Dwarf Slayer Character Production

Bucky

Hey guys,

I have been lurking on this forum for a long time now,being very inspired by the work you all produce and decided its time to get involved. Up until quite recently I have been studying at the University of Teeside working on a BA Hon's in Game's Art, and with my dissertation handed in and all of my module work completed I can breath a sigh of relief, take some time out and produce art, free of the hassle of deadlines and ICA requirements... at least for the time being.

Since I started working in the 3D medium I have always wanted to produce a Dwarf Slayer, having been a fan of the Warhammer Universe for as long as I can remember. Over the next few days... and depending on how much time I have in between house hunting/moving.. next few weeks. I will be documenting my production process on this forum and would be great-full for any feedback and interest you might show.

If anyone is interested in the work I have produced previous to this production check out my Portfolio
It hasnt really been updated recently but this is the main purpose of this project and all to come in the next few months.

As with most productions the first port of call was to gather reference images for the subject matter... Below you can see a small sample of the images I collated as-well as a quick block-out of the Dwarf sculpt.




I believe the general forms are about right now for the dwarfs scale and weighting of the torso etc.., however im going to continue to develop upon it as i further reference my image collection and review my anatomy knowledge.

Darkleopard

Hehe hes fat.

The belly/butt area looks a little werid at this stage but its a nice start!

Bucky

Quick update before sleep

Donavonyoung

You are going to high in subdivisions too fast. Work low and get the shape and form down first then step up in divisions. That will get rid of your lumpy model.

almighty_gir

slayers are my favorite dorfs.

you better not fuck this up!

PaulP

What Donavonyoung said. Also its good practice (if you're rusty with anatomy, or even if you're not) to try do some anatomy drawings of your character's body type before going deeper into the sculpt. It'll save you hours of frustration later when you've sculpted your model at a high subdivision and realise it isnt looking right.

Bucky

Hey guys , just another quick update. Not had a huge amount of time to work on this guy lately but i've slowly been chipping away at him. Got lots to do still, the hands,ears feet and lower body need a lot of work before i can move on to the fun stuff. Really looking forward to doing the locks of hair on his beard and mohawk, tempted to try Zbrush's new fiber mesh previews, has anyone had any experience with this? anyway... hope you like

Aga22

nice work, though i preffered his belly shape in the previous post.

Bucky

RiotForQuiet- Thanks for the crit and reference, i think a more bloated (beer belly-like) Gut would fit in with the character design perfectly, the second image in-particular

Bucky

Hey guys, another update. I tried going with a more bloated beer belly but i didn't feel it was working well for the character. I discovered this piece by Jesse Sandifer;



With this piece in mind i got to this next stage...

Jeremy Tabor

I think the stomach is still reminiscent of a person who has lost a great deal of weight , rather than a nice 'bloated beer belly' as you put it.

RiotForQuiet wrote: »

I agree with this. (remarkable proportions on that guy if it hasn't been shopped, which I assume it has, lol) The muscle definition on the above reference seems more appropriate for the hearty, swashbuckling type which you have shown on your initial reference board.

I've been tinkering away at a dwarf character as well, and when looking for reference, I found a lot of help establishing a look by studying NFL Linemen - they are a nice example of people who weigh an incredible amount but are still very athletic.

And that bring up another point, I wouldn't rely on the work of others too much for reference. Sample real life. It can be helpful sometimes to see a direction someone took a piece, but in this case, with the example you provided, I would have similar critiques despite it being produced by an accomplished artist.

almighty_gir

RiotForQuiet wrote: »

yeah man, give this guy some stumpy legs and a mohawk, and you've got a dwarf slayer.

Bucky

Finally had a bit of time to work on this guy, Quick update .. more over the weekend

almighty_gir

ignore the bots, just like you ignored everyone elses feedback.

Bucky

I Didn't ignore the feedback I tried going in the direction you suggested but after getting back to him I wanted to sculpt him more defined. I agree he doesn't fit into the "fat swashbuckling" dwarf type, however im sculpting a Dwarf Slayer who I intend to pose mid-battle fighting an Ork warlord and I felt this was better for me.

wolfonthehorizon

bigger hands maybe ? the guy wielding the axe has huge hands XD

Overlord

The proportions are not actually correct. This is a character that is 5 heads tall, but the landmarks don't line up with the sections. The chest section is actually smaller than the other sections and the bottom of the sternum doesn't even meet with the bottom of the chest section. Then, the lower legs are longer than any other segment. Also, no matter what proportions you use, the wrists should always align with the groin. As they are, they are a bit short. The side view shows that it also needs adjustment:



Look at the side view here. You can draw a line straight down the center of the character. The head is centered over the spine, the spine is perfectly centered over the pelvis, and the legs are centered between the ball and heel of the feet. The weight of this example character is well balanced. The dwarf is severely off balance.

Der Hollander

I've whipped up a paintover for you, as well as a written critique.



Besides the proportions being off, first and foremost, and I cannot stress this enough, use REAL reference, do NOT make shit up. 3D models are NOT real reference. Find photos of the body type you're looking for and study it. And for Thor's sake, get a muscle chart. I say this as it being necessary for character work, not as an insult to your intelligence. I've attached the muscle chart that I use, it shows the muscles in motion as well as being accurate and readable, but you may find another one that works better for you.

You're missing major bone landmarks of the body, such as the join of the clavicle to the humerus, which while that may not be necessarily visible on a beefy dwarf, the way the muscles interact with the shoulder girdle is extremely important and placing that landmark correctly will make your model look more believable.

On a more specific note about your proportions and form, first thing has been mentioned in my image that Warhammer Dwarves don't taper. They are super chunky and blocky. They are also generally not super lean. They're ripped as hell, but the muscle definition should be in the larger shapes, with some very subtle grooves in the skin until the muscle flexes. And get those legs stubbier by about 15%, they're still too long.

And just to sound like a broken record, work on a lower subdivision. Your model is still super lumpy, making it impossible to tell what's intentionally sculpted and what needs to be cleaned up.

Bucky

Thanks for the advice Der Hollander and the time taken to do a nice paint over for me its really helpful. I've been using Mara 3D for my reference, i know again its another artists work but its the best tool i've found so far in attempting to visualise muscle interactions on the body but I definitely see the importance of scaling back a little and going back to basics.. You think with the legs I should be shortening them as a whole or more so the lower legs?.

I've been using Dynamesh and been a little messy with my subdivs in all honesty, i know its not good practice but my systems been dying a little and i think i may have jumped the gun, You think its worth retoping the model?, or can you suggest any good methods in gaining a bit more control over my model. Just to note the lower (really lumpy) part of my model is going to be covered up and not visible hence its still rough and messy nature..

Again thank you for constructive criticism.

Bucky

Only a 2 minute edit as im off to work, but something more along these lines ?

Der Hollander

It's looking a bit better, and in response to your previous question, I absolutely recommend a retop. I find Dynamesh is great for sketching, but you totally lose subdiv control, which makes projects like this kind of a pain to work with. Also, I don't know what version of zBrush you're using, or even if this is a common problem, but I've found that zBrush 4r3's version of Dynamesh throws an absolutely obscene amount of polys even at it's lowest possible setting. Take the time to get a good basemesh rebuilt off your current project, and then get set on nailing the anatomy.

makecg

Smooth it out a bit. like the crease in the belly and the hips.
i think you should give him a full beard too