PDA

View Full Version : I've spent hours but can't get anything to look right

JaredTaylor
03-05-2008, 05:30 AM
I'm sure everyone has been in a position where they have this great idea for a model but can't make it work, at all.

I have a body I'm very happy with for my next cartoon man:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=124705&stc=1

But I've spent literally five hours making different heads and have completely deleted each and every one of them simply because nothing works.


I have an idea of what I want, but can't make it work. This is what I had in photoshop:

I want the eyes to look something like this:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=124706&stc=1

And he needs a rather long nose, he will have tiny glasses sitting on them. Also I want him to be very expressive. Any ideas? And what do you do when you're in this predicament or lost for ideas?

I really like the look of looney toons cartoons, but maybe I'm just lacking modeling experience because I don't manage to get it right, so if there's anything out there that'd teach me a technique that would serve well for a face similar to this, then that'd be great:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=124707&stc=1

Thanks for any help. I'm going insane!
musashidan
03-07-2008, 05:26 PM
You should sketch detailed front/side refs and model from those.The idea will be right there on the screen and then it's just a matter of using your prefered technique to model.
you will find it much less frustrating.
Rod Seffen
03-12-2008, 02:33 PM
One thing you have to consider, is that not all 2d drawing styles translate well into 3d. Not without losing the original character and not without having to make concessions.
Xtrude
03-13-2008, 12:55 AM
I would suggest to look up some tutorials and follow along... once you have the confidence and experience to model up a generic head in good order, then it will become easier to exagerate some features to create something different from the generic... from that point on you are off and running :)
Lestat
05-10-2008, 08:50 AM
One thing you have to consider, is that not all 2d drawing styles translate well into 3d. Not without losing the original character and not without having to make concessions.
That's true. I recently had to model a croc-like character that walked upright from the drawing of an artist who had never had anything converted to 3D. It wasn't a nightmare, but it was certainly more difficult than translating something like a human that you already know works in 3D. :)
(Also, he first submitted a perspective view, we then requested a front- and side-view, but he apparently didn't get the idea, because when measuring the features, they didn't line up anyway, the arm was like 30% longer on one drawing than either of the others... ;))
2D artists can take a lot of shortcuts, and things don't have to really work just because they can draw them. M.C. Escher is a brilliant example of someone who can create something in 2D that doesn't really work in 3D without cheating.

I second the suggestion of creating a more detailed 2D version from the front and sides. I'm doing a project with a charicature, and the detailed drawing process, while a bit tedious because I'm stupidly out of practice with 2D drawing, was a huge help, because you have to think a lot of things through when you're drawing it - it's easier to cheat with a 2D perspective drawing than when you're forced to look at it from the front and sides, and make the features match up.

Also, when you go into the modelling package, you don't get "lost" as easily, because you can see exactly where to line your polys up.
If you want to go one step further, you can even start tracing up your edgeloops on the drawing - that way you have most of the model planned before you even start.

L.
CGTalk Moderation
05-10-2008, 08:50 AM
This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.