Blade Nare
greentooth
So, I really need to stop procrastinating and just do a proper character. So I decided to pick one from one of the previous character art challenges. Q-peng's "blade nare" concept. For now, I'm just aiming to push it as far as I can go and see what my limits are.
I annotated this to roughly work out the proportions. I'm guessing a bit there, but the back pose was more neutral than the posed art, so I'm working off that. She's a bit more leggy than the usual 7 and 1/2 legs, so I'll need to account for that. With that in mind, this is what I've got so far from working on it for a bit today.
I just double checked my measurements with the transpose tool, and I realised it's a little too short. I'll need to fix that when I start actually putting the legs in properly. I'm also fairly sure the arms I blocked on aren't the right length, so I'll fix that, too. A few other changes are needed.
In terms of the anatomy I've put on so far...I need to fix the shoulders. I don't like the looks of them. The arms just aren't attached correctly. I'll amend it tomorrow. I also don't like the ribs or ab area. Looking again at the back view on the concept art, I should adjust the waist, too. She seems to have a fairly waifish figure. Thin waist, slender arms. Thicker thighs, though. The references I've been using are relatively slim, but not quite that much, so I'll have to adjust it. I haven't sculpted women or slim characters much lately, so I'll have to be careful. If I just keep working on it, it should eventually turn decent.
Replies
Regarding nailing down the characters overall shape/proportions, you could try capture them with simple/low res geo first, to set some confines to work within. A Blockout step if you will, balancing all elements at first and getting the "feel", without caring about anatomical details.
What kind of execution do you have in mind for the character? Taking the visuals of a existing game for reference might help when it comes making decisions and looking for examples. It would be interesting to see the references you're using too.
Keep it up!
i'd also recommend starting with a simple low poly base mesh. this way you can stay focused on the most impactful decisions first - proportions, shape, silhouette. It is more efficient to nudge a couple vertices that affect the silhouette compared to sculpting on virtual clay. give it a shot, you might find that for characters like this, zbrush is more of a hindrance than a help.
Have you considered doing the blockout in separate subtools using primitives...something akin to this?
It may ease you into getting the gesture first without getting too overwhelmed with anatomical detail, which sounds like the trap you're falling into.
(You could also do this while using Dynamic Subdivision so you can make edits while still keeping the contours clean)
Sorry, I'm mainly echoing the previous comments, but i hope it helps.
Keep at it!
I have considered it. I might try it for the arms; this kind of dynamesh resolution just can't hold the shape of a diagonal. I find it a bit clunky in general, though, which is why I don't tend to use it, but I'll try adapting it in this case and see how I get on. It's definitely a trap I must escape, though. I have yet to become proficient enough to see what it'll become while it's still a pile of crap, so I always become too preoccupied with the anatomy and not enough on the shape.
Also, gravity! Muscle, fat, skin, everything hangs from the skeleton. Stylized isn't my forte, but I think that for a more stylized look, you'll want to identify key features and exaggerate those, and reduce higher frequency detail. It's actually kind of a difficult art style to do now that I think about it. Good luck Rima