3D Artist No. 106

What with the release of the modern update to Beauty And The Beast, to the continued success of recent games like The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and Horizon: Zero Dawn, sci-fi and fantasy are as in vogue now as they’ve ever been. To some people, at face value, it might seem easy to create your own orcs, dragons, castles and the like, but one thing that eludes most beginners at least is the need for a well thought-out narrative element to the render. Think about it carefully next time you sit down in front of your computer or get out your sketchbook –creating a backstory and, ultimately, identity for your scene will help you to achieve better work. Think about the age of your character or environment, think…

ANDREY GRITSUK artstation.com/artist/aizekg Every great character design has some sort of backstory. Andrey discusses his character ideas and shows you how to re-create our spectacular cover image over on p46. 3DArtist username aizekg MARIANO TAZZIOLI artstation.com/artist/mtazzioli96 Adapting a 2D illustration into a 3D render can present all sorts of challenges, especially as in 3D space you can’t rely on a forced perspective. Head to p54 for Mariano’s advice. 3DArtist username mtazzioli AMARU ZEAS amaruzeas3d.com We fell in love with Amaru’s latest work when we saw it, so we asked if he’d be able to use it to demonstrate some crucial lighting and rendering techniques in Arnold. Learn more on p62. 3DArtist username amaruzeas MICHAEL GOLDFARB sidefx.com If you’ve been to a VFX event in the last year or so it’s highly likely you’ve bumped into Michael from SideFX. He’s a lovely chap, and has…

“This is personal work; I have had a passion for gorillas since childhood, so I try a new design quite regularly and this guy was my first attempt this year. I tried mainly to get simple effective shapes mixed with a more realistic texture, which seems to have become my signature”Jean Baptiste Vendamme, Alexis, 2017 Jean B Vendamme artstation.com/artist/jbvendamme Jean Baptiste is a French character designer based in Ireland with a thing for animals Software ZBrush, Photoshop Work in progress… “Usually I like to sculpt my own ideas for personal projects, but in this work I decided to make something based on a concept by the talented artist,Even Mehl Amundsen”Farhad Nojumi, The Old Crow, 2017 Farhad Nojumi bit.ly/2n6FvSV Farhad is a ZBrush instructor and works on characters for the toy and game industry Software 3ds Max, ZBrush, 3D-Coat, Photoshop, V-Ray Work…

Fantasy is almost indefinable. It’s a genre that is, unlike the scientific roots of sci-fi, often unconstrained by concepts from the real world – it’s a form of art and media with a limitless imagination. Unlike sci-fi, which can be predominantly traced back to western literature, fantasy cannot be traced to a single geographical location or medium. When it comes to being expressed as an art form, fantasy is not led by a single subject matter or school of thought. Instead, it’s enriched by our own imaginations of magic, the supernatural, gods, beasts, demons – our dreams and perhaps even nightmares. “Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can,“ said fantasy author Terry Pratchett. It’s a quote…

Do it your way If it’s a personal project, just do your own thing. Don’t worry about what’s trendy or popular, just make it for yourself and it will be more rewarding. Be open minded and use real-life references, and try not to use other people’s art. If you’re making an original creature then make it unique, try something different. Adam Sacco, 3D character artist Enjoy yourself Each person has their own process to do art, so the most basic thing to keep in mind is to simply enjoy the process. Every process will result in a different outcome, so just keep experimenting to find what you will enjoy. Art should be fun! David ‘Deiv Calviz’ Villegas, freelance illustrator and concept artist Visualise everything Remember that you are creating a living, breathing being. Try to visualise your…

01 Create the full form Starting with the face, solidify the image of a dragon you want to create. Then, model it by using DynaMesh and draw it out with the SnakeHook brush while focusing on movements. 02 Add mid-level details Start adding details to the whole model with a focus on the face, as it will be the main part. Use the SnakeHook brush and Standard brush frequently. Remember to view the overall image to avoid adding too many details in one spot. 03 Clean topology Use ZRemesher and clean the flow of topology. Then, transfer the mid-level detailed model with the Project All button. You can work smoother if you switch the mode from DynaMesh to SDiv. 04 Add fine details Emphasise the edges and add fine details using Alphas and…