Common Grackle - Dragon ? - Character

PeterK

Hi all, this is the same character I was working on a couple months back. I've managed to put a little more time into it. The spec could use some work, so I would appreciate any techniques you guys know for painting a nice spec map. The model is being done for a company portfolio, for Exis, hence the marking. Any thoughts on coloration would also be appreciated.







Default/overall specular (no map):

spacemonkey

thats prettu hot!

Overall he feels quite greasy, I think it needs a spec colour map - or more variations painted into it. (- to keep the broad shine, but make it feel like the surface has a different treatment, as it all feels as shiny as the rest right now)
painting string values in a spec colour map can be good, really define the area's were there's no reason for it to be shiny.

On the diffuse, I would recommend pushing the value range more. The colours are nice, if a little muted, but I think if you painted in a greater range of value it would really help him pop, and come alive.

The spiny panels on his legs and tail are obviously unfinished - but they feel a little weak from a design perspective.. for example on the tail - if they had continued up the spine a little, tapering off the size as they went, it would make them far more beleivable.

I'd also push more contrast and value ranges around the head/eye area. You want the head to be the focal point right? currently my eye gets drawn to other area's first.

This guy is already looking hot, with a little bit of work he could be smoking!
Good luck with the company!

Wells

bwahaha. I love his tiny vestigial legs.

The large scales on his tail and legs are killing the piece, I think. They're almost a solid uniform color, and they look very pasted on. There are no scales of even half the size around it which would tie them into the body... they're just all BAM! there. Try adding some more pronounced, small scales along the sides of them sporadically.

I agree with spacemonkey on the spec... really think about what would be shiny and what wouldn't on a creature like this. Then, hide the diffuse and just show the spec with some lights on it, see what parts shine realistically and which parts lose their form.

fuxer

i agree with all the comments,the diffuse needs more work althrough it does look good anyway.And you should really remove those tail scales,or make em darker.Overall its great!

aesir

the beak's spec is really throwing me off. It doesnt look right at all. especially in the second picture where all the highlights are right at the back of the beak like that.

ryuju

It looks incredible but i agree with aesir about the beak it looks like the beak is just stuck on there and it doesnt transition well from his skin into his beak. But awesome work!

PeterK

Thanks for the kind words everyone, and the great info. I'll post updates to the texture and mesh once I get a chance to incorporate the feedback. You're all more or less right about everything you said, so, I'm going to go in that direction

Mark Dygert

Great piece! The skin is coming along nicely. you definity are heading in the right direction.

I do agree with the others crits that more blending of pieces needs to be done. especially around the tail/armor scale plates. The plates don't look like they are growing on top of each other. It would also help the tail transition into the body if the plates continued up the back, or at least boney protrusions that fade out as they get closer to the head. Very rarely do scale patterns on animals start/stop abruptly, but instead they fade in and out.

Slash

http://www.exisinteractive.com/renders/3.jpg

The extra set of legs here and the color difference makes it look like he has another animal stuffed up his ass.

Good work tho, i like it!

D4V1DC

Love the design lmao @ slash's comment it actually does.

Gj, on the dragon meets bird combination.

PeterK

Some slight color changes, a few modifications to the spec map, and I removed the back plates until I texture them properly. Thoughts on the new color direction? did the old colors seem more rich?

Josh_Singh

Yes the old colors seemed more rich. This feels very desaturated. I dont agree with what most people said, I think the colors where fine on the first one. Just get the claws darker, towards a black as well as the skinny horns, make them darker. and you could saturate the border of the stripes a bit.
But on this new one the Beak feels more integrated.

rooster

I think theres a touch too much of the specular removed, maybe bring it back a little in places and colour it? I think the main gripe was it was too uniform, not neccecarrily the overall strength. great piece though!

tacit math

nice man. i'm digging this. any chance you'd post some wires and a turnaround ?

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Por@szek

Looks cool, maybe some details on his back will add more atractivness to him. Some spikes or even spine would looks a lot better.

PeterK

Wires:
Not exactly meant for real-time, but it comes in at about 10,500 polygons. I could reduce it more, but I'm kinda wanting to keep the mesh this way for displacement map purposes.


updated spec, added the tongue mesh, which I am going to Zbrush and then work on further.