[WIP] African Tribal/Pirate Character

Mimir

'Ello gov'nors, I'm creating a character for my second year project and I'd like to share some WIP in hopes of getting crit to improve my art. I'm creating an African tribal chieftain set in the 17th century who is slowly adopting the pirate life after his enslavement. I'll be updating this thread as I make progress with my character, you may be as harsh as you want with your criticism, I've got the thickest skin in town.

I've been working on the base sculpt for a couple days trying to get the anatomy/proportions of the character right, so I'm still in the early stages of the development. At this point he looks quite generic and doesn't have much character but I hope to elevate that later down the line.

Your feedback is always appreciated.
 

Mimir

Update on the character, I've Retopologized him using Wrap 3 because Maya's quad draw had an unbearable lag, then proceeded to work more on the sculpt redefining muscles and adjusting the proportions for a more realistic render. Also added his first tribal scarification though I'm not sure on the way it flows and just stops so I will probably change it for a more appealing design.

Alex_J

These are Dani tribesmen from New Guinea. Not African so the facial features are different, but they are a good example of body types of non-modern people who practice war. Muscular but thin. Probably not more than 5% body fat. A slave turned pirate I might expect to be very thin, like the fellow on the left but even more so. Your dude looks pretty badass, but he looks like a modern athlete to me. At least 30% body fat. Such a high percentage was very uncommon even 100 years ago. Just some thoughts about the overall design, but of course it's just a character and yours as well.

Your anatomy looks mostly good to me, but I think I can safely say the forearms are wrong. Double check that area and be mindful of the silhouette from all angles. In your very last shot look at the forearm - it's very wonky. There is some other stuff too, like the glutes apparently coming up very high, then the lats looking like they are split in a weird place... small stuff but it's the difference between believability or not.

redhonour

This sounds potentially awesome. 

What are you going for visually? It would be nice to see some references or concepts that are currently inspiring you!

Mimir

Thanks @BIGTIMEMASTER for the feedback, I forgot to mention that he is based on a real pirate called Black Caesar who was supposedly known for his huge size, I initially made him quite thin but decided to go for a stronger bulkier character but I will tone down some of its body builder muscles to make him look more like hes from that era. I will definitely look at more reference for the forearms and lats to hopefully fix the anatomical problems you mentioned.

Mimir

@redhonour Thanks I hope it will be awesome and potentially my first portfolio piece, I will post some of the references I used as well as some original concept art for the character made by my friend.

bkost

Not a bad start @Mimir, for critique sake and ease of viewing your screenshots I recommend having a horizontal screenshot with the different angles lined up. See ref below. I look forward to your progress 

Mimir

@bkost Thanks I'll make sure my next upload has the different angles lined up.

Mimir

Here is the mood-board/references I am using to create the character along with the concept art created by my buddy Dominik Nankivell (https://www.artstation.com/dominionarts)

Mimir

So I've made some changes to both the body and the face based on feedback I've gotten over the past couple days. With nothing to eat in zbrush the character has lost some off its bulky muscles. I have re-sculpted some of its body to be more lean and skinny based on photos from tribes rather than body builders. His chest and abs have been affected the most, but I've also worked on the rest of his upper body. I'm not working on his lower body because it will be covered with clothes and accessories. I will soon start working on his clothes in Marvelous Designer which is always fun to play around with (when it simulates properly).

Mimir

An update on the character I've worked further on his face to get the right 'feel' for the character as the previous face didn't really appeal or work with the vision I had. I've also made a start with his clothes, I used marvelous to get the trousers and the wraps that go around his legs. After retopoing it in Maya I sculpted the primary folds and creases, I also used the curve strap snap tool in Zbrush to create the wraps around his waist. As the folds and creases are hand sculpted they don't look as realistic so I'll do a rework after adding some other bits of clothing that I have not yet put on him. I also made a start on the shark jaw necklace that he has, I used sand tiger and mako shark skull as reference. I still need to refine the shape and place the teeth properly as its just randomly put on at the moment.

Mimir

I haven't posted in a while due to some freelance/uni work but have made progress on this character. I have created a low poly (85k tris) and baked high poly info on him as well as doing the textures using mari and substance painter. I am not too happy with the him atm, I think the main issue is the clothing. The folds/creases aren't coming out as expected and the textures need improving. He is rendered in Unreal Engine 4 using their skin and eye shader.