Fairly New To 3D, Any Advice Appreciated

[system]

Over the last year or so, iv been teaching myself 3d modelling, animation etc.

Been using Blender 3D as my primary app, and zbrush for detailing.

Really just looking for any advice that will help me improve, as i hope to go to college/uni and study this sorta thing at somepoint.

This is a Poliwrath from pokemon that i started in blender, been messing about with it in zbrush, Its currently at level 4 subdivision and at just over 82,000 quads. Gonna subdivide it a few more times and use some alpha brushes to give it a toad like skin texture.

Tell me what you think so far.

[ironknukles]

Looking good so far just make sure u dont over do it on the alpha, keep it suttle and use simple colours when textuing. should come out great.

[system]

This is Poliwrath at sub-division level 5, roughly 320,000 Quads.

Kinda Struggling with the finger nails, if anyone has any good pointers for human like finger nails please share.

[artbytravissmith]

Could you post any reference?

[system]

This is how he looks in the cartoon, i kinda done my own thing with him. Didnt use any reference. Had an idea of him looking like a big blue toad sorta thing, since he is a water pokemon, and he evolves from a tadpole like thing. Also wanted him to be buff.

[G-Dub]

I think going back down in subdivision levels and working on some of the large forms would be good. Right now it looks really lumpy and the anatomy is confusing.

[system]

G-Dub - cheers for the advice, i started doing what you said, dropped him back down the SD levels and went at him with a smooth brush, am i on the right track?

[attach=209450]Reworked.jpg[/attach]

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[G-Dub]

Some better yes…but I think the design is still confused. By that I mean you need to decide if you’re going for cartoonish style or if youre going for a more real look. I see veins which suggests a more anatomical direction but other parts seem cartoonish so I would decide on that before going too far.

[G-Dub]

Id also make the body way more round like the original…right now it looks to me like a tv almost…

[system]

I’m trying to make him look more realistic than cartoony, if you could be a bit more specific on the cartoony looking parts, would be a help.

The boxy shaped body was my intentions from the start however, i always pictured poliwrath being a big muscled up brute, like the cane toad of pokemon, (marine toad to the uncommon folk)

[attach=209524]toadzilla.jpg[/attach]

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[G-Dub]

Well you could try mixing the anatomy of a human with some characteristics of a frog…right now the anatomy isn’t working for me especially in the back. Even though hes not human if you’re going for realism Id base it of real anatomy then tweak it to your liking.

[system]

G-Dub - Cheers for taking the time to actually tell me what you think mate. I reshaped the whole model, rounded his front a bit more, gave him a massive beer belly, flattened his upper back and widened the upper back muscles, also slimmed down the waist.

i used a back muscle diagram as reference, after iv finished this model think i’ll do a wee human anatomy study to try and improve.

[G-Dub]

Nice…starting to look better

[system]

Nearly done sculpting my poliwrath, next step is to try and make the nails look like nails.