The Old Warrior's Song

gav3d

First post. My idea is kind of like the title suggests. An old warrior who endured the brutality of war plays a sad song to escape his pain. The scars are real and mental.

I intend to post an idea board first then a concept before I begin any modelling or texturing.
Below is a mood board from internet ref.


Below is a mood & reference board from my own personal photography. The man down at the bottom of the image is my father in law.

A concept image/drawing will be next.
02/02/16
Some look pose research.
 


Base mesh and the beginning of some work on Zbrush next.

gav3d

Here is my Base mesh and a 1st pass at a Zbrush Sculpt.

gav3d

I started detailing head and added a bunch of scars as a quick test. I will likely change this drastically  as I move forward.
 

gav3d

I did some more research and created a new reference board. Its  important that the dignity of the soldier remains as he plays his song. i'm going to experiment with a few different sculpts and see what works.

gav3d

Early Test from Substance Painter.
I went back to Zbrush and modified the Sculpt. I didn't want it to simply be a bunch of slashes across the face. I wanted something more human and believable as an injury sustained in battle.  Its key that he maintain his humanity.

gav3d

Here's a screen grab from Substance Painter and a couple renders from 3ds Max.

KingKellogg

...Eww...Poor dude..

really well done though.

korale

Beautiful idea. Loving the facial sculpt. Excited to see where you take it! 

fantasymaster

A real beast so. Nice render. 

gav3d

I started posing my base mesh and added some props like the guitar and the drum he's sitting on.
I also started painting the body in Substance Painter. I have a lot to do.

gav3d

I'm continuing to work on the pose and the skinning. This is still very early as regards level of detail and I still have to write my paragraph. 2.23am. Have to work in 7 hours. Bed.

tushar

Awesome stuff. Waiting for your more shots.

gav3d

Been working on the body adding detail and changing the proportions a bit. I want him to look strong but not shredded. I don't like the boots. Its the small stuff that takes the longest.

thisisgoingtohurt

very original concept (sitting with guitar and drum), i love that there is story-depth with that scene. excellent detail--keep up the good work!

gav3d

Thanks for the comments. I'm working really hard on this. I'm working on the clothes and continuing to add details. I want a couple of weeks at the end to refine, refine, refine. I really appreciate the encouragement.

gav3d

Working on the clothing. Still so much to do.

gav3d

gav3d

A few WIP images from my ongoing progress. Still a ton to do. Refine, refine, refine. I need to fix the hair, the face, the eyes, the hands. I need to write the paragraph. I need to consolidate  a bunch of textures to the same sheets and add a bunch of small details. And more.... I need to sleep more and spend more time with my wife. 

gav3d

Here is some look dev. Will prob change up some and I progress. I hope people like it. As mentioned in previous post, I still have a ton to do.

gav3d

The light was fading as the old warrior entered the inn. Heads turned, watching his each movement as he made his way to the corner by the hearth. He rested his dao against the wooden beam and sat down on a large drum.  Frightening scars ravaged his face but his eyes were kind.  The inn remained silent, transfixed as the stranger calmly pulled an instrument from his belongings and began to play.

gav3d

I worked on some of the smaller details. Jewelry, beads etc. I made some updates to the clothing also. I'll upload a newer render tomorrow.

gav3d

Latest Render. Skin and hair next. Facial expression. Fixes. Sleep.

Enalya

Awesome render man! Beautiful. Maybe a bit lighter to see his face better, it's quite dark.

gav3d

Thank you. I've put a lot of work into it. Its a good note as well. You're right.

gav3d

Worked on skin painting and shading. The most difficult thing is getting the right balance. There's a ton of things I want to improve. Comments welcome.  Anyway, here are some images.

gav3d

Another render with DOF and hair which is way too clean and fuzzy.

gav3d

Did some more testing on the face shading. I could noodle it forever. Need to move on. Its done for now.

Nwait

Really great one ! The one I prefere in fact !

fantasymaster

Awesome texture work! 

Seavannah

This is crazy beautiful. Love that Render above it is so awesome.  I want those boots  <span>Great and wonderful work can not wait to see this finished and serenading his sweet Belle.  <span> Incredible sculpt on the face and clothing. Great luck to you.

gav3d

Still working on it. I modeled and textured a new Dao for the warrior. I did it really fast. Need to keep moving forward.

gav3d

Some slightly updated work on the face and body. I have a lot of work to do on the skinning and the hair, the god damn hair, and the face morph, the god damn face morph. 2.09am! go to bed!!

gav3d

Updated the body textures mainly. More to do.

gav3d

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gav3d

Nearly there. Working on some optimization and lighting mainly. Gonna ditch the hair and work on adding detail to the character and making little fixes etc.

gav3d

I realize I've been mostly replying to my own posts rather than doing new posts. Don't think it'll make a difference but I do want to make sure people know I've been posting stuff since the beginning of the competition.

Pixelgorilla

I've been lurking

OBSTEG0X

lol ^^ same. Damn fine textures sir!

gav3d

The Old Warrior's Song - Final Submission - Gavin Whelan

The light was fading as the old warrior entered the inn. Heads turned, watching each of the unknown man's movements as he made his way to the corner by the hearth. Resting his dao against the wooden beam he sat down on a large drum.  Frightening scars ravaged his face and body but his eyes were kind.  The inn remained silent, transfixed as the stranger calmly pulled an instrument from his belongings and began to play.

gav3d

Higher res images