HARDCORE MODELING!: 80's cartoon: Smurf madness!

#1

UPDATE: LATEST WIP

Original Post--------------------------------------------------------------------
Well I’m getting an early start on this one and it looks like I have time over the next month and a half so I’m taking on a project that may be a little big for me but here goes!

I will be modeling a Smurfs Diorama. My Concept will be a family portrait style final render of all the smurfs in front of a townhall mushroom building.

As of now, my plan is to model one generic smurf mesh that can be duplicated to create all the smurfs that will be in the project.

Wikipedia states that there are 105 smurfs in total. Naturally, I won’t be able to model all of these, nor fit them into a single photograph style render. I will limit my smurf count to 10-15 smurfs. I will choose smurfs that have the most distinguishable features, so as to avoid a generic look. I will also decide on the number of smurfs once I’ve gotten started on the modeling and I can guestimate a reasonable amount based on the speed of my progress.

Here’s my list so far, but it is not definite at this point - everyone feel free to throw in suggestions.

Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy Smurf, Chef Smurf, Hefty Smurf, Sleepy Smurf, Grouchy Smurf, Jokey Smurf, Vanity Smurf, Farmer Smurf, Handy Smurf, Harmony Smurf, Baby Smurf.

-I will be using Modo exclusively for this project (except for post in photoshop).

Here is a collage of various screenshots I took of some smufs episodes. I’ve taken over 200 SS but I only put together these few for the thread so as not to crowd or slow down. I’ve also posted this image on the reference thread along with some links to smufs websites. If anyone wants more screenshots just pm me and I’ll send you what I have.

Good luck to all and I look forward to seeing more amazing creations from you guys.

-Rage

#2

I’m very excited to see how this will turn out! :smiley:
Smurfs rock!

#3

Thanks Menthol.

Well, about 5 minutes with the solid sketch tool ( similar to zbrush’s zspheres for those who don’t know), then about an hour with Modo sculpting tools has given me a form that I like.

For those who are interested, here is my workflow in detail:

-Using solid sketch I block out the shape of a humanoid. It is an unpredictable tool, I find, but the speed at which you can get noticeable results makes it worth it.

-From there I simply subdivided the mesh and using the push, pull, inflate and smooth sculpting tools I pulled out a form that I liked. The idea here was only to create form. I didn’t bother uploading any wireframes because this is not the actual mesh I’ll be using

I don’t know if I’m the only one, but the artistic aspect of building form and the technical aspect of proper topology simply do not co-exist happily inside my head, so I am taking them on one at a time. I SCULPT the mesh into the shape that I want, leave it in a background layer as a reference item, Then in a new layer, I set it to constrain to background, and build my important topology using side and front views. The layer constraint means that as I build my polyrings, they “stick” to the form of the background layer. It essentially acts like 3d tracing paper and is a marvelous way to work I find.


#4

200 SS? that’s a lot of screenshots!
are you sticking with the original characters or are you going for your own interpretation?
If so, this looks like an interesting Smurfette interpretation :smiley:

good luck Rage :thumbsup:

#5

That is one sexy smurfette.

I’m going for my own interpretation. I especially like this challenge because it enables you to just let the creative juices run free. I am planning on going for a “cute” look rather than sexy, but thanks for that reference I might still use it.

-Rage

#6

For fun I started modeling the head around the reference mesh to see where it would lead. I may scrap it and define the ref mesh more, but I couldn’t stop myself.

It may be hard to tell, but the highlighted poly rings are a completely different topology from the underlying mesh. isolating key areas, such as eyes, nose, and mouth, then tackling them seperately makes it easier for me to build a more accurate mesh.

-Rage

#7

Yes! I concur with the right-honourable Stage-Gr - we would have you do - sorry I mean “model” smurfette!:smiley:

#8

Well after battling modeler’s block all night, I managed to come up with a mesh for the head. There is still quite a bit of tweaking to do, especially around the eye area, but overall I’m happy with the current results. Tonight I will move onto the torso and get a most if not all of the body done.


-Rage

#9

Another update. I got the body blocked out. Now on to point tweaking to get everything just right for UVing and sculpting

-Rage

#10

Looking good, rage.

#11

man, you guys don’t waste any time at all.

#12

Man you guys get going quick! I like the take you have of a smurf there… kinda a low life druggie looking smurf :stuck_out_tongue:

#13

hey joel!

smurf… good choice. intresting design aswell.
i think you could work out the topology around the eyes a little better. make some “clean” loops going all the way around the eye.
chest and shoulders could use a re-vision aswell. but like you said yourself…-“now to tweaking it all right”.
can you post a pict of the model in the lowest subd? might help the rest of us, giving useful crits.

-r

#14

I gotta tell ya Rage, the look that Smurf is giving me creeps me out. :smiley:
Looking great so far.

#15

Wyatt: Thanks mate-I’m going for a happy/goofy gnome.

Rasmus: Hey thanks for pointing that out about the eyes. I must have lost track at one point, because I had a few edgerings around the eyes, but I must have done some cutting up and messed things up while spinning quads or something. Regardless, His eyes are a little funny-shaped. Some the edgerings will be wonky because of the size of his nostrils but I’ll try and see what I can come up with. The Torso, however, I’m not too worried about for now. I’ll be making around 10 different smurfs, including smurfette, so I wanted to build topology that would be able to accomodate all the different characters (smurfette will need breasts and Hefty will be very muscular). In essence this is just my generic Smurf that I can duplicate and edit, depending on the Smurf in question.

Here’s a wireframe shot as polys-forgive the blockiness but I work nearly exclusively in level 2 sub-D so that I can switch between sculpting and polytools quickly and work them efficiently. You should see how far out from the mesh I find vertices sometimes when I switch back to poly mode.

-In passing I haven’t made a lot of Characters. I’ve studied anatomy and have a few books, but if you guys have random suggestions on how different facial characteristics can convey variouis emotions ( such as slanted eyebrows makes someone look angry), I’d be happy to hear them, even if you think it basic knowledge. I took a year of 3d but most of the education I got was technical, rather than artistic. Everything else I learned is self-taught, so sometimes I’m in the dark when it comes to the foundations of art.

-Rage

#16

Very interesting interpretation of the smurf-look! :thumbsup: It takes some of the cute-factor away and makes them kinda troll-like.

Looking forward to more of your progress.

Salute!

#17

A Quick Update.

I fixed the eyes to my liking, tweaking the shape and proportions, as well as redirecting the flow of polys to make sure I have a few continuous loops.

Laid out my UV’s.

Toyed with some ideas for mushroom houses. Here’s one:

and another.

-Rage

#18

looking sweet so far.I like the 2nd house better.
And maybe if you could curve his upper eyelids a bit? Have em’ have a less lazy look…Right now he looks like he’s eating those mushrooms instead of living in them :smiley:

Or you could go for wiki’s smurf #106…Stoner Smurf :smiley:
‘hey man…anybody else see a giant orange cat?’

#19

Thanks for the suggestions Stage. No one ever said the smurfs don’t take trips to Amsterdam Coffee Shoppes, though!

-Here’s a WIP to end the night’s work.

-Opened his eyes a little more
-gave him a hat
-gave him pants
-gave him eyes
-gave him a tongue
-and in the words of Tobias Fumke “I blue myself”
-few minor mesh tweaks here and there (it’s inevitable. Even if you say to yourself-Ill leave this part for sculpting, you cant help get lost in your mesh for half an hour moving random points around).

#20

Smurfs FREAK ME OUT! But this looks pretty cool :smiley: