Greatshield

Maxilator

Hi! Started working on this shield, first started out doing something that looked more like a demon face on the shield but it looked terrible so I changed it around and went in this direction instead. I'm going in the Diablo 3 direction when it comes to style, so not realistic but at the same time not completely cartoony.

Maxilator

Been working a bit more on  this, Have more or less just polished and added the stuff on the back, I have a pretty hard time coming up with stuff to add since i want it fairly clean, what do you think, should I add some more details? I at least plan on making it more battered, like scratches and dents.

Tectonic

it would be good to have some kind of crest or emblem on it. most knights have a family history and honor tied to their name, it was important for them to be identifiable by their armor. it doesn't have to be complicated, you can go for a simple pattern. but I think it would add a good focus point to your shield.

Maxilator

Tectonic said:

it would be good to have some kind of crest or emblem on it. most knights have a family history and honor tied to their name, it was important for them to be identifiable by their armor. it doesn't have to be complicated, you can go for a simple pattern. but I think it would add a good focus point to your shield.

Thanks for the reply, I might do that, not sure, I was thinking I might have the wood painted in a sun pattern as a nod to Solare.

 

Maxilator

Battered it up a bit, do you think it's overkill?

Doomathon

Hi Maxilator,

I like the shield so far, especially the wood. I would say, if you're going for a battle worn look to make each cut/scrape meaningful. Think about how they got there rather than just applying them randomly. It will speak more to the audience and overall tell a better story. I would also add more variation to the cuts and chips in the wood part. Instead of just cuts, maybe the warrior using it deflected a blunt object like a mace or a rock so there are chunks broken out of the shield, leaving splinters. Maybe the warrior isn't just fighting sword wielding humans too. Think of if you were pitted against someone using this shield, how would you attack it? That may give you a better idea of how to add smaller details.

Keep at it! Looking forward to seeing this textured too

Maxilator

Thanks for the feedback, good thing you said it now, I were going to bake it today. You are absolutely right, the cuts looks like I put it through a cut generator in some places. I toned down the damage on the metal so I think that works atm but the wood needs more work as you said. I think that if I, as you said, make some chipps and dents it will work fine.

Maxilator

Baked it out and stuff, here is how it looks now!

Doomathon

hey it's getting there! It's looking better. One of the things I think that is difficult about sculpting wood is maintaining that hardness to it when adding details. You're not straying too far from it, which is good, but it has a sort of "doughy" feel to it, you know what I mean? There is sharpness in the grains and chips, but I think you could push it further. I get the feeling if I were to run my finger across the boards, I wouldn't get many splinters.  Remember too that chips and pieces falling off will go with the grain. I'll attach an image which shows that. I know you're going for a more stylized approach, but I assume regardless of how it looks, wood will pretty much act the same when hit with a blunt object.

I like that you included those lost-and-found cuts across the boards too, it makes it feel  real and explains that the shield has defended against different weapon types. If you think about it, very few weapons would leave that very uniform cut mark. It would have to be like a hatchet or something that is designed to do that. So maybe have a few cuts that are pretty deep, and then look at different axe heads to get an idea of what shapes they would leave behind when striking the shield, because the ones currently on yours mostly look too uniform in regards to length, width, depth.

You're definitely on the right track and I hope my ramblings made sense haha. Keep at it!

Maxilator

I don't really mind the doughy feel too much since I am going a bit into the Diablo route with the style, see pic for diablo wood. I do agree that I should vary up the damage a bit more, I seem to have neglected that weapons does indeed stab for one.

Doomathon

Okay that's fine! I get what you're going for now ^^ yeah it's important to realize, especially in the Diablo universe, that there are a  crazy assortment of things that could potentially leave marks on a shield.

Maxilator

Here is some progress on the texturing!

Doomathon

Looking pretty nice so far! The paint chipping is awesome. Maybe add a little more weathering of the paint to the front of the shield, as it is the side that is beat up the most. If you aren't already planning on it, also make the leather look more used. It looks a little too clean in comparison to the rest of the shield.

Maxilator

Doomathon said:

Looking pretty nice so far! The paint chipping is awesome. Maybe add a little more weathering of the paint to the front of the shield, as it is the side that is beat up the most. If you aren't already planning on it, also make the leather look more used. It looks a little too clean in comparison to the rest of the shield.

Thanks, I'll see to those things!

Maxilator

How is this?