Source
r/blender•
negativeview

Tutorials that are less tech, more art?

Help!

I have been poking at Blender since before it was open source. I've never been exceptional at it, but over so many years I think I've picked up a lot of the technical knowledge.

Where I fail, HARD, is the more artistic side. As an example, I recently decided to model my latest DND character. She's supposed to be base Aasimar (human with angel blood) that has both Orc and Dragon in her somewhat distant bloodline. She's modeled somewhat after Dark Angel, played by Jessica Alba. So I started modeling based on some pictures of Jessica Alba and I wind up with...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w99AKj9EX6Y

It looks male. And ugly. Part of that is a result of me trying to make it look Orcish to some degree, but I don't know what made it slide into male territory.

All the how to model a face tutorials that I can find focus on the technical aspect. Are there tutorials out there on the artistic side of this stuff? If so, maybe the tutorial list in the wiki should include some tutorials that aren't Blender-specific as well? Or just a cleanup in general? There are two tutorials listed in the wiki that sound promising, but both don't actually go to a tutorial.

Posted Sep 2, 2015, 1:41 PM UTC

612
oisincar•

I think that there really isn't much anyone can teach you about art. It's practice. My dad's an art teacher and i've had all the help i could ever want with stuff but my drawings still look like a 5yr old's because i never spend any time on it. Just make stuff, it'll suck, but you'll get better fairly quickly. Give it 50-100 hours (sounds like a lot but really it's not) and you'll really surprise yourself. Just be patient with yourself and understand that you won't make great stuff straight away.

Still though, making models that look like people is especially hard. Maybe you'd want to start off with less organic things, like buildings or cars or planes. Much less frustrating overall.

5
Jack-Jewell•

If you are looking for some help with heads / ogre style heads try asking u/IceShardd He made a pretty cool ogre style head and may be able to give you some pointers into modeling it.

A link to his ogre head: http://imgur.com/bA9ZxNU

4
masterxeon1001•

id recommend zbrush tutorials. They show the artistic side of asset creation. But really for a head like that the best advice I can give is. Understand the skull. As in make skulls. Its the only way to understand whats underneath and give it structure. On my channel I try to approach blender more artistically than technically.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mioJ55cz94o

This video for example is a good example. https://youtu.be/CJZhJ4pHYPs

A beginner would moan "thiiis isnt blenderrr" but if you watch carefully and look past that you can see his strokes and his choices. But without basic understanding of the shape of a head and the construction of the skull youre in for a looooong uphill struggle. That will only end when you study and understand the structure of a human body.

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thisIsanAccount4•

How are you so good at modeling? Do you have experience with other software? Do you do this professionally?

2
masterxeon1001•

both. I use alot of software now but I started in blender. Just practice. I suppose and tutorials. And also looking at other peoples parts. I see parts I like and i model them.

I just uploaded a video about my approach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKf4DbATJLE

2
thisIsanAccount4•

Alright so i've been watching your videos and i'm starting to understand it's a lot of back and forth. Do you, however, have any recommended tutorials?

2
masterxeon1001•

well if youre talking about hard surface. I recommend watching this video about 7 times a day for a week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ct9voyU3h0

This guy demonstrates how to gracefully create a beautiful character with subtle curves and transitions that make her face appealing and attactive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJZhJ4pHYPs

This guy's painting abilities in Paintstorm blew me away. I loved the traditional approach and the whole process. It reminded me of metal gear in the earlier stages.

https://youtu.be/Fcm5mS0mtDk

2
ChocolateGnutella•

Maybe try looking for tutorials for drawing faces before you start modeling. For instance I think usually the eyes go in the center of the head for a human, so your eyes are too far up. Look for drawing with accurate anatomy before trying to customize that anatomy. And I'd start designing in 2D before you jump up to 3D. Good luck!

3
failbye•

I suggest finding tutorials on modeling and anatomy. I'm sure there are many out there that covers more of the anatomical side than the blender technical side.

For your model, I think you are trying to achieve too much in a single sitting. I don't know how experienced you are with human anatomy but if you are not, then trying to create something that is human-angel-orc-dragon is simply too much. Start with making a human model (because those we have a lot of references on) then when you have managed to get a decent looking human face it's much easier to tweak tiny details until you get it into the realm of what you are trying to achieve.

As for the human look of your model, the skull is too flat at the top and sides, the skull is too small compared to the face, the jaw-bone is too rectangular, the chin-bones should be further out and the eyes are way too far apart. The mouth also appears to be to low compared to the nose.

2
negativeviewOP•

Start with making a human model (because those we have a lot of references on) then when you have managed to get a decent looking human face it's much easier to tweak tiny details until you get it into the realm of what you are trying to achieve.

I admittedly used an entirely different technique, but it did wind up looking better from a technical standpoint. It still wound up male (started attempting female, then when it refused to do that, I embraced the maleness). No ears because ears are HARD!

http://imgur.com/eifQWR9

That was kindof fun!

1
IceShardd•

Thanks u/jack-jewell for directing me here :) Not too long ago I made a model quite similar to what you've made. I don't want to sound arrogant, but I've been drawing creatures with anatomy as far as I can remember, so it sort of comes naturally while sculpting. What really made my most recent project look good was watching this guy on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Fu3r82 This video, although not a tutorial, showed me the artistic process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noi14WV-tY0

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