2014 Review, What to do for 2015

Another Year to Review. I look over what I have done and completed every year so I know what I must work on for the year ahead. First I need to see what my check list for the start of the year 2014 was.

• continue to work on human figure 

This is one of this things that is a continuing saga. I will always be improving my figure and muscular understanding of the human body. Realistic or in a style, fantasy direction. It think the Lonely Love 2.0 (Wolf Head Piece) is the highlight of the year as my anatomy project.

• More hardsurface characters: Robots, Hardsurface, Fantasy Armor, 

I don't really have hardsurface so much as I do Fashion and studying clothing in multiple ways. How other people dress characters, combinations of hardsurface and clothing, what fashions appeal to me and why do I find them interesting. Breaking down the fashion mixing; how to sculpt and understand the stitching of clothes is general. No real High points I think; I am still working on my overall understanding of fashion

• Improve my rendering outside of Zbrush: Mental Ray, Softimage, 

 This is purely because of Marmoset Toolbag 2and it is a great render tool and really affordable. I just wish they would hurry up and have an animation import option but I think they have the unity input for that low point in their software. I am working on my animation as a side note and need to look into renderings within the new Maya 2015. So this is still one I am improving but its not so much as rendering as it is understanding good lighting and correcting the software as you go along. 

High points Virgo Magi (top left) the lighting in the environment and the character pose are all things I am proud of and Ming Hua (top right) the details in the face and body have been an exciting challenge and will always yet and still need to be improved

• More time on the low models: retypo's and more alpha modeling.

All of these models are lower versions from game to animation friendly models. I like to think I have improved from last year but I have been spending more time on individual models and don't have a large amount and assessing which model I would like to possibly animate or make a lower game model to challenge myself with.

• continue drawing and sketching concepts; have a more finished concept before modeling it. 

I have been more character focused (obliviously being a character artist), spending more time sketching and working on rough ideas that come to mind but the large amount of time has been on characters that I am working on or ones that I know I am going to model.

• More Quad animals less Bipeds and more alien designs; others concept and mine

 Can't say I have anything that will truly fit this category. I am thinking about working on a Realistic Pokemon cause its 1. someone else s design (always something to work on since I will almost never get to use my own concepts in a production) 2.practice animal anatomy within a fantasy style and 3. more real world driven texture maps.

• Work more with other peoples concepts

Batman by Daniel Arya 

(Not in image my apologies)Steam Cat concept by Brandon Liao

The Little Prince Redesign by c2ndy2c1d

Erebos The God of Dead by Peter Mohrbacher

Soothsayer by Baldi Konijn

Strength by Genevieve Tsai 

Bipolar Real Monster by Toby Allen

League of Legends Azir based model

Ming Hua from The Legend of Korra

(I tried to get all of the models I have worked on based on other peoples art and concepts listed or in the image if I missed one that is not mentioned or seen I am sorry)
I think all of these have turned out good and each have their high points as well as their own low points

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So 2015 I need to work on:

• Anatomy and Muscles groups; always, but more creatures and monster driven with human elements included.
• Fashion, more clothes and styles that illustrate a time period (i.e ancient Rome vs Victorian England). How to dress characters in a unique world
• Animation, I have a few scene I would like to work on I won't list them all here but it is something I would like to improve. Animation is not the hard part, like sculpting its all in reference, break down and understanding, I keep having a hard time with making functional rig that will work with my characters.
• Lighting and Environment modeling, both go hand in hand. I don't have any final versions I can show yet but these go with my animation projects.
• More Low models to animate and pose with; always adds to working on texture maps for games and movies
• Always drawing and sketching however small
• Always model concepts that inspire me, with the artist permissions of course. Good practice and something that I can always help me push myself. 

League of Legends Contest: Plauge Azir

So I have Polycount account and am throwing myself into contests and monthly challenges to help push myself in my techniques and time management skills.

I am taking part in the League of Legends challenge. I choose to work on a new skin for Azir, he is a newer character and there aren't a lot of skins for him so far. I wanted to do a steampunk direction to match with some of the other character skins or a Knights of the round table Middle ages approach.

Here were the rules for Character models

Mission: Create a fully-textured character model of your favorite League of Legends champion/skin

• Take any champion in LoL and create a high-poly sculpt (optional) and low-poly fully textured model

Things to keep in mind

• There are no hard limits on polycounts but efficiency is appreciated: use your best judgment and make every polygon count
• Bake the Ambient Occlusion (AO) map and use this as the start of your Diffuse Map
• Try to keep the texture on its own single 2048 diffuse sheet
• You can recreate the base champion, an existing skin or create your own design.

What to deliver

• Beauty shot of the high poly sculpt (high resolution) at angles that will best show the quality of your asset (Optional if you created a high poly sculpt)
• Beauty shot of the low poly model (high resolution) at angles that will best show the quality of your asset
• Texture with flat lighting on, as found in League of Legends (LoL)
• Composite shot of your character over the updated Summoner’s Rift map (3/4 view)
• The goal is to see your character in context to the environments found in LoL while being mindful of the design requirements of the MOBA genre
• A construction shot (high resolution) which should include the following:
• Wireframe of the low poly model w/ polycounts
• Texture Sheet showing a good demonstration of economical UV space
• Any reference and/or sketches that illustrate your thought process

 First rule is Google it and find images for reference.

 I study the character looking at key parts and areas that make this character unique, things areas I like and points that need to be carried over, like the original skin and the alien skin how they are alike and not.

 This is a "Naked" Azir I Sketched a base to work on and from.

 These are the skin concepts I worked on I really liked to way the Plague design was going and I was inspired to do a steampunk/Victorian style something.

 Early model Zbrush Sculpt started from my Human male alpha.

 Low model, worked on the staff

 Rough posing to see where I need to fix the topology and working on texture map. Now it took me about a good week and a half to get to this point.




The Contest final submission required a few things.
 Beauty shot of the high poly sculpt (high resolution) at angles that will best show the quality of your asset (Optional if you created a high poly sculpt)

Beauty shot of the low poly model (high resolution) at angles that will best show the quality of your asset

• Texture with flat lighting on, as found in League of Legends (LoL)

Composite shot of your character over the updated Summoner’s Rift map (3/4 view)

• The goal is to see your character in context to the environments found in LoL while being mindful of the design requirements of the MOBA genre

A construction shot (high resolution) which should include the following:

• Wireframe of the low poly model w/ polycounts
• Texture Sheet showing a good demonstration of economical UV space
• Any reference and/or sketches that illustrate your thought process

 Even if I don't get anything from this contest it was a lot of fun and my Photoshop skill were greatly improved. And I think he turned out pretty well.