this idea of 1960s Sci Fi that was part of my character model influenced how I presented my model below: a B-Movie Sci Fi set complete with hanging cardboard planets, with an overlay of scanlines from old CTR TV sets. A lot of this is compositing in Photoshop.



With you character, think about who the character is. What was the main ifluences and ideas behind the concept? What culture does the character come from? Or what would the game look like if the character was in it.

Francois_K

If I were you I'd create a fitting background , the thing is flying so maybe it could be in the clouds or wherever.

And some things I personally I try to keep in mind are KISS ( Keep it simple stupid ) and compositional weight.

Right now the background is very bright and the platform is a bit lackluster.
Create a story for your character. It's a harpy....so , Is it a messenger? Is it a warrior?

Look on artstation and see how other people do their presentation.

Hope this helped you somewhat.

Good luck!

Wendy de Boer

The materials look very flat. Did you create specular and roughness maps for it? Or is this a hand-painted diffuse only character?

Rebecca Nix

Thanks for the advice, I tried to capture more character in this pose by referencing a sketch I did. I also cropped the image a lot more.
I'm not sure what to do about the lighting, I don't have a normal map or any specular for this model since I wasn't sure if it needed it.

MsPrestige

You'd be surprised on how far a simple specular and normal map can do to a model. I would definitely recommend making those maps. They will definitely make your renders look better. Also, maybe try for a stronger pose as well for your character. Something that shows what kind of personality your character has. If anything, look up reference too! Like if you go to Google look up "Hawk Girl" since she also has wings and study the poses you see.

I'm sure just these few things will greatly improve your renders

THendersonVFX

Could you post some references of the style you are trying to create, or something similar? It's hard to give good qualitative feedback if we don't know the direction or style you are trying to achieve. Things to include are: Is this for game, or realistic render? Your texture style; Are you going for hand painted like Blizzard and Riot, or something more realistic? Do you have a style/mood board that goes with this? Is the character good or evil?

The more info you post with your work alongside concepts and renders, the more the community can get an idea of what you are going for. After that, we can better help you really nail what you have in your head and get it out for the world to see

Things to keep in mind for your presentation: Narrative - what is the story on your character? Where do they come from, what are they about? Where are they in your render? (forest, city, dungeon, etc.) These will all effect your lighting.
Poses - Is this character a fighter, thief, just starting out on their adventure? Are they poised and regal? Are they aggressive or stealthy? Do they fight with weapons, magic, bare hands, control minions, etc.
Inspiration - Comic characters have a much different pose style than TV/movie characters, and anime has it's own style as well.


Create a story for your characters, and bring that into your project.

Wendy de Boer

You don't necessarily need a normal and specular map for your character, but if you do go diffuse only, you need to paint way more lighting, specular highlights, and detail into your texture. In that case you would render your final image without any lighting. It would need to hold up on its own with just the diffuse information.