Steampunk Myths and Legends Entry: Teck Weng Tan

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Working on an image using Hephaestus, god of smithing and doing a few concepts.

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A version where he still has his mechanical prosthetics, but his body is composed of flames.

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A draft composition. I'm really going to have to draw up some rough 3d models just to get a decent feel of the space/proportion issues.

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Yeah, I just couldnt go on with my last idea after looking around and seeing a whole heap of entries based on Hephaestus/Vulcan. I was pouring over other stories and tales when an old one I had not thought about for awhile just leapt out at me. It was the story of Bluebeard.

'Bluebeard was a wealthy aristocrat, feared because of his "frightfully ugly" blue beard. He had been married several times, but no one knew what had become of his wives. He was therefore avoided by the local girls. When Bluebeard visited one of his neighbours and asked to marry one of her daughters, the girls were terrified, and each tried to pass him on to the other. Eventually he persuaded the younger daughter to marry him, and after the ceremony she went to live with him in his ch?teau.

Very shortly after, however, Bluebeard announced that he had to leave the country for a while; he gave over all the keys of the chateau to his new wife, including the key to one small room that she was forbidden to enter. He then went away and left the house in her hands. Almost immediately she was overcome with the desire to see what the forbidden room held, and finally her visiting sister convinced her to satisfy her curiosity and open the room.'

I aim to reimagine Bluebeard, his wife and castle as steampunk/clockwork mechanisms, and this image is of the moment when she opens the door and finds out what is inside the forbidden chamber.

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Research images for the palace. I'm going with a Persian rather than the standard Victorian influence on steampunk. The door will include a heavy clockwork element.

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As with his palace, Bluebeard will have a heavy Persian / Indian influence, though I'm tempted to toss in some European or sci-fi elements.

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With Bluebeard's wives I'll go as multicultural as possible, each drawing from a particular style or culture, as well as referencing dolls.

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Research for the props, the Keys and the Lamp, more clockwork detailing and inspirations for 'hairstyles'.

Not enough time to get proper work done on it, so it's just more research for now. I'm really looking forward to modelling up some ridiculous hair.

[Kerem]

Good research and myth - I hope you continue :thumbsup:

[Womball]

This is really exhaustive! I think I might need to do something similar. Are these from all over the web? And this is going to be modelled?

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A mix of modelling and photoshop is what I'm aiming for. Yeah, a lot of people are going for the strictly traditional Steampunk / Victorian pairing, but why not mix it up even more? As for where the images come from, it's all over the place.

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/ had a steampunk update recently, and has done more than a few in the past. I've also been looking at alternate fashion pages for the more modern corsets, and going back into history pages and google image search for the rest. Mechanisms come from parts, supplies and repair pages.

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Quick sketches of various head designs for the wives.

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Sketches, mainly for Bluebeard, plus a few more other heads, plus some quick comp thumbnails in the lower corner, if you can make them out. :)

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Urgh, been sick and busy and not working on this basically. I really need to put my foot down. Colour and character design tests for Tri. I'll need to go and work on a mockup for the whole image before I decide on a color scheme.

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Working on modelling up the body. The head and arms shouldnt be a problem so I'll work purely in Max for this. The body was giving me grief, so I sketched up a character sheet I was happy with, did up a basic mesh for it and I'll get it into Zbrush for topology work.

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Decided to put a little bit more work in, and now my dinner's cold. :(

Hm, looking at it, her hair may be one of those things that work in a 2d sketch but just doesnt translate into 3d that well. Nothing to do but keep working at it I guess.

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And I think the hair's at a decent stage. Deviated from the model sheet, and minor details may change, but the overall shape seems right.

Also got around to retopoing the main body and getting an idea of how I want the joints to appear. I think I'll have to widen the gaps between body parts to allow more mechanisms to show through.

[Kerem]

it looks beautiful :thumbsup:

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Argh, so much time went missing during the holidays. Anyway I'm fleshing out the composition here.

Fortunately I've not much else to do this week. Though I'm not going to get this done entirely in 3d and make the deadline so I'm aiming for a composite paint/3d image to be ready for the deadline. Here goes nothing!

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Argh, bitten completely by the drawing bug again. Looks like I'll be doing this entirely in Painter and shop again. :|

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Oh god, it's going to be a tight finish if I make it. D:

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Oh hells, am I going to make it? It doesnt look likely, but damn if I dont try.

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Yes, the linework's done!

Well except the door detail and background, but those're CG elements I'll aim to composite in.

And fixing up those awful chains.

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Ugh, time for sleep and to see what I can get done tomorrow. G'night all!

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Got the 3d chains and rough background in. Chains will stay, the background needs more work. Then quickly slapped on some shading on it. Color layer's next.

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Well, it will be some sort of blue when it's coloured in.

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The lesson I've learned from this is that I'm a slow worker and I'm really naff at colour choices. :|

Still plugging away at this. It'll get finished, whether by the deadline or not remains to be seen.

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More confident of finishing this tomorrow. Work's been speeding along now.

Unfortunately I've also been considering a dramatic angle change, as evidenced here.

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The most unfinished elements, the background and the door, are done (to a point). Now for the rest. D:

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Just need a short break so my eyeballs dont fall out, then a sprint for the end!

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Alright, I think I'm done but it's probably best to get some rest and look at this in an hour or so. If anyone has anything to say, now's the time. :o

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This fairy tale isnt really told that much anymore, probably on account of the massive homicide and violence of the story. Hardly the fare people expect of childrens' tales these day.

Bluebeard was a very wealthy aristocrat, and it just so happens he was seeking a new wife. No one knew what happened to his old wives, though the townsfolk assumed they'd run off after having enough of waking up to his terrifying beard.

He approached the daughters of a wealthy merchant, and one by one they rejected him, except for the youngest, Tryphine. They are married and live happily in Bluebeard's vast estate.

One day, Bluebeard leaves town on business. To Tryphine he entrusts the keys to the castle, telling her that she has permission to use them all, except the last, smallest key.

As days pass her curiosity grows and grows until she can bear it no longer. The key turns in the lock, the door opens, and she discovers the terrible secret of the locked chamber.

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Software: Painter, Photoshop

This fairy tale isnt really told that much anymore, probably on account of the massive homicide and violence of the story. Hardly the fare people expect of childrens' tales these day.

Bluebeard was a very wealthy aristocrat, and it just so happens he was seeking a new wife. No one knew what happened to his old wives, though the townsfolk assumed they'd run off after having enough of waking up to his terrifying beard.

He approached the daughters of a wealthy merchant, and one by one they rejected him, except for the youngest, Tryphine. They are married and live happily in Bluebeard's vast estate.

One day, Bluebeard leaves town on business. To Tryphine he entrusts the keys to the castle, telling her that she has permission to use them all, except the last, smallest key.

As days pass her curiosity grows and grows until she can bear it no longer. The key turns in the lock, the door opens, and she discovers the terrible secret of the locked chamber.

[ertacaltinoz]

Hey Teck,
I just saw yoıur final image. And I must say, it really ended up so nice!

One of the unique pieces of the challenge, I think.
Good luck
and Best
Ertac

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I'm a little disappointed in myself that my time management was a little lacking. But I'm quite happy with the work that did come out in that time. Lessons learned for the next project. :)

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