The Journey Begins Challenge (3D) Entry: Antonis Papantoniou

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141486291_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141486291_large.jpg)

I think challenge XIX has a great theme. So I start early, begining to experiment with various concepts. This is concept #01. The journey is shown through the magic map. It is short of a reverse angle, since the characters are looking at a miniature representation of their epic journey.

[Zapan]

Hi Antonis !

I think It's a very funny and original idea !
Great sketch btw !

Have a lot of fun and best of luck !

cheers ,

-Zapan

[ODoul]

Great sketches! I'll be watching. I liked your website too.

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141556633_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141556633_large.jpg)

This is the second concept sketch that I am considering. A roller coaster taking off from a hellish amusement park, going up to heaven and then swirling around the park. The occupants of the roller coaster have mixed feelings about the oncoming ride.

[Dodgeas3d]

Hahah taht last one is great! so much happening and very funny! especialy these guys on rollercoaster.

Keep it up!

[dEnbom]

wow, your CA is really outrageous!! if you manage to pull off all that detail you'll have a really breathtaking scene!

[Grin3d]

:thumbsup:
Last concept is very funny. I like it. Good luck with it. I'm looking forward so see great work here. You've got a lot to model ...

Roman.

[ThomasWest]

Great sketch... !!!

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141570362_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141570362_large.jpg)

I keep coming up with images I would like to create for this challenge. It will be hard to choose. Any comments as to which one you people like would help me a lot. In any case, I am planning to sketch two more ideas before I go to the next stage.

This is about a virtual avatar, setting off from its master's computer, to journey into the virtual interscape to find information and knowledge.

[ziriguidum]

wow! it's crazy man! excelente concept, good luck. see you later. :thumbsup:

[burpy]

Amazing concepts!:thumbsup:

Personally, I like the third one best, very clear what it is about and looks very cool. I feel the other ones don't have the same level of focus, the compositions are quite busy. There's a number of characters or directions in the other 2 that distract my eye, and the journey becomes unclear.

So I vote for concept 3!

[kreuz]

great sketch,i'll be watching you , wait for your next update!

:thumbsup:

[bressoid]

i like the Concept 03: Virtual Avatar

good luck!

[ODoul]

Wow, you have an abundance of ideas for your theme when I'm having trouble nailing down a single one. The sketches are all great too. I like that hellish roller coaster.

[theuni]

Hi Antonis,

I like the concept with the map... besides that it is a really cool sketch I like the idea behind, it`s very original as already said :thumbsup:

[Pete2003]

Great concepts!

I think for this challenge, the 'safest' option is option 3. Seems to have more focus than the other 2 concepts. The roller coaster concept has the potential to be an outstanding 3D image.. but it seems like a helluva lot of work :) It could also be quite hard to give the image a 'focus' with all those different elements battling for the viewers attention.

Good luck choosing :)

Pete.

[nandlaskar]

Waiting To See Ur Other 2 Ideas.

[DimitrisLiatsos]

Hi, for some personal taste reasons...i like better the Virtual avatar Concept so far. :)

Have fun mate!

[Gunilla]

All your concepts and sketches are really great! I think you could pick either one of them. Maybe the last is closer to the challenge theme but they're all within the possible range.
Funny, I just saw your image in the gallery - very cool ZB technique. Are you going to do something similar for this? Looking forward to see what happens :thumbsup:

[arte-i45]

Hey I saw your matte painting tutorial on ZBC a while ago, great looking work! :beer: I can't wait to see more of it.

Matt :)

[Grin3d]

I would prefer the idea of sketch three with the virtual avatar ... very unique idea.

Roman.

[umbrellasky]

I really like the first concept, holds great possibilities. Great work!

[alvin-cgi]

yup... go for V3:)

[shakes]

really superb sketches! most impressed. I like the first idea of the hellish amusement park- sounds like tons of fun, and I imagine you could go nuts with your imagination. bookmarked!

[oceanbluesky]

Hey Antonis, really like your use of light and dark shading. The Digital Avatar concept is very original (not the typical creature in a boat, on a snail, or flying with a dragon sort of theme)...also like very much your original concept sketch with characters standing around a model of their trip -- kind of an interesting way to show depth and an expansive environment: through a minature 3D model. Neat. (Also a theme with small funky characters might be more appropriate for this challenge?? Just had to reread their suggestions myself a few days ago...terrific ideas though!

(Thanks for your post and helpful comments -- good luck!)

[Wintermute]

I'm withholding my vote until I see the other 2 concepts! These look great, and they just get better with each new sketch. I'm looking forward to what you come up with next!

:beer:

[jamwae]

Your sketches look AWESOME. Very great sense of granduer and scale!

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141635863_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141635863_large.jpg)

Thank you for your nice words!!!

Your comments as to which concept you prefer have been most helpful. Thank you so much for taking the time to post your opinion. It seems that people are leaning towards concept 2 and 3 so far, with 3 winning by a bit.

So here is concept 04 titled: Involuntary Departure.
This portrais the begining of a looong journey (a few thousand light years of a distance).

[Vedic-kings]

Wow cool sketchs that last one concept #4 is really nice and great senes of force!

Good luck!

[authentic]

Personnaly I prefer the one with the girl; This one is funny and could be cool but with other types of colors. The one with the girl has many emotion. It depends of what kind of picture you want to make.
Good work :thumbsup:

[Larsen]

My favorites is last one, i just love the sketch and the idea but as vincent said you shouldn't use only one tone of color to make it... I'll take a look at your work :)

[SONIC-X]

I like all your ideas ,it going to be difficult to deside which one to pick.

[alvin-cgi]

I would go for girl one(v3):thumbsup: , I think the last one(Involuntary Departure) have too many actions happen, a bit busy to me:shrug: cheers

[AIR]

WHAT an awsome sketch man..Keep it up.

[animato]

Great sketches so far ... well it will be harder for you to pick the right one than to make another one ;). I would go with avatar or the first one. Its just personal taste which one yo will pick becouse they are all great. Wish you luck to pick the right one. But as I see, when I will visit this thread next time there will be atleast two another sketches :D.

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141654882_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141654882_large.jpg)

Thank you everyone for taking the time to post your preference as to which of my concept sketches you like best.

Keep in mind that right now I am only deciding which of this ideas to develop. Colors are not decided. So consider the sketches as being B&W.

This is the last one, called Fool's Errand. I have included all 22 major tarot cards in this image (symbolicaly), and I have the character of card #0 of the deck, the Fool, begining his journey through the tarot world.

So now I have to deside which of the 5 sketches to develop. This is the hardest part yet. As always, any opinions and crits are very welcome.

[Hynol]

Number 4 & 5 are great. You can do amazing things based on this sketches. Well, good luck and waiting to see more.

[Pete2003]

I think you should go with 3, 4 or 5 :)

I think I like concept 4 the best now. The idea of a huge alien planetary vaccuum cleaner just seems really appealing, the composition is really dramatic and it looks like it could be really eye catching.

Great sketches again :thumbsup:

Pete.

[Stefan-Morrell]

I like the last one..the lighting possibilities could be interesting
..Cheers

[Geteken]

I like all your ideas. Good luck with the contest

[mmoir]

Hey Antonis,

All of your concept ideas are good, no creative block for you. I would lean towards 3 for the dymanic feel, #4 the idea is cool and I would lean to 5 because I think the composition is great. Those would be my picks on the concept to do. Sorry:shrug: , not much help but those are my thoughts.

[shakes]

wow, you're a machine! the sketches are totally pro-such imagination! I really like the last one about the tarots. I still lean to Hellpark, but this one's great too.

[Wintermute]

All of these concepts are really great! It's a toss-up between 3, 4 and 5! 3 and 4 seem to be the least complex and you may be able to better concentrate the focus on the main characters. The 5th sketch seems more "epic" in the scale of the environment than the others though.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you decide to go with!

:beer:

[grooshka]

hi there

I think the first and the last one are best. journey through the tarot world is nice idea, but I just love the look of that scene - strange, mystical, not of this world.

The first one also seems to be very interesting. it's that unusual idea that makes it worth looking at.

rest of your concepts are rather same looking... as for me.
hope this helps a bit, but I know (from experience) that even the best tips can't change the artist's idea. so i just wish you luck creating superb image!

[raultabajara]

Hi papatoniou!

When you say to me "The epic element is missing" in my concept, I make my self very scarred!
But, I still will continue my idea! I liked... And thinking about, for the Boy clean the bedroom is a Epic jorney... :)

You 5 concept is very good! I think the way in the ground is very linear, can be i litle more chaotic...

You drawn is very good. You drawn use a tablet? I cant drawn in the computer. I draw, scann and then I colour in the computer...

good luck!

[sergioKomic]

Some nice imagery coming here!

Good Luck!:thumbsup:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141748118_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141748118_large.jpg)

So, I've finally decided to go with the Tarot world idea. Your comments have been most helpful in making up my mind. Of course I chose the one that will require the most of the work (with the exeption of the roller coaster one maybe).

Since I have to start somewhere, I decided to try some concept modeling on the traveling character of my image, the Fool.
I have a lot of things to model for this image, so I have to work fast (and since this is for a still image, I can be messy too).
Here is my short of sloppy process.

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141748337_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141748337_large.jpg)

I keep the hand modeling for later on. This is the version 01 for the Fool character.

[SweD]

your skill is impressive :eek:! good level of details.
I'm really curious for the rest, i stay :scream:

[Wintermute]

daaaammnn! You're fast! Z-Brush? This is looking great! Keep it up!

:beer:

[grooshka]

fantastic modeling so far. great work on details.
only one thing keeps bothering me: face - it doesn't look like fool's one :) he's got rather cunning look in his eyes.

[Zapan]

Holy Lord ! :eek:

That's what I call Zb powa !
Omg outsatnding work here !

cheers ,

-Zapan

[jamwae]

Wow, that's just great! Nice step through

[shakes]

wow, really nice work..zbrush is some tool in the right hands! you've nailed that toy like modelling brilliantly. can't wait for more!

[ODoul]

Very very nice!

[cheez]

good job antonis...i love ur ideas...

i cant w8 to see this project finished ! :)

Good Luck! :thumbsup:

[DimitrisLiatsos]

Holy Lord ! :eek:

That's what I call Zb powa !
Omg outsatnding work here !

cheers ,

-Zapan


Yup..indeed... :bounce:

[theuni]

wo wo wo... slow down pal I nearly can`t follow the increase of your thread :) Great work!!!

[Micro26]

I like the concept a lot man,suberb modeling also, keep up antonis..:thumbsup:

[sergioKomic]

ooooh

The power of Z!

Looking very very

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141819726_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141819726_large.jpg)

Thank you for your comments. This is version 01 for the mage. Only the front is modeled, since the back is hidden in my final image.

[Joblh]

your concepts are the ones that will stay in my mind after this challenge, very good. The models look fantastic too, great work! :)

(ps, I like concept 3 the most)

[cheez]

:thumbsup: i see the modeling is going great...

love this model...especialy the clothes...

[a-papantoniou]

Thank you.

Job, thanks for your nice words. I have decided on the fourth fifth concept.

Cheez, did you enter this challenge? I can't find your thread.

[coochaki]

:thumbsup: great
looking for more... .. .

[funkymunkey90]

looks great....wish i knew how to use zbrush....lucky....anyways i'll be back to keep an eye on your progress

[ThierryS]

Hi Antonis! Good start and great models :) !
It seems though you can even take more time to work on your models(like making wrinkels on the dress a little smaller at the arm junctions, to make variations, just a suggestion...), you got time and the power of ZB is on your side. You're mastering it well, congrats!
Will be back for sure! :thumbsup:
All the best man :bounce:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141935245_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1141935245_large.jpg)

This is a first test concerning the landscape of Tarot. This shows on the bottom right corner of my image.

[a-papantoniou]

Thierry: Thank you for your comments. you are very right about the folds. I am planning to work on the models on their final version, but I am not sure how much detail I should show. If you look at the concept sketch you will see that they are quite small.

[Wintermute]

Killer work man! the characters are nuts, and the valley rough is beautiful!

All hail the power of zbrush! (especially in skilled hands!) keep it up!

[Tirjasdyn]

The models are looking great! The texture on the mountains gives it a forested feel.

[Seven]

Those mountains look really nice, a great start to work from. I look forward to seeing further updates.

[MVDB]

Wow! sorry I missed this thread. excellent concept!
Keeping my eye on this one! :eek:
good work so far..

[coochaki]

wow!
very nice :thumbsup: texturing & modeling... ... .
wow again...:thumbsup:

[ZBrusher]

great job so far, i'll watch your progress for sure. btw, could you tell us what tool did you use for the terrien? tnx...
btw2 liked your website, cool projects.

[a-papantoniou]

Wintermute: Thanks. Apart from flexibility, ZBrush works lightning fast. The terrain draft was generated and rendered in less than 30 min. The character drafts took about a couple of hours each.

Tirjasdyn - coochaki: Thanks. That is no texture on the mountains. It is deformed geometry. No texturing yet for my models.

Seven - MichaelMotion: Thank you for the nice words.

ZBrusher: All of my work in this project is ZB. The terrain could'nt have been faster or simpler to build.
I just drew an Alpha using the Simple brush, and then I masked a Plain 3D with it. The dark areas of my Alpha got masked and the light areas remained unmasked. Then I Deformed>Inflated the whole thing. Only the unmasked areas were affected. That's it! There is no texture on this model. It is just deformed geometry. The river is worked on the dropped model also in ZB with Smudge brush and Highlighter brush

[SONIC-X]

Great modelling dude-it looks great excellant.

[Geteken]

Holy ...I like your DRAFT! Sheesh man, way to go!

[alvin-cgi]

Very nice work... just wow.:thumbsup:

[tuck]

Wow, that's cool! This is an impressive image.Nice work man!:thumbsup:

[bkeiser3d]

Your sketches rock! Can't wait to see more! You got a lot of work ahead of you.

[JasCore]

woah. i have still a looooong way to go with my 2d sketching lol. Love your sketch

[shakes]

superb stuff Antonis..lovely figurine.I love the clay like look to your models, thanks for showing the WIP. The environment looks stunning so far!

[melkao]

beautiful enviroment

[mmoir]

Hey Antonis,


I see you have decided on a concept .:thumbsup: The modeling looks great so far especially the path , it looks very natural. Look forward to more.

[DangelK]

Nice Work:bowdown:.... Good luck with your entry...

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142271259_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142271259_large.jpg)

Thank you all for your comments!

This is a draft on the look and feel of the buildings and decoration of the Tarot world. It is mostly a modeling draft, as I have yet to include some of the Tarot symbols on the constructions.
The draft also shows some experimentation on material shaders.

[shakes]

wow..this will be brilliant-love all the detailing.I'm glad you're doing this Tarot idea. keep it up!

[melkao]

great modeling and texturing..it looks pretty natural.....good work!:eek:

[DimitrisLiatsos]

Oh Sflit! ..someone is putting fire on his Zb torpedoes...:scream:


Awesome work man...is there something else to say to this?...

[beelow]

Seems pretty nice dude keep it up!:thumbsup:

[soapy]

Hey good concept, it gives you a whole lot of room for making fun stuff. It is nice to have a built in thematic vehicle to elaborate on. Superb work on the models so far, they have a very unique sculptural feel to them. Looks like you have a great image in the works. I am looking forward to seeing it evolve. Cheers.

[tuck]

Looking good. looking forward to see your worlk!:cool:

[ODoul]

Very cool architecture!

[alvin-cgi]

nice! really give me the feel of your concept. nice!



The Journey Begins (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=322760&highlight=alvin)
Spectacular 3D (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=275950&highlight=alvin)

[SONIC-X]

Great architecture models dude.

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142456406_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142456406_large.jpg)

This is the process of creating the final model for the fool. It might be of use to some...

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142456647_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142456647_large.jpg)

I have decided to make the fool younger looking. I also changed his clothes to more closely resemble the fool from the classic Tarot cards. So the hat, hair, and expression is closer to the theme. The previous fool I modeled (Fool v001) was looked too much like a joker wild card.

[coochaki]

very nice ! modeling :thumbsup:
looking for more... .. .
:scream:

[SONIC-X]

Great looking fool model dude.

[MVDB]

Lovely model!
Now some textures and your all done!
Keep it up, keeping an eye on this one :thumbsup:

[asbassie]

YESSSSSSS! The second model is definitely better if you'll excuse me for saying. I am very much looking forward to your next post and ultimately the final work...What's in store for us next?

[melkao]

cool model you have, nice work:)

[DimitrisLiatsos]

Cool ZBrushing .. :bounce:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142606976_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142606976_large.jpg)

Thank you people!

So, now I have my main character (the fool), missing his texturing. I have an idea about the landscape and about the buildings of Tarot World. I also have a draft of the secondary character, the Mage (also known as juggler).

It is time then to begin creating the other 20 Tarot characters/themes, that I plan to incorporate in this image. Since those characters are for enriching the background, they will not be as detailed, and hopefully they will be fast to create. This is the character of card #12, the hanged man. If you look at the sketch, he is hanging above the scene. He was roughly modeled and then I worked on the textured model with ZB 2.5D tools for his final look.

[ilusiondigital]

Heyyyy Antonis, hey friend, long time, mate. Goooood concept (all your ideas) heheh, you have an outstanding style, I hope to see more of your Z-power, buddy

Greetings Myth

Victor

[stavrevstefan]

Nice sketches.I already see the finished version...

This thread will be a nice journey for me...

Good luck BRo

[shakes]

just fantastic- I really like your style- they look like figurine statues-fascinating watching the zbrush process. going great.

[melkao]

boungi jumping!......cool!:buttrock:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142630290_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142630290_large.jpg)

Another of my 22 Major Arcana Tarot card characters. 18 more to go...

[coochaki]

very nice modeling.:thumbsup:
details are great .
thanks:scream:

[Spinho]

Wow man!!
very nice...
I Like so much your modeling,
=)

see you!

[Stefan-Morrell]

nice work,I was just checking this out at Z-Central

the texture on that last card is awesome..how did you do it?what kind of alpha did you use?

looking good! :thumbsup:

Cheers

[a-papantoniou]

Thank you people!

Stefan: I love the material shaders of ZB, so I most often use those instead of a texture, exept when I need to export a model for animation. Since this is created for a still image, I did not use texturing at all. For the Devil card, I did not use any alphas either. just straight pixol-pushing technique. The next card though makes use of alpha for the modeling. I'll post my process here too...

[raultabajara]

Your models in Z-brush are very,very, very beautifull!

BUT, i will say again:
in Brazil we have a great rivers.
look this imagehttp://www.gilthserano.de/image/tow/river/river-amazonas01.jpg
rivers are not simmetryc, don´t make you river like the concept - is wrong, and not "fantastic".
:)

good luck

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142693528_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142693528_large.jpg)

This is another of my background statue-characters of the tarot world.

First the process...

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142693656_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142693656_large.jpg)

This is the finished statue for the Emperor card.

[melkao]

nery nice modeling... i never korked with zbrush and to me seems pretty hard:twisted:

[se7enthcin]

Very interesting style. I can really see the mayan's artwork being pulled out of your pieces. I'm enjoying your progress. :thumbsup:

[shakes]

fantastic updates Antonis- I love your style! the emperor looks awesome. great design for the throne, too.

[Squibbit]

very prominent figure, your emperor


.

[Hynol]

Every card is briliant so far. Waiting for next update.

[Selina42]

Wow! Watching your process is definately inspiring me to get my arse in gear and learn Z-Brush!

Honestly - you stuff is a bit good isnt it?! :thumbsup: More please!!!

[Climax]

Looking great! keep it up! :thumbsup:

[ThierryS]

Super cool ZB modeling and texturing work Antonis! I like it, you're doing great:thumbsup: Yeah MArker MAster is a pretty efficient plug, MArcus did a nice work on it, it was crucialy missing in ZB.

Wow, 18 Tarot cards to go, gee, that one is going to keep you busy!

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142891688_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142891688_large.jpg)

Since I have decided to use only ZB for my image, I might as well try various aproaches for my modeling, to create variety...

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142892136_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142892136_large.jpg)

Thank you all for your comments. They are very encouraging.
Another card is ready. More to come...

[theuni]

Now you did it... thx pal with this moon on my desktop I can sleep like a baby :) Great work!!! ...keep going!

[sergioKomic]

Only ZB..?



Great work...:thumbsup:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142972945_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142972945_large.jpg)

The model of my Sun car is done. Now I am trying some texturing on it. Here are some of my tests:

[sumawut]

:scream: Oh! Wooow.very very nice sketch,model in Zbush and concept design guy.Thank you for comment.good luck.:applause:

[a-papantoniou]

sergioKomic: It is all ZB. Even the concept sketches!

theuni: Wait, use the sun too, so that it keeps you awake to create some more beautiful work for this challenge!

thierry2005: I see that you are putting ZB in good use also, in your thread

Climax: Thanks

Selina42: It is great to hear that my work motivated you since i am a fun of yours

Hynol: Thank you

Squibbit: I hope this is how the emperor comes out

shakes: Thank you

se7enthcin: Mayan? hmm. Now that you mention it, my buildings look a bit like that

melkao: Actually, ZB is easier than it looks...

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142973526_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142973526_large.jpg)

Another test on texturing...

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142974047_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142974047_large.jpg)

Here is my last test for this character...

[DimitrisLiatsos]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142973526_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1142973526_large.jpg)

Another test on texturing...


This had the most strong impact the moment i 've seen it...


Greek mode ON

Apisteutos ...sou eyxomai ta kalitra..poli kali doulia

Greek Mode OFF

i think u should keep this angle in final compo...

[shakes]

wicked antonis- love the design, and interesting watching it develop. cool stuff!

[se7enthcin]

Have I told you how much I like your style? :beer:

[saucersam]

Wow. This stuff looks great. Can't wait to see more.

[melkao]

hey coooool sun, i like it:thumbsup:

[Gunilla]

I agree with Dimi here, that angle for the sun is wonderful! In fact, everything in this thread is... I like the way you're using Tarot for your scen, it will be a really interesting final piece :thumbsup:

[asbassie]

Aaaaah now I get it. That is a nice concept and the details are on a grand scale, it really looks like you got your work cut out for you...I am glad to see the progress getting along so well. I have absolutely no critique and full faith that you will get to the end of this with an unbelievable piece of work.

[Nomad]

Awesome ZBrushing man :eek:


Great work so far :thumbsup:

[a-papantoniou]

Nomad: Thank you!

asbassie:Thanks. Yes, the 21 cards (except for the Fool) are details in the image, making up the Tarot world. I have another 13 card - characters to model, before I composite the final piece.

Gunilla - Dimitri: I think you guys are right. I'll keep in mind your comments when coompositing the final image. Thank you.

melkao - saucersam - se7enthcin - shakes - sumawut sookvamdee: Thank you for your encouraging comments!

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1143197185_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1143197185_large.jpg)

This is probably the darkest character - card in my image. I was in a delima making it, since I don't think Death is to be percieved as an absolute negative thing, since it is not only an ending but also a beggining (or so i would like to think). But in the end, I decided to keep it more compatible with the classic illustrations of the Tarot deck (which shows an armored skeleton).

[shakes]

woahh! you're just brilliant at this..all from that plane! very impressive. really good skull design.

[Spinho]

Hey man...

Very nice... =)
this inspirer me!

[melkao]

hey man thats a scary model....good work!:twisted:

[Selina42]

Another fabulous model! Interesting to hear your reasons for the various style of symbol and its great to learn something about the tarot!

[Gunilla]

That is just brilliant - I can't believe you made it from a plane, it looks really good :thumbsup:

I think I've seen a Tarot deck with a skeleton and a rising sun in the background... that goes quite along the lines you're thinking. Maybe just add some small detail to hint the duality?

[JurajMolcak]

"Zbrush" as well "Tarot" are same level mystery for me. And I love that mysterious feeling, so do I love your work and progressing around here. Keep it up :thumbsup: Nothing really to criticize now...

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1143905899_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1143905899_large.jpg)

After a bit of time with no update (too much work), here is the model of one more card of the deck: the Chariot.
I took some liberties on the the representation of this card, because according to my sketch, the Fool will have to ride this "chariot", balancing on a wire, suspended high above the landscape of the Tarot world.

[se7enthcin]

You my friend have a varied assortment of the interesting in your piece. Well done, I love the unicycle.

[shakes]

great to see an update-lovely modelling and design. you're very multiskilled! hope to see more soon

[oceanbluesky]

really like the loose organic nature of your unicycle model...might want to tweak each side of its fork so they appear slightly different...good luck

[Alphajet83]

Amaziiiiiing ! I still hadn't seen this thread, but the quality of your modelings, and the quantity of details, of sketches and all, simply make me think it'll be one of the best pictures in this challenge ! I usually try to give comments to help people to do something better, but here I don't know what I could say ! Just great !

[theWOODman]

That's looking pretty cool with what you have so far.
I thought that was Zbrush that you are using, I recognize some of the gears in your render. I use ZBrush a lot myself, but find it tough to do anything remotely close to box modeling. The organic nature of your mechanical parts has a unique look to it. Good job.

[ThierryS]

Great Zbrush work man, as always! Awsome face you did from that plane :bounce: Just keep it going like this Antonis! :thumbsup:

[theuni]

Hey thanks... after seeing all those details I`m able to build my own unicycle in real life :) Great work... keep going

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1144394193_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1144394193_large.jpg)

This is the Lovers card. I wanted abstracted forms for this one, resembling something between a tree, and a statue.

I should really begin to think how i am going to present all of those BG detail models, into the final image...

[shakes]

this is great stuff Antonis..you can see the little pieces of this picture coming together..it's going to be brilliant. lovely texturing

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1144409441_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1144409441_large.jpg)

The head model is created with ZSpheres, but I lost the Zsphere model. The flower is merged with Marker Master.

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1144409830_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1144409830_large.jpg)

Another card is done, modeled and shaded.
The compositing part of this project is going to be crazy...

[asbassie]

Death is by far my favourite in the collection. Your progress is coming along really nicely. Sorry for stopping by so little. Too much to do in too little time. All these elements of yours are going to be quite impressive in the ensemble.

[Larsen]

This really amazing ! I love the design of every elements, it's really original, keep it up man :buttrock:

[SkyNet]

Ok,

First of all let me catch up by saying " WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"



Now that we've established that!

Amazing desings man! I love the overall look of them. I also think they get you right into the mood of a mysterious journey beggining :)

Great stuff! I'll be watching closely :)

[melkao]

Nice models and the textures are just great!:thumbsup:

[avmport]

Hello there,
It´s so cool the way you manage the modeling! veeeery inspiring!
keep it up,
it´s a pleasure to follow the updates in your thread!

thx!
cheers, :buttrock:

[warpy]

good progress, needs a set of eyes but i realy love the model/sketch/render.

[drummer]

amazing work !

one of the best work I've seen done in zbrush !
great work so far, cant wait to see the final img :thumbsup:

[Nomad]

Great progress :thumbsup:


I`m looking forward to see the crazy compositing of all this :D

[theuni]

yep... same goes for me... can`t wait to see how things come together. Great inspireing work you show us. Keep it up... :thumbsup:

[toongo]

nice job in zbrush ! Do u use MR to rendering?

[shakes]

she looks fantastic Antonis..beautifully modelled and presented.

[irananimator]

woooo
very nice detail on the character.
good luck

[oceanbluesky]

Hey Antonis -- really like how you're reinterpreting in such an original and creative manner the rich artistic tradition of tarot! Facinating. An amazing amount of work you've put into this, too.

Looking forward to seeing more. Good luck!

[Climax]

NIce z brushing! that head is looking crazy already! :buttrock:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1145976661_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1145976661_large.jpg)

I did not post for some time, because of a huge workload, followed by Greek Easter holidays. I thank you people for taking the time to write your comments. There are only thirty more days until this is over, so I have to finish up with all of my major arcana models as soon as possible, because the compositing will be a nightmare. Here are three more elements for my Tarot world background, modeled, textured and rendered in Zbrush.

[Gunilla]

Really nice details and the High priestess is lovely - your work is very inspiring :)

[melkao]

nice update...the textures are great....:cool:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146028967_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146028967_large.jpg)

This is going to be used as a pilar in the final composition.

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146061522_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146061522_large.jpg)

Another card theme is ready and awaiting to be composited in the Tarot world...

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146078232_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146078232_large.jpg)

Another background element is done, and there are only four left to create...

[M477]

Hey, haven't seen your thread yet somehow :p You've done some really nice work here, a nice idea too. Keep it coming!

[Womball]

This is coming along really nicely! I saw this over at zbrushcentral, and its very impressive!

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146122927_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146122927_large.jpg)

Yet another background detail is done. Three more to go!

[alvin-cgi]

Very impressive works, keep it up!!:)

The Journey Begins (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=322760&highlight=alvin)
Spectacular 3D (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=275950&highlight=alvin)

[sergioKomic]

GREAT WORK...

no crit, which for me , is a GREAT thing!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146169269_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146169269_large.jpg)

Here I cheated a bit. I used the model of the Magician card for the priest, and I am going to use my old version of the Fool model for the Magician. I just added a generic posable Zsphere hand model I created to the body.

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146211850_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146211850_large.jpg)

There is only one more card to do!

[shakes]

WOOAHH!! You've been insanely busy! brlliant updates, and all beautifully consistent. love the Strength and Empress particularly. fantastic work, Antonis.

[Climax]

WOOAHH!! You've been insanely busy! brlliant updates, and all beautifully consistent. love the Strength and Empress particularly. fantastic work, Antonis.

Agree, nice and great work dude :thumbsup:

[kary]

And I agree with Climax and shakes, great stuff :)

[loverdose]

this entry promises something really nice. The style is very attractive.

the face of the hermit seems a little bit flat. a more rounded face would seems more natural in my opinion.

are you making all the clothes in Zb?

[SkyNet]

Awesome new material Antonis.


Your work is pleasure for the eye and the mind :)


Keep up!

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146559171_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146559171_large.jpg)

Finally, I am done with modeling the 22 Major Arcana details of my background. This is the last one. And now, I have to composite everything...

[kreuz]

great job , ;p can't wait to see the final , :thumbsup:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146582348_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146582348_large.jpg)

As I strated to composite the card elements into my final image, I counted only 21 Major Arcana themes. So the Star was not my last background model after all. I had to model one more: the World. Since I've had it with all this modeling, this last card was created in a very quick and dirty way, utilizing some of the elements I used in other cards, such as the Challice and the Sword.

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146582793_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146582793_large.jpg)

Some last modeled details for my background, before bringing it all together. They are quickly modeled from primitives (spheres and cylinders) using Zbrush of course.

[MT-Cup]

Wow, the details are amazing. I can't wait to see this come together. :thumbsup:

[shakes]

love those background details! your zbrush skills are inspiring, indeed!

[oceanbluesky]

Hey Antonis, nice work! Mad modeling...can't wait to see you pull it all together! Good luck!

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146644616_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146644616_large.jpg)

This is the first compositing test, basically to see that all 22 Tarot card themes are included in the composition. This was created in layers, and then flattened to generate a Zdepth Alpha (all done in Zbrush as usual). I have paid no attention to lights or textures yet...

[Spinho]

WOW.... Amanzing... very good!
so many details!
Congratulations!

[shakes]

fantastic to see it all come together, Antonis, looks great so far..so much detailed stuff-WOW! Look forward to the next update.

[BAMU]

hi,

very interesting an nice work so far, I really like it
i have only one crit: the "buildings" under the Priest and Judgement seems to be a little to much noisy, they distract me to much...

[Climax]

I just want to say....WOW! :bounce:

[MT-Cup]

Wow, great composition! I really like how you have the different aspects of the tarot arranged. That in itself tells a story. :thumbsup:

[CryingHorn]

Wow man that's amazing, great concept and work so far :applause:

[oceanbluesky]

Wow! I really love this Antonis! --Congratulations upon completing so much work and having your efforts come together in such a beautiful well-composed manner. I very much like the center loop (unsure of its name) moving through the entire image, from the Wheel of Fortune to the foreground (and upon which the World is walking)...what is this called? Also like the way you have accented depth with a color fade. (Although you have beautifully colored your models this duotone kind of render is so beautiful I'd hope you produce an unofficial final version like this, also.) Good luck!

[simovici]

I really love your concept. Have you made all your objects with ZBrush?

[SONIC-X]

Great modelling and a cool looking scene.

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146996436_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1146996436_large.jpg)

Thank you for your comments people!
The dimensions for this image are 3125X4096 px. In the small size that I post here, many details are lost, but in the end I will post high res, detail samples.

I finished all the renderings I will need for my post production stage. I will do a matte painting for the sky. Here you can see my renderings and the final, layered composition that results by mixing those renders, using layers, blends and masks in Photoshop. Shadows and local lights are not yet in place.

This is the only stage done outside Zbrush. In the next stage I will take it back to Zbrush, and I will use the 2.5D tools to paint, correct and complete the image.

[Selina42]

Hey man!

So sorry for recent dissapearence (work was calling) - im slightly disturbed by the magnificent amount youve achieved in the last 3 weeks! I'd lke to crit but all i can say is two thumbs up!

[melkao]

Nice work in the composition!.....the progress is amazing:love:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1147035905_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1147035905_large.jpg)

The post production stage has begun! I use exclusively Zbrush for this. ZB's post production and matte painting capabilities are just amazing but often overlooked. During this stage I am using ALL of the 2.5D tools to achieve a hybrid look and feel. With ZB I think the borderline between a 3D and a 2D still image is fading to nothing.
Since the Fool is the protagonist of my image, I started with him. This is now the only section of the image that is done.

[Tranguz]

Fantastic!!! Great and original idea! Nothing to say about modelling, just amazing!

This post production step with Zbrush looks interesting, so keep us informed with updates!
Cool work!

[Climax]

So close to the final, great job so far, lots of detail and a great deep, Personally I like the monocromatic version a lot too, good luck Antonis

[ChewyPixels]

Wow! Looks very painterly.

Keep it up...so close to the end. :)

[shakes]

WOW..! what an interesting method of rendering! the image in the center, looks just fantastic..the colours you've chosen are really beautiful. suits the concept PERFECTLY.
..You've gotta be one of the best examples of zbrush's toolset out there!

[Max4d]

AND THE WINNER IS>>>>>>>>>>>>>> should be frigging obvious i would think


just the shere amount of work and dedication are tremendous, sorry but i can do nothing more than just give you lots of praise.

ps, i would suggest you make new room for your first price PC

[rasamaya]

Zbrush is a gift from the Art Gods. Good work- is that all one scene!


Thank you for your advice on my thread.
I was gifted enough time to finish mine.
Check it out
But be sure to click parts of the image to zoom in to 100%(almost)
http://rasamaya.sitesled.com/main/index.html
cheers

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1147635851_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1147635851_large.jpg)

Woa! Thank you people for your enthousiastic responses!
Deadlines and clients kept me away from it for the whole week, so the post production painting stage in ZBrush goes rather slowly. This is yet another part that is done. Keep in mind that this detail part is 50% scaled down from the original size, and heavily compressed to make the 150k limit.
All rendering, post production painting and color corrections are done in ZBrush.

[shakes]

wow, just love this! crazy detail.

[Gunilla]

I agree with shakes - this looks fantastic :thumbsup:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1147891795_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1147891795_large.jpg)

Another part of the image has been modified, using the 2.5D tools and brushes in ZBrush. Shadows are not in place yet. This is reduced about 40% of the original size. You can also see a sample of the unmodified multirender. All of that noise on the materials, gives me a very rich ground to work on.

[ilusiondigital]

Good good good good, tons of my best wishes antonis


Hugs

[shakes]

really love the style you're doing here, Antonis- looks great!

[kreuz]

pretty good characteristic and sytle , can't wait to see your final

[DimitrisLiatsos]

Unique style...it looks like the cover of mythical adventure book.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[coochaki]

i love the style!

creat work mate!
keep going... .. .
best of luck to you!
... .. .

[melkao]

Nice colors and compositing, and is really very strange your concept:thumbsup:

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1148154809_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1148154809_large.jpg)

Thank you people, for taking the time to write your comments!

Another large part of the image is done! All work is done in ZBrush as always, working on one layer. Color tweekings are done mostly with Colorize, Saturation, and Highlighter brushes.

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1148205631_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1148205631_large.jpg)

With this two parts, I am done with the post work in ZBrush. There are only a few more color corrections to be done, but I will do those in photoshop. The image is almost finished. It will probably be ready by tomorow.

[ThierryS]

Well done, Athonis!
You're almost finished. This looks awsome, but (sorry for asking, as I must have missed some important posts in your thread :D ) why did you go through repainting the whole work you've done in ZB? It was looking great with the original renders. I assume it must then be a question of style.
Top job anyway and lot of work done for it. Good luck and all my best :bounce:

[shakes]

really fantastic professional work, Antonis! this is going to be a beautiful image.

[MT-Cup]

What a fantastic level of detail. This is a truely wonderful image. :thumbsup: A winner for sure.

[a-papantoniou]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1148458424_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/13/10448/10448_1148458424_large.jpg)

The image is called Tarot Odyssey. It is about the journey through life, towards destiny, as it is described by the symbols of the Tarot cards.

The image depicts the Tarot world, a symbolic plane of existence. It is a world populated by the 22 archetypal characters and situations of the Major Arcana cards of the Tarot deck.

The protagonist of this image is card 0, the Fool. He represents the simplest state of a human being at the beginning of life’s journey. He is a youth without money, power, experience or intellect. He is a naive but adventurous character who is about to embark on a dangerous voyage, facing kings, queens, and the powers of the Tarot cosmos.

The fool will have to travel towards his destiny by riding the unicycle (Chariot card) that the Juggler is presenting him with. This is a symbolic vehicle requiring precarious balancing on the narrow path that goes through the choices, situations and obstacles of life.

There are many things to worry about during the journey: the Tower, the Judgement and even the Devil himself who keeps an eye on the wayfarer from the beginning of the journey, seeking for the opportunity to trick him into failure.

However, the journey is not without helpers (the Hermit), rest points (Temperance), or delights (the Lovers). But it is a journey with a mysterious and unpredictable conclusion, as the path of life ends up on the spiral Wheel of Fortune.

Also, notice that The Death card is placed right at the starting point of the journey, because it symbolizes an end and also a beginning. Perhaps this is a cyclic journey, a never-ending endeavour to reach a constantly unveiling destiny.

As far as technique goes, I wanted to try and see how far Zbrush would take me, so I committed myself to use it exclusively for the creation of this image (except for the compositing of rendered passes, done in photoshop).

Another thing I wanted to experiment with was the concept of hybrid art. I’d like to bridge the gap between 3D and 2D look in my work. I think that the advancements in both software and hardware are such that the borderline between 3D and 2D is fading to nothing, at least as far as the still image goes.

So, although I used exclusively what is broadly considered to be a 3D application (Zbrush), I aimed for 5D art (3D+2D), utilizing as wide a range of techniques as I could.

It seems to me that I ended up with an image that is mostly about personal style rather than category, and I think that this is a satisfactory conclusion to this creative journey.
But I would definitely like to hear from other people what they think about that.

Thank you all for taking the time to check out my thread and write your comments and crits. This journey has been a blast!

[Womball]

:applause: Congrats on finishing! A spectacular image too! It feels like a painting with a style I haven't seen before. Your skills with zbrush are really astonishing and it seems you encorporated some Greek culture in here?

[shakes]

stunning stunning work, Antonis- what a gigantic project! the detail and effort you've done is extraordinary. I really love this image alot, and it's been a real pleasure sharing the process with you.big congrats and good luck with the judging mate!

[Micro26]

One of my favourite entries.Great piece of work and amazing use of colors.
I think u have succesfully gaped the 2d-3d space.
Good luck man:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[fgdf]

Awasome work!! Outstanding idea and realisation! Good luck with jurynow
-cheers!!!

[coochaki]

great image man!

nice style! i really like your 5D man!
full of details...
best wishes to you!

[Gunilla]

Congrats for a stunning final!
This have really been joyful to follow - so much amazing work and detailing, I really like the painterly end result. Good luck for the judging :thumbsup:

[safe05]

Nice...Very colorful and imagnative. This would make a great poster. Congrats!

[Selina42]

I cant get over the amount of work that has gone into this piece! Absolutely stunning! Good luck in the challenge!

[ravioli_rancher]

a-papantoniou,

:eek:

One of the most stunning and probably the most ambitious work of the entire challenge. I don't believe anyone else even attempted a complete matte paint over of their image. Your passion for finding a new technique is unsurpassed. :buttrock:

I agree about the line between 2d and 3d still work being usually undetectable and ambiguous, though I also believe many people still have a prejudice towards the extreme mix, and would prefer to see what software packages can render without much post correction.

That said, I believe such a mind set can reduce an artist into more of a technician, or beta tester of features either incabable or disinterested in the human, painterly touches necessary in all compelling work.

You need not worry of any such pitfalls. Your 5D method is an ideal, and hopefully more of artists will adopt similiar extremities in future, as your piece might not be such the intense spectacle it is with your final overpaint. :applause:

You've mastered ZBrush, and, in the process, built a masterful scene. :applause:

Hopefully the judges can add a new tarot card to your already overloaded deck. :buttrock:

Congratulations and thanks for such an innovating thread. :buttrock:

[Larsen]

Fanatastic picture !
The style is very amazing, i love how you managed to stylize your image, pretty nice journey in perspective :buttrock:

Good luck for the vote :)

[se7enthcin]

very very very cool. Beautiful work. :thumbsup:

[JurajMolcak]

Is this really done with 3D tools? That is just amazing! You have my extra stars for realization of this mysterious journey. Love it! Good luck with jury :thumbsup: