I have a question.

HunterArttz

Hey everyone,

I'm a beginner in the world of art, and I've made the decision to pursue a career as a character artist in the future. After reading various topics on this forum, I've concluded that starting with Maya would be a great way to develop a strong foundation in topology, hard surface modeling, and more. I anticipate that it will take me a few months to reach a "respectable" skill level in this software. Since I have a lot of free time on my hands, I would like to dedicate a portion of that time to studying something that will benefit me when I eventually delve into character creation. My question is: would it be wise to allocate an hour or two each day to study drawing, with a focus on anatomy and character/game design? Or should I simply use that time to practice sculpting in ZBrush?

This doubt arose after watching a video where Vitaly Bugarov mentioned the concept of "failing faster to improve faster." It got me thinking that perhaps I could utilize my free time to study anatomy through drawing or delve into character design, so that I won't fall behind when I finally reach a point of feeling "good enough" in Maya and decide to transition to ZBrush.

Apologies for any shortcomings in my English; it's not my native language. Also, please forgive me if this question seems trivial.

carvuliero

If you are willing to endure the pain of learning how to draw sure go for it you will only benefit from it , its extremely useful fundamental skill and lets face it sculpting is drawing in space

If you do decide to go for it I suggest you pick a book and start copying it , something like vilppu's drawing manual or huston making every mark count

or Loomis and Hogarth if you like something for free , there are bunch other great books but just pick one and see if you can run through one

I have few things here that might be useful as well https://polycount.com/discussion/200681/learn-to-see-basic-drawing-and-warm-up-exercises#latest

HunterArttz

carvuliero said:

If you are willing to endure the pain of learning how to draw sure go for it you will only benefit from it , its extremely useful fundamental skill and lets face it sculpting is drawing in space

If you do decide to go for it I suggest you pick a book and start copying it , something like vilppu's drawing manual or huston making every mark count

or Loomis and Hogarth if you like something for free , there are bunch other great books but just pick one and see if you can run through one

I have few things here that might be useful as well https://polycount.com/discussion/200681/learn-to-see-basic-drawing-and-warm-up-exercises#latest

I read the topic, and the tips indeed seem to be very useful, I will start doing the exercises and searching for the books as soon as possible. Thank you very much for the help ^^

Alemja

Regarding this question:

My question is: would it be wise to allocate an hour or two each day to study drawing, with a focus on anatomy and character/game design? Or should I simply use that time to practice sculpting in ZBrush?

What is your end goal? Do you want to do this just for fun or as a career? Do you want to make games? Movies? Sculptures? 3D prints? V-tubers?

I generally believe that if your goal is to make games, then focus on learning a 3D program and how to make nice low poly models, UVs textures and all of that. I usually would tell newcomers interested in making games to avoid Zbrush until you have a good foundation of 3D principles. I see so many students and beginners get stuck on only making things in Zbrush because they find it more fun, even though they want to make games. Zbrushing is only about 25% of the total process, learning a 3D modeling package, maya in your case (though blender is a good option too) will get you a lot further.

HunterArttz

Alemja said:

Regarding this question:

My question is: would it be wise to allocate an hour or two each day to study drawing, with a focus on anatomy and character/game design? Or should I simply use that time to practice sculpting in ZBrush?

What is your end goal? Do you want to do this just for fun or as a career? Do you want to make games? Movies? Sculptures? 3D prints? V-tubers?

I generally believe that if your goal is to make games, then focus on learning a 3D program and how to make nice low poly models, UVs textures and all of that. I usually would tell newcomers interested in making games to avoid Zbrush until you have a good foundation of 3D principles. I see so many students and beginners get stuck on only making things in Zbrush because they find it more fun, even though they want to make games. Zbrushing is only about 25% of the total process, learning a 3D modeling package, maya in your case (though blender is a good option too) will get you a lot further.

To be honest, I'm a little lost. My ultimate goal is to work in games/movies, but I think before that, maybe I should try to get into the collectibles/statues industry to gain experience in the 3D field and make some money. I'm not sure, but I believe it might be easier to find work in the collectibles industry, especially in my country (Brazil). However, for now, my focus is on learning as much as possible about Maya, polygonal modeling, and other things necessary for creating models for games or movies

Alemja

I think having a clear idea of what you want to do will help make your learning process a lot smoother. You can better direct yourself and prioritize the skills that will take you where you want to go. There is some crossover between 3D fields, and I do know people who have gone back and forth between different categories. However when you're starting out, there is so much to learn that starting with a specific goal in mind can prevent you from stretching yourself thin and lead you to giving up. Maybe take a stroll through Artstation, or look at your favorite medium (games/movies/whatever) and find the thing that gives you a strong reaction and makes you go "THAT! That is what I want to make!"

Vertrucio

I have a concept called anchor skills that I use for cases like this. So long as you're studying with purpose, just learning to do things well in one area will allow you to more easily and quickly learn in others. This is because you have experience with the subject that gives the new skill an anchor point to grow from.

I'm this case, if you learn to sculpt anatomy, you're still learning anatomy,  and it can make it easier to learn to draw anatomy after you've become a good sculptor, and vice versa. So don't sweat the trying to optimize learning so much you forget to actually create finished work.

HunterArttz

Alemja said:

I think having a clear idea of what you want to do will help make your learning process a lot smoother. You can better direct yourself and prioritize the skills that will take you where you want to go. There is some crossover between 3D fields, and I do know people who have gone back and forth between different categories. However when you're starting out, there is so much to learn that starting with a specific goal in mind can prevent you from stretching yourself thin and lead you to giving up. Maybe take a stroll through Artstation, or look at your favorite medium (games/movies/whatever) and find the thing that gives you a strong reaction and makes you go "THAT! That is what I want to make!"

It's true, even studying Maya for about 8 hours a day, I still have this feeling that I should be "doing more," and that probably happens because I hadn't decided whether to enter the collectibles market first or study to enter the game or film industry directly. This ends up creating a certain type of overload. I really enjoy sculptures, statues, and everything else, but what made me want to be a 3D artist were games and cinematics, especially Blizzard cinematics. I think things are a little clearer for me now, and I know which path to follow. I really have to thank you for the advice! ^^

HunterArttz

Vertrucio said:

I have a concept called anchor skills that I use for cases like this. So long as you're studying with purpose, just learning to do things well in one area will allow you to more easily and quickly learn in others. This is because you have experience with the subject that gives the new skill an anchor point to grow from.

I'm this case, if you learn to sculpt anatomy, you're still learning anatomy,  and it can make it easier to learn to draw anatomy after you've become a good sculptor, and vice versa. So don't sweat the trying to optimize learning so much you forget to actually create finished work.

Getting so caught up in the study method to the point of not being able to finish anything has actually happened to me a few times. Currently, I'm focusing on Maya and doing about 20-25 minutes of drawing exercises every day. Although I'm not progressing as fast as I would like in this area, I believe this experience will help when I shift my focus to Zbrush

pxgeek

Lots of great advice here.

To add on the subject of art books: I'm a big fan of anything by George Bridgman, especially "Constructive Anatomy". I think it's very applicable to character sculpting.

HunterArttz

pxgeek said:

Lots of great advice here.

To add on the subject of art books: I'm a big fan of anything by George Bridgman, especially "Constructive Anatomy". I think it's very applicable to character sculpting.

This book is on my wishlist, I've heard a lot about George Bridgman on YouTube channels, forums, etc. I've seen some people saying that 'Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life' is one of the best books for artists. Recently, I started reading 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain' by Betty Edwards, which I believe is a good starting point for someone who has never read anything related to art. I will definitely read Bridgman's books as soon as I can.

Vertrucio

I actually recommend Anatomy for Sculptors and their related books about the head and expressions. It's less academics and theory, and a lot more practical reference. Bridgeman's and similar books are good for deep diving when you can sit down and study.

HunterArttz

Vertrucio said:

I actually recommend Anatomy for Sculptors and their related books about the head and expressions. It's less academics and theory, and a lot more practical reference. Bridgeman's and similar books are good for deep diving when you can sit down and study.

It was the first book in this field that was recommended to me, I have already looked at some images of it, and it truly seems to be very useful. It's a shame that there are so few books focused on 3D sculpture like this one.

sacboi

In the field of digital Anatomy / Sculpture, probably wouldn't hurt to have a peak at a bunch of resources authored by one of the discipline's founders, as well.

https://www.scott-eaton.com/anatomy-for-artists-online-course

HunterArttz

sacboi said:

In the field of digital Anatomy / Sculpture, probably wouldn't hurt to have a peak at a bunch of resources authored by one of the discipline's founders, as well.

https://www.scott-eaton.com/anatomy-for-artists-online-course

Yes, I have seen many people talking about him and impressive works by people who were his students. As soon as I start studying 3D anatomy, I will definitely look for something done by him. I have also seen models created by students based on a project of his called "Bodies in Motion," and those models are truly incredible.

chien

all i can think is, prepare to abandon your previous knowledge or workflow and accept new workflow, some artist likes to learn smart and some just interested in learn techniques, hope that helps