Weekly Sketch Group(Topic#6 - 1 of 10 Popular Mythical/Fantasy Creatures)

[Dribble]

The topic of this week's zSketch challenge is...
"1 of 10 Popular Mythical/Fantasy Creatures"
Pick one of these ten popular mythical/fantasy creatures and base a sculpt around them or an aspect of their myth.

(Click on any of the creatures for a link to an image and description)

1. Dragon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon)
2. Goblin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goblin)
3. Chimera (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_%28mythology%29)
4. Mermaid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid)
5. Cyclops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclops)
6. Gryphon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gryphons)
7. Fairy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy)
8. Gorgon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgon)
9. Troll (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll)
10. Oni (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni_%28Japanese_folklore%29)

The Deadline For This Topic Is:
Wednesday, May 20th
Post any work you are doing on the topic and please feel welcome to give constructive criticism to anyone who asks for it.

Please feel free to suggest topics, I'll check all of these posts and keep a list from now on.

[Dribble]

Changed the topic around a bit based on a suggestion by spaceboy412, hopefully this will cut down the research and increase the sculpting.

Thanks for the suggestion!!!

[spaceboy412]

i think these challenges would get more action if they were more about replication instead of creation. asking people to conceptualize and share that is asking a lot for some people, i know people get protective of their ideas. for this challenge for instance you could link to a book by Froud or Grimm, something very specific, 10 characters or something and see how artists interpret those.

[Dribble]

Do you think this topic is a little more manageable?

Hopefully we get some good participation. I do these so that people will practice and have a good time and if nobody is practicing or having fun than it's pretty pointless.

[spaceboy412]

i'm considering entering this one. what i don't understand is how the challenge board keeps getting non challenge related posts and they remain there, it doesn't help with this weekly one if no one sees it. sigh.

oh also good job on the links that helps much, i wonder if those are really the top ten, hehe.

[spaceboy412]

if i don't enter or my entry is blank, here is why:
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
> what is a grue? The grue is a sinister, lurking presence in the dark places of the earth. Its favorite diet is adventurers, but its insatiable appetite is tempered by its fear of light. No grue has ever been seen by the light of day, and few have survived its fearsome jaws to tell the tale.

[Dribble]

No clue on if those are actually the top ten...
I wonder if they have such a thing? "Top ten fantasy monsters"?

Who would decide which ones make the list?

Well, in this case I guess it was me...


Anyways, Haven't got started on this one yet but I have the next couple of days off, so I should get a good start on it at least.

Hopefully the group of people who said they were interested in doing these challenges pop in and give it a shot. You're right though, it's gotta be difficult searching through all of the non-challenge related posts that people keep posting here.

The grue should eat them.

[Tatanka_Nui]

Hey Dribble, I feel like a weasel. I really will participate on one of these :D This one looks really good! Have to get my home machine usable again!

[StefanH]

Hey,

So I'm the first? Nobody likes to sketch???

Here's my Troll.

Hope you like it. Cheers.

[scottleroc]

Hey Stefan, great start there dude. I like the the shape. I would say the texture/ polypaint looks slightly similar between the body and the 'seat'. Prehaps if you did a different colour/ texture for the bottom section it would help define the piece a bit more. Maybe that was your intention. Other than that it is nice to see the first piece in a section I have only just found on ZBC

I think you should do more :tu: look forward to your next update.

[Dribble]

Nice start! Already looking great!

[Dribble]

ONI.jpg

This is what I have so far.
It looks great in photoshop and zbrush but whenever i save it...

well, it looks like this.

Anyone got any tips?

[BillyT]

the troll is looking pretty cool so far. you should go further with it.

[Dribble]

ONI new.jpg

Whoops! Forgot to turn his eyebrows and stache on.

ONI new.jpg

[spaceboy412]

well i've started to work on the Chimera, but i honestly didn't like the way they had put it together, different translations also would lead to a different animal. while researching i found this page (http://www3.unifi.it/surfchem/solid/bardi/chimera/origins.html) which equates the chimera originally to be a goddess standing upon a winged lion. i also found some some pics of a sphinx like, woman/lion/wings creature, lastly it is also said the chimera mothred the sphinx, sigh so in an effort to reclaim her womans rights :lol: i'm making it more of the woman/tiger/goat/snaketail with wings type. i only spent about 20 mins actually modeling, hours researching and about 2hrs playing with lights, haha, i'm going for that look of the egyptian lighting in the Chicago Field Museum, very dark etc.
so here's where i'm at. lots of work to go...
te.jpg

[Dribble]

I like it! Very cool so far, I like the lighting a lot.

[3Point14]

Did'nt check the rules about rendering in other progs.
....removed the offensive render. :cool:

[JonasCarnes]

WoW Very Nice

[Dribble]

That's awesome!!! I love the way the water effect looks.

[spaceboy412]

wow mental ray!

[Orkanslayer78]

so just finished up dominance war today. will probably get something posted on here later tonight. leaning towards goblin at this point

[StefanH]

Hey finally some action in here :)
thx for all the nice comments.

I like the entries so far, especially the idea with the mermaid is quite original.

I did some work on the hands.

Also another idea on texturing: Half transformed human half rock. Don't know which one i like better. What do you think?

troll06.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27140470%27,%27troll06.jpg%27,1, 0%29)

[Malo Juanito]

Hi all. I´m sketching out a grypho. Hope the idea can be figured out, if not, please comment just to improve it. Thanx in advance.ghyphoBlock.jpg

[spaceboy412]

StephanH, nice update, personally i prefer the non fleshed version, if you are going to make it look semi organic i would not go with a flesh tone but more greys, also don't forget that moss and things could be growing on it, cracks too etc.

Malo, nice start!

[Malo Juanito]

StephanH. Please, please, don´t flesh it. I would love to see how far you can take your piece with only a rock look. Just a

thought:o:o:o

[Dribble]

Can't wait to see your entry Orkan!

Stephan, I also prefer the non-flesh version but it was a close call for me. I thought you had already been going for a rocky looking troll after seeing the first post, and I thought (and still think) it was a great idea.

Malo, I like what you've got going so far! I was really hoping to see someone work on the gryph! The wings look a little odd to me at this stage but I'm sure you'll end up working on them more.

[Malo Juanito]

Here´s an update. Sculpting the major muscle forms. And i have just realize that in my block form, i put the eyes to hight.:lol::lol::lol:.

[Malo Juanito]

@Dribble: I spend sometime looking at your Oni because something catch my eyes. So here´s my conclusion: I think it´s libs are to close to the cheeks. Sorry if it is what you are after. I haven´t seen any reference images about Onis

@spaceboy412: If you really only spend 20mins on modeling, looks like that Chimeraspaceboy412way it´s going to be amazing

[spaceboy412]

yeah 20min to mostly just block in the forms, its pretty easy when you have been zbrushing as long as i have. i did work on it some more after wards but don't intend on continuing it or this challenge. best to those that do.

[scottleroc]

StephanH yes stone is the new black this season for all trolls. No need to flesh him out. It would however look fantastic if he was actually a hill in a scene of rocks and greenery. Maybe he could be so large that even a town has been built on him.

Look at hellboy 2 for referance to see what I am on about. There is a stone giant at the end that comes close to what I am on about :D

[troy1617]

hey StefanH (member.php?u=132243) looking good so far kind of reminds me a little bit of lord of the rings in a way...

hey Dribble (member.php?u=149920) good to see you continuing to practice. remember to block in forms at lower subdivisions it will help get rid of the playdough feel.. and also learning anatomy will help you greatly where to incorporate structure...
:)

hey space (member.php?u=5315) looking good really like the mood of the lighting that you gave this piece really does feel Egyptian. also did you start from zspheres.. really like the forms you have so far in this.. looking forward to where you bring this piece..;)

hey pride (member.php?u=49068) really love fluidity of this piece and the forms coming out of the water.. interested in what the workflow was for the water and the piece as whole?

hey Malo Juanito (member.php?u=118033) looking good so far remember to try to work on the structure at lower divisions it looks like you have a descent base mesh to accomplish what your going for just remember to make sure your structure is well defined before moving up in subdivisions..

Its good to see these challenges are back and alive and seeing new people participate with each challenge..

well as for me im going to try to participate in this challenge if can get some free time..

[spaceboy412]

troy, look forward to what you come up with. and yes zspheres of course;)
for myself i'm done, perhaps with these challenges all together.

Dribble maybe this should be extended for another week considering people are just popping in.

[3Point14]

double post...

[Dribble]

Troy & Malo, I've been trying to get most of my structures blocked in before I subdivide but I'm still learning when the right time to switch over is, still having some trouble with it. Anatomy is definitely a weak point of mine as well. All very valid points haha.

I am also having trouble working with zspheres, it seems that I have trouble rotating them and my mesh always ends up twisted.
Maybe after work, I'll come home and do a couple more tutorials on working with them.

Space, Sorry to hear you might not be continuing, I was pretty excited to see what you came up with for the Chimera. Any particular reason you won't be continuing or anything you would recommend changing to make these challenges more fun for you and everyone else?



EVERYONE!
I will be continuing this challenge until next Wednesday BUT....
I'll also start a new one this upcoming Wednesday.

So...

The challenges will start to overlap for a week, allowing everyone to finish up or spend one solid week working on it if they don't like the new challenge (which will also run for two weeks, with one of those weeks overlapping another challenge).

That is... if it's cool with everyone. :cool:

[Orkanslayer78]

so 20 minutes of zshperes and some tweaking figured i should post my first WIP
http://orkangraphics.com/ZbrushSketchs/SPSkch6/spskch6-1.jpg

[Orkanslayer78]

Breaking for lunch here thought I would show what I have
leaning towards Goblin at this point
spskch6-2.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27%27,%27spskch6-2.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[Dribble]

Good start Orkan! What subdivision is the second WIP?

[troy1617]

hey space (http://member.php?u=5315) i figured it was from zspheres...;)

hey pride (http://member.php?u=49068) thanks for that your render came out great...

hey Dribble (http://member.php?u=149920) thanks for extending this another week maybe it will give me time to get this some what done...

hey Orkanslayer78 (http://member.php?u=140128) looking good so far good to see more people joining these hope fully these will grow more with time....


Well here is a basic block out...

mermaid sketch v.1.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27140701%27,%27mermaid%20sketch% 20v.1.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[Malo Juanito]

Here´s an update. troy you right, but i still cannot avoid the temptation of ctl+d-ing while i´m working :D . I think i just matter of be more organized.

[Malo Juanito]

Everybody. Please, i need an advice. I think i have missed some bones. In the image i have mark the places where i think they could be placed. What do you think?grifo4.jpg

[nerveink]

looks too low poly to tell.

[Dribble]

Man Troy... that basic block out is pretty intense! :eek:
Awesome start! That would be a really advanced block out for me.

Malo, these might help. It seems like you've got the right amount of bones but maybe the length is off? I could be totally off here though.

450px-Squelette_oiseau.JPG
487px-BirdLeg copy.JPG

[Orkanslayer78]

so i'm done bombin around town for awhile, lolz
here is a wip about 30 minutes after got home
spskch6-3.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('140741','spskch6-3.jpg',1,0))

[3Point14]

double post

[Orkanslayer78]

so here was i been messin with the last couple hours, keep peeps in the loop.
any crits welcome
spskch6-4.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27%27,%27spskch6-4.jpg%27,1,0%29)

StefanH - diggin the rock look, you gotta run with it

Spaceboy412 - bout time for a chimera update i says lolz

Pride - looks good, i just wish i could see the mermaid up close

troy1617 - WOW! what a block out, dude awesome way to start

Malo Juanito- speaking from my own nightmares with wings, you might want to add some depth to them otherwise he looks like he has kites for wings

[Malo Juanito]

@Dribble. Thanks man. those images helpme a ton. I´m been working whitout ref images.

@Orkan. You´re right. Depht added.

Right now i totally lost my model. Specifically the eagle legs part :evil:. I´ll try to move back to Maya to fix them and re-start from there. Anyway, it´s part of the learning process :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Orkanslayer78]

ugg, so im still on the dominance war work schedule so i was up till stupid late here what i got before i went to bed. I might do some more work later today

spskch6-6.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27%27,%27spskch6-6.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[Dribble]

Pride, I'll also be giving out free computers, personal jets and a whole box of taffy.

Orkan, I'm really liking the goblin (and the frequent updates!). His thighs look a little thick to me from front angle but maybe he just does a lot of walking.

Malo, glad those images helped you out! You're starting all over again or just reworking the front legs?

[Dribble]

The new topic is up but this one is still running until May 27th, so no rush.

The new challenge is to give human characteristics to a reptile, amphibian or crustacean from the list of ten that I have posted.

You can find the new challenge...

HERE (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?p=567181#post567181)

[Orkanslayer78]

So I've had a bit of a splintering of ideas here, on one hand I like to think of him as about 18" tall, on the other hand archetype kinda decrees what he should look like and be equipped with. I know everybody just cringed at that sentence but it is the ironic truth. So here are some quick paint overs whilst I ponder. I would really appreciate feedback as to which direction you would personally would like to see this go. ...I'm well aware how unattractive both of these look lolz

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

[Malo Juanito]

@Orkan. I think because of the skin color, the classical way fits better to your goblin.
@Dribble. I´m rebuilding the entire eagle parts. Hope finish them as soon as i have some free time this night.

[spaceboy412]

OMG:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF3fED8EXl4&feature=topvideos
relevant because it seems to be a griffin.
loved SOTC and ICO.

[Dribble]

Awesome find! I've been waiting for Team ICO to come out with something new.

[Orkanslayer78]

okay so had some time on lunch break to work on this guy, added some armor and a beatin stick let me know what you think.
kinda getting bored with him and afraid I'm crossing into over worked territory quickly. might be time to work on my croco-human
equipped.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27%27,%27equipped.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[Dribble]

Nice! That looks great Orkan!

I like the beatin stick.

[Malo Juanito]

So, after rebuilding the topology, this is the farest i can take this buddy with my Zbrush skills. It´s my first Zbrush sculpt, when i first acquire it was for fun. Actually i´m made video for living. Couple of months back, i´m seriously thinking make 3D for real. Any comments, critics and such, are more than welcome. See you on the next thread.

Orkan hope to see these days your goblin finished. But i think with just a little more details it´s done.
GrifoFinal.jpg

[Malo Juanito]

Does any one can tell me where can a i find the bronze material used around?
Thnx.

[Disco Stu]

http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/downloadcenter/library/

you should find it there
cheers

[troy1617]

dragon sketch in progress..
dragon head sketch v.1.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('141401','dragon%20head%20sk etch%20v.1.jpg',1,0))

[spaceboy412]

Orkan- wow great little guy there.
malo thats a great start, mostly you just need to copy some anatomy to the rest of the body.
troy, i really love this, the way the forms are so bold and blocky, like a rockdragon, its a nice change from the smooth scaly types we have seen much of late. troy one thing i seem to point out to you all the time, lol, is that the position of the eyes speak of the type of animal, having the eyes at the sides as you do speaks more of an herbivore or scavenger than a hunter, but i guess by design dragons might need more horse based position as you've done, hmm have to think about that...
dribble- any updates?

[StefanH]

troy, very nice! I like the shapes a lot.

here's an update on the troll. pretty much done with it i think.

hope you like it.

troll10.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27141448%27,%27troll10.jpg%27,1, 0%29)

[YONA]

very good work! i like the ambiance of your scene !

[scottleroc]

StefanH - great update mate :D really good job

[spaceboy412]

really nice outcome Stephan, i love it

[Dribble]

Troy and Stephan, those are both really impressive. I need to learn so much more about zbrush and I really hope I can get to that high of a skill level.
Everyone here has a great amount of skill...

I can't wait until my internet gets set up at my new place so I can jump back into sketching every week.

[troy1617]

hey space i was trying to go for more of a structured look.. yeah i don't know why i was seeing him that way in my head i will try to pay more attention to that in the future...;)

hey StefanH thank you... i really love your out come of your rock troll you did a really great job on it..looking forward to your next piece...:D

thanks Dribble i think speaking for most people here that have been doing it for a while it just takes dedication and practice.. really you would be amazed how far you will come in a couple of months or even weeks im training some people now and they have come a long ways from where they were but there also very determined and driven to learn zbrush.. but im sure you will increase rapidly once you get the hang of what your tools do and how to use them.. but i think the best advice i got when i was first starting out is work on the structure first and try to work lower subdivisions first.. and also the one word we all know practice a lot of practice..;)

[yosemie]

is it possible to still participate? i want to try the troll

if i can't, can i still post the result here?