Action Hero - Prisoner

[gregoconn]

Action Hero entry by Gregory O'Connor

Prisoner

Charlse Backwater as martial arts specialist studied and tought martial arts self defence from his small studio in manhattan. He devoted his life to teaching others that living in harmony with everyone else in the world is the only thing that would bring happyness to what a lot of people beleive to be a dangerous and dreary life.

This was all until an unknown fanatic framed Charlse for the murder of one of his students. Convicted for the murder he was chained and sent to life in prison.

Torn by the injustice of the world when all he had done is devote his life to peace, the chains which where clasped around his wrists were too much for him to bear. Through pain and agony his body and mind faught against the iron bonds around his wrist and tore himself in two. Now his two selves both close of his original body faught and escaped the court house before he could be imprisoned and he fled to the underground train lines.

Now he resides under the city living only for himself and selfish means. Hero nor villain he now lives under the alias Prison and will help those in need if it conveniences him but will also steal and pillage if something is in the way.


Powers:

Cloning: Everytime both of his wrists are bound he splits into two exact copies of himself. The clones are bound to each other by the shackles. If for some reason the shackles are broken his body merges back into one.

Super Human coordination: His study and devotion to martial arts has left him with super human coordination which allows him to use his own strengths and abilities most effectively and turn his enemies strengths against themselves.

This skill is most effective when he is split in two, and both the clones work together using their combined strength to achieve things which no normal person could achieve.

prisoner.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('119044','prisoner.jpg',1,0))

[JUPITER]

Good story,i like the way they turn back into one when the chain is broken... :D

[SolidSnakexxx]

Just love the cloning power,

"...Everytime both of his wrists are bound he splits into two exact copies of himself. The clones are bound to each other by the shackles. If for some reason the shackles are broken his body merges back into one."

It'd be awesome to see this character in action move or when he's in the process of cloning himself. :idea:

[gregoconn]

Jupiter: Thanks for the feedback

SolidSnakexxx: The idea is to get him into a nice action pose in his cloned state. I have something in mind I just need to see if it will 'work' visually first.

Here is a quick update I've been working on his base mesh. It's not quite to where I want it yet but thought I'd update anyway.

prisonerBaseMesh01.jpg

[SolidSnakexxx]

The base mesh is starting to look good. Looking forward for more! :cool:

[smeagol]

yeah , good start on this one !

[dustbin1_uk]

Right off the bat your base is looking just like your concept!

Well done!!

Keep going!!

[wiebe]

nice basic mesh i should have started like that probably, i think its also a nice unique concept for an action hero !

[gregoconn]

Thanks for your posetive comments guys. :D

Ok having trouble getting time to do this. But here is a quick update anyway. I've finished my base mesh and was playing with a few poses. Here is one I liked so far. Very quick and nasty as a test run. Let me know what you think.

Will chuck my finished base mesh up in my next post with some sculpting.

poseTest.jpg

[gregoconn]

Ok so here is my finished base mesh and my start on roughing out some of the detail that I want. I don't think I'll go to far for now and will properly pose both my close before adding my detail so that I can get the right muscle deformations and cloth movement.

I will add my subtools after posing as well so they have nice flow.

frame01.jpg
front01.jpg
back01.jpg

[gregoconn]

Ok so I started posing my first clone. I have to say I'm not very good at the posing tools in zbrush but it's getting easier as I go along. I'll probably take my video of it when posing my second clone when I'm better at the controls.

So far this is where I'm at.

pose01.jpg

[Drakelot]

Xcellent looking base mesh ... way cool poses ... I like the slim figure and design.

Good luck.

[SolidSnakexxx]

I can see in the squatting action pose that he's very skinny and agile hero. Can't wait til you've added the chain and stuff.

[gregoconn]

Ok so I've been working on his pose and expression. Unfortunately I'm only about to work on this about an hour a day at most so not getting much.

Tomorrow I'm going to try and do some serious sculpting and try to get his chest straps on but I'll see how I go.

Let me know what you think

pose02.jpg

expression01.jpg

[gregoconn]

Drakelot: Thanks for your posetive comments. I'm a little bit more traditional when it comes to building characters I built him to hopefully rig at a later stage.

SolidSnakexxx: The idea was to make more of a smart co-ordinated hero who is good at using his agility and manipulating the opposition and his other clone to wine his battles. It's very hard for me to keep telling myself to keep him thin. I keep wanting to add more and more muscle. I think at the moment his wrists and hands are probably a little thin but I'll work on that.

I'm starting to get very excited about this character. I've finally come up with a pose that I 'think' I'll be happy with. I usually find it hard to find a pose that I'm happy with or follow through to the end, this time I think I have decent one so can't wait to place the second clone and get the chain in.

[JUPITER]

WoW! this is looking awesome man! ;)

[gregoconn]

Thanks Jupiter It's encouraging to get positive comments.


Here is a quick update. I started some sculpting. I still have a long way to go but I'm trying to get as much done as I can in the time that I have.

Hope you like it

pose03.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27121071%27,%27pose03.jpg%27,1,0%29)

pose04.jpg


(http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27121070%27,%27pose04.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[gregoconn]

I'm so dumb. Forgot to save everything I did last friday and now am having to spend all morning resculpting what I had already completed. *sigh*

[edit] having to redo work is so disheartening

[SolidSnakexxx]

Nice update.....and I'm sorry to hear that you lost your works... I feel the pain man... :cry:

[gregoconn]

Hey Snake thanks for the kind comments. I must admit I almost threw in the towel after I had the 'right click hang' bug happen to me after this not saving incident. But I prevailed and have an update.

I need to figure out how to capture my zbrushing as I pose I want to pose my second clone today but need to figure out how to capture it. Any suggestions would be great.

I still have a lot of work to go but I feel like the first clone is starting to take shape.

pose05.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('121922','pose05.jpg',1,0))

pose06.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27121921%27,%27pose06.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[Moni-Poroni]

Hi gregoconn...
Really cool backstory and powers :tu:
And great sculpting process...
I like the pose and his mimic..
I´m looking forward to your next update :)
Best wishes

[SolidSnakexxx]

The new sculpt looks..."screaming" man... I think even better than your last... :tu:

[Harmonic]

Wow this is starting to look great! It has a lot of tension and energy. I really like how you sculpt cloth too, that looks awesome.

[Fess]

Hey man, cool character! I like the screaming expression a lot. The folds on the front of his pants look a bit strange to me - I think they should go from the bottom of the crotch and over the legs, instead of from the waist and down the legs.

[gregoconn]

Moni-Poroni: Thanks for your kind comments. I have to admit, it took me a long time trying to figure out how to write down what his power is I'm glad you like it. :)

SolidSnakexxx: Thanks for your comments, it's really motivating to get some nice comments after all the effort I've gone to, to try find time to get this done. There are still a lot of things about this sculpt I'm not happy with, and find that I have trouble finding the 'right brush for the task' sometimes but with time I'm getting a little bit more comfortable.

Harmonic: Thanks for your nice comments! I have really tried to get a lot of energy inter this one and am glad that it is being noticed. Previously most of my models have just been modelled for productions or such and havn't had any energy in them. So this time I really wanted to do something with a lot of expression, body and face.

Fess: Your absolutely right! I have been drilling my head wondering where I had been going wrong with the pants! Thank you for suggesting this I will for sure be making the changes.

[gregoconn]

Ok need a little help with my second pose, I'm having trouble finding a 'solid' pose which compliments the other clones position. Idealy I want something like this where he has his back bent round him. If anyone has any suggestions that would be awesome. In any case I'm going to keep plugging away hopefully have another update this morning sometime.

pose07.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27122130%27,%27pose07.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[Jason Belec]

You seem to be going for motion, and a twin/mirror pose, so why not just pose the second fella closer to what you have for the first, but rotating over/around the firsts shoulders/back. Right leg straight out, left bent up following. Arch the whole left shoulder and arm back around more to exaggerate the motion/action. Leave the right hand on the knee of the first fella. Just a suggestion... ;)

[gregoconn]

Jason thats a really great suggestion! Cheers for the input. I'm so thankful to all you guys who give suggestions they have all been gold so far.

Here is a quick rework of the pants. I've also started to detail his lower leg.

pose08.jpg

[gregoconn]

Ok I spent this morning doing some more detailing and refinement. I think this process will take me a while but I am enjoying it. I'm having trouble sculpting hard edgets but with practice I feel like I'm learning a lot.

pose10.jpg

[Mysfyt]

The new sculpt looks terrific! Really do get a sense of tension and power in this one.

Keep it up. :tu:

[Moni-Poroni]

great update.:tu:
But may I ask you how you ...umm...hard to explain what I want to know :(
How did you manage that his feets look like you´ve sculpted them on a pedestal?
Did you act only with a good sense of proportion?
Or is there any possibility to be sure that you don´t work out of square...
I really hope you´ve understand what I tried to say :)

[dustbin1_uk]

Looking amazing!! Very impressive!!! A hero does not need super big muscles to be a hero or villain!

Yet these guys look strong as hell!! Very cool work!!! :D:tu:

[gregoconn]

Mystyc: Thanks for your kind comments! I'm glad people are seeing what I'm trying to achieve.

Moni-Poroni: What I feel your trying to ask is how do I get the model to look like it's standing on a base when there isn't one there? I usually use a reference like a plane or such just to make sure it's all lying flat. Once I've checked I usually just delete the plane and continue on my merry way. I tend to check about once a day.

dustbin1_uk: Thanks for your kind comments! Yes I really wanted him to have a strong look without being massive so I'm glad I'm achieving that. Hopefully I can continue this through the whole project and come out with a final piece I'm happy with.


Here is an update on my post. There is a lot of tweaking to do because I'm frankly not that good at the transpose tool but here it is anyway. I've also taken my video and will try upload that sometime today too.

clone01.jpg
clone02.jpg
clone03.jpg

[KrakenCMT]

Looking great Gregoconn!

Might I make one suggestion? I just now noticed this, but it could make a difference to the overall flow of the piece...

At present, there's a straight line going from the foot of one character to the other. And it's the dominant visual line in the piece. I would suggest to alter it a bit to make it so it isn't so straight because it feels like it's separating the design a bit, like you're cutting through the form. Eliminating that strong straight line in the form by slightly changing the angle would help unify the design a bit more and make the overall flow more dynamic at the same time. The attached pics show the part I mean. Again, this is just a suggestion. :)

Other than that, this is a very strong entry. You can definitely feel the action.

[gregoconn]

KrakenCMT: I couldn't agree with you more. I need to play with this pose. Idealy I would like him coming over the back I just need to rethink his leg positions. Any suggestions would be great I'm going to keep playing with him until i find something I like.

Meanwhile here is a transpose video.

22Sg-pfbOHs

[Gohanf22]

beautiful concept greg. its unique and inventive. the work your doing is coming along quite nicely. keep up the good work.:D :tu:

[SolidSnakexxx]

Very nice duo idea..and the result pose so far is very dynamic.

[Drakelot]

Fantastic poses and xcellent xpressions ... I like those folds !!!:tu: :tu:

[wethand]

the pose is awesome!!!
very strong and fast! i can feel the dramatic! nice
keep it up!

[Captain Sensible]

Hey, this is looking really good.

The poses on the prisoner and his clone at the moment are very similar. Would it be worth changing each significantly enough as to compliment each other? So ones limbs fill the negative spaces of the other. You might be able to get some interesting lines and rhythms in the overall pose.

When the other guy gets cloned, does he just appear from thin air or does he grow from the original? Might be interesting to see him in mid clone.

Other than that awesome work man! :tu:

[Moni-Poroni]

Oh great update....I´ll watch the video now :)
and thank you for the explanation :)
That´s excactly what I´ve tried to ask for :)

[gregoconn]

Gohanf22: Thanks. I'm glad that you like it :)

SolidSnakexxx: Thanks for your positive comments. I must admit I'm not happy with his pose it, but am dedicated to work on it till I am. I hope you like the final result.

Drakelot: Cheers, I would really like to 'tweak' the folds a lot more once I have finalized my pose to get a better feeling of movement.

wethand: Thanks for your positive comments.

Captain Sensible: The second clone grows out of the original, more like tears out of him I guess. I have commited so far to an action pose post cloning. I agree that doing a mid split actions shot would be great, but I'm afraid I don't really have to time to acheive something like that.

I completely agree about filling negative space. I don't feel like the current pose is acheiving what I want completely. I am going to try a few new ideas and am currently doing 'quick roughs' of a few things to see if I can come up with somehting.


Moni-Poroni: I'm glad that I answered your question. If you have any more Q's I'd be happy to answer them. Hope you liked the transpose, even though it's not my strong point.

[gregoconn]

OK so the views seem to be pretty unanimous that my pose needs a little work, my opinion included. Unfortunately I didn't have any time to do anything over the weekend (booo) but I had a quick second to play with my pose before work. So here is a quick change of the current pose.

clone04.jpg

[Gohanf22]

looking dynamic greg. i think that does look a little better than before. good job.

[Harmonic]

That is looking great! very dynamic.

[goldo_O]

Very nice work on the pose Gregoconn! Very dynamic! :tu: :tu:

[gregoconn]

Gohanf22: Thanks! I Think it looks a little better I still have a lot of tweaking to do, and if I have enough time I might try another pose as well. But for now I think I'm going to stick with this one :)

Harmonic: Thanks! I'm glad its achieving what I had set out to do.

goldo_O: Thanks for the kind comments.



I don't think I'm going to have time to drastically change the pose unfortunately. So I'm going to try and fill the scene a little better with the base. We'll see how I go :D

[gregoconn]

Ok I've added in my chain and have pretty much built the cloth for the second clone. Next update I'm going to start sculpting the second clone getting his muscle deformation and such right, maybie tweak his pose a little bit more. I've also started on the base but nothing worth showing yet.

clone06.jpg

[Jason Belec]

Might I suggest the chain go to the left arm of the fellow in the air across his chest. As it is already in a fist, it will give the effect of pulling, and across his chest (under his right arm) will add to the energy of the scene. ;)

[Moni-Poroni]

Hey gregoconn... great update..:)
the chain is really cool :tu:
But I think IMHO... there could be a little bit more.. umm...LOL don´t know the word... :o tension? in the chain...
(if you want that it´s looking like the one yanks the other one with the chain)
sorry I don´t know the right words :)
kind regards

[pitchepuck]

really nice pose man :tu:

[Gohanf22]

nice update greg. its coming along quite nicely. im loving the work. great job:D :tu:

[SolidSnakexxx]

Lookign extra cool with the chain between the two....dynamic duo.. :tu:

[gregoconn]

Jason Balec: Cheers for your comments! You're right it would look pretty cool but it would go against the fundamental of his design as that would mean both would have the shackle on their left arm. Thanks for the suggestions!

Moni-Poroni: Thanks man :) I think your right it does need a little more tension. I'm going to approach this when I start getting into the serious sculpt I want the second clones arm to look like it's under a lot of strain too.

pitchepuck: Thanks for the comments man. I'm a big fan of your hedgehog so means a lot.

SolidSnakexxx: Thanks for the comments man :) Hopefully I can polish it off and have something I'll really be happy with.

[aurick]

Please note that the rules require that your entry be updated at least once per week. If no updates have been made on this entry within the next 48 hours I'm going to have to disqualify it.

[gregoconn]

Thanks for the warning aurick! Has it been a week already? My goodness, time flies when your busy :P

Here is an update, I have been working on it a little but havn't really had too much time to get as much as I wanted done. I've been tweaking to second clones body and muscles so that it suits his pose. There is still a lot of work to do and I'm starting to get the feeling that I won't make the deadline. This will definately be a piece that I finish none the less though.

I hope you all like the update :)

clone07.jpg

clone08.jpg

[Jason Belec]

Yes, that is capturing things nicely. Set your system to give you an alarm every 4 days so you don't get kicked out of the contest! ;)

[Harmonic]

Hey his anatomy is starting to look really nice, good work. I am definitely feeling the pressure too, the end of the contest is looking near!

[SolidSnakexxx]

With the skin like material...This piece is looking real cool. :tu:

[entrop23]

Very nice piece! The pose is very dynamic and I'm excited to see more!

[gregoconn]

Jason Balec: Haha that's a good idea. :) It's funny how quickly time can get away from you.

Harmonic: Cheers, I'm really glad you can feel the pressure of the piece because that's what I'm really trying too accomplish. I just want to take it further and further.

SolidSnakexxx: Thanks! I tend to change Materials quite often when I'm working so I can see how it looks under different conditions. I really want to fine tune this one until I'm super happy with it. I've pretty much admitted I won't make the deadline, but I'm going to try my hardest none the less.

entrop23: Thanks for your comments. Dynamic is what I was aiming for so I'm glad you are seeing it!

Here is a minor update. No real surprise I'm having trouble finding time to get some of this done. I increased the tension on the chain, I think it might still need some tweaking, I also changed his hand. I really want to work on his hands and wrists to get them perfect so that's probably what I'll start concerntrating on next. I also want to get the cloth looking really nice. At the moment I'm just not happy with it, and now that the pose and silloughette is starting to look a little better I might start tweaking the cloth a lot more.

Any comments would be great, I'm new to sculpting cloth so any suggestions would be great.

clone10.jpg

clone11.jpg

[Jason Belec]

The clothing is fine, you just need to accentuate the crease to round to roll-off to flat areas more. Everything is just too soft overall for the kind of stress the fabric is under. Chain looks better, but you should increase the manacle size allowing for some air around the skin, it will help you put the tension on the flesh and always looks better visually rather than the tight cloth manacle look. ;)

[JUPITER]

This is coming along great!! :D

[Harmonic]

Looking really nice gregoconn, I really like the facial expression of the clone on his back. In the side view it looks like the screaming ones jaw is too far forward.

[gregoconn]

Jason Belec: Your right about the cloth, thats going to be my next set after tuning my hands a bit. Will be sure to take your comments on board.

Jupiter: Thanks for your positive comments.

Harmonic: Thanks for your comments! Your right the jaw does seem a bit elongated, I've brought it back a bit.


I have started fine tuning my hands. Hands are always one of the harder parts and take a lot of patience I find. I think once I've finished tuning the hands and the cloth I'm going to spend a lot of time polishing everything. We will see how I go.

hand01.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('125960','hand01.jpg',1,0))

clone12.jpg

[petekasim]

Gorgeous entry!

I keep finding these odd gems that I had missed before, I'm really glad to have stumbled across yours :)

I love the idea, very ambitious and the anatomy is coming along beautifully

Hands are VERY tricky indeed, I always end up taking huge amounts of time trying to get them right - and I always think they could be better. You've done a great job, though. The clenched fist conveys tension very well :tu:

No crits at this stage!

[sasquatchpoacher]

those hands look amazing!

[AVTPro]

Love the two together and the anatomy seem very keen and precise. I would suggest a bit more bending to the backs of both character in a more opposing organic curves, and maybe a little long on the upper guys thing, but vunderbar.

[Seavannah]

wow like the pose a lot. Really great sculpt on not one but two characters... I am impressed that you could do two at a time. Good luck and happy zbrushing.:D

[SolidSnakexxx]

The clenching fist's looking marvelous! Great display of sculpting skill.

[Moni-Poroni]

Amazing work on the hands! :)
And great overall progress! :tu: :tu: :tu:
I like the muscles on the forearms.
I´m looking forward to your next update. :)

[gregoconn]

petekasim: Thanks! Yeah I find hands very time consuming but very rewarding when you've finished with them. I'm still not finishe dwith them. I'm trying to tweak everything before I look at polishing. I really want to get this looking nice

sasquatchpoacher: Thanks :)

Savannah: In hiensight two character was a bit ambicious but I really wanted to get this one done and looking nice, so thought why not.

SolidSnake: Thanks man.

Moni: Thanks for your kind comments.

Here is my next update. Mostly tweaks.

clone13.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('126477','clone13.jpg',1,0))

clone14.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('126478','clone14.jpg',1,0))

clone15.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('126479','clone15.jpg',1,0))

clone16.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('126480','clone16.jpg',1,0))

[gregoconn]

So with the ever looming deadline I'm realizing there is little chance I'm going to reach it. Which is a shame because I'm really starting to enjoy tweaking this piece. I've redesigned his base and will hopefully have a base for him before the deadline, I very much doubt I will have colour though.

Here is an update, mostly polishing and adding finer details.

polish01.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('127134','polish01.jpg',1,0))

polish02.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('127135','polish02.jpg',1,0))

[Jason Belec]

Something I always try to get across to people IS plan your time on a project, no matter what! Concentrate on the key areas first, then work down to the not so 'must haves' and you will succeed! ;)

I like the bronze colour look and the image on the image look, very catchy!

Finish it!!!!!

[gregoconn]

Jason: Yeah I had planned out this project, however with work and other commitments I was not able to commit to my schedule. Whether I make the deadline or not this project will be finished. I'm going to try my best to get the base done ASAP, hopefully I will be able to get a quick polypaint on, but in reality I only have about another 5 hours to work on this before the deadline.

Thanks for your comments :) I'm pretty happy with how the bronze is showing off the sculpt.

[AVTPro]

This is a really great work. If you don't mind I have only one crit. The right thigh on the upper fighter looks long to me. Can it be pulled back towards the characters a bit?

[gregoconn]

AVTPro: I think you might be right. I'd been trying to figure out what I don't like about that thigh and I think that might be in, I'll definately give it a go and see how it looks. Thanks for your crit it's much appreciated :tu:

[SolidSnakexxx]

The Bronze material on this character's very nice.... :tu: Great work.

[gregoconn]

SolidSnake: Thanks for your comments, I'm curious, did you make the pewter material you used for your turntable?

Ok so I know this is probably a bit extreme, but it's what I originally wanted with the base. It took me ages making the tree and there is still a long way to go. I really hope if nothing else I can finish sculpting everything by the deadline and have a really nice complete model. I'm getting so close I can smell the finish line.

base01.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('127583','base01.jpg',1,0))

[Malleable man]

The tree makes a wonderful stage for this sculpt. Your time investment was well worth it. I cant wait to see this painted up.

Regards, James.

[maxinkuk]

Hey, great stuff! What a spectacular sculpt, those characters are doing a power-ballet. And the tree is a great idea. Terrific work.:tu::tu::tu:

[SolidSnakexxx]

Nice base...the tree's looking especially awesome....Is it from a ZSphere base :tu:

[gregoconn]

Malleable man: Thanks man! Yeah I started the tree then kind of got passionate about how it looked and it took way more time then it was supposed too. I did however build a solid base and am pretty confident about how it's going to turn out.

maxinkuk: Thanks man, hopefully in the end the tree isn't too much to take on but so far I think I'll be able to finish the sculpt before the deadline.

SolidSnakexxx: Thanks man, no I'm a little bit traditional in my modeling and modeled it by poly's. I know a lot of people would argue that it would be quicker and easier, I find it easier and more efficient poly modeling my base meshes in Maya. Each to their own I guess :D

[gregoconn]

Hey guys,

I didn't quite get as far as I wanted to for this competition and have had to rush through the final stages which is a real disappointment. I didn't get colour on either which I'm really disappointed on. I have every intention of finishing this as a personal gain project but for now this will be it.

I'd like to thank everyone who has commented and helped me out making this model, I feel your help and competitive entries have really pushed me to learn and improve.

My next post will be my final entry

Best of luck to everyone.

G

[gregoconn]

Still Images:

final04.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('127857','final04.jpg',1,0))

final01.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('127854','final01.jpg',1,0))

final02.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('127855','final02.jpg',1,0))

final03.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('127856','final03.jpg',1,0))

Turntables:

zV_AvdQoq4c


aH3dh4tAdcY


Transpose:

22Sg-pfbOHs