Unit 9 - Where In The World? Part II. Digital Character design and environment

 Digital character design and environment

In our last unit of the year, we had to create a character design then we had to place it in an environment. This unit meant to be preparing us a bit for the third year projects, where we need to make the environment for our sculptures. We had the opportunity to do this project on paper or digitally.

After my work placement with Lifecast Ltd at Elstree Studios, I am interested in ZBrush, because I saw how much are they using it this day, therefore I choose the digital techniques for unit 9.

We have been given some scripts, what we needed to read through and choose one that we want to work from. I have chosen "Tom`s List" by Sibusiso Mamba. Moreover, I choose straight the first scene.

I really liked this script and I found the character very interesting. I have imagined an old-style bloke, in an old fashion movie. Probably in a film noir. The black and white representation and design would serve the film.

The Character

A middle-aged hitman can have a very interesting look. I imagined a guy with wrinkles and a bit of a tired face/look.

Before I started designing, I just rewatched a classic movie about a character like this.

After watching "The Profesional" I was keep thinking about similar characters and collected references.

I also wanted to give him some background. I imagined a former wrestler who later on became a hitman. So I planned out all of his featurettes, based on an old wrestler, body shape. I wanted to represent someone who is still strong, but he already has some belly. Also, I wanted to show that he has the developed muscles that a wrestler has. Wide shoulders, wide back, developed shrug muscles, and strong legs. 

And the cauliflower ear.

What is a cauliflower ear?

The term cauliflower ear refers to a deformity of the ear caused by blunt trauma or another injury, such as what may occur during a boxing or wrestling match.

I have also used a book by Alex Kayser "Heads" as a reference.

In the beginning, I started to use The left picture above as a reference. I tried to follow his head structure and shape.

So I had plenty of references, and ideas, however, I wanted to design my own hitman!

This guys physic was the main reference for the body type

At the first weekend of June, I had a chance to visit 2 exhibitions at the National Gallery: Sensing the Unseen and Copernicus.

In 'The Adoration of the Kings’, Gossaert has compressed time and space into a richly detailed, imagined setting where some elements of this familiar Christian scene are immediately clear and others are hidden for us to discover: the weave of the fabric, Gossaert’s fingerprint in the green glaze where he blotted it with his hand, thistles and dead-nettles, hairs sprouting from a wart on a cheek, a tiny pearl, a hidden angel... 

Jan Matejko’s epic painting ‘Astronomer Copernicus’ unites two of Poland’s most famous figures. Despite being largely unknown outside his homeland, Matejko is regarded as the national painter of Poland. His huge paintings, showing iconic events from Polish history, are part and parcel of Poland’s national identity.

This painting celebrates one of the most important names in the history of science, Polish mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus is known for his theory, which proposed the solar system with the sun at its centre and the planets orbiting around it.

Matejko painted the enormous canvas in 1873 to mark the 400th anniversary of the astronomer’s birth.

After this point, I started to work on the head more. I started to make significant changes to the head and face structure. This process was very similar to the portrait sculpting in the previous unit. Also, I started to use another reference for the face.

                                                                                                                    

Then I started to dress him up.

                 

First attempt with the environment in Photoshop.

The finished 3D character

                         

Place the guy in the environment

I have used Photoshop to place the hitman in the lift. I kept everything still black and white for the film noir style.

Conclusion

At the end of the project I can say that since the digital skull sculpting, I developed some knowledge with ZBrush I quite like this result however my ZBrush knowledge is still very very basic. In Zbrush we can do hyperrealistic things, and my character is quite sketchy, it looks more like a clay sculpture to me but I am very happy for this outcome.  I decided to take a ZBrush course because I do want to learn this programme properly. I think it will be useful in the future.