14th and a right turn

Now this is really something.

I'm really impressed how I did with this piece. I started looking around autodesk mudbox online help and figured out that using a picture as a stencil is not that heavy stuff.

There is 3 different views in mudbox, 3d, uv and image browser view. From image browser, I checked my hard drive for a photo and set that as a stencil. Tried the paint tool for projecting the picture on the shape, but that didn't really work. Made it look like inverted. Then noticed the "projection tool", which worked. Suddenly.

Now this is really something else. I'm taking a new direction with this, but it also might start taking more time. I'll see and figure it out. This catfish with a small beard is anyway a good start.

I'll take a look for some tutorials and get inspired.

13

level 3, 25 mins

I made this longer than before. First sculpting was feeling nice and running, then I don't know what happened. I got pressurized? The feeling that I have to always better myself sneaked up on me. Or now I assume it did..

I felt that all is well, "yeh, I'm going to make this good.. no, the best!" And maybe it was here where I took the wrong turn. I stopped being relaxed and started to guide the progression to a fine, nice, watchable, adorable, praisable direction. So that somebody could come up to me and say: "nice, well done". Then I would feel really nice.

And is that for the good? Don't know..

I used the grab-tool to quickly sink in the ears and lower the eyes to a better position, but now I didn't mess around so the shape stayed together.

As I was thinking earlier, I feel this sketching has come to an end. I don't gain big leaps no more so I might move on to texturing. I could detail the models more and learn that, but I think the texturing might be more appropriate direction.

Now I'll have to start checking on some tutorials about texturing. I'll link all the tutorials, and the keywords how I found them here, for my guidance.

It feels like an important decision to change direction. I guess it needs some self-evaluative properties to notice when to change direction. Maybe also some planning and objectives might support that. I could keep on going to sketch these things up to 100 pieces and stop, but I feel no need.

I checked one nice tutorial about texturing with a photo. He painted the skin straight on the sculpture. It was actually looking really exciting. And I think it will feel like so as well..

12th

level 3, 15 mins

Pigboy. 

I estimated that this one took 15 mins, but it could've been 10. Its getting quicker all the time, and I feel I should add something to this workflow. Maybe level 4? More details and limit it still into 20 mins.

11th

level 3, 20 mins

I added some hairy action on the skull, it came effortlessly with wax out. Also took the symmetry off for the first time to gain some natural asymmetry.

Front ok, sideview has the jawbone too back. Maybe the jaw is also too low.

I'm really starting to get to a point where I feel the flow coming. The whole working system is getting more speed and I'm able to concentrate on the shape without getting distracted f.ex with trying to find a key. The speed stalls quite frequently, but I feel a learning curve that's telling me that I'm going on a good course.

10th

level 3, 15 mins

I had a beer and made this one. And I noticed I was more quick while not caring about smoothing. Also I  intentionally left working marks on the model. Just waxing it in with speed.

9th

level 3, 40 mins.

I think I'll have to learn how to make some eyeballs. These sleepy fellas are very profound and thought-lifting, but I think it is time to start thinking about facial expressions.

Moving the wax around with the settings I have now is starting to root itself to my system. Every time it feels more natural and fluent.

Also the system what I have, where I don't take it too far gives me a quicker ending to a single project. I set a small goal and achieve it in an hour or so. And through that, I notice it's not a big step to take in the evenings to make a head.

I'm also starting to relax with my writing. There's two reasons: I'm doing it often enough. Almost no traffic in the blog.
And the last one seems to be the most influental one.

Anyway, this head has now more nose and it's good for him. He has some interesting areas in the frontview. Maybe the frontview is hinting that the sideview should be wider, perhaps from the neck.. but otherwise it's pretty ok.

8th

level 3, 1 hour

It seem now easy to use the wax-tool to find the basic shape of the skull. Wax out, then wax in with low strength doesn't make sudden big changes that would scare the flow away.

Still, after said that and uploaded this, I see the sideview is not quite the same shape. And the noses seem all to be very stubby. For the next shape, I'll concentrate on the nose-area a bit better. 

Now when thinking about it, the nose hasn't been for me a thing to be played with to gain character. Meaning, it has been a part of the face I forgot. If I know what I mean?

edit 19.04. What a weird thing. The whole thing feels like a pack of wet gelatine. 
Just made the 9th and now see that things have to have edge! Smooth is not ok. 


edit 21.04 I look at this and I feel something coming up my throat. 


edit 25.04 It's really not gaining anything when days are passing. Very slimy. 

seventh

level 3, 45 mins.

I used wax tool find the shape and now it worked like never before. I was able to stay in the shape, and changed the size and strenght of the brush on the go. Good stuff. I shaped the back of the skull with quickly adding layers of wax, rotating, checking the whole shape, wax in until it was fine.

The wax-tool is pretty tricky piece of thing. With low strenght it doesn't add anything, it just smooths out everything into a plane, just moving stuff around. With that adjustment it's good for me to destroy noses when needed. I'ts quicker than smoothing out, or sculpting in. The sculpting in would anyway cause wormholes in the shape, so I don't seem to use it much.

This one has his lips too low, but it still feels logical for this character. And a flat face, there is something innit, aintit?

sixth

level 3, 1,5 hours

I started shaping with the wax tool. First time when I shaped with decreasing volume instead of increasing. I assume it keeps the polygons smaller, so I get smaller detail.

Wax tool works nicely, it's easy to add and take away. So now it flows a bit better than before.

Still, it wasn't all feel good. I noticed at one point I was getting some good facial emotions from my character and I stayed on that area for a moment. Maybe for a too long time, lost the big picture. When I took some distance, I noticed the head was very wide. And from the side, very thin. As show in the upper two shapes. Tried to fix it with grab-tool but then all went down with flames. Somehow it broke the model. Or the idea of the model, where it's heading. I've done it before, but been able to go on. Now I felt completely unmotivated to continue. Tired and shit..
Can of fosters. A peek at Spungella. Bed.

background and colors

It has to be given a thought.

At the moment the coloring is dark, grim, like a dungeon where stopmotionanimators and the like would normally work. It doesn't have a lot of air, it doesn't give you the mint fresh breath of mac-purity.. It's more like a handcrafter workspace than a graphic designers workdesk. And what I want it to be? For some reason I like it to be airy, and more white.

fifth

level 3 - 1 hour

It took a while to get going, I was trying to find a good workflow with playing around in the hotkey settings. And they are confusing, and for some reason you can't reset the settings anywhere if you mess something up. You'll have to dig up a hotkeys.txt and trash that to reset.

But now it seems a bit better. Lower wacom button and draw for changing the size seems good for now. Lower wacom with shift-key and draw to change the strenght.

Getting there.

 Edit: 26.03 This model again is not looking the same in the views. Sideview hints that his lower lip bottom part would sink deeper into the face, but it's not shown in the front view. Why? Also sideview cheek hints that the lower part of the cheek is sagging, but the frontview is not. 

Hmh. An idea. Maybe I could get a sideview to a floating window, so while sculpting I could also see it from the sideview.

trying to get to the point.

What is the point of this blog for me? I am trying to do as many sketches as possible, when I have the time.
Where I'm trying to take this? I am learning this blogging system for future projects and having a platform where I can put all my doings.
Why here? It's a feeling of being connected. It has something to do with motivation.. when I'm making something public, it creates a motivation to keep it up. Even though nobody is watching, there is still a chance that maybe somebody is. No matter, it still lights up some kind of a spark to keep moving into a direction.
And I feel it. This is not even close to being an important part of my life, but when I have some freetime, I notice I'm thinking about doing a thing for the blog.

I like sculpting, I'm comfortable with 3 dimensional shaping, real and digital. And usually I get very focused when doing it. And through this focus, I sense I should be doing more of it. I think now this combination of publicity and sculpting has created an interesting arena for me to develop and dig deeper on my interests.

Also every time, when I post a model, I feel obliged to comment on it. And that feels like it's an important reflection on the work. I might think more clearly on the comment, when writing for a public review. So forcing yourself to a clear comment, maybe gives you a clearer reflection.

I'm also trying to become a better writer and a better communicator. Im trying to shake off all the over-the-shoulder people who come and comment on my writing. I'm trying to get into the root of me.

I'm using the word "try" though one short man once said: "do or don't, there is no try". I get it, but I don't actually, actually get it. 

fourth

level 3, 30 mins.

Had 30 minutes of my own time and did this fellow. It's seems interesting from the side, but the front is lacking something. I think his eyes are too something. Have no time to analyze now, will do later.

I used the wax tool to get the basic shape and it's starting to work quite nice. I think I'll have to think about the hotkey-business, B for size and M for strength is no good for me. There i still a flash of unsureness of which button to press, so it's not very workflowy. I think I'm keeping my hand on the left side of the keyboard.. but why? The touchpad?  I can't rest my hand over the touchpad because it could interfere with my bamboo. I think that's the underlying formerly unconscious action that makes my hand to move when finding B and M.

I'm using google spreadsheet to keep record of my work. I still have to figure out how to make it so that I can write down minutes instead of full hours and 0.8 hours is 50 minutes. Jea.

Edit. Hours and minutes using : sign. 1:30 is marked as 1 hour 30 minutes. Good for me.

Third.

level 3

I tried grabbing-tool to adjust the shape, but it felt like it was braking the shape too much. Maybe I was doing it too quickly, or overusing the capacity of the tool. 

I stopped shaping the basic mass when suddenly the lips felt good. The lips then were the "pivot" point from what all the rest leaned on.

I'm still trying to get to a closer relationship with this program. It's not yet very fluent, I have to look for hotkeys and I take away volume in big chunks. I would like to add some, and take some quickly away without getting some weird overlapping action that I have to smooth later. Im now using the wax in, smooth out method, but the smooth smooths out the dynamics of the shape and it loses some of its .. momentum, or tension that keeps me focused on the shape. And I don't like that.
Best just to experiment with some different methods.

I'm not sure I am doing this sketching thing right. The first sketch was really quick, but this one is looking it has been taking longer to finish. As it probably has. I might need some timing system. Maybe a limit of 15 minutes to finish the sketch, whatever might it look. Or just take time how long from beginning to finish.
Yes, I'll do that and see where it leads.

This is still taking too much of my time, I should be doing this more efficient and in the between of things. From now on it has to be quick, quick, quick and RAW.

Edit 26.03 Sideview feels like he is keeping his teeth apart intentionally. Maybe should fix the jaw to pull it back and up. But wont.

Second sketch

A level 3 mudbox character

I did this sketch with keeping my attention mostly on the frontal image.

Now, more goals: Have to get the side and the front to be from the same character.

Sideview jaw needs more testosterone, lips down, thicker neck, forehead maybe lacks some volume. But at the moment I'll nevermind this and move on.

first sketch

a level 3 mudbox character

Im trying to use a small amount of polygons, because I have read that this is the thing in the modelling business. I've done some modelling with 3ds max, but I consider it forgotten.

My goal is to use Mudbox often and make characters in a very primary shape. You can already get the feel from these models where they could lead, so I leave the high detailed work for later on.

Using the primary shape and doing it a lot, I think I could get better in quickly shaping the basic form of a character.

If I'm correct, this buddy has 24 576 polygons and he's a level 3 Mudbox character. I'm planning to stay in this level at the moment to keep it simple, stupid.