The making of 'Ollie Shuteye and the Spooky'

 

Ekaterina Pushkarova decribes the techniques behind her fantasy character image, Ollie Shuteye and the Spooky

I am going to share my experience regarding the making of Ollie Shuteye and the Spooky in ZBrush. I hope that you will learn something interesting!

The idea about this work sprang from my son's stunned look when I showed him an ant – such a simple thing! In life is where you find the most inspiration! And so Ollie Shuteye came to my mind, who, with his little flashlight, is showing the Spooky the land where the children live...

The sketch

In the beginning everything starts with a sphere, so that's what I started from as well. The most convenient part in the initial modeling for me turned out to be DynaMesh in ZBrush.

I have two stages of work while modeling. The first one is the sketch. During this stage I model the silhouette as a whole and the basic form of the character or the composition. Once I've done the sketch, I decide to change their poses while they are still in DynaMesh so they won't be rigged in any other animation program. After their composition is ready as a whole, I move to the second stage.

The character was created using a sphere

The character was created using a sphere

DynaMesh/ZRemesh

Holding the parts on separate layers, I duplicate each one of them (for example the head only), after which the second mesh is ZRemeshed to the lowest possible level of subdivisions. Subdividing it at least to level 5, I leave only two objects – the original DynaMeshed one and the new one with the new retopology.

On each one of the levels from 1 to 5, I project the DynaMesh object onto the object with the new retopology using NoiseMaker and FiberMesh.

Subdividing the mesh and projecting the new mesh

Subdividing the mesh and projecting the new mesh

NoiseMaker

By using NoiseMaker and Alphas in ZBrush, one can model quickly and achieve amazing effects. You can find a great selection of Alphas on zbrushcentral – just experiment with the slides. Use a particular Noise type and then add a different size on top and mix them. You will see that experimenting can result in various interesting things. If you don't like any of them, just remove it and add something new.

Don't forget though, before any experimenting – make a UV in the UV master in ZBrush. Thus Noises, which you add with the UV button included in NoiseMaker, will spread out evenly along the mesh.

Experimenting with NoiseMaker and Alphas to create interesting effects

Experimenting with NoiseMaker and Alphas to create interesting effects

FiberMesh

Now I place a Mask on the spots where I want to have fibers. I personally always start with the basic Fibers from ZBrush, after which I experiment with the slider button, using the main parameters as seen in this image. When I find that something is interesting I save it and make the next fiber separate. This creates better variation and makes it more interesting. In nature, nothing is identical.

I use FiberMesh in the same way to make the fireflies, grass and dots. There are certain, more specific settings there though. Don't forget that with ZRemesh you can create smooth forms quickly. You can also do this with the deformation tab: Relax > Polish > Smooth.

The parameters used for the fibers

The parameters used for the fibers

Bump/Alpha

You can use photo references to create Alphas and bump maps, as well as those already made in ZBrush.

Don't forget to separate the different parts of a particular Mesh into groups by changing the button of the brush from freehand to drag and moving them around. Groups will make it easier to both model and texture.

Working with brushes and Alphas to create the texture

Working with brushes and Alphas to create the texture

Polypainting

I very rarely use a photo when creating the texture. I prefer that almost everything is Polypainted by hand. If I use photographs, then I always reduce the brush's opacity and add an Alpha, so that only certain effects can be seen.

With Polypainting, I stick to nature's basic principle – that everything has its primary color. Having applied the color, I begin to work with layers, which I can control as I reduce the freckles on Ollie Shuteye's face or increase them. I usually use Alphas as a type of dotting, spots or small veins in order to create a realistic skin effect. Finally I slightly sum things up by using a common color with very light intensity.

Creating the textures with a Polypainted base

Creating the textures with a Polypainted base

Mask

I mainly use a Cavity mask or a PeaksandValleys mask when Polypainting. In nature, concave dips are always darker in color or have a dirt effect, so I use darker shades. I turn the mask on, and apply the lightest shade on the highest part. I often use a freehand brush for painting, plus use Alphas in separate layers to have more control over the skin detail.

The main thing is to collect enough references to help guide your Polypainting. You need to research what is most typical for it, what it looks like and how to color it, so that the human eye will believe this is not a mere collection of photographs, but something almost real.

Using masks to create depth on the model

Using masks to create depth on the model

LightCap

I use both kinds of lighting: Main lighting and LightCap. When I create new light in the LightCap, if for example I want to make the transparent eye surface react, I set Shadows and Opacity to 0 on the Diffuse properties of the lamp, so that there won't be influence over the Mesh. I also change the different lamps' Aperture, Falloff and Strength in the Specular settings, as I load Alpha and Textures.

In the background of the LightCap panel, I load a pre-painted image. You should experiment here to create interesting effects!

Some of the settings used to create a convincing light scene

Some of the settings used to create a convincing light scene

Materials

I usually load Skin Shade 4, as well as the standard materials – there is enough variety in ZBrush. With the render I use BPR Filters. There are terrific possibilities and the correction in Photoshop is almost unnecessary. I add a black plastic toy effect on the eyes and the lips, and then configure some settings so the rendering will make them transparent.

Using transparent materials to create gloss/matte effects

Using transparent materials to create gloss/matte effects

Final thoughts

The main theme throughout this tutorial is that it's important to learn the techniques. But the most important thing is to put your heart in it, and breathe your spirit into the creatures that you create. After all they are the children of your fantasy!

<em>Ollie Shuteye and the Spooky</em>

Ollie Shuteye and the Spooky

Related links

Check out Ekaterina Pushkarova's (Katerin's) website
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