WIP-Michelangelo's David

Dracula · Dec 2009

Hi, I am an aspiring character artist.
I am trying to get the hang of zbrush and maybe learn some new tricks so i decided to make a replica this famous sculpture.

I still dont know how to sculpt the hair(I am using a mouse)

Asteric · Dec 2009

I am no character artist so the only crit i will give is that the finders and toes are, well, far from realistic.

Dracula · Dec 2009

I havent sculpted the hand nor the feet yet.
I will post more images when I will finish them.

nfrrtycmplx · Dec 2009

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=michelangelo+david

I dunno bout everyone else, but David always looks funny to me.

Looks like you're trying to replicate the face of david without a clear understanding of the anatomy and decisions that were made about proportions.

I suggest doing some sculpts of basic anatomy stuff without any goal of trying to replicate Michelangelo's David, or any other David for that matter.

Then go back and try to sculpt something from reference with an understanding of the anatomy.

Understanding the different planes of the face/head/body will help you a lot if you're going to be a character artist one day.

Hope this is helpful,
D

nfrrtycmplx · Dec 2009

P.S. The body gets the same critique/feedback

crazyfingers · Dec 2009

Using David as a case study seems inherently wrong to me, unless done as satire or something. Why choose a piece so highly regarded? I'd suggest doing something else so you aren't judged so harshly against the original for where you're at.

Zwebbie · Dec 2009

This post might interest you.

butt_sahib · Dec 2009

It could go either way imo, if you use such a sculpture as reference, its easier for the majority to give you detailed, david-oriented critique.
You should also note that to get your model looking like david, go do some research on him. His proportions are not humane entirely. Mikey (:P) changed his proportions abit so that it looked better from our perspective. What i mean is, his hands are abnormally large for example. So read up on him.
If i were you, id sculpt a posed basemesh and not the otherway around

Good luck! the face is looking hawt

nfrrtycmplx · Dec 2009

the face is not looking hawt... and it's not a problem that the face isn't looking hawt as much as it is a problem that people post misguiding advice/statements...

if it's David -

-The nose is too wide from the front and not coming off of his face enough
-the eyes are too small and too far apart
-the mouth is shaped wrong
-the chin is too large
-the muscles of the face have no flow (similar to how edge loops should work - the face is all about the flow of lines and the harmony of the different shapes)
-the shape of the head and face is simply wrong.

This is less of a critique for Dracula, as much as it is for butt_sahib...

http://majorityrights.com/index.php/weblog/comments/the_facial_proportions_of_beautiful_people/

http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/instruction/2008/10/17-10-622653.jpg

http://img.medscape.com/pi/emed/ckb/plastic_surgery/1271089-1279039-1279747-1279902.jpg

http://www.wwsva.com/assets/uploads/Ideal_proportions.jpg

Ok, the last one is just funny...

but you get the idea.

Google "Ideal facial proportions" or simply go to the library and get some books... or borders... something.

Or look at your own face and study it. That's the best part of being a character artist... you have a lot of great reference in yourself... unless you look like this guy...

http://www.discovervancouver.com/forum/uploads/remoteimages/3076706-1138.jpg

good luck.

Dracula · Dec 2009

Thanks for the feedback everybody, especially nfrrtycmplx for you sincere comments.

I know i am lacking anatomical knowledge and that the model didn't came out great but i didn' do it as a satire...I just wanted to learn something from the masters of sculpture.

And, nfrrtycmplx what do you mean that the shape of the head and the face is wrong?How should it be?

nfrrtycmplx · Dec 2009

Hopefully this helps.

Overall the lines are for harmony and to show where the different lines of the face are different.

Overall the face seems too long and not as full as the david face. The size of the different elements are off and the points that are supposed to line up, dont.

BradMyers82 · Dec 2009

Dracula: No offense but there are almost too many things to crit to really give good advice. This all has to do with you not being familiar with certain aspects of human anatomy.
Now don't worry about this, because you are attempting to recreate one of the best sculptures ever created, what do you expect?

Anyways, my advice if you want to give this another go is to get your model in the exact pose as the real Michelangelo's David so you can easily compare the two, and more importantly learn from it.
If you haven't seen this DVD already I highly suggest you check it out:
http://eat3d.com/classical-sculpting
I cannot even begin to say how much that dvd has helped me personally, and if your serious about getting better get the dvd and watch it several times over.

I'm spending a lot of time right now learning anatomy myself and I feel I'm just starting to get it. It takes years of practice so don't get discouraged, and most of all have fun with it!

WIP-Michelangelo's David

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