Thanks folks 
Nah I dont mind redoing things in an effort to get them right and as I do it I learn more and more… next helmet will be built using the same approach as i did the chest. All of this is actually for a reprise of a image i did maybe 4 or 5 years ago. I will post it later and then keep all things related to the project in that thread from now on.
tartan
great work keep it up 
I decided I would post the image which i am striving to do better. No need for reply as there isnt a bit of z brush in this. At the time I did this some years ago it represented a plateau and the best I could do at the time. It was originally called Lifting the Siege of Eagles Nest but that name had bad vibes and it has been changed to the Siege of Dragons Nest. I think i can do a lot better now as my command of my tools is a lot more extensive. Anyway, it will take awhile to redo this using mostly z brush elements… Its what I am building the armor for. I am using the armor to work myself up to better modeling before I tackle the body which has me a bit intimidated at this time. The sword i threw together in 3d max years ago with the head of a cafe 3d gargoyle tacked onto it. I have already rebuilt it mostly but need to make a rose guard for it… Very important in the story. Its a scene out of my Bridgeworld series.
Tartan
i feel this work would need comment as its really good love the world within world effect you had going on give it a zb makover 
Great image! You have a lot of work to do in ZB.
Thx
I have a bad feeling this is going to take me a long time but it will be a good project to learn Zb s ins and outs… almost overwhelming lol
Tartan,
You have the skills, every day you gain more knowledge.
This will be so much better now, as you have proven already with your armor work. Remember, one step at a time. Don’t think of the big picture if it intimidates, pick an item like you are doing and do it! You can ya know!
Keep going, you are already improving with each post so don’t look back!
i agree with aminuts dont be a slave to a large scene take it bit by bit and b4 you know it what you have left is a fraction of that scarey large project
Thanks Aminuts, Thanks Cos,
I have a long ways to go before I get to where i want to go with it. I set up test shots for the helmet and had to move it around to fit the neck area of the chest armor which distorted the studs at the back. I am using Bas’s basic head here. I am starting to wonder if i should just go all the way on the head detailing and ditch the helmet entirely. It may take away from the impact of the old image. Anyone with any thoughts on this?
Tartan
awesome work,
love the details in the armour and head
The idea for the armor is realy cool, but I do have a critique. I think it is to obvious how you did the details on the helmut. The layer brush effect is quite apparent. No armor actually looks like its constructed in such a way. You should try and make those details more realistic. Like it was made by a blacksmith and not a zbrusher 
I know its easier said than done, but hey, who said it was easy Keep it up man. Cant wait to see your progress.
Love the design. Whatever you do, don’t ditch the plume. It works so well.
Helmet or bare head? The latter if you’re going to be conveying emotion, I imagine. Especially since the guy’s mouth is hidden and his eyes will be in deep shadow. He could waggle his ears though! 
Good start for a long project!
to helmet or not to helmet that is the question.
In your original image, his being helmetlessness adds to the “vulnerability” of the character…he may be a fearless warrior but he is just a man after all.
I like your helmet work though and am curious how just the helmet without the face guard part would look. Would it take away some of his “vulnerability” or not…hard to say at this point…til we see it.
keep going!!
Its been a long time since I posted to this thread but after I lost my project files in a hard drive crash I got a bit disheartened and it’s taken me this long to revitalize. This started out to be a light experiment in Bryce and I needed a test subject. So I took the Helmet I have been working on and tried it out putting the Head in the center of the light. After the render which was surprisingly fast I photoshopped the background to roughly mirror itself.
All the base meshes were done in Silo except the horns which I dragged in from an old project and the head which started from a base mesh Bas made. I beat everything into shape and textured it in Zbrush. Today I play with Z mapper and high end detail.
The experiment came when I imported a low poly mesh into Bryce and smoothed it using Bryce’s smooth function. I was very very surprised I could get an image out of it. My previous Zbrush/Bryce experiments ended in complete failure and this one is only partly succesful. There is too much of a tile effect coming from the light and light gel I am using. I am not done with this road by any means. Just wish I still had the chest piece I made sigh
/c[_] ~~~~~~
Hi dude, great colors as always!! I also like the mask, perfect! Keep going!
Thx Bas Thx Sol
Not sure just where this will lead now. I am roughly reconstructing armor and doing it in pieces. I have been feeling a lot better lately and I want to get some Zbrush figures out before the update hits. Thats when Zbrush really takes off for me. Being able to pose our characters will bring it more into line for the type of images I like to do. I think Eisner called it Sequential Art lol Oh well back to playing with Zmapper
Been another long while since I played around with this project. I keep wishing I had the files for the original armor. Decided to play with variations and this armor is a test run while I home in on the look I want
Tartan coming out very nice
You directly used alpha deformations or bump maps ?