Jacopo's anatomy exercises

#1

Hi guys,
it’s been a while since I’ve posted something here! My Range Rover WIP is probably accumulating quite a lot of rust… I’ll be back on that as well. :wink:

Lately, I’ve started to do some anatomy exercizes since that’s something I always wanted to do. Right now I’m focusing on faces. I’m trying to rely on my memory as long as I can and checking the areas in which I feel unsure with my thrusty anatomy book.
So, the following images pretty much represent how far I can get right now in about 3/4 hours. (I’ve made them in order from top to down)

One masculine:

And a couple feminine:

I’ve also made a timelapse of this last one:

//youtu.be/KpIuC_GqE1I

I would really appreciate if you could give me some feedback! Is there something consistently wrong or missing? What would you suggest in order to improve my skills?

I’m going to keep updating this thread with some quick exercizes and with some more accurate anatomy study.
Off course my objective is to get as accurate and expressive as I can. I still see too much room for improvements. So, any suggestion is very wellcome!!
Cheers! :beer:

#2

Here a screengrab of my latest exercise.

[img]http://s26.postimg.org/fikrz5o7t/face_female_2015_04_30.jpg[/img]

And here an obligatory timelapse video:

//youtu.be/uLz67AI-K3M

#3

Good works. I want to note a recurring pattern of 3d-modelers, when they make heads. For some reason they look alike. And if you really want to experiment with heads, you need to set special goals, altering more features, as many stay the same.
For example, changing the forehead angle, ear placement, the jaw angle, the size of a head. Eye size and placement. And many others.
Maybe it’s better to start from scratch, as making it from a pre-existing head leaves a lot of unchanged features.
Try alrering each feature. For exmple make 4 different eye types. Then you’ll see you need refs, as your inner vocabulary still needs more information. As we tend to change some obvious things, but eyes stay the same, proportions, mouth form etc.
I have the same problem, and making such exercises is a very good practice, as it sets those questions. First we learn the schematic anatomy, and it stays in our memory. So all heads we make look a bit like it. Also people intend to make heads look like ourselves, as we observe our face quite a lot.

#4

Hi mister3d, thank you very much for your comment!
The funny thing is that I really just discovered the problem that you’re addressing a couple of days ago while I was sculpting another face: I was together with a more experienced artist and I noticed that despite me trying to alter things, in the end the result was pretty much the same, and then the other guy was like: “Off course, man! Everybody does that. That’s just how our brain works!” :smiley:

So, yes, I’m definitely going to follow your tips. The next update is probably going to be about variation.
:thumbsup:

#5

I’m glad I could help. :slight_smile:
I’m in the same position, so this problem occured to me as well. As I understand it, it’s a bit more complex than we think.
First we try to get a grasp at least to make anatomy, right? And then the other problem occurs. It’s that variation is much more complex thing to do than just altering proportions.
But that’s where the fun begins. Villpu has come good examples of features difference. I think you could start with face types, and then try some ethnical variations. Those are challenging things. Anyway, it’s important to set precise goals to attain something.
https://www.google.com.ua/search?q=face+types&num=100&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=crBEVb7oJYnbUbO5gIAF&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1536&bih=777
It’s amazing after making such exercises from memory, and then look at real people and see how much they differ! Even head size is very different. And when sitting in the metro, you see people sitting nearby and look like aliens from different planets.
And another cool thing is exagerrating. Don’t just make those features, but make them extremes. It’s a good exercise for studying anatomy and stylizing.

#6

Hi there! I’m finally back :slight_smile:

mister3d, thank you very much for your contribution! I think you pointed my attention in a very good direction!

I’ve got some work that is preventing me from dedicating to those exercises like I would like. I literally had to stop thinking about anatomy for a little while, which was quite painfull. One has to pay the rent after all…

Anyway, here are some face types. Other than trying different shapes, the amount of knowledge that is in there is pretty much the same that I had before. Let me know what you think about them!


Cheers! :beer:

#7

Hi there!
I’m trying to do a face with references this time around. He is supposed to be Rutger Hauer. I’m planning on sculpting him at his current age and giving him some expression and a good load of details. But before I take him any further I would really like to know if am I on the right track or not. I’m having a really hard time judging my work at this stage…
Any critique will be extremely appreciated! :slight_smile:

 [img]http://s26.postimg.org/hq1xd3c9l/Rutger_Hauer_001.jpg[/img]

edit:
I think I’ve made my way a little bit further. The jaw and eyebrows areas should have more “rutgerhauerness” now.
Still, progressing and getting the likeness right is very hard to me :banghead:

#8

an update on my last piece:

#9

Hey there,
Here an update on this work. I came back to it after a long time now and I think I’m going to call this done although it could be way more accurate and detailed and polished. I’m quite happy with it right now anyway and I need to move my head somewere else.
Let me know if you guys have any thought about this. Any comment will be really apreciated!
Cheers!:beer:

#10

Hi guys,

Lately I’ve made this sculpture for fun and to test my anatomy skills so far. I had no references and started to check my anatomy book only late in the process. Let me know what you think about it! Especially if you think it sucks for some reason. :wink:

I’m posting a couple of timelapses as well…

//youtu.be/I-AZdhL_1Ks

//youtu.be/b7riW9sbhc4

Cheers!