Steampunk Myths and Legends Entry: Andrew James Pyott

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1226606425_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1226606425_large.jpg)

Hiya guys. I'm pleased to have taken the first step into this challenge. I'm pretty new to this world, and I'm not too good with a pencil, so this is a really basic sketch of what the story is going to be.

It's based in some old and forgotten coal room; pipes, chains and huge boilers are home to a giant clockwork spider which lives forgotten under the earth's surface. One day, a mercenary happens to drop in by mistake whilst searching for food, becoming the spider's prey.

I'll try and submit some more workover the weekend, and hope to hear any comments or ideas. It'll be a pleasure sharing this challenge with all of yous and I wish you all the best of luck.

[Legacy40k]

If you make the man looking at the spider instead of his bicep it will help to create a sense of suspense between the two figures.

[andrewpyott]

I'm not very good with traditional art methods. Somehow I feel that what's in my head, doesn'y usually come out quite the way I would like. I use concept sketches especially to keep me on track, and help me to avoid going down paths which weren't originally planned.

Decided to skip a couple hours sleep and work a bit on the colour/mood of the piece. Hope to upload my progress before I go to sleep.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1226614782_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1226614782_large.jpg)

Ok. Couple of hours down the road, I've added a bit of colour. Not quite as is in my head, but not far off. Got the general idea going, gotta star detailing the Mech and the main character.

Again, appologies for my awful "drawing".

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1226756273_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1226756273_large.jpg)

Started thinking further about how the "clockwork spider" will actually work. Got a pretty good idea, but there are a few unresolved details still. I've decided that the protagonist of the piece is the spider (we are in it's lair), and the mercenary will be the secondary character.

Weekend's finally here, so full steam ahead, and let's get cracking!

BTW: I know that spider's have eight legs, but esthetically I think it looks better with only six.

BTW2: Still thinking about how the legs are actually connected to the body. Got a rough idea, but if anybody sugests anything better, it would be gratefully apreciated.

[JHarford]

Hi Andrew! good luck in the challenge.
A steampunk spider could be very cool. I think there will be a lot of
difficulty in building it with so much detail but remaining a simple 'shell'
like in your concepts.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1226779831_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1226779831_large.jpg)

Ok. Another rough sketch from me, this time of my other protagonist: the mercenary. I've gone for a different approach to the normal "hero". He's a bit chubbier than normal, and doesn't look like much of a hero, but he's a real "hard nut".

Gonna start modelling tommorow. Any C+C's are most welcome, and I appologise (again) for the poor drawings, but I must say that they aren't my strong point.

On another note, in response to JHarford, I know the designs are pretty simple, but as my first challenge, my main aim is to actually finish what I'm starting. I thank you for your comment, and I hope you will follow my progress till the end.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1227114299_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1227114299_large.jpg)

Ok guys, so my initial idea is taking a small detour. Decided that it didn't have much of a "legend/myth" feel about it, so maintaining my original setting and characters, I'm now going with "Vulcan's Smitty (Laboratory)" and the construction of war machines.

My drawing is still as apalling as always, so I hope it manages to get the idea across even if it's not a very good concept. I'm now going to start working on the modelling, which I hope will go a little smoother than this initial phase.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1227185644_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1227185644_large.jpg)

Started off modelling. Been a while since I've done any 3D so I've started off nice and easy with the boiler and the pipes. This afternoon I'll get cracking with the Spider.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1227216899_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1227216899_large.jpg)

Started modelling the body of the spider using polys. As you can see, not much detail at the moment, just roughing out the main structure and get my ideas together. C + C's welcome.

[Aseph]

Really Cool man keep it up!

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1227978029_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1227978029_large.jpg)

Thanks for your kind words Aseph, but I've decided to take an alternate route. I wasn't getting anywhere fast with my previous idea, with which I was displeased and unmotivated. I wasn't even sure if the image had anything to say about anything, so I've spent some days rethinking the whole theme of this challenge and I've decided to scrap what I had up till now, and go with a whole new thing.

I present you with "Steampunk Eve's Temptation". It's a very well known story of how Eve, partner of Adam, is tempted by the devil (in the form of a snake) to take an apple from the only tree off limits in paradise. My spin on things is that an explorer from a contaminated world, leaves the safety of his city, to explore the outside world, coming across a clockwork tree which holds the only healthy thing in the whole piece: a shiny red apple. I'm aiming for a dark ambience, iluminated only by the glow of the apple.

I like this idea more, and I think it sends a much more interesting message. I hope you graft the idea by my little sketch, and I would love to hear your comments. This time it's definately it. I'm sticking with this till the end.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1228257183_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1228257183_large.jpg)

Working on the composition. Rough approximation in 3D space, hope it gives an idea of what I'm trying to achieve. Keep working at it.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1231666612_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1231666612_large.jpg)

Hiya guys. Long time with no updates(sorry about that). Work's had me a bit stressed and I've changed over to a Mac (nice!) so I'm having to get used to the slight differences.

Anyhow, this is a update of the (more or less) finalised scene (without my machine, which I will show you later on today) UV mapped. Heat is on now!

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1231967427_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1231967427_large.jpg)

Ok. Running short on time, got the final composition sorted out, mapped and ready for texturing/lighting. May add some more detail depending on how I'm doing for time.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1232318255_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1232318255_medium.jpg)

Got the composition worked out, and most of the textures done. Started fiddling with lighting and got it more or less the way I like it.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1232318374_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1232318374_medium.jpg)

Finished off some more of the texturing process, and started fiddling with Paint Effects. Pretty satisfied with the effect. Retouched the lighting setup slightly.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1232318493_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1232318493_medium.jpg)

Texturing evolves. Used a coloured blinn to substitute the model until I work out how I'm going to texture it. Checking the lighting works.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1232318608_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1232318608_medium.jpg)

Finally finished texturing. Some small defects that I've noticed I will correct in post using Photoshop.

[andrewpyott]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1232320534_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/15973/15973_1232320534_medium.jpg)

Software: Maya,mental ray,Photoshop

In heaven, God told Adam and Eve they could have anything they wanted from his gardens, but under no circumstances should they take the fruit of the apple tree. Tempted by a snake, Eve took the fruit from the tree, which meant the couple were banished from heaven and their descendants would have to work and struggle to survive.

My piece is a spin on this theme. God's gardens no longer exist, man has long time hidden in their cities, and has left nature to grow wild. Circumstances have made man have to go out in the open in search of answers. Is nature the answer? Maybe it was, but it no longer exists, and only clockwork trees remain... Eve should never have taken that apple... and the same mistake is about to be made again!

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