Crimson CHOW#55_Solara Summertime Fairy

[Lege1]

***TONIGHT IS THE FINAL DEADLINE FOR THIS CHOW SO PLEASE GET YOUR FINALS INTO THE POLL BEFORE MIDNIGHT!!!***

FallingWater: Really great start and setup, and this would have been very awesome if brought to final. I'm still hoping somehow that you can. I really like the pose, composition, and scale of everything. Very cool how she is petting the bee also. See what magic you can work and if you can get this one to fly in the poll! Very cool how you are using 3D in your work flow and it proves to yield good results. What 3D program are you working in?

[FallingWater]

Thank you Lege. I mostly use Blender, it's free and powerful, and then branch out as needed with other tools depending on the task at hand.

[Lege1]

FallingWater Ah yes, Blender is indeed powerful, vast in its UI but strong in it's capabilities for sure. We don't really see many approaches like yours here and this is the first I think since I have been part of the forum. I think this is a good thing though cause it does show the ability for 3D to have its rightful place and benefit to 2D concept / illustration work. I feel like if you would have had more time that your final would have come out more polished for sure, but I still let it slide cause it was interesting and something different than we normally see; in the future I'd definitely like to see the work a little more polished than what was presented in this final. None the less still good work with a strong foundation and we are glad to have to participate here with us.

[darktiste]

Couldn't resist joining the conversation to establish myself as one of the pioneer of 3d bashing around here.

''We don't really see many approaches like yours here and this is the first I think since I have been part of the forum''

Well that a mistake since i use blender at least since 04-27-21 and still use it to this day.

You can find my first Z brush and maya work as my first 3D use here.

https://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-...ge-43.html

It was more evident at first since my model did not have texture but now it probably harder to tell for people who dont look at 3d stuff all day.

Started initially on zbrush made some work on maya then move on to sketchup and then move and finally married blender.

[Lege1]

Darktiste Very cool 3D work and yes that goes back a year or so prior to me joining in on the forum back in December of 2022. Are you still working in Blender? Do you focus mostly on 3D opposed to drawing and painting in the times?

[darktiste]

Darktiste Very cool 3D work and yes that goes back a year or so prior to me joining in on the forum back in December of 2022. Are you still working in Blender? Do you focus mostly on 3D opposed to drawing and painting in the times?

I still work in blender and i focused on learning how to incorporate blender in my workflow. Now it more about finding the balance of when to use and when not to use it.3D can be a trap if use incorrectly. From experience i had to deal with alot of crash and it kinda suck the soul out of you sometime when you just want thing to get done but you feel like your understanding of the software is getting in the way it certainly can be a steppe learning curve at time.

In the end of 2023 i had some computer issue so some of my project at that time were thrown out the window i also experimented with ai generation you can find some of the Ai generated experiment record in my sketchbook as something that touch on during that time .I spend some of the begin of 2024 restoring my pc file and then once it was restore sometime after i bought a pc from a friend to make sure i would not be stuck without a working pc but that meant i also had to spend time rebuilding on that pc also.

3D as been a focus for a while now but that just because i still had something to learn in the 3d realm now i feel like strong fundamental in sketching is really the key to my success because if the idea suck why model it...

What i do is repetitive in natural(concept art) since it playing around with general visual guideline(visual style) and coming up with interesting design. It not as glamour as a pretty illustration so what i post mostly is the very early and end stage of project because it rather clean and doesn't create confusion because people who look at concept art just have a harder time understanding the direction thing will take because the picture i make are not so much about storytelling but clear function and visual interest. The fact i don't post my reference board kinda make it hard for people to understand the direction i will take and even with a reference board you can mix it so much that it doesn't necessary say alot about where your going next that why in concept art there something call an art bible done by the art director so that the project stay consistent visually. I also design what i consider to be the background noise i am like a support artist in a way. Not everyone want to see rock vegetation or everyday item but it part of the job.

Anyways i hope that answers some question.

[Lege1]

Darktiste Very good explanations and answer indeed. I understand what you are saying about 3D being a trap but also being very beneficial if used correctly. I also relate very much to what you said about having a strong sketching foundation to visualize good ideas. I feel very strongly that being a good draftsman and be able to produce proper drawing and is the strongest skill a visual artist can have, from there it is delving into the other fundamentals and forever honing and sharpening skills there to really try and perfect ones image making abilities the best as possible. We are all forever students and can only keep getting better and better.

I hope you finally have earned your way to having a good working machine. I worked on shitty equipment for years, typical trials and tribulations of the creative dedicating most of their time to their craft opposed to being so money focused or being able to make adequate funds as a visual creator. I see this happen to many good creatives whether in the visual arts or music where they end up having basic or poor equipment but they are extremely talented and gifted individuals, while others who are not a fraction talented are blessed with having the money for the latest and greatest technology; it's an interesting phenomenon in the creative realms I see all too often.

I worked in Carrara 5 Pro and Zbrush 9 many moons ago, going back into the early 2000's. I thought the 3D definitely had potential but did really enjoy the work flow. I found it interesting to be able to digitally sculpt but I think I would rather be sculpting in real life to be honest. Obviously the pros of working digitally per usual are no cost of supplies aside from your working machine and software investment, no waiting for clay to dry, and no worries about storage and where you will continue to store it as you make more creations, so that is where working with a program like Zbrush I found very beneficial.

I see how AI can present very good opportunities especially in the form of using it for reference, but I make the personal choice not to use it and fall back on classic studies from books and videos, along with photo referencing and sometimes crafting models or maquette's for reference as James Gurney describes in his Imaginary Book. I really just enjoy the process of drawing and painting but am seeing how that is getting phased out quickly with further development of the AI. I don't care though because I look at my life as just temporary period of time and I want to spend it doing what I enjoy as much as possible; life is too fragile and short to live it miserably or discontent if you don't have to.

Here is some 3D fused with digital painting I did back in 2010. I used Zbrush to do some of the initial sculpting and then digitally painted over the Spider model. I was very big into drawing creatures back then and was a big participator of Conceptart.orgs C.O.W. (Creature of the Week) forum. 

[darktiste]

Zbrush as such as distinct style to it strange or perhaps it organic sculpting to a certain degree of expertise that give similar result.I think it the organic and smoothness of surface to a certain degree that might be characteristic of new user or i suppose it the symettry that generally still end up in the final result a leak of final adjustment to create unevenness that depend if you use a sculpting symettry tool or if you sculpt very organic and don't use the symmetry tool.

You did not change that much you are still into creature design alot compare to other but you seem to have also character added to that.Would just say that it would benefit to pay some respect to the fundamental of anatomy but if you can't be bothered so be it.

[Lege1]

Darktiste Haha, pretty much the response I expected to get back from you. Yes, I was a complete amateur working in Zbrush here and never really pursued it much further to be honest. It was fun while it lasted but I just wanted to get back to drawing and painting. The over smoothness of the Zbrush modeling def screams rookie. I think the hardest part of working in the program, especially back then was that the information and learning resources were scarce, I think there might have been a Gnomon workshop tutorial or something for it, but I spent majority of my time filtering through Youtube videos I could find, forum info, and whatever I could find in books at the library, or at the bookstore. I didn't have any of my creative friends via real world or online at the time that I could collaborate with and try and tackle Zbrush's learning curve which put me on a one man mission to really try and convince and motivate myself that it was fun and worth it.

I would use the symmetry tool to help keep everything aligned but when going in to paint it, that is where I would lose the symmetry, but I never have minded a little a symmetry in my work, I feel it can make the work more interesting, unless of course it's a beautiful woman's face that must be perfectly symmetrical to really ring bells of beauty and craft approval.

You're right, I still do very much so like to draw monsters and creatures. That is primarily why I participate in this forum to expose myself to human anatomy and character design more to work on things that I feel I need to keep evolving with; not to mention that it's industry standard across all boards and genres of the visual arts. I try to do my anatomy studies in between each one of these briefs and the fun never ends, lol. I sometimes sit and fill up pages with faces and figures and I know I could work on that area more. With that said, we all can! I think it's one thing to work from reference for poses and faces, it's another to do it from imagination and that has been my personal goal for the longest; I do know that it takes outside visual programming to even try to achieve a decent level of this and not just stay only drawing from imagination recycling all the old bad habits and incorrect ways of doing things over, and over. I try to do a lot of studies from reference and then apply it from imagination to test myself and see how much I have learned, if I feel something is off I know I can always try to go and seek reference, or get in a mirror, or take pictures of myself if it's that serious. Like I mentioned in my previous comments we are all forever students, but I do appreciate you pointing out what and where I could put more work in.

With that said, I hope you practice what you preach and just don't stay in the shadows forever as a critic. It would be nice to see you participate more here even if you don't get to the finals and just submit some good concept sketches, ideas, anything in the form of works in progress. You have very nice work in your sketchbook, why not apply some of that here with us and help add some energy and positive influence to the forum here more often in the form of actual artwork. Hope you are well otherwise my Crimson Dagger brother, and thanks again for the input its always humbling and motivating no matter how bitter and brash things might come off in writing.