Bust sketches

[hosch]

The starfleet officer is one of the best pieces I have seen.

I envy how you get your details to show up in VRay like that - simply awesome.

[montyband]

Thanks, actually Starfleete Officer is rendered in modo.

[montyband]

Polypaint test:

[michalis]

Another beautiful bust here montyband.!!!
The Starfleet Officer is an excellent render-sculpt, I admired it in another forum too. Excellent.

[EricShawn]

She is just gorgeous. Beautifully done. 5 stars!

[rouncer]

Youve really got rendering skin to a treat!

[hosch]

Absolutely

[montyband]

Thanks,
here is another zbrush render.
I am not sure about the polypainting I will try some photographic texture projections instead.
Anyone to share some black woman face images ?

[0bz]

check out www.3d.sk they have great photo reference of people of all sizes and shapes. It's a subscription based pay site, but well worth the money as all photos are taken with 3D art in mind.

[montyband]

Thanks, I had subscription for few months there and i downloaded alot of images but none of them was black skin unfortunately.
I am not willing to pay another subscription just for two images so i hope someone out there will contribute to this work by sharing some images.

[0bz]

Odd, I have various black girls in my files from 3d.sk.

Svatava, Kim, Sanni, Kanjungu, and Anete are all black.

Oh well, just my suggestion. I use it enough to maintain a subscription. Good luck!

By the way, your vray skin settings post has come in handy for me. It'sa good starting point. Thanks for posting it

[Teyon]

It's understandable. I had a subscription for awhile also but neglected to get certain types of maps at the time. Now I need them but I just look to google for reference and call it a day.

There is a lot to consider when making a person of color's skin. Our skin isn't just one shade, it's many. There are some that skew reddish brown, some that are creamy brown, some that are golden brown and some that are such a dark brown that it appears black just to put a name to a few of the shades. You have a good base going for the skin, I think you really just need to reference a few photos and not out right use them as texture.

I think we have a bit more reddish brown and yellow in our lighter shades, the lighter we get, the more yellowish also. My mom, whose mom was born in the Bahamas, has a golden brown skin tone, while I have a reddish brown skin tone. My mom's lips are darker than mine (dark reddish pink) - a result of smoking - while my upper lip is about the same shade as hers (a little lighter) and my lower lip a bright reddish pink. My aunt has dark brown skin (very little yellow, mostly dark reddish brown) and dark lips. I think you get the idea. There's no one formula or tone. So what you have is actually a possible shade but needs just a few nuances to be "right".

I've also noticed in my youth at how different my skin looks depending on the light setup. When photographed, sometimes my skin looks rich and full of color and other times, it's quite bland. It wasn't until I was older that I understood why lighting affects the skin but you should also take that into account with your model and edit the skin based on your desired end result within your light set.

I attached an image with some pics I found on the net - I'd have used personal images but my sisters have all my photos. Of particular interest is the many faces of Halle Berry, which shows how makeup and lighting changes the skin. Good luck.


Edit: I should warn you - if you decide to go with a photo texture, getting rid of the specular in images of our skin is really hard. Just an FYI.

[0bz]

Edit: I should warn you - if you decide to go with a photo texture, getting rid of the specular in images of our skin is really hard. Just an FYI.

That is the honest truth. I've had to texture several models in my time of black characters. If the photography isn't cross polarized (a great link, and as a photog I have found it easy and affordable to set up), the contrast of the spec and the color change in and out of the light is quite a challenge.

[montyband]

I have camera and polarized filter but i don't think i can find black girl in my country

[maxinkuk]

Great sculpt and beautiful rendering, congratulations.