Best Way to Unlock 3D Art Potential?

[Hellgaurdian]

hey kevin.. dont worry.. u r facing a problem tat everyone faces.. so its ok..

So if u want to be a modeler than the first thing u got to know is whether u r interested in modelling Hard surface models like buildings, cars and stuff or u want to model organic models like humans creatures and like..

If u already know to model than start off by selecting any concept art that u like or do a basic human body or ur favourite car..

If u dont know to model than i suggest start off wit some tutorials that give insight on the procedures used to model.. Hope it helps..

[samgriffiths]

When this happens to me I play lots of games, I usually see something in the game that really gets my imagination going.

[Lexalotacus]

Just model the first thing you see. You see a pencil? Cool, simple.. but if you model it right, texture it right, and light it and render it right you'll end up with something rad in the end. Build off that.

[Farfalo]

Wow, thanks guys! I'll start looking for some concept art and I'll keep my eyes open next time I'm playing video games instead of just playing the game so I can hopefully get some ideas for a model.

Thanks! :D

[Firerbert]

My advice is draw, draw, draw, draw, draw! Draw something, anything, at least once a day. No matter what. I find it MUCH better to draw on paper. There is just something that a tablet or wacom will never be able to replace in the feeling of a pencil on paper. It is less restrictive, you can move it any which way and you don't have to have a keyboard or heeping piece of equipment. Plus all your drawings will be a hell of a lot more accessible. I think all 3D artist should be able to draw. If you can't put your ideas out on paper, the quickest and easiest way to get any visual concept going, you won't be able to truly achieve the results you want in 3D. You'll find that if you do this, you'll not only think of new ideas and hash them out quickly, but you'll also understand form and shape a lot better and be able to translate those concepts stronger in your 3D work.

[danlefeb]

Drawing is essential...I also think photography helps. Seeing how a camera can capture certain situations and lighting can be an inspiration as well I find.

[Lexalotacus]

Oh yeah, drawing for sure... Im in the process of learning to draw and learning anatomy and proportion and man let me tell you... It helps soooo much. I cant imagine how great my 3d art would be if I had a solid traditional background.

[Farfalo]

A question I've always asked myself is can a 3d Artist be great even without traditional art skills? I mean, I don't consider myself a great traditional artist. I can draw decently, better than most people I know. But can a 3d Artist be great with just the technical knowledge of 3d? I mean, obviously there has to be creativity which I'm still working on uncovering, but can the knowledge of workflows and such create a good/great 3d Artist? Maybe not necessarily if you have to imagine your own concepts, but taking a concept and simply using spatial intelligent to determine the workflow of that concept in a 3d space.

Sorry if that's confusing, it's just my strange ramblings. In short, can you be a great 3d Artist without being a great Traditional Artist?

[pauljs75]

The practice of drawing as others before have mentioned is a good way to go. Have a sketchbook handy, or even a clipboard with printer paper works fine on short notice. But if you feel that you're hitting walls with that and getting fustrated too easily (drawing-wise), it might not hurt to try some modeling clay or putty and mess around with that instead. (Some people who can't draw all that great may be still be able to sculpt ok with something actually tangible. And those who can draw occasionally find clay models handy, since they can figure out what's going on by looking at a clay model and apply it to drawings.) And then of course you could do a bit of photography. And no, you don't need the fanciest camera either. Sometimes you after get a few photos of a car, building, person, or some other object - the idea might strike to start modeling that and you'll have your references there already.

And to answer Farfalo's question:
Going around forums and online communities a bit, I've seen some people who have rough sketches that look like children's drawings. Crude, and can't draw a straight line or a proper curve for the life of them. But give them some digital tools with beziers, snapping, guides, etc. and they come up with some amazing pieces. (And then you wonder how the rough related to it.) Sometimes they're still not the best modelers, but then they make up for it with scene direction/layout, texturing, and lighting. Even if you can't draw or model worth a darn, it still doesn't mean that you shouldn't give various other aspects of 3D a shot. You might actually find a niche you haven't considered before.

[Farfalo]

You have a very, VERY fine point! I never though of that. I mean, right now it's modeling that is in my head, but I never thought of the other aspects of 3D.

I did a bit of drawing last night. I took a shot at Marcus Fenix from Gears of War. It isn't the best and the face looks nothing like him, but for a quick sketch I think it turned out pretty good. I made a mistake though of using my 2B pencil so my eraser was practically useless. I usually use 2H for sketching and 99% of it erases usually.

Alright, thanks for all of the great insight and advice, you guys really renewed my hope! I also found Kevin Lanning(Gears of War artist) a very good inspiration as well. He said in his interview on this board that he started out drawing creatures and such from things that already existed, not necessarily that he made himself. I'm going to start doing some of that and then once I have some ideas built up I'll design some of my own stuff and start some modeling again and I'll post them on the board.

Thanks so much!

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