Witty title

I was able to get some nice feedback on my T-shirt designs at Sun Devil Fan Fair on Sunday, so that was encouraging. I changed the “Anatomy of a Dragon” to “Anatomy of Smaug” and people got the reference much quicker. So that was useful.

I’ve been pouring a lot of my free time trying to get to know ZBrush like a desperate person chasing girls at a club for a one night stand… I gave Sissmuth a bust now and brushed in some basic textures. I tried to incorporate some of the things I learned from my creature design/creation book when deciding on these textures and the overall shape of Sissmuth’s head.

Sissmuuth’s kind hails from an arid, desert island where dust bowls and sandstorms are quite prevalent. I needed to give the idea that his head was like natural armor to this; thick, and plated, but worn and made bumpy after several years. It was difficult finding a balance for this — to little was hardly even noticeable. Too much, and it just looked like severe acne…

Step into the Light…

As much as I love Pokemon, I knew that I needed to expand my scopes of interesting franchises a little bit more if I was going to attract customers. Taking a break from 3D for a bit, I wanted to design more T-shirts. I needed something fresh and witty, but at the same time, something I could see myself wearing as well. I came up with this… I hope people get it.

 

Still toying around with colors, but for something made from scratch, I rather like how the silhouette came out.

 

 

 

Adventures in ZBrush Land, Pt. 2

Day 2 in ZBrush Land. The ground beneath me still punctures my feet, but I’m a little happy to report that the callouses are beginning to harden and I can bear it a little more. The jungles that are ZBrush’s immense span of tools, brushes, and capabilities feign me less so than they did a few days ago. Perhaps this wild terrain can be tamed…? Surviving out this long in this wilderness has led me to generate a second attempt at Sissmuth the Dragonborn’s profile sketch. There certainly is a clear distinction between then and now… which was only a few days ago…

…perhaps there is hope…

Adventures in ZBrush Land

After reading some of the new material I’d just bought, I was eager to begin dipping my toe into ZBrush. There definitely is a learning curve to this software, and once again, I was hit with the trepidation of perhaps spreading myself too thin across so many different platforms of software. Even so, it was something I was determined to learn. Since I was already bent on modeling out Sissmuth, my Dragonborn character out, I figured why not start with that. I very much enjoyed playing with the form and seeing how so many different shapes can so easily be generated with every sculpting brush within ZBrush, but I know this is hardly even scratching the surface.

I shall delve more into this mysterious world of ZBrush and learn its secrets…

I Made a… Thing.

I bought about a hundred dollars worth of books about character/creature design, ZBrush, drawing, and Maya, and I’m kinda pumped to be learning some new things!! I did this in one night, although it took me slightly more than an hour, admittedly. As I mentioned before, I’m not a real avid fan of MLP, but I do find Changelings rather fascinating on both their design and mannerisms. After a healthy obsession with mythology and folklore, I decided to try and modify it into a Kelpie — or Water Horse, as most people know them by. To be honest, I really didn’t know what I was doing. I just took a pony-esque shape and ran with it…

Personally, I Prefer the Air, Pt. 3

I’ve been slacking. Shut up.

Basic geometry is finished. Adding some general touches… I’m going to bring this into Keyshot and assigns some materials to it but I’d also like to be able to texture it in Maya and dirty it up a little for a REALLY solid render. Need to research more on how to do that. But for now…

“GLARE” Tees Photoshoot + Ad/Promo Design

“GLARE” was the name of the line of graphic tees that I developed on March 8th. The new equipment had come in some days ago and I was immediately hard at work getting what I needed to in order to begin making some awesome shirts!! These were the initial prototypes developed… I planned a photoshoot and everything in order to show off my new products, which actually just consisted of a bare wall, a Samsung camera, a large mirror off from those sliding closets, and the 6:00 setting sun. I was genuinely surprised at how well the came out. Once taken, set to work at once creating a promo piece for my Draconic Designs pages to advertise their reduced prices. This was something I really enjoyed working on because it’s one of the few pieces I can say that I saw all the way through.

 

…btw, yes, that is me modeling those shirts as well.

Personally, I Prefer the Air, Pt. 2

I promised a picture, so here it is… I’ve been working on this a lot longer than I should be. It took me a few days alone just to get the angles in the wings just right. But now that the basic figure is done, I’m gonna be having some fun adding in more of the details. I need to figure out how to make this model printable as well. Lots to get done. I’m hoping I’d be able to create a render of this sometime… But, lots to get done. It may be possible I’m spreading myself too thin with all this software. But it’s what I need to learn…

Sissmuth the Dragonborn Profile

Sissmuth was my first OC and I love him very much. He’s been my roleplay character across many games and was so badass, he was the final boss in the D&D campaign I used him in. So yeah… kinda attached. However, every time I use him in a game, I update his design, because I absolutely ADORE seeing how characters evolve and grow between stories. It’s interesting, trying to come up with a backstory that encompasses all of the campaign he’s been in…

This was just a vectorization of a sketch I did back in February, but forgot to scan it in and post here. I hope to someday be able to make a 3D model of him.

Personaly, I Prefer the Air

During my time at ASU, I worked a lot with Rhinoceros, and I loved it. Very intuitive software, easy to learn and understand. I began working on some models that weren’t characters, as I’d recently placed an order for Makerbot’s Z18 3D printer. Words cannot describe how excited I am to be receiving such a wonderful device. Doesn’t ship until the end of April, though, so that gives me time to work on printable models.

As you may have discerned from the title, I’m working on a vehicle from Star Fox to compliment the Landmaster 3D sketch I made last year. Tonight’s creative hour was supposed to be a speed model… only, it wasn’t a creeative “hour” and it wasn’t a “speed” model. I suppose you’ll just see what I mean… I don’t have any pictures yet and I’m too lazy to take some as of now.