In terms of backstory or environment for the creature to help build an idea on how It would look I had two ideas. One idea was that the creature may life in a more natural environment such as a jungle or Rain forest. The overall design would look more feral to fit in with a less human character. On the other hand I couldn't see a feral design suiting the creature if I went with designing a model more in tune with the Skeith/Bulldog. For that design I imagined a creature more sentient and alike to humans in terms of mannerisms.

My initial ideas made me think about real life animals in our world that I could look at when creating my character. The three ideas for the designs included some type of, bird, fish or dog. I will explore using these animals to create a interesting character. However I am unsure whether I will be mixing the three animal types together since I don't want to create a design thats convoluted. I've picked animals that feature large jaws/beaks as my starting position. I want to focus on the use of large teeth and jaws to help create something possibly unsettling.

Toucan- When looking at birds my first initial Idea was the toucan, I really liked the idea of creating a model with a large beak and eyes slanted along the side of the face. The colours of the toucan offer for some interesting designs, but i'm not excluding other birds to mix into the design to make it more interesting. Using solely birds means that I can take inspiration from different birds but not straying into the territory of making the creature look silly, using too many different species.

Anglerfish- This animal fits more in with the tradition of monsters that we see in media, fish men. However what I liked so much about the Anglerfish in particular is it jaw shape as well as the light that some species have. However if I were to go with the Anglerfish design I would certainly mix it in with the Bulldog. I've previously stated that I didn't want to mix species together too much since I didn't want the designs to look overly complicated, yet the two animals could possibly work better together than alone. Both feature similar large jaws and incorporating the skin of the fish with the dog could help create a creature that doesn't just look like an anthropomorphised bulldog.

Bulldog- I picked out the Bulldog since I the very first thought I had about this was a few sketches I made for a old Flash game I played as a child. The picture of the Skeith I drew reminded me of a bulldog and I really liked the jaw shape of the Skeith. As previously stated I most likely would have to mix the Bulldog with the Anglerfish so that I didnt create a bipedal dog or the classic fish man.

Bird Design

I complied a bunch of images I found from the internet to gather my ideas for the Bird design into one spot. As I was looking through my images I birds I knew I wanted to anthropomorphise it in some way, this made me think of two games where this has been done, ElderScrollsIV: Skyrim and TheLegendofZelda; Wind Waker. In Skyrim there are hags who whilst human like, feature strong avian elements such as the feathers, hooked nose and clawed hands. The Hags design is meant to be ugly and gross and it works well when creating a monster. Wind Waker on the other hand whilst also featuring humans with bird features toned the elements down to create a character that looked softer and kinder in appearance.

Both designs incorporate bird features yet the effect on the character is the opposite to each other. It's interesting to see how others have tweaked the features to fit the mood that they intended. This also helped me gauge how I wanted my creature to look; somewhere in the middle. I want the model to look inhuman and regal but not necessarily horrific.

I also looked at other birds and I came across the "fancy pigeons" in particular the German Helmet pigeon who's feathers look like a large collar. Since I dont want the character to look like a hag the use of feathers could help create a uniqueness to the model.

Dog/Fish Design

In the end I decided that to create a interesting idea then the bulldog and Anglerfish would have to be combined to create something interesting. I looked at various different Bulldogs and I know I want to use the sagging eyes and stocky build. However the mouth is not set in stone, I want to explore the idea of using a lot of teeth or having fewer similar to the troll like mouth of the Skeith. Another Idea I had when creating this mood board was that I didn't want the creature to be covered entirely in fur. Using the texture of fish could help to create something peculiar. For this design I kept with the background of the character being more human, I liked the idea of the model perhaps wearing an English suit, referencing the association of patriotism and being "proper" with the bulldog.

Thumbnail Sketches...

I created a few sketches of both of my ideas so that I could help visualise my ideas and make a decision on which monster idea I wanted to develop.In the end I decided to go with the bird design. Whilst I really liked the first design for the angler/dog monster I preferred the larger range of possible ideas I could use and explore with the bird character. In particular I liked the bird design on the far right for the two mouths with the bird head on top almost like a mask.

Now I had an idea to work from I wanted to explore creating a body for the monster, I tried out a few designs ranging from more human like to very alien. In the end I ended up taking ideas from various different designs. After looking at all designs I first knew that I wanted to use the lower calf of the second sketch. It shows resemblance of bird feet, yet it was unique enough to keep with the sci-fi look I want to show. I liked the design on the far right, however I think it strayed to far from the core design, and as for the sketch to the left of that it looked to soft and kind, when I wanted to create something more unsettling.

In the end I used the body on the far right, thinned down with extra ridges inspired by the far right.Then the feather design was implemented to adding straggly feathers to connect the wings and neck along the body.

Despite feeling confident that the ideas so far where what I wanted to use in my final design I realised that I needed to explore the different angles of the face. Since birds can look silly when facing directly on I knew it would be a struggle to create something that didn't looked incoherent. To save time in case the design really didn't work I got straight into getting the proportions just right on the face facing directly front. It took a while to get everything positioned correctly, In the end it was the human mouth that needed to be put slightly under the beak, meaning that the beak would have to slightly slope near the tip.

I looked at different colours and felt it hard on deciding a final colour. I liked the skin colour tones of the second and third designs on the second row. The skin tone adds that unsettling human part into a animalistic designs. However despite liking the second design I feel its too angelic. So perhaps on the other design I like I could shift the tones slightly of the feather colours to make them more interesting than just grey-scale. I also like the idea of adding vein colours running along the skin to make the texture look extra sickening.

Improving Design...

Before I could start to create the model I needed to cut down on the mouths to make the design easier to manage in ZBrush. Due to this I decided to keep the bird mouth, this is since I felt that it was an integral part of the design that helped the character look more alien and animalistic. I also straitened up the weight positioning of the side view, However I wanted to keep the slight hunchback, however i did enlarge the feet to create a better weight disposition.

Modelling

Building the base model...

Using ZSphere's and then dynamesh, I could block out the very basic shapes of my model. I followed the tutorial; Sculpting a Creature. I didn't use a reference directly behind my model but i did have reference on another monitor. I felt this made it easier to focus on the model from all angles. I started to add muscle definition and tautness of skin where it would be stretched over muscle and bone. I'm happy with the progress so far and despite having to start the model over again due to the file being lost it helped me to understand how zbrush works effectively.

Limbs...

Head...

Wings...

Since my higher polygon feathers would not work I went with the idea of making the wings within Maya and then importing them as another project. The idea was that the wing would be one large low poly-count model that could be duplicated when imported into the main project. However the results where not as anticipated as the project became unusable and would crash as soon as it opened.

So I went onto my third option which was using the feathers as a brush and not a tool itself. This meant that I would be working within the models file. I think the reason why the previous methods would not work was that the project became too bulked with models that it could not keep up with the high demand. This worked out for the best however since I think the final wings look the best, and look like my initial high detail feathers with a lower poly-count.

The four pictures above show the comparison if the wing in progress and finished. I used pictures of wings on google to see where the feathers needed to go. I didn't want to risk the model becoming unstable again so I tried to minimise the amount of feathers used, this worked nicely since I could show the longer feathers on display more. Whilst these wings are not realistic to reality since they don't extend down the torso but cut at the shoulder blade this was a stylised choice since I really liked the back definition of the model and I wanted to show off as much of it I could without making the bird lady featherless.

Colour & Texture

Adding base colour...

I added a darker range of depth to the creases around the eyes since I felt like the fleshy detail was starting to become muddy. By adding the darker tones there is a stronger shadow make the highlighted areas stand out more for a bumpy fleshy texture. I also painted on highlights on the forehead Eye to match with the jellybean material that I used for the main eyes. This helped to make it look wetter and "alive". I also looked at bird beaks and reptile mouths on google images so that I could get a better texture along the mouth since before hand it was too smooth. I added cracks to the lip corners to show a fleshier part of the mouth but as you go along to the tip of the beak I instead added lines and bumps to get a Keratin affect, similar to the head-plates.

Posing

I followed the posing video for the tutorial that I had been following up until this point. It took me a while to understand how to use the transpose tool to move parts of the model. You have to mask the model just right so that there is minimal stretch in the models limbs. I also didn't understand how the circles of the transpose tool had a different use. However with simply messing around with the tool and experimenting with where to place the masking I could work with getting natural posing.

Issues...

During the posing I faced a problem in which the software would crash after a short while. This meant that I was using any saves or quick saves that I could to update the pose before Zbrush crashed. The major issue with this was that I failed to set the new poses to the original painted mesh. This meant that I was working on a model that was becoming a static model each time, meaning that any parts clipped into the body would be lost. Another issue that I cam across was that I only had two layers as a part of the subtool; the eyes and the body itself. These layers where merged together when set into a T-model meaning that when I went to merge the pose It would only have one layer to work with which it did not like.

This meant that I had to find a previous save to work with, I had luckily found a file that had a T-pose nearly finished with little clipping. The reason why I had to use this model was due to the software refusing the transpose the initial coloured model often crashing within a few minutes, or not reloading at all. This decisions was made after I made a series of efforts to fix the problem. My initial thought was that the project file was corrupted, since its not necessary to have one I deleted the file, Leaving the ZPR files. I then checked the polygon count, the software often struggles with models that have a high polygon count. However the model was well within its limit for the software to run smoothly. I also tried to retopologise the polygons of the model to get them as clean as possible but this would cause the software to crash. My last attempt was to export the model as a ERG and then put it into a brand new ZPR file so that any issues would hopefully be removed, yet again however the software would not allow me to export and import without crashing. I then considered that it was the software and not the files that was the issue. I looked around and tried a few methods to control the amount of white screen crashes I was getting since restarting the computer did not inherently solve the problem. I tried to rename the ZBrushData2020 public file as well as deleting it and pasting in a new one; advice given by the Zbrush Website. This did not work.

It was at this point that I had few options to fix the problem and that I had to work with what I have learnt over the time making the model. I noticed that the software worked the best when I was simply painting the model, and, since I had a version of the model that was pretty much posed I realised I could do the small amount of fixing the model where it had contorted using clay and then paint on top of the posed model. I would have to carve into the eyes and add new ones since the previous ones had merged with the model but I felt like this would be the best solution to the problem since I still needed to do the lighting and working on the painting would turn out to be a quicker option.

Lighting and HDRI

Due to previous issues with the software I had to prioritise the areas of the model that would be viewed in the final render images. This meant that I could focus on the side of the face that a viewer of the photo would see. There where several reasons for this, the major one being that the software was prone to crashing and that with the new fixed pose using the mirroring tool would not work to improve both sides of the model.

I knew that I wanted the background to be like a jungle or forest so I took into consideration that the colouring of the lighting would be tinged appropriately to look as though its going though leaves. However when experimenting with lighting I realised that I preferred less lighting and to focus on the back-light lightning instead. I made this decision due to the fact that the view ports original lighting gave the eyes of the model a preferred light bounce compared to using stronger lighting that would give the eyes a glazed appearance.

The final lighting has a stronger back light to show of the muscle and flesh along the torso which would have otherwise been lost to the natural front lighting. I also added a light bounce against the front of the model with a stronger green tinge so that the model would transisiton into the background nicely.

Update;

When updating the blog I looked at the images under the painting section and the Lighting section. I noticed that on my second time painting the model that the detail was weaker and lacking. This really made me want to re-attempt to pose the original painted model despite the issues that I was having.

I thought about how I had previously attempted to transpose my model and did things differently to see if the outcome would be different. I noticed that by trying to pose the legs all at was, i.e lifting the thighs, bending knees and toes that upon setting the pose the software would crash. So I tried to do one small part of the legs and it worked, The model now had its legs lifted. I tried to bend the knees and the software crashed. Upon opening ZBrush again and bending the knees the transpose worked. Soon enough I had figured out a method of only moving a small part of the model, saving and then closing and reopening ZBrush to continue the process. This took a lot longer than necessary but given the previous Issues I was happy to have the model with the better paint job posed.

With my preferred model posed and Photoshop now installed I could use the BPR and render systems within ZBrush to get a stronger, cleaner contrast of light and shadow. I used the three cap light method as shown in the tutorials followed to create the lighting for the birds. Above are the Rim lighting BPR.files that I made. In comparison to the first attempt of using lighting in Zbrush these are more dynamic and help to show of the rough texture of the skin. When making the lighting I took into account the backgrounds that I would be using to focus light where the light source would be coming from, as well as the take into consideration the colours and light reflections for each pose.

Photoshop & Clip Studio...

Within Photoshop I compiled the shadows and lighting as separate layer as instructed within the tutorial. This method worked great for softening shadows and giving me more control on having a second though on changing the strength of the lighting and shading.

The backgrounds I used where from Quixel, I wanted to have a tropical green look to help push the animalistic nature of the character. Once the model was set into the desired position I kept the layers intact and moved the Photoshop projects into Clip Studio so that I could work on painting the layers separately.

I have never had to Photoshop to images together so that they look cohesive before so this was good practise for a skill that may have to be used in the industry when generating ideas. I started with the close up shot since this would be the easiest to incorporate into a image since the model was in the foreground and would not be having to merge into a mid or background. When moving the file into clip studio there was some distortion or the colours so making a new layer and setting it to colour I could tune out any grey/white tones that didn't have strong light reflecting off the skin. I also did this with the eyes, adding stronger highlights to really make them glow. I also added light bounces at the strongest areas of light to make a halo effect, most notable on the beak and where the wings meet the fore arm. I think if this was to be made for a company in the gaming industry to show off a character design then It would have been better to add more dynamic shots. For example the model may have a rigged mouth, and having a scene with its mouth open at the "camera" would have helped to show personality.

Final Renders

Evaluation...

Starting this project I was excited to get the chance to get really creative and make a monster. Character design is something I am passionate about and it was great to get the chance to create an idea into a digital 3D object that could be in a game. I knew I wanted to make a character that was as unique and visually interesting as I could without making the design too busy, and I think that, overall I achieved my goal. I explored a few ideas, mixing animals together that I though could work together to create a interesting design. I this resulted in two fairly different ideas, one being the final result and the other being the aquatic dog hybrid. I thought both concepts had unique shapes which would be perfect for texturing however I went with the bird Idea. The initial design of the monster featured more human elements such as a second feminine mouth. However taking into account feedback from others to focus more on the birdlike features of the model meant removing that human element of the facial features. In the end this really helped the 3D models overall design to be more realistic since the second mouth could have made the design "silly" and over-elaborate, especially in certain angles such as facing towards a camera.

When starting this project I was completely new to ZBrush and I was excited to have a more "hands-on approach to modelling. I had previously made models within Maya which was more technical and I felt as though the artistic approach of sculpting would help to improve the quality of my models. Through out my time using ZBrush this Semester I have faced problems that hindered progress and resulted in me having to come up with solution's so that I could back on track. The most notable of these being the crashing of ZBrush when transposing. After looking up for help on the internet and having little success with the results, it gradually became clear that if I wanted the results I envisioned then I would have to find another way. Taking a break to cool down and look at the problem from a different angle was what helped in the long term, to reflect on what I had previously done and made note of where It went wrong was what helped me to overcome the challenges. And as a result I learnt new methods so that should a similar problem arise in the future I will be able to handle it accordingly. I feel as though not only did I manage to create something that surpassed previous models, I now feel as though I am very capable at using ZBrush as a tool to carry on creating models.

Upon completion of the model I was happy with what I had learnt throughout the experience, giving my self a character that was challenging but also something I wanted to create really helped me to persevere and learn all the processes involved in creating a rendered model. I have learnt the primary steps and now I can use these to make new models within the program and improve upon the skills that I have learnt. I am content with the final design and I think that I achieved in bringing my ideas to life and creating a series of images that tell a story. I have a lot more to learn in terms of creating industry approved models but with the techniques I've learnt I can now improve upon cutting down on work time to get projects working quicker and smoothly as well as improving the actual models as a whole.