Character over precision in modeling?

daniellooartist

Hello everyone. I was recently talking to a sculptor about various topics in art. He looked at my work and notated that I was too fixated on precision. One thing he mentioned was that conveying the message and character was actually more important, even at the expense of not following the reference exactly if not at all. He also mentioned that this was true for any style, even ones that convey more realism. I tested his theory by drawing people who volunteered to pose for a short period of time. My drawings became better, but can this same rule be applied to 3D Modeling?

The reason I bring this up is that I have never once heard this being put forward as an explanation before. Not from traditional or 3D Artist. I would like to see if the professional community has a consenting opinion. Do you guys think this is a good rule to live by? Do you think it can improve your 3D work?

Kwramm

I think it's a good rule for you to grow as artist. It's not always a good rule to follow when you have a picky client or art director

Then again, when you do fine art, your whole context is quite different. You don't have to coordinate your art style with a whole production team. Your clients and art medium may not require as strict adherence to specs as software production does. You as artist have creative control, while in a game it is the art director's responsibility (on top of yours!)

slosh

I think this varies from situation to situation. What I will say is that when you get a 2d concept, sometimes things just don't work out in 3d and you have to improvise. You want to stick to the concept as much as possible but still be flexible if things need to change and also have the proper eye to still stay within style if you do change something. In the end, it all comes down to what your AD or client wants. Some will want you to stick with the concept regardless of whether things don't translate well and others will want you to improvise if certain aspects aren't clear in the concept. You should be able to handle both situations in a professional environment.

Kevin Albers

Kwramm wrote: »

I think it's a good rule for you to grow as artist. It's not always a good rule to follow when you have a picky client or art director

+1
It's a great thing to keep in mind, as long as you aren't breaking the 'official' approach for your boss/client etc.

Ten to twenty years ago, this approach was more common. Concept art usually meant 'just a concept of what something could be' as opposed to something that was supposed to be recreated as closely as possible. These days it's pretty common to have very detailed concepts that should be closely followed. Also, many studios strongly encourage being 'technically correct' as possible, especially when it comes to character models.

Sometimes you have to do both. You might be working from a very detailed concept that shows the front of a character, but doesn't include a view of the backside. You might need to exactly replicate the front, and are on your own when coming up with the 'hidden view' part of the character.

MrHobo

Generally speaking game art =/= fine art.
Echoing what was said above, if you're working on Forza or Gran Turismo, youre job is to be as accurate as possible.

Having said that, the essence of a concept can definitely be lost when literally translated to 3d and sometimes you have to course correct to keep the spirit of the concept alive.

At the end of the day this is really more about knowing your role and whats expected of you.
Saying that the character of the concept is more important than accuracy is only a half truth, just like saying that only the concept matters is a half truth. You have to dance in the middle.