Making Of 'Ebenezer Scrooge Finds a Cap'
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by Alessandro Sabbioni |
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At the beginning there was a clear and simple idea: a vulture, dark and dusty. Step-by-step I imagined the shape in my mind and began to recognize a character that I knew from childhood: Ebenezer Scrooge. I could see him like a vulture and then... I could draw him!
“ ...But Scrooge was a tight-fisted, squeezing, wrenching. clutching, grasping old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, he was, and as secretive and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue. and when he spoke it was with a harsh, grating voice...” - A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
The tale of A Christmas Carol has always fascinated me, as I have always been captivated by its character main: the dark, stingy and hunchbacked Scrooge. Who could represent him better than a vulture? And so that was my choice!
I wanted to create a funny scene that could affect the viewer. Not wanting to be a dramatic or scary scene, I thought about a situation unrelated to the plot and the historical period of the story. What would the expression of Ebenezer be if he found a bottle cap among his beloved shillings? Well, I hope I have found that expression (Fig.01)! The work lasted about a month, during the Christmas season (perhaps this is what prompted me to create it). I concentrated on design and references for the first ten days, modeling and texturing for the next ten, and then lighting and compositing for the remaining time. |
Fortunately, the character of Ebenezer Scrooge has been well-represented in film, TV and illustration, with well-defined physical characteristics, so finding references was very easy (Fig.02). In classical references Ebenezer Scrooge is a thin, hunchbacked figure, with thin lips and a hooked nose, the inevitable top hat, an old black coat, and then glasses or eyeglass.
I think good references are essential for a good job. Our mind can take us so far, but having good references helps a lot in choosing the design and the thoroughness of detail.
After collecting my reference material, I started to draw some sketches of my character. I always start with simple shapes and, gradually, I create the details. I drew the character starting from the face, trying different expressions, until I found one I liked. Each face has its own body and the characteristics that describe its history. Customizing a good character is to be already half done. |
I started Scrooge in the same way I started the sketch: from the head. I started with a simple shape in Maya that looked like the head of a bird, not worrying about a clean mesh. I imported the model into ZBrush and I started to carve an early version of Ebenezer Scrooge, constantly changing the design until I was really pleased (Fig.03).
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Then I tested several facial expressions to find the right one. Having decided on the design, I started modeling the mesh by creating edge loops to follow the anatomy of the bird (Fig.04). Even when I do a still mesh, I always prefer to model the mesh as if it were to be animated; it is always a good exercise. |
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