Sketchbook: Ben Bird-Jones
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Hello, my name is Ben and I've recently relocated to the US from the UK. I have quite a chunk of free time on my hands, and so decided to really apply myself to learning digital sculpture, and ZBrush. I come from an indie game development background, and primarily used Maya in that time.
I've decided to sculpt for an hour or two a day, every day, in an attempt to improve my skills. Feedback here would be incredibly useful, particularly in sculpting techniques. Thanks!
Day 1. October 7th 2016
I just tucked into sculpting right away, I familiarised myself with camera controls, ZBrush's UI, subtools, and tested out a fair few brushes. I didn't use any reference material, just started on a face and went along with it. It ended up being an old man. I believe this took me a little over an hour.
Day 2. October 8th 2016
I usually really enjoy sculpting ugly stuff, so I decided to go for something more majestic this time. I find doing busts fits realistically in the hour or so time frame I'm giving myself, hopefully in the future I'll be able to focus on sculpting fuller figures. This giraffe bust was completed in an hour and a half. I will probably return to this sculpt to colour it, as a giraffe without spots is hardly a giraffe at all! (Really need to learn techniques for sculpting fine hairs).
Day 3. October 10th 2016
I skipped Sunday for daily sculpting, so decided to pour a little more time into this Monday's sculpt, I'd say over 2 hours. I played with a lot of subtools in this sculpt, with all those teeth, and that tongue. I also used a piece of concept art as reference this time. I'm a huge fan of Marvel, and so this was so much fun to do.
I've decided to sculpt for an hour or two a day, every day, in an attempt to improve my skills. Feedback here would be incredibly useful, particularly in sculpting techniques. Thanks!
Day 1. October 7th 2016
I just tucked into sculpting right away, I familiarised myself with camera controls, ZBrush's UI, subtools, and tested out a fair few brushes. I didn't use any reference material, just started on a face and went along with it. It ended up being an old man. I believe this took me a little over an hour.
Day 2. October 8th 2016
I usually really enjoy sculpting ugly stuff, so I decided to go for something more majestic this time. I find doing busts fits realistically in the hour or so time frame I'm giving myself, hopefully in the future I'll be able to focus on sculpting fuller figures. This giraffe bust was completed in an hour and a half. I will probably return to this sculpt to colour it, as a giraffe without spots is hardly a giraffe at all! (Really need to learn techniques for sculpting fine hairs).
Day 3. October 10th 2016
I skipped Sunday for daily sculpting, so decided to pour a little more time into this Monday's sculpt, I'd say over 2 hours. I played with a lot of subtools in this sculpt, with all those teeth, and that tongue. I also used a piece of concept art as reference this time. I'm a huge fan of Marvel, and so this was so much fun to do.
Replies
I went back to no reference with this sculpt, and it shows. It's very cartoon-ish in its proportions. I learned about the extraction function in the subtools menu, and wanted to test it out. I used extraction for the bandana, eyepatch, and beard. This sculpt is way too bumpy and loose, didn't spend enough time solidifying the silhouette of the head before going in and sculpting the details.
I joined a facebook group that posts themes to choose from and sculpt them in 45 minutes. I chose to do a foot, and the time cap proved difficult. I wanted to post what I had honestly managed in 45 minutes, despite knowing it still needs work in many areas.
Day 6. October 13th 2016 - Batman Head
After yesterday's very quick sculpt, I wanted to see what I could achieve with no time limit, and so decided to sculpt, as opposed to hiding behind 'speed sculpting', implying that the sculpt is fast, rough, and throwaway. I have also chosen to completely sculpt Batman, head to toe, over the coming days. I'll take my time each day until I have my first completed serious sculpt.
Sculpted the torso, really enjoyed working with clothing wrinkled, and the broadness of the anatomy.
Day 8. October 15th 2016 - Batman Arm
Time was cut short today, but made solid progress on the arms. Having trouble with artefacts like geometry stretching and holes, would love if I could find information on how to fix them, or avoid them all together. I'm pretty sure it comes from using the move tool heavily to transform the 3D sphere into an entirely new shape.
I've not sculpted for a little while, which is a shame as I wanted to sculpt almost everyday in October. I've made a decent dent on the legs, but they still need more love. I also need to polish up a lot of areas, and I've added the primitive shape that will become the cape.
Still having infuriating issues with polygon stretching, I've tried upping the polycount to combat the stretching, but it's not as effective as I'd hoped, plus the count goes into the millions which sucks.
I am also notorious for getting 'bored' of sculpts, and it's starting to kick in with this sculpt. I think it can also be attributed to my lack of interest in sculpting feet and legs. I'm not sure why, but I really enjoy sculpting heads, and even torsos and arms, but legs and feet not so much. I am determined to finish this sculpt to the best of my ability though.