Imp Rogue

[Dickie]

Here is my latest, an imp thief. I still need to add pores and small wrinkles. I also want to try to project a photo over him. We'll see how that works. Having fun with him so far, but need a break for a wee bit. Have a few days off from work, so this is what I'm doing...LOL

Dickie

Imp_08.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718400%27,%27Imp_08.jpg%27,1,0% 29)

[Ron Harris]

This is one fine model and render.... very realistic looking..and I love his scowl.:tu: :tu: :tu:

Zbrush render? Love the lighting and mats you used.

What a great way to spend your time off work...:D Could be worse...you could be out working in the yard or fixing a vehicle or worse....starting fall inside cleaning...shuddddddders....

Look forward to more as always..
Ron
catfishmn@aol.com

[Pestopants]

dude he looks awsome.

I'd love to know what you've rendered him in. If it's zbrush, how did you do the eyebrows? How are you going to have the final, a character in pose? Just curious to learn about your workflow. Anyways, I'd love to see him finished.

pestopants.

[aminuts]

haha for some reason two names popped into my head looking at him

mick jagger
and
frank zappa

yeah I know....get some sleep you nut

cool dude...as usual

look forward to updates.

[aredes]

Very, very good :evil::evil::evil:, simply perfect !!!

[saltapiedras]

Buena expresión.:tu:

[Moochie]

Fantastic character and beautifully modelled! :tu:

[MattHHH]

Ehi dude great work.It's an entire figure in program?

As Sebceisor says:

"THAT WOULD BE DAMN COOL...":D

WANNA LOOK?

ALIEN FACE HUGGER
(http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=25941&page=1&pp=15)
MattHHH:cool:

[BokoWar]

Nice, nice....:tu:

[DarthWayne]

I really like this!


Wayne...

[Dickie]

Here is an update on the Imp. The skin is a shader I got from Aminuts, I think, It's called My Sculpy. Tweaked the default lights to give a nice shadow. I've been messing around for 2 days trying to get a good skin texture. I'm pretty happy with this one. The hair is painted in PS with the Excellent Nagel Brushes. Some PS for contrast, as the sculpy shader is kinda flat, you know, like sculpy...:D

And now for the thank you's:

Ron: Thank you for the kind words. You always have good things to say, and I get inspired by your compliments. I see from the "Who peed in my rice" thread that this guy gave you some inspiration too. That's the great thing about these forums...:D

Pestopants: Thanks! I rendered him in Z-Brush and painted the eyebrows in Photoshop using the Nagel Brush set. There's a link in the Rogue's gallery thread.

Aminuts: I can definately see Zappa in him...LOL More updates coming, now I got the skin working. Thanks for the MySculpy material...:D

Aredes: He's far from perfect, but I thank you for the props...:D

Saltapeidras: Gracias por el elogio. Apesadumbrado para el mal español...

Moochie: Glad ya like him, Bro...:D

MatHHH: He's all done in Z-Brush. Your Face hugger is looking GREAT, by the way...:D

Bokowar and Darth Wayne: Thanks, guys...:D

I'll have an update tomorrow. I want to get a body going for him. I tested him out with Finster's body and he looked good, so I should have one later today...

Dickie


Imp_New_02.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718506%27,%27Imp_New_02.jpg%27, 1,0%29)

[saltapiedras]

En realidad me he quedado corto Dickie, excelente modelado y textura...:tu: :tu: :tu:

[SolidSnakexxx]

Love the last render!!! Amazing work! Texture's superb!

[Moochie]

Oh yeh .. he's wonderful! Touch of real or fake SSS on the ears, and he'll be perfect.

[aminuts]

oh cool didn't think anyone...myself include was using that one.

you might like this one a little better. it still needs mega tweaking for my liking but it's got promise and works good with textures. try it first with the sculpey light so you get an idea of it then play away. its a combo ...if i remember right of my sculpey and sokar and white dino with a touch of pixologic magic.

have fun.

[ThaoLe]

very nice model, love the skin tone..

Where is MySculpy material at? do you know?

want to check them out..
Thao

[Blaine91555]

Well done!

[kyphur]

Whoa he rocks! I love the goatee and was going to ask how you did that but I see it's a post effect in PS.

Still, he rocks. Love the character he has in him. I know you're doing this just for fun but do you have something preplanned for him like a short or something?

Rock on,

[Mr micro26]

very stylized character Dickie. Great work man and amazing texturing:tu:

[Dickie]

OK, I got an easy to use skin setup I'm really happy with that I'm going to share with you all. Included in the zip file is the skin shader, an eye shader you can use or not, and the lights that work well with the skin.
When you render it will be a wee bit flat, so you might need to tweak the contrast in Photoshop. Or just use as is. It gives a nice soft feel to the skin and the specularity is nicely balanced. Not too shiny.

The attached picture is the shader in action.

Play away folks. I want to see what you all come up with. Feel free to post any mods you make to the shader too.

Enjoy!

Dickie


Imp_New_06.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718549%27,%27Imp_New_06.jpg%27, 1,0%29)

[Ron Harris]

the light and that skin look awesome, Dickie..very realistic....and thank you for the kidn gift...just dled it and I know will give her a try before the weekend is over....you look like you have had a lot of fun with this one.:tu: :tu: :tu: :tu:

Ron
catfishmn@aol.com

[Moochie]

Thank you! It just so happens I've got a project on the go that this will be perfect to experiment with. I'll post the results later today. :cool:

[Mr micro26]

U do know u make great light and material setups dont u?Thanks for sharing man
Great expression this little devil has.
Keep it up:tu: :tu:

[MHS72]

All I can say is wow!!! man. I really like this character. thanks for the DL :evil: :tu:

[Dickie]

Thanks for the props, my brothers...:D
Moochie, good luck with the project. I hope my setup makes your life easier...;)

Ron: I'm havin' a ball...I'm just a wee bit fried at the moment, so I need to go play on the PSP for a bit to get some distance from this guy. Chrono Trigger will fit the bill nicely. Or maybe Burnout:Legends. Yeah, that's it, vehicular death and destruction, that's the ticket...:D

Mr. Micro: Always a pleasure to be of assistance, as you always put my work to great use...Oh, that torso was awsome, BTW...:D

MHS72: Yer welcome, Bro. Now I wanna see it put to good use...:tu:

Kyphur: I have no plans for him really. I just get the urge and out pops another model. Evidently my brain poops polygons...:lol:

Blaine91555: Thanks!

Aminuts: Thanks for the shader. I'm not using it at the moment, but I'll play with it later to see if I can build something useful with it.

ThaoLe: Thank you...:D Don't forget to DL my toybox and have some fun...:D

Dickie Out for now...See ya tomorrow...

[Moochie]

Well, I'm loving it, Dickie! Used the material and lights with a home-made skin texture map, tweaked the settings a tad, added some pores quickly and scribbled a couple of veins. Fiddled a bit in Paintshop Pro. I'll go back and do it all more carefully this evening, but now I really have got to get on with decorating the kitchen. Thanks again!

render_dickie01.jpg

[Art2]

Very cool character and excellent expression. The skin shader is looking great.

Thanks for the zip! :tu:

[kyphur]

Moochie: That's looking pretty good. I like the pores around the face. Really nice.

Dickie: Brain and Poop in the same sentence... Ha, ha... out of context I would think we were talking about a zombie's digestive track.

[Drummer]

Dickie, my friend !! How are you ?
great return with a really cool devil :D :tu:

[MHS72]

this works realy great Dickie :tu: :tu: :D .

I'm working with Zbrush for only a month now so I'm not so good in texturing yet and don't fully master Zbrush but here is my result.

I liked your model so much that I stole some little detail but I don't know how to make the horns

This one is with the lights only theDevil_without_DickiesToybox_mat.jpg

This is my result with the light and the Material theDevil_With_DickiesToybox.jpg

Thanks again for the DL I'll use it a lot

[Dickie]

Moochie: Very nice! The ear and mouth are great! The skin tones are feeling good too. Can't wait to see more...

Art2: Thanks, I hope to see what you can do with it...:D

kyphur: Mmmm...zombies...I still need to make a good one in Z-Brush soon...

Drums: Heya Bro!! I've been busy this last monyh and a half, so I haven't been on the forums. Hope you and Viv are doing well. Your snake guy character is coming along GREAT!!

MHS72: Your devil is looking good...:tu: Here is your render I took and tweaked slightly in Photoshop. He has more dynamic range in his skin now. This is what I did:

A. Load your Z-Brush render into PS and clone the layer once. You now have 2 copies of the same image.

B. Choose the layer you copied and select form the menu up top: images>adjustments>auto contrast.

C. Using the newly adjusted layer, choose soft light in the layer dialog (switch from normal to soft light)

You now have a wider range of tones and he doesn't look as flat...:D That's the trouble with my shader, it renders a little flat, but with a minimum of tweaking in PS, it can look very nice...


theDevil_With_DickiesToyboxMod.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718583%27,%27theDevil_With_Dick iesToyboxMod.jpg%27,1,0%29)

As for the horns, just choose inflate dot from the transform menu in Z-Brush. A higher value will give you a longer horn...

Hope this helps you...:D

Dickie

[MHS72]

Thank you verry much Dickie!!! :D


Especialy for taking your time to tweak my picture and the great tips.
I'll try some horns on this one and tweak it myself in photoshop.
I'll send you my update soon.

Question: Is there a tutorial on long hair, like you did on the beard?

thanks again you're the master!! :tu: :tu: :tu:

I'll be better and better and hope I'll belong to the pro's one day

[TVeyes]

Another lovely model Dickie :tu: They all seem so charming even if they might be mischevious at heart. Love your render style, especially with that extra post render touch.

I could again tell it was your model by looking at the thumbnail. I think it is the lighting setup, but especially the modeling of the mouth and eyes. Not a bad thing. Looking forward to you having more spare time.

Thank you and Amintus for the material, it gave me some ideas for my own.

[Dickie]

Well, this went in a totally unexpected direction. I was going to make him into a medievil rogue, but his true punk soul came through. I had a blast with this one. He's all z-brush except for the glasses and hair. The glasses are LW and the hair is Nagel brushes in PS. Hope ya'll like him as much as I did making him.

Dickie

Imp_Punk_04A.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('18733','Imp_Punk_04A.jpg',1 ,0))

[Yainderidoo]

C:cool::cool:L....but why does one want to make everyting in ZBrush and do the glasses in another outside ZB? Can you enlighten this newb why this is done?


Yainderidoo

[aminuts]

hahaha love those glasses

this one is definitely going in the wallpaper folder.

can't wait for the next one.

[pete330]

omg - it's an evil mick from rockstar inxs!

ramones shirt - gotta love it!

[pixelsoul]

Hahaha that is so cool, the hairs are pretty :cool:

[Bas Mazur]

Great one! :tu: What's behind his right ear?

[Jason Belec]

That is Priceless! Can I have a poster? Several actually, time to shake up some friends memories of youth!! ;)

[elfufu]

hahahahaha awesome... man i can spot out a dickie illustration a mile away.. kicks ass

[Belseth]

Some softwares are just easier to do certain things in. The lack of true layers makes some things tough in Zbrush. I find most mechanical shapes are far easier in lightwave but organics are tough in Lightwave. Can you do it in Zbrush, sure but if I can do it in half the time in lightwave what's the point? Use every software for what it's good at. Alot of people use Lightwave to model then animate in Maya. Lightwave has a good easy to use modeler but most traditional modelers suck at organics. Zbrush is stunning at organics. Zbrush does some very elaborate mechanical functions but there's no way to work with individual polygons. Everything must be handled in groups. It'd be nice to work in a single software but each software has it's priorities. The bigger question should have been why Photoshop? Zbrush lacks 2D functions. For tweaking finished pieces I find this issue frustriating. Seems like an obvious thing supporting basic 2D but there doesn't seem to be a move to incorporating 2D functions so Everyone will have to stick with finishing things in Photoshop.


C:cool::cool:L....but why does one want to make everyting in ZBrush and do the glasses in another outside ZB? Can you enlighten this newb why this is done?


Yainderidoo

[Moochie]

Outstanding, and such fun. :tu:

[Frenchy Pilou]

Pilou

[Mr micro26]

Hahaha, it really turned out great man:tu:
:cool:

[Ron Harris]

Love it also, Dickie:tu: :tu: :tu: :tu:

Have to find out more about the ps brushes you spoke about though....you did excellant work with that hair to say the least.

ron
catfishmn@aol.com

[vlad74]

Excellent Dickie. The skin is just amazing. The concept and the execution too.:tu::tu::tu::tu::tu:

[mattybyng]

This really came through excellently.
I love it.

But, if you don't mind...the only part I dislike is the ring through the horn.

But, aprat from that I love it to bits!

Keep it up :D

[Dickie]

Here is the finished piece. Well, for now. I finished the jacket and added fake SSS to his skin, though it's more like a rim light. Either way, I like how it's working. I'll post a walkthrough tomorrow. For now I'm tired as hell and sick of looking at him...I'll post replies tomorrow too...

Dickie

Imp_Punk_08.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718812%27,%27Imp_Punk_08.jpg%27 ,1,0%29)
(http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718773%27,%27Imp_Punk_07.jpg%27 ,1,0%29)

[BokoWar]

Awesome Dickie, great model and exceptional render:tu:

[maartmo]

Gabe Gabe hey!

[Duke_of_vampires]

Coooool!!!!

[Sebcesoir]

Yeah! Love it!

5 starts for me!
:tu: :tu:

[sirozz]

Great ! I like your skin texture.

[MHS72]

This one looks real good Dickie. I love the hairs and glasses you've made on him

[mattybyng]

How did u make the hair so smoothe? that be if you used fibre brush

[el-d]

Dickie........The Dickies,Ramones T shirt....I think we can see your influences coming through.


Nice work as always. although the jacket looks more like a cheap leather rip-off in pvc ;-) a bit shiny and new looking for punk.

El-d

[Yainderidoo]

Thought you'd answer something like that...;)
Was just wondering why people are switching back and forth between programs so much. I realy thought every thing could be done whitin ZBrush...well almost everything :confused: .

Maybe the things you mention are going to be better in 2.5 :qu:

Yainderidoo

Ps. The jacket is great!!

[vivien]

COOOOL !!!
really cool character my friend :) :tu:

[Buckie]

You're best yet D, great character...:tu:

[lordbinah]

love it !! how do u do the hair ??

[Drummer]

COOOOL !!!
I agree with vivien, fantastic character :D :tu:

[Dickie]

I'm going to do a complete start to finish tutorial later today. For now it's comment and thanks time...:D

TVEyes: Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. I've been working on this guy
so much I was drained emotionally and didn't have the energy to reply in a timely fashion...:cry: Thank you for your comments, Mark. I hope you get some great results from the material and lights. They are simple, but a good foundation to build upon...

Yainderidoo: Please forgive my not answering you yet. Belseth actually did it for me..:D I'm more proficient in LW's modeler for non-organic forms. I could do it in Z-Brush, but never got the hang of muti markers yet. They baffle the hell outta me. The jacket I made out of Z-Spheres. I could have used LW for a base, but I wanted to play with the Z-Spheres more, so I made it out of them. I'll be posting how I did the jacket soon.

Aminuts: Glad ya like the shades. I've seen ones like it in the shops, so I decided to make them for him. I ususally wear glasses, so I couldn't wear these myself...:D

Pete330: Yes indeed, he does look a lil like Michael Hutchence. Not that it was intentional. I see more of Mick Jagger/Keith Richards/David Bowie in him. As I had no one person in mind, an rockstar amalgamation is the result.

Pixelsoul: Thanks!

Bas: That's the earpiece of his glasses. I had the scale wrong so it protruded...:lol: I fixed that up...

Jason: I'd love a poster too! I just have to settle for him being my desktop image for now.

Elfufu: Thanks, Bro! Like it or not, I seem to have a definate style to my designs now.

Belseth: You took the words right outta my mouth. Thank you for replying to Yanderidoo. I was fried for the last 2 days. A bloody zombie. I feel a wee bit better now. Once I start playing with a piece, I can get VERY obsessed with it...

Moochie: Thank you!

Frenchie: He does look like Fonzie a bit, doesn't he...:lol:

Mr. Micro: Thanks, glad ya like how it turned out...:tu:

Ron: Thanks! I will be putting up a tutorial for the hair later today. I like the PhotoshopCS answer to hair a lil bit better than using Z-Brush's fibers. I get more control with the styling. Although Z-Brushes fibers ROCK for certain applications. They make great mohawks...:D

Vlad74: Thank you! I worked on this skin for 2 days trying to find the right combo of diffuse and yet still have the feeling of transparancy. I'm still searching for that material grail, but I'm 1 step closer...

Mattybyng: Thanks for your input...:tu: I'm partial to the horn piecrcing, as it emphasizes his impishness. But then again. I'm his daddy...:lol: I'm happy you like the rest of him though...:D

Bokowar: Thanks!

Maartmo: Gabba, Gabba, We accept you, We accept you, As one of us...:lol:
I don't wanna be a Pinhead no more...Now I guess I gotta tell 'em, I ain't got no cerebellum... I got to hang with The Ramones backstage in a roadhouse in south Jersey back in the summer of '83. An incredibly sweet bunch of guys. I still have the T-Shirt they all autographed for me...Christ I'm old...:lol:

Duke of Vampires: Thank you!

Sebcesoir: Thank you, my friend. As I'm a big fan of your work, I really appreciate the props...:lol:

Sirozz: Thank you. I put the material and lights up earlier in this thread, so download them and play...:D

MHS72 and Mattybyng: Thanks again. I'll put up more hair info later today...

Yainderidoo: Some people like to do everything in Z-Brush. If I have time, I like to also, as I learn more. But sometimes it's quicker working with what you know, software-wise...Oh, and thanks again...:lol:

VIV! Great to hear from you...:D I'm glad you like him. I think he's my best so far...Still want to add one more thing to it...

Buckie: Thank you! I agree, I learned a LOT from this guy...


Well, that's it for now. As I said, I'll post the creation procees for this piece later today. It'll take a bit to organize.

That is if my house is still here. We got a hell of a fire raging about 2 miles away. Just bloody huge...I can smell and see the smoke as I type...

Ahhh, the joys of living in Los Angeles...


Dickie

[Dickie]

DOH! I forgot Poland! Errr...I mean I forgot Lord Binah, El-D and Drums!!

El-D: Those are indeed my influences...;) It's funny, even today, I still think of Punk and New Wave as "New" music. They've been around for 30 years now, those styles. As for the jacket, you are correct, my friend. It does look too new. I'll have to go back and wear out the seams a little more...;)

Lord Binah: Thanks and I'll be posting a tutorial later for the hair...I used the
Free Nagel brush set for Photoshop CS.

Drums: Thnaks again, my Brother. You and VIV always keep me inspired by your works and by your words. Hope all is well with you two...:D

Dickie

[Dickie]

Well, so far the fire has spread considerably, but not in my direction, thank God. Whe I look out the living room window, all the trees behind me are outlined in orange, pink and purple. It's beautiful, really. If you don't consider the source.

I got stuck in evacuation traffic 2 hours ago. A lot of folks in the hills have been fleeing. If I step outside, I can hear the sirens. Both my daughter's High School and College are being used as evacuation centers.

I just hope the wind don't change direction...

More to come later...

A very nervous,

Dickie

[Belseth]

I've got a lot of friends in the area. Hope all is well. Always scary when it jumps the freeway.

[aminuts]

I'll send ya some of the damn wind we got blowing today so you can blow it out or away.

Hope all stays well, don't forget to grab your zbrush if you do have to go.....after the family and pets of course!

[MHS72]

good luck for you today my friend. I hope mother nature is in a good mooth

[Moochie]

I'd wish rain for you, but you guys get mudslides too, don't you? And earthquakes. Mountain Lions. Yipes.

I hope all works out fine. Got a number of friends in LA .. I hate this annual fire season. :cry:

[Dickie]

Luckily the fires are moving away from us, but I still fear for other folks homes...:cry:

Dickie

[hypnotik]

fantastic work :tu:

[Dickie]

The fires are still burning here. The lighting is all tinted red from the smoke blocking the sun. We have a light ashfall going on here. I saw this during the last big fires we had. It looks like it's snowing. It's light at the moment. Last year I had an 1/8" of ash on all outside surfaces. Creepy.

Here are 3 images I took last night with my camera phone. Not too shabby for a phone-cam. They give a good idea of what it looks like here...

Sorry for spamming these, but they DO make good reference images...:D

Dickie

Fire_01.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('18941','Fire_01.jpg',1,0))

Fire_02.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('18942','Fire_02.jpg',1,0))

Fire_03.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('18943','Fire_03.jpg',1,0))

[Suzana]

Hi Dickie
Really good work. This little devil looks like somebody whom I know from Starbucks - actually two identical twins working at the caffeeshop. Your character has obviously lots of personality.
Very good and original work.
;):tu::tu::tu:

[Blaine91555]

Glad to hear your OK. I saw the thread last night and woke up wondering about it. Seems like destruction is the order of the day lately. I'm getting to where I don't even want to turn on the news anymore.

Great Work on the model!!!

[pete330]

holy crap dickie! great shots but that's too close for comfort! i have a wetland behind my house that caught fire a couple springs ago when it was still dried up growth from the year before. came right up to my back yard. nothing like what you're talking about. it was small but i tell you what, 15 or 20 acres burned up in about a minute and a half. thankfully the fire dept was already on scene or my house would probably be gone. glad it's blowing away from you...

[Dickie]

Here is a picture of the ashfall on my car. I just took this 10 minutes ago.
It looks like it is snowing outside. When I was out there I was having a little trouble breathing. Very smoky now. I'm actually considering buggin' out, but I have no where to go, really. I don't want to put any friends in an inconveniant spot. Hopefully it would only be for the night.

The fires themselves are pretty far away, but the wind switched direction and is blowing the smoke and ashes here now. It smells like a burning fireplace and melted plastic. Actually, it pretty much smells like a dump fire.

17.000 acres on fire now, and only 5% contained. They say it's a possibility that it might just burn straight through to the ocean. If it jumps the 101 freeway, it very well could. That will burn all the brush away and leave everything open to mudslides come the rainy season.

I'm almost done with my tutorial, so I'll post that in about 1/2 hour...Then I just might consider that buggin' out to a frinds place for the night idea...


Dickie


Ashfall.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('18946','Ashfall.jpg',1,0))

[kyphur]

So faithful to us to stay and risk oneself for a tutorial...

ARE YOU CRAZY!?! GET THE HELL AWAY!!! *LOL* RUN! GRAB AN ANIMAL AND TUCK IT UNDER YOUR ARM AND RUN!

Seriously, how far away is it from you? If I lived close by (on the opposite coast) I would be more than happy to put you up for the night.

Hope you the best man.

[Dickie]

OK, here is the basic steps I did to create the punk imp.

First I modeled the head in Z-Brush from a sphereized cube. It's my favorite form to start from. I sometimes use Z-Spheres, but for most heads I go with the sphereized cube. More even polygon distribution, on the whole.
I added pores and wrinkles with projection master. I also used projectionmaster to paint him.

Progression_01.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718950%27,%27Progression_01.jpg %27,1,0%29)

I played with materials and lights for a few days and came up with a material I was happy with. You can find it earlier in this thread. I then made the jacket from Z-spheres that I made into a Unified Skin. I use unified skin instead of adaptive skin because it gives me a more uniform polygon distribution and also looks closer to what the Z-spheres represent than the adaptive skin. (On the whole) I also made the rivets out of a squashed sphere and modeled the glasses in LW modeler (Faster for me).

JacketSpheres_01.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718951%27,%27JacketSpheres_01.j pg%27,1,0%29)

I then made a Fake Sub Surface Scattering pass using this thread as guidance:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=27709

I ended up colorizing the SSS pass and using it as a rim light.
I also copied the original render of the Imp and used soft light and screen passes to increase contrast and adjust the general color of his skin.
I also sharpened the soft light pass with the sharpen filter in PS to bring out his pores and skin detail.

SSSProgression_01.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718952%27,%27SSSProgression_01. jpg%27,1,0%29)

Lastly I painted hair using the excellent Nagel Brush tools that work in Photoshop CE. Unfortunately the only work in PS CE. They work with your Wacom tablet and the hairs flow with your strokes. Paint the dark underlying hair first and work up in lightness then finally the highlights. These are free brushes created by David Nagel. I use the series 19 and 21 hair brushes. They can be found here:

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/photoshopbrushes/

I found these through a Z-Brush forum link created by Handlebar. Thank you Handlebar. These have helped me immensly in creating stylized hair. You can also use the Fiber brush in Z-Brush. The nice thing about the fiber brush is it makes it's own shadow. Since I used the Nagel brushes, I had to make my own. This is done by painting the hair and then cloning the layer and multiplying it over the render but under the hair painting. Just shift the multiplied layer a few pixels to the right or left, depending on your lighting.

HairTut_01.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718953%27,%27HairTut_01.jpg%27, 1,0%29)

There you have it. The steps I used to create this. I discovered I want to add a hand holding a cigarette, so I still am going to add that to the image. I'll also adjust his jacket, as it's too shiny now. I start work again Monday, so I'll finish this stuff up tonight, I believe.

I hope someone gets some new tricks and techniques out of this. I had a great time making it and learning a few new tricks myself...:D

Dickie

[Ron Harris]

Bravo, Dickie...very informative tut....I know I will be scouring over it a few times in the coming days....

thnx also for sharing those photos....very interesting stuff...

stay safe

Ron
catfishmn@aol.com

(now back to the Exorcist...ya gotta love the classics:tu: )

[Dickie]

Well, the wind changed again and the smoke is now blowing away from us. This is a good thing. It only smells like someone is using their fireplace now. We still got a little ashfall, but I blew the majority of the ashes off the car with some canned air. As ashes are acidic, it's always a good idea to get them off any painted surfaces, just in case of rain. Not that rain is in the near future here. So for now we are staying put. I hope no other Z-Brushers are in the path of this beast. Or anyone else for that matter. More later...

Dickie

[mattybyng]

Indeed, this is just a bloody fantastic project!!! Every feature is not left untouched; From the hair on his head, to the buttons on his jacket.

I'd like to personally thankyou for post your steps and flow.

I still don't understand how you did the hair...I mean, you used photoshop to do it or? Sorry, this probably sound stupid..

But i really would like to know, seeing as I'm working on a project of my own.

Once again, this project is fantatsic all round :D

I look forward to seeing your next piece.

-Matt

[smileman]

Thank you, very nice !!!! :rolleyes: :lol: :lol:

[Dickie]

Ok, a bit calmer now, even though the fire is still ragin'. 16, 200 acres, 3000 firefighters, 12% contained, only 1 home lost so far. We do have the best firefighters here. They have to deal with it every year.

Smoke went away for now. though there is still ash in the air. The fire is right near where I used to live, in West Hills. If we still lived there we would have been evacuated. luckily it's mostly staying to the hills, as there is no wind to fan it. This is a very good thing. This ain't over, but I'm hoping the worst is past.

Suzana: Thank you for the comments...:D I hope the twins aren't as grumpy as my guy here...:lol:

Blaine91555: Thank you for your concern. We are fine at the moment, but it can get plenty scary when the smoke hurts your chest. Thanks also for the input...:D

pete330: Fire coming up to your backyard is a lot scarier than what we are experiencing! I'm glad the FD was there for you...:D

Kyphur: My wife and I want to thank you for your offer...:D That is VERY cool gesture. As we are 3000 miles away, it's a long trip, but your offer gave us some comfort. My wife thanks you personally...:tu: The fire is about
a mile and a half from us. The sky was lit up a lot more last night, but that's because the fire was on the hilltops. Now the fire has burned a lot lower, so we can't see the glow as predominantly. This is both good (no scary glows lighting up the sky) and scary (The fire is a LOT closer). Wacky stuff...

Ron: I hope ya get some good stuff from the tutorial. I look forward to seeing what ya come up with...:D

Matty: I really appreciate your support of the tutorial...:tu: It's always good to know that it helped another artist out. As for the hair, it's all hand painted using the Nagel brushes in Photoshop. I'll have to make a few screens to show you how it's done. You do need Photoshop CS edition to use them though.
If you don't have it, fret not, as you can get some really cool stuff in Z-Brush using the fiber material. There's some great tutorials in the forums on using it.

Dickie

[mattybyng]

Thanx Dickie ;)
And, Yes, I do have Photoshop CS, and will be awaiting your next move.

-Matt

[Dickie]

Matty, go to the link I put into my tutorial to get the brushes.

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/photoshopbrushes/

Download sets 19 and 21.

You then extract them into your presets/brushes directory. Open your brushes in Photoshop CS and select the Nagel brushes. I use series 19 and 21. Those are the hair brush sets. they look like this:

Nagel_01.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('18964','Nagel_01.jpg',1,0))

Now just open an image you want to paint hair on, select the brush you want to try, choose a darker color for the lowest hairs and paint them on!
Different brushes simulate different types of hair. Experiment. Have fun.

Here is an example of how I did the eyebrows:

EyebrowTutorial.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('18965','EyebrowTutorial.jpg ',1,0))

This should get you started on a new way of making hair for your characters.

Oh, and don't forget to use your tablet! The brushes are direction and pressure sensitive...:tu:

Dickie

[aminuts]

glad the winds have changed.......man if the smoke is bad enuf to hurt.....get the hell out next time.....you don't know what the heck it is your breathing in and I couldn't live without big head boys coming our way once in awhile to give us some grins!

[Frenchy Pilou]

Pilou :tu:

[333666999]

Matty, go to the link I put into my tutorial to get the brushes.

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/photoshopbrushes/

Download sets 19 and 21.

You then extract them into your presets/brushes directory. Open your brushes in Photoshop CS and select the Nagel brushes. I use series 19 and 21. Those are the hair brush sets. they look like this:

Nagel_01.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:zb_insimg('18964','Nagel_01.jpg',1,0))

Now just open an image you want to paint hair on, select the brush you want to try, choose a darker color for the lowest hairs and paint them on!
Different brushes simulate different types of hair. Experiment. Have fun.

Here is an example of how I did the eyebrows:

EyebrowTutorial.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:zb_insimg('18965','EyebrowTutorial.jpg',1,0))

This should get you started on a new way of making hair for your characters.

Oh, and don't forget to use your tablet! The brushes are direction and pressure sensitive...:tu:

DickieThanks !!!http://forums.cgsociety.org/images/smilies/buttrock.gif

[mattybyng]

Hey DICKIE
You're a good bloke... :D

Thanks a heap hey, im serious.

Thanks for not "brushing" me to the side, no punn intended.

Once again, THANKS.

-Matt

[Dickie]

Anytime, Bro. The main thing is, did this help ya? Once you start playin' you'll see the possibilities...

Dickie

[MattHHH]

Amazing process Dickie!!!Very pleased to see it!!!:tu: :tu:


WANNA LOOK?


ALIEN FACE HUGGER (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=25941&page=1&pp=15)


MattHHH :cool:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/images/statusicon/user_online.gif

[metamesh]

that is a really nice image, nice modelling nice materials and nice hair! congrats for a well done job!

[vlad74]

Hi Dickie. I am happy you and your family are ok. I hope the fire will be extinguished very soon.

Thank you for the tut. It is wonderful. I think your thread should be on the top row.

[Dickie]

Well, HERE is the final image. I modeled a z-Sphere hand and jacket arm and cigarette. I made the z-spheres into a unified skin. added the hand on top of the other image, tweaked the settings and and made a fake SSS pass for it also. I then painted the smoke in.

MatHHH:If ya learned something from the tutorial, then my job here is done...:D

Metamesh: Thank you!

Vlad74:Thanks for thinking of us. The fires are still burning and will be for at least another day. The air is still VERY unhealthy here, but we'll get through it...:tu: Your kind words help me cope...:D

Well, i hope you all like the hand addition. I think it adds more dimension to the piece and gives the character a little life. It's been a fun week and a half. Oh and before I forget, the soundtrack of this piece has been Egg Radio. An amazinly wonderfully eclectic internet radio station. Give her a shot, it's inspirational...www.eggradio.com (http://www.eggradio.com)

No, they aren't paying me...:lol:

Dickie

Imp_Punk_New_03A.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718984%27,%27Imp_Punk_New_03A.j pg%27,1,0%29)

[Abyssis]

yay, Dickie, now ist the composition just p_e_r_f_e_c_t:tu: :cool:

[Frenchy Pilou]

:tu:
Pilou

[smileman]

He look's like my mother !!!!!! for sure, its a hit! :lol: :lol:

[marcus_civis]

Great work - the hand and ciggy make it perfect. :cool:

[hypnotik]

very very fantastic :tu::tu::tu::tu::tu:

[DarthWayne]

I have to say yet again that this has turned out really damn well. I suppose it reminds me of one thing that I know I'm not alone in forgetting when modelling. The addition of a prop or simple pose adds extra dimension to a character. I know from personal experience that its easy to get carried away with the modelling of a piece and forget anbout its prtesentation.

I have to admit that your piece inspired me to go hunting out the nagel brushes out again from my 'resource's' drive. I'd forgot how truely useful they can be. Actualy this is model that would make a damn good video tutorial in my oppinion.

Wayne...

[Drummer]

yessss man !!
TOP ROW
great my friend ! :eek: :tu:

[lemonnado]

Perfect! All I can write is Perfect!
And thanks a lot for the link those brushes. I also use BodyPaint3D and that can load PS brushes 8-) for 3D Painting...

Cheers
LemonNado

[jamanta]

awesome!!!!!

[kakachi]

gio manga wip

[kakachi]

gio manga wip seee
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=28230
gio manga wip seeegio manga wip seee

[MrLearner]

Firstly: I agree with everyone else on that this is great work. Super modeling, character and textures :tu:

But: It's sad to destroy this lovely piece with a poor composition like this. The hand and fag pose looks unatural to me with his hand in the picture for no apparent reason... See what I mean?

What I think would look cool would be if he'd hold the rim of his eyewear. Or something like that.

[GregO]

Love thie guy, very well done, very Shadow Run. I get a distict Lou Reed vibe from him.:tu:

G.

[stumpf]

Hi Dickie,

Great character, looks like Elton Jon.

Ralf Stumpf

[Blaine91555]

Mr Learner - I don't agree - the character is a rebel and smoking is a characteristic associated with a rebel. I think it accents the piece like a little tabasco sauce on eggs.
Great Render :tu:

[Yainderidoo]

It's all a matter of taste...no one can argue about taste :eek:

Yainderihmmmmmm

[Atwooki]

Agreed. This is a great piece Dickie :D
I too get a distinct Lou Reed feel from your 'impish fellow' and find your work greatly enjoyable and inspirational :tu::tu::tu:

[vivien]

i strongly believe that this thread should be in the top row!!! again, great work dickie! this is probably your best yet.:D

[Dickie]

Heya boys and girls! The fires are far away now and hopefully slowed down a bit. I can barely smell the smoke. Which is nice, because everything was getting really stinky here.

Abyssis: Actually it's far from perfection, but I'm happy with it for now and am glad you are too...:D

Frenchy: Funny as always...:D Who knows, maybe my character looks t like Egg radio's programming director...:lol:

Smileman: Your mother? THAT is a scary idea...:eek:

Marcus_Civis: Glad you like the addition. It definately needed something...

Hypnotik: Thank you again, My friend...:D

DarthWayne: I'll sometimes look at one of my pieces and think, what can I add to express this character's personality a little more. That's what I did with this piece. Don't forget to check out Nagel's other brushes too. They do rock...

Drummer: Thank you, my Brother. I'm glad he made top row too. I wanted the tutorial to live on, as I believe it can be useful for other z-artists to have another way to make hair. Helps keep all our bald models down to a minimum...:lol:

Lemonnado: I appriciate the comment. He's far from perfection, but I like where he is now...I didn't know Bodypaint can use the Nagel Brushes! Cool!!

Jamanta and Kakachi: Thanks, guys...:D

MrLearner: Thank you for your input. It saddens me to hear that the addition of the hand ruined the piece for you...:cry: The reason I added it was to define the character's personality a little more. Actually when I first added it, I was unsure as to whether I liked it too. But after looking at the piece for a while, I did like it, so I kept it. The cool thing is you can always look at the version before this to see the one you like...:D

GregO: I noticed the Lou Reed look a few days ago. I'm a huge fan of his work, both solo and with the Velvet Underground, so that's a big compliment for me...Thanks...:D

Stumpf: Thanks for commenting, Bro! He does indeed look a bit like Elton John, especially with the glasses and hair...:lol:

Blaine91555: Thanks for the props...:D

Yainderidoo: Very true. MrLearner's comment is entirely valid in my book. If he was a client, I would remove the hand in a minute...As this is for my personal collection, it stays...

Atwooki: Ahhh, inspirational...My favorite words...Thank You!

Viv: Heya, Kiddo! Glad to see you and Drums alive and kicking...:D He actually is in the top row, you just have to get to him by clicking on the
Featured Gallery button. He's my favorite piece so far too. Thanks you, as always for your kind words and support...:D

Well, now I gotta figure out what's next. We'll see. The Z-Brush journey is always an exciting and mysterious one. Thank you all for your comments. positive and negative. They keep me inspired to keep on working...:tu:

Dickie

[MattHHH]

Now you're Top Row quality!!!:tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu:


WANNA LOOK?



ALIEN FACE HUGGER (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=25941&page=1&pp=15)


MattHHH :cool:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/images/statusicon/user_online.gif

[MrLearner]

Blaine, Dickie:
I'm sorry I did't mean to say that I wanted the hand to go. I DO like the addition of the hand and the cigarette. It's just the pose that strikes me as a bit unatural...

[Ron Harris]

Dunno why you haven't made top row with this, Dickie...This is definitely an excellant piece of art. The thread itself is extemely informative and helpful.

Last but not least, from the overwhelming response, it's obvious that everyone on the forum just hates and despises your work.....:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: (that was a joke....)

And extra last, I am so glad that danger has past you and your loved ones by.

Thnx for sharing all this with us,
Ron
catfishmn@aol.com

edit....ah I see him in the featured gallery now.....kewl and kudos

[foleypro]

Thanks a Bunch..


I lived in Anchorage for a year and a Half off of Turpin and 11th ver by 6th ave and I worked on Muldoon Road and North Eastern Lights Boulavard...

But I do disagree that Anchorage holds the Psycotic Misfits because I lived in Wasilla and Big Lake and man I tell ya there were some Weird ones there...


Thanks again you rock................:evil:

[aredes]

Gosteu... I like... Do you make true art from heart... Você faz verdadeiramente com o coração..."writing for me"...
Brassasso..

[rtwolfenstein@hotmail.com]

lot of character!

[PoisenSoul]

Excellent character!
and really good expression on the face.:tu:

[argonaut]

Hey awesome model! :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: Lots of personality. I was wondering where you got this sphereized cube thing?

[Dickie]

Here's an update on the imp. I just purchased Art Rage2 and decided to add a background to him.

The curtains, smoke, halo and outlining are done in Art Rage2. It changes the feel of the piece a little, but concidering I had the software for 2 days and I'm crap at painting, it came out quite nicely.

Art Rage 2 is a whopping $19.95 US and is a helluva tool if you have a tablet. The color blending in it is sooo nice. There's a free version too to try out.

http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html

I'd love to hear comments and crits.

Dickie

SaintLou_01.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2734902%27,%27SaintLou_01.jpg%27 ,1,0%29)

[Drummer]

heya bro !!
this is cool ! I know the tool, Vivien did a portrait of me some times ago :D

I like very much the last version of your imp. I especially love the background and the plaster border lines :tu:
colors are beatiful as always !

see ya soon my friend :)

Marco

[Dickie]

Heya Marco!

Was that the portrait of you in repose? I remember seeing 2 portraits she did of you. I checked Viv's sig for the link, but it seems to be gone...:cry:

Thanks for taking the time to answer. I'm glad you like the additions. I'm not much of a painter, but I enjoy mixing the media up. I was just trying to give folks other options for tools for their work. Guess there's not much interest here..

Talk with you soon,

Dickie

[Drummer]

the portrait of me done by Viv is maybe in one of her old hard disk :D
she don't show it to other people.
you saw what she did in photoshop the last year.
btw this tool seams to be a real painting, it's cool :cool:

I remember when I showed a prototype of one of my old heads, it was printed in 3d, but the interest was not much...

see ya bro ;)

[Moochie]

Always cool to see your inspirational work. I think the white lines work particularly well on the backs of his fingers .. kinda simulating light scattering off the small hairs.

[Drummer]

take a look here bro :

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/34979581/

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/34979698/

these two are the portraits of me that Viv did not long time a go :)
Now the passion that she has for the movie leads her to try to do the movie maker !! I'm happy for her cause she find her way :tu:

we two have a long way in front of us....hope all could be great.

[Dickie]

Moochie: Glad my work inspires you...:D The main reason I posted this was to get a discussion going about using Z-Brush with other mediums. It's a lot of fun and I figured if other folks spoke up about thier experiences, we could learn about other options.

Marco: Those were the two I was talking about. I love them both but the second is my favorite. I really like the lighting and mood.

As for your journey, it will be rewarding in ways you can't imagine right now. Keep journeying together as the road is long,cold and dark sometimes and a soulmate will guide you through the darkest of times, even when all seems lost.

Dickie

[Drummer]

hey thx bro !
these are kind words those I really appreciate.

in this last period you gave me a lot of motivation, I thank you very much and I wish you have a great life as I imagine it is.

thx friend

[calum5ZB]

Lol!!!Fine fine work,very well done on this guy :-)
Bye cal

[doron]

calum - got you again :lol:


love your web btw