Chalice
Hi everyone. This is my first post on Polycount. Heard I could find some criticisms about my work, so that's why I'm here and also to meet new interesting people too
. Sadly, I'm spending some monthes in a place where I couldn't find feedbacks so I decided to join the forum. Happy to meet you.Here's my last work. This is the first piece of a book I'm working on for future internships and maybe first job as a Props & Environments Artist.
Sculpt : ZBrush
Dynamics : Marvelous Designer
Modeling/ Retopology : Maya
Texturing : Substance Painter
Rendering : Blender (Yeah, I know, this one is not verry "industry standard", next time I'll try to use Arnold, or Marmoset, I don't know)
Let me know what you think about my work. Have a nice day and a nice week everyone
Replies
Your model and textures look pretty good. I like the overall style of it. One thing that's bugging me a little is that the candle holders and the tape look like the same material, and it doesn't really fit well with either. I think making the candle holders look more like metal, and the tape look less like metal would help.
Also, have you thought about having the candles lit? it could make for some interesting lighting in the render. Having a darker/spookier mood for the background could be fun too. Just an idea though.
Hi James, thanks for your feedback. For the tape and the candles holders... YEAH, I agree with you. What do you think about those new renders? The tape is now less metalic with another colours (but still specular) and the candle holders are more metalic. Do you think I should just keep the tape really rough? Does the colour mess with the candles now? I tried bolder colours like fluorescent yellow or green but it was too much and started messing with the other colours.
And yes, I should make one more render with the candles lit and a more dramatic lightning. With those first renders I really wanted to show the model properly and I forgot to play with the light.
Because everything is light in this prop a darker tape would probably better balance its look. You can also turn it into a leather belt in case you want to ground it more firmly in the fantasy domain. I also feel a darker background in a different hue and saturation will help your lighting and perceived depth—it's hard to go wrong with a classic dark blue/greenish gray background. It'd let the flames shine, open up for the possibility of using particles and fog, let you use bold colorful or neutral-hue rim lights to create a creepy cool atmosphere, and it'd also solve the issue of the background being the same shade of the eye pearl, something that diminishes its impact. Here's a paintover if you don't mind:
Even if you don't add flames I feel you can at least add candlewicks here. A bit of ao or dirt to the teeth will also further improve the piece; since you've set up this expectation for the same material in the top part of the skull you should follow through in the bottom.
Because those particles and reflections are so pretty my eyes keep slipping to them. Adding a volume to the scene to act as perspective fog will tone down the particles in the background, lending some of the focus back to the subject and adding depth to the scene.
You can also try to be a bit more selective with the glossiness and metalness of the ground so it's not all shinier than the chalice, and masking the edges of it so we can't see much of this much reflection of the bright lights at the sides will redirect the eyes to the center. Another tip to make the eyes stay focused on the subject is to use emissive planes as light sources and use a gradient linear > color ramp > emission node configuration to make the top half of the plane emit light at the maximum desired saturation and the bottom half a more subdued variant. Hue shifts in lights always add depth and realism to renders.
Keep up the good work!