Life Drawing - Lesson 9

We started the session off by having quick 3 minute drawings, because  of the models body shape, I somehow found it quite hard to draw in such a small space of time.

Once we got onto the long winded drawings, this is when I really got into my element. I started off with a pencil drawing and captured the model beautifully. 

The next drawing, again, I struggled, I feel as if, if I get one proportion wrong, I get all of them wrong and it ends up as a spiral effect.

This drawing was much better. I used a graphite pencil that was much quicker and thicker. I got the outline pretty dead on, in the time, I also got parts of the shadows into the piece, if only I had more time, then I believe that I would have been able to make something beautiful.

The next technique that I wanted to try was using a biro pen to create a wavy outline. The result was pretty interesting, especially with the darker lines added to show shadows.

I wanted to try using the same method as last, just because I felt that there was some hidden potential behind it. Again, I was pretty happy with the results. I am starting to notice how far my drawing skills have come since we started life drawing, and I must say, it has all been worth it.

Pixel Art in Photoshop

This lesson we were introduced to the idea of Pixel Art. This was something that I was very much looking forward to as I had seen examples of it in games such as Duke Nukem and the Doom Series. I very much grew up with pixel art as a major figure in my life, so to move on to it, I was very happy.

We were first going to learn the basics of how Pixel art actually worked. For the first years of video games, Pixel art was what everything was made out of, it was the environment, it was the characters, it was the items. It was a way of constructing images recognizable to the player using colored boxes.

A childhood favorite of mine, using pixel art.

We were first taught how to create how to animate a piece of pixel art. This was quite interesting as we could see how they moved characters about in the early stages of video games. The main motion that we managed to complete was extremely static, moving from one image, to another that was completely different, though if you look at any games from the late 70's and 80's, the technology was not yet developed for a character to move on their feet in a 3-D motion.

All the layers that are used for the animation.

We had to get the settings right for this piece, so that when we have it ready, it will be there for anyone to view. Simply by selecting "Window" and then clicking on the "Timeline" button, you get up the time line and the order that you want the layer to be in. This is a very interesting way of doing an animation as I have never had the chance to do it with Photoshop.

Additional settings.

The one thing that we need to check, is to make sure that the layers are in the right order because if we didn't have this, we could end up with a bad looking animation, with each frame looking completely different and having no transaction or flow between each layer.

We also needed to make sure that the timing between each slide is perfect. This is so that the character actually looks like they are moving, instead of the image being a blur of 4 images running almost simultaneously,

The finished product.

Once all the settings had been adjusted to whatever is required, the animation is ready to view. You can just press play on the timeline settings and then it starts. Its on a loop so that it looks like the player is constantly walking.

This does give off the desired effect that I wasn't looking for and was a really great way of creating an animation. I added red eyes in two of the different frames, This meant that when the character moved about, the eyes would glow back and forth, like he was blinking.

Starting off with different pixel shapes.

We started off by adjusting Photoshop so that the images that when drew would appear as pixels. Firstly the Photoshop canvas itself had to be set to pixels, 600 by 600 with 300 for resolution. Then we had to select the pencil and turn the size all the way down to 1. This meant that when we drew with this pencil, it would only take up 1 pixel. By drawing lines in a diagonal and then replicating it, I could create a pretty good looking square. Then by changing the colour about, I can create a 3-D square.

To create a circle it was simple, I had to adjust the circle tool so that it was set as pixels. When I created a circle it with give off a one made up of them. Again, I could replicate what I had done with the cube and create a cylinder.

Starting off the fire hydrant.

The main task that we had to do today was to make a fire hydrant out of the pixel art techniques that we had learnt already. Using one that was already done as inspiration, I started off with the base of the fire hydrant. This was easy enough by using the circle tool and then duplicating the circle to appear on top of the other one. I then deleted the excess pixels and was left with the base of the hydrant.

Adding colour to the base.

The next task I had to do was to add colour into the base. Using a variety of different tones of red, I managed to replicate the base that was shown on the picture. The contrast between the different reds creates this fantastic effect which looks as if the sun has been shining on the fire hydrant. The bolts as well give off a brilliant image, with just two tones, a bright yellow and a dark red.

Filling in the middle section.

I started off the middle by duplicating the base that I had already done and moving it further up the canvas. The next thing that I went on to do was connect the two bases with a straight line of pixels, this made its form physical and I could now work on its detail.

The next thing that I did was add in the ridge that appears on the hydrant, this again was done by creating a circle and then fining it down until it got its shape.

Adding colour to the middle section.

The next part thing that I had to do was to add colour to the middle of the hydrant. This was easy enough, all I had to do was replicate what I had done with the base and add colour to it. The shading was simple because all I had to do was follow the way in which the shading cut off on the base, also by changing the colour of the outline, it had an added effect to the shading. I also added the pipe in the middle just by creating a circle and then duplicating it.

Adding in the next pipe.

Once I had fully coloured in middle of the hydrant, I had to move on to the pipes that were on the side. This had to be done by free hand as there was no tool that could be used to create this shape. I had tried my hardest to get it done in the shape and in the end, I got it right.

One part that I am especially proud of was the chain, the way that it flows looks quite realistic for a pixel art piece.

Completing the other pipe and adding colour.

The next thing that I did was duplicate the pipe that I had just drawn and add different tones to it in order to differentiate it, also I finished adding the final detail and then I was ready to finish the piece off.

The finished piece.

The last bit that I had top add was the the bump at the top of the fire hydrant which again, was extremely simple and very easy to do. Once I had shaped up one side, I could then duplicate it and put it onto the other side, meaning that both the sides were equal. The last bit that was required was just the added detail and by using the different tones of colours, I felt that I gave off the shading really well. I also decided to add a bit of background to it by using a gradient and using the techniques that we had learnt at the start, I managed to create a pavement slab, by also adding in the shading that I used above, the end result was fantastic.

I was extremely happy with my first result in the pixel art area and would defiantly come back to this area in the future as it requires a lot of thinking to it. The end result does look very good and I'm happy with what I have achieved. Next time I try something like this, I will add more of a background to it, to see how it compares to other pieces.

T-Rex in Mudbox

Mudbox is a program in which you can sculpt and shape anything that comes into your imagination and we were fortunate enough to a Mudbox session with a professional in the industry. The program is used widely in the video game industry and I was very much looking forward to learning it.

When I was younger I used to play around with a program called Sculptris. In this program you have a ball of clay and you can use many different tools to construct whatever you want to. It was a very simple tool to use. The problem is that now, this is not used, not in triple a games companies anyway, but the experience is vital.

Example of the characters that can be created using Mudbox.

We were told that today, using Mudbox, we would be making a Tyrannosaurus Rex. This creature is one that used to exist millions of years ago. It is a massive creature that had small stubby arms and fed on smaller prey. It is one of the most famous dinosaurs, appearing on films such as Jurassic park and video games such as Turok. It is defiantly interesting to sculpt, having to include all the scales and cuts that would have plagued this beast.

A Tyrannosaurus Rex.

We started off the task by experimenting with all the different tools with a cube of clay. In this ball, we could use the different selections and play around with them. We first started off with the grab tool. By using this we could select the size of the brush and then just simply using the tablet we can stroke on the sections of the cube and pull it. It gives off an awesome effect, like bumps in the skin. I think that this would be a very useful tool and would defiantly use this in future projects.

Example of the bump tool.

The next thing that I decided to try out was the rough tool. What was interesting about this was that it gave off a rocky, rough feel to it, this meant that it was perfect when it came to creating landscapes. Depending on the amount of pressure that I put onto the tablet, it is much stronger, for example, in the picture below, I had mainly focused on the centre, where you can excess bumps. This works on all of the tools, so the more that you put pressure on the tablet, the more the tool would  be used.

Using the rough tool.

Another thing that we could try was to inverse the tools. By doing this, we are essentially turning the tools backwards, it could be pushed in the clay or it could be pulling it out. I decided to try this and made a dent into the cube. Also we could also play around with the settings to get anything we want with the brush. In the picture below, I have messed around and got a sharp looking edge on the brush, almost like an overlap.

Using the inverse selection.

The next thing that I tried doing was looking into what effect the brush sizes have on the sculpting process. By selecting the grab tool, I can pull massive chunks of the clay out, again, using the inverse tool, it can also be pushed in. This is great for when I want to get a different body shape and to pull the character apart. Depending on the size of the brush, the amount of clay that you collect differs, so below I grabbed a small chunk and a large chunk, the smaller one more sharp and pointy.

Using the brush size.

We can combine the tools that we had used and create different effects. Below I have used the Grab tool and play around, pulling it in many different directions. I also tried inverting it while on the same tool, sparking different ripples. The next thing that I decided to try out was pinch tool. I first started off by downsizing the brush and pulling a section of the clay out. The thing was to use the pinch tool to sharpen the edges, making the picture look like a spike.

Using the pinch to shape the spikes.

The next thing that we decided to try were the stamps, This was like the brush settings in Photoshop, except this one was literally a stamp that became the brush. Along the bottom, you can choose whatever stamp you want from the pre set menu. By using the Sculpt tool, the stamp puts itself onto the clay and the more you use it, the more of the desired effect you get.

Using different stamps.

I can also try what I have done earlier and brush the tool into the clay. As you can see, the strike is very different to that of a normal stroke. This one is quite gritty and lumpy and creates a mountainous atmosphere. I have managed to get this effect by using a stamp. The stamp projects whatever image you have onto the clay. This type of brush would be perfect when it comes to creating rocky environments, by using this brush, we could sculpt grit, rocks and mountains.

Using a rock stamp.

On the image below I used the rock stamp tool and with it I created a decent looking block of brick. It took me ten minutes to construct this piece and in my opinion, I'm pretty happy with the result that I got. I feel that in Mudbox, It is very easy and quick to create a decent piece of art in this program and looking at the picture below, you can easily tell that it is a rock. This was created using the stamp that I displayed above.

Rock sculpture in Mudbock

Another thing that was available to us in Mudbox was the stencil tool, This works exactly like the stamp tool, Except by doing this, we could project a image of whatever we wanted on to the clay surface, we could also do the colour and match it exactly onto the model. I decided to obtain an image of gravel and got it ready so I could place it onto the surface.

Adding a stencil to the piece.

By simply brushing the sculpt tool over the stencil and then selecting the stamp tool, we get the image printed onto the clay. Everything is here, replicating the image perfectly, from the bumps In the rocks, to the smooth concrete holding it together. This technique can be done on any picture you want to replicate and at the same time it is very simple to do.

Placing the image onto the clay.

I decided that next I would try out the smooth tool. This tool was very interesting as it made the model still keep its general shape but it took out and smoothed all the edges that were on the sculpture. This would be very useful when it came to constructing an organic being in Mudbox. In the image I have attempted to smooth out half of the box so you can see a contrast between the soft edges and hard edges.

Smoothing out the clay.

I was now going to attempt at making my own brush. Its a very simple process of inserting the brush into Mudbox but it was just making one that was going to be the problem. I loaded up a Photoshop file and created a black canvas. From here I used various techniques that I had learnt in order to create a unique brush. The brush itself had to be white otherwise it would not show up in Mudbox.

In the end I got a fairly interesting design, which I was pretty sure no one had made. I then reopened Mudbox and clicked on an arrow next to the stamps tool. Here I could click on “Insert new stamp”. By selecting the jpeg image of the Photoshop document that I had just made, I had it ready as a brush.

Creating a brush in Photoshop.

I started to sculpt with the brush design that I had just made and with it got a rather odd result from it. The spiky edges had given it a cookie cutter design, looking as if the stamp had been placed in the clay and taken out again. I think that the brush would be ideal if used on damaged pieces of metal, given a rusted scrappy look.

Using my brush on the clay.

I wanted to use the brush with paint. So I select the stamp and the colours that I wanted and decided to paint away. This looks like halves of stars have been merged together. But all in all, is a rather interesting concept. It gives off a 3-d effect and makes the piece feel a lot deeper than it actually is with all the dark shades in the piece.

Painting the clay with the home-made brush.

The next thing that I attempted to do was use the same techniques, but this time, painting a stencil over the top. Again, it worked pretty much the same way as the stamps, but this time, I wanted to used the old image of the rocks that I had selected earlier .I also had to try out a new tool, called the projection tool. By brushing over the top of the stencil that I had, the colour projects itself onto the clay.  It’s very useful to have and can be used in many different aspects. 

Painting a stencil onto the clay.

I used a selection called “bump mapping”. By doing this I could bring out the different colours that I wanted in the picture and in the end get a better result. When you press this button, you end up with the painting that you have done on the clay on a grid. This looks a lot like the grids in Maya, but by doing this we can cann see the whole image and alter the light to our choosing.

Using "bump mapping".

I tried playing around with one more feature of Mudbox. This feature was called “Materials” and allowed us to attach one to our clay model. On the image below I attached a chrome material to the sphere of clay, ending up with what looks like a pin ball. The problem with doing this is when you have placed a material onto the model, it is impossible to take it off, so it is recommended that you save before you apply the material, just in case the end result is not what was expected.

Applying a material to the clay.

I have enjoyed the session, playing around with Mudbox, a program which I was really looking forward to and it did not disappoint. I have learnt so much in such a short period of time today and I am really eager to move onto the next section of the lesson and start to sculpt on my own, using what I have learnt. 

We were told that we were going to sculpt into a dinosaur template and end up creating our own Tyrannosaurus Rex in Mudbox. This was something that I was really keen to do, with everything that I had learnt before. I wanted to put it into practise.

We started off by opening up Mudbox where it gave us several templates to choose from, when scrolling through them it gave us the option of selecting a T-Rex. This was what we were told to press, so straight away, I went onto it. 

Starting the T-Rex and lining it out.

I went onto Google and typed in T-Rex. This way I could get reference , when I start to sculpt into the template, I had something to compare it to, something to reach towards. I applied the picture that I wanted as part of the background then went on to it straight away. 

The first thing that I did was to draw out the lines that I was going to sculpt, This gave me a rough indication of where the main crevices of the dinosaur was going to be. Once this was all drawn out on the T-Rex, I was ready to sculpt.

Starting the sculpting process.

I firstly wanted to get the main parts of the T-Rex sculpted, I made the tool that I was using inverse, so I could just cut straight into the clay. As you can see on the picture above, I'm cutting into the core pieces, such as the eyes and the head, it doesn't matter if its quite rough at this stage, as I'm planning to go back and smooth it up towards the end of the piece.

Using different tools to shape the face.

The face of the T-Rex is starting to take shape, by constantly switching between the inverse tool and s
studying my reference well, I'm starting to get to grips with what the T-Rex might look like. So far it looks like fairly good, but needs a lot more detail in it if I am to get a great piece up, so I am going to look a bit further in depth, getting some of the finer things so that I can get an interesting model.

Adding further detail to the piece

Now that I have sculpted out mostly what I want the T-Rex to look like besides a couple of minor adjustments, I was ready to use the smooth tool to get rid of some of the sharp edges that are unwanted in the piece.

Adding the last of the detail and projecting the colour onto the T-Rex.

I finished off the sculpting by chipping away at the final pieces of detail. adding in the last of the creases in the body and make some of the veins on the neck look like they are popping out. I also wanted to sharpen the head a little bit more and make the skull look quite menacing. 

The next thing that I wanted to do was to use the projection tool that I had learnt about earlier. By doing this I could get the colour of a material and shape projected onto the model that I already had. Above I had started doing the face and have been trying to re arrange it until the creases that I had created mix in with tones from the image.

The whole head being painted.

I wanted to first complete the projection of the tone to the head just to see what sort of result I would get and whether it would be worth continuing on with this result. When I had finished it, I was pretty happy with the way that it had turned out. Their were a couple of things things that needed tweaking on the head of course, but all in all, It looked good.

Rotating the projection.

I could rotate the projection around on the model so that I could get the full tone straight onto it without any complications from the background. This was very easy to do as all it required was to press one of the short cuts on the keyboard and then move the mouse.

The image had the texture replicated onto the model from the picture.

Once I had completely covered the model in the same tone as the picture, using the same picture as a stamp, I went back to the sculpting tool and carved away. This was a very interesting result as I got all the scales that were visible on the picture straight onto my model. The model was really starting to come together, the only thing left that was required of me was to complete this the whole way around the model.

The finished result.

The image had been completed. The stamp image had worked really nicely on the T-Rex, with the muscles and scales all the same as that of the image I used, the work on the T-Rex had been finished.

I was really happy with the result that I had got from today's session. I am completely new when it comes to sculpting and Mudbox, so to get a result like this from a first time, I am over the moon with what I got. If I got the chance to do it again, I would perhaps model it in a certain position and also take the image into Maya so that I can render it and get a very polished image. Overall though I am ecstatic and would defiantly take the chance to go back to Mudbox and do more work.

Getting into Our Groups for The Next Project in Unity

The next time that we had Ewan, we were told that we would be going into groups for the new assessment. We were also told that the groups will consist of up to 4 people. This was a difficult decision of who was going to be in our group, as around me I had many people with a varity of different skills and it was horrible to let so many different people down.

Once we had finally decided who was going to be in our group, we were given certain specifics that the game that we are going to reach, must achieve. We were told that the main concept behind the game was that it had to be a flying. A game that consisted of a certain flying machine or creature. This game could be arcade and 2-D based such as that of Space invaders. The only thing that it needs to have is a high-score system, e.g, certain enemies get certain points.

"Space Invaders" a 2-D flying game.

But we could also work with the 3-D aspect of game design, which personally I'd rather go in this direction. This again, has to have a high-score system to it. An example of this is "Star Fox".

Gameplay of "Star Fox".

 

Anatomy of the Human Muscles

We were given the task by Steve to discover the anatomy of a Human Being. This time instead of looking at the skeletal structure of the human, we would have to look at the muscles and their groups.What is required of us was to label the pictures that we did, to look at a full anatomy picture and try to replicate it. The whole reason that we were going to do this task was so that when it comes to drawing a character, we can identify which muscle is being used when then are in a certain stance.

I did feel that when I started with this task, that it was very much going to be like that of the skeleton project.I thought that I was going to struggle, the image was already stuck in my head. I also felt that for this project I would be a bit scrapped for time, not having enough to complete the task.

I said to myself that I was going to start the task off by looking at different muscles of the body and start to sketch them out. 

Sketch of the "Trapezius"

The first image that I decided to look at was the "Trapezius". It's the muscle that carries over from the back of your shoulder to the bottom of your spine and its very important when it comes to manual labour. When I tried to draw this, I had tried to look at the different styles that it could be drawn it in. This had got me thinking for a while. It wasn't until I had my regular life drawing sessions, that I had a rough idea in what style this first drawing would be.

In the session, I created a style of just using lines to make up the model, with my teacher being quite impressed with it. As I wanted to carry it over, I started to draw like this. The problem that I had was that I wasn't as happy with the way that it came out. It doesn't anyway look realistic and looks very half done. I wasn't impressed with myself and knew that I had to do so much better to the next one.

The muscles in the underarm.

I knew that after the last drawing, I had to do better. I decided that I would have to find a new way of drawing the muscles as the last one was not good enough. I decided to experiment and go with a more traditional drawing style, without any outline. This time I was really proud of the way that this came out as I know that I had put the time and effort into it.

The part that I drew was the muscles that are under the armpit. I also managed to label every part of the muscle there. I thought that I got the shading on the piece pretty well done and I really do lie the way that the image looks without the use of bold outlines, something that was completely new to me.

Full body image of the muscles.

The last drawing that I had done was of a full body sketch of all the muscles that are in the human body. I also managed to label all the parts that you could see. With this drawing I thought that I could of done better but overall I was happy with what I had done. This time I had used bold outlines.

Something that I was not happy with, was the body proportions. I couldn't get the shape right on the picture and that's something that annoys me every time I see the picture.

I found the task quite difficult when I had started but it has defiantly given me an insight as to what parts appear where on the body and how to draw different sections of the body, so this has been a good experience.