Portrait Study

musashidan

Sculpt I recently finished as a study. Wanted to push the tertiary detailing and properly study the variety of pores/wrinkles that are there when you really look closely. I opted for a stark B&W render to give prominence to these micro-details.

C&C very welcome. I've been fiddling for hours with the values/tonal range and I can't trust my eyes or brain anymore!!

musashidan

I usually start a non-concept/speed sculpt of a human head with a basemesh with existing rational topology.
There are several reasons for this: very easy to manipulate the forms; very useful for later on when detailing and asymmetry layers are used; forms are sculpted more naturally as the topology is set up accordingly.

This is a more traditional method since the days long before Dynamesh. I will stay at a very low res and use mostly the Move Brush(80% of the sculpt to secondary forms stage) until I have the primary forms in place. This stage is the most important and is often overlooked by a lot of new Zbrush sculptors, who seem to just jump straight into Dynamesh at a very high res and then wonder why their forms are blobby and unrealistic. It is so much easier to achieve the forms at a very low res. If they're not in place and recognisable at sub-50K points then they never will be.

musashidan

Final sculpt with an asymmetry layer and multiple pores/wrinkles/blemishes layers applied.

musashidan

Taking time to model/texture the eyes is very important as they can be the difference in the render. Even if you can't see all the detail in the render, it's there, and almost imperceivably adds to the image.


Test render in Keyshot


Creating the eye geo as a polysphere rather than a polar-sphere avoids pinching artifacts when sub-divided.

FourtyNights

I think that looks pretty great! Especially for a guy who is proficient with hardsuface stuff as well. Good job, Musashidan!

But, some criticism though:
- The asymmetry on eyes is just tad too noticeable. Could be less.
- The mass under lower lip could be slightly more pronounced (depressor labii inferioris muscle blending together with orbicularis oris muscle)
- Ears could use some more love with more fine definition of big shapes.

Brushes that I mostly use are:
*Always: Move Topological (something like 65% of the time)
*Very often: Dam_Standard, ClayBuildup
*Often: Move, Move Elastic, Standard, Inflate, Pinch
*Sometimes: Flatten, Spiral, SnakeHook
*Rarely: TrimDynamic, Nudge, Clay, Morph

I also use alternative smooth all the time, instead of the normal smooth, which is a released Shift while still smoothing.

Personally I also like to use proper basemeshes at least for overall anatomy. I've never liked dynamesh, because it's "sticky" with narrow spaces (connecting unwanted parts together, such as upper and lower lips, or fingers for example). The benefit of basemeshes is pretty much what you said, and it's also easy to polygroup stuff, and having a proper mouthbag for gums/teeth etc. etc..

I usually start even lower polygon meshes than you did with this head case.

musashidan

Cheers for the feedback, @FourtyNights , you would be surprised the more you study human anatomy the more you realise just how much variance of morphological features and asymmetry that people exhibit. Even moreso as we age.


Well spotted on the forms below the lips. You're right, they definitely could have used more mass/definition.

Here's a shot of the ear sculpt. Yes, I probably should have spent some more time on the primaries. Cheers.