Elfquest Sculpting Odyssee

[Plakkie]

After being charged for two years by all the fabulous sculpts, images and characters on this forum, and with the release of Zbrush3, I've no more excuses: I want to make a complete character model myself!

I have no visual arts background or education, and I've never drawn anything worthwhile. Needless to say this sculpt feels like an daunting challenge. This forum is my best and only teacher on this subject. I really need your help to grow: crits, tips and advice are most welcome. Please give it to me straigh, I can take it.

When I was younger I devoured the Elfquest comics by Wendy and Richard Pini. A month ago my love for it was rekindled. I want to make a full character model of the character Cutter. I've got much reference images, some anatomy books and experiment-friendly Zbrush3.

Here we go...



I'm starting with the head. This is my global reference image. After quite some hours of tinkering the result is this:



I'm happy with the start, but I don't recognize the character Cutter in it. I'm having a hard time spotting what would make the resemblence more accurate. Anyone got an idea?
It's hard to see Cutter without all the hair he's got. Here are some scans from the Pini comics.



Just to give me some idea I put some color onto him, using one of Ralf Stumpfs great materials.



A big thanks if you read through all this, and more thanks yet if you decide to reply!

Cheers,
Plakkie

[andreseloy]

Plakkie is just wonderful this thread you have started. I like very much your model.
Andreseloy

[sadicus]

Don't tell anyone but, I really like the ElfQuest.
Nice Base sculpt!

[Context]

Very cool models.

If I make one suggestion, it would be too add eyelids. Wendy and Richard didn't emphasize eyelids, to the point of not drawing them very often, but they were there, and without them your characters will look extremely alien (not to mention be unable to blink).

I'm interested in seeing how this turns out.

[VeryGrimm]

Hah! I loved Elfquest too. Wow. Haven't thought about that for years.

Looking forward to see where you go with it.

[avatarsw]

I like this! Which one of Stumpfs materials did you use? (and can you post a link to it?).Thanks. J

[Plakkie]

Andreseloy, Sadicus, Avatarsw, Verygrimm: thanks! Nice to hear more people having enjoyed Elfquest in the past (or present). The story of the first 20 episodes is still very strong I think, and the characters well developed. It's a bit fantasy, but in a good way.

Context: You're right, I want to make the eyelids next. Don't know how I should handle that not having planned for it... I'll make some experiments.

Avatarsw: this is the thread where I got the materials from. Post #98.
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/sho...ghlight=Stumpf

[elarcano]

hey buddy!

Cool to see you started a model thread once more
I really don't know elfquest, but by the references I can suggest some things:

- The eyes could be futher apart from each other
- The cheekbones shouldn't go all the way to the chin
- The lower lip's in the comic scans is a more rectangular and thicker

That's just my opinion

Hope to see more soon

Take care buddy

[aminuts]

Great start Plakkie!

I kinda agree with Elarcano there plus his lips at rest seem
to turn down not up...the corners I mean...even in the ref pics you posted...they tend to curve down.

Keep going you are doing great so far!

[Plakkie]

Elarcano: thanks for the tips buddy! I am going to change them and see if it works. Let's see if this head will be better then the last one I made; won't make a marine hat for this one.
One question: "the cheekbones shouldn't go all the way to the chin"... I'm not sure I'm getting it; the cheeckbones on my model ain't going to the chin are they? Can you draw or point out what you mean? The cheek's and jawline are a big part of what defines Cutter I think, so this is important to me.

Aminuts: thanks for the encouragement and the lip-tip. I really couldn't see it anymore, so now I can try and improve it again.

Improvements (I hope) are following!

[Plakkie]

Ok, here's an update. It's funny how much courage it takes to make radical changes.



- put the eyes a bit further apart (they need a lot more work)
- pulled the nose up a bit. I'm not happy with it yet. Too much Michael Jackson for my taste.
- pulled the mouthcorners down, he's looking more serious now.
- tried to put more meat on the bottom lip, and make it more square. It's helping I feel, but I think I could push it a bit more. What do you think?
- worked on chin and jaw. The chin feels like a step in the right direction, but is not quite there yet.



Overall these changes make him look less feminine, which is good, as this guy is a bold and fierce leader. (a bit of a hot-head too) I still can't see much resemblance with the 'real' Cutter, but there is more similarity then before.

Again, any thoughts about this model are most welcome, the first few posts have already had impact!

[AngelJ]

Plakkie- Pretty sweet, I enjoy comics and the sort and saw some elf quest back in the day but didn't really follow it. You got a nice start, though think the nose septum between the nostrils is thin and the nostril holes bit too high. Maybe throw your sculpt inside a imagecube might help.

[Plakkie]

Hey AngelJ! Thanks for the remarks, you're right about the -checks post- "nose septum" (I'm learning new words! ), I'll broaden it.
The high nostrils are what makes him a bit like Michael J. I guess. Problem is: the tip of Cutter's nose seems to point a bit upward. When applying this to my model, the nostrils went up as well... I'll have to find out if I can get low nostrils and a high nosetip at the same time.

I started my base model with a method like you are showing (I did it with two image planes). Problem is: the two images are not coherent. The eyes are on different hights, etc. If I made it to look like the front image, it didn't fit with the side view and visa versa. Looking through the albums some drawings show differences between them. Cutter's face also evolves over the different albums. I'm aiming for the looks he got in the scans I posted before.

[Plakkie]

One more update before bed: I gave him a nosejob. The 'septum' is broader now, and I lowered the nostrils. I hope no-one minds me posting images of these tiny changes; it's fun making them.

[AngelJ]

Plakkie- much improved look on the nose. Looks better and better with each passing refinement.