Painting the Forest Spirit - ZBrush Creature Design: Creating Dynamic Concept Imagery for Film and Games - page 543

Chapter 9
Painting the Forest Spirit
In this chapter we will pose and paint the Forest Spirit character we created in Chapter 8, “Sculpting the Forest
Spirit.” We will look at some of the considerations I used when posing the figure. We will also look at how
to render base images outside of ZBrush. This requires touching on the ZBrush plug-in Decimation Master,
which we cover in depth in Chapter 11, “ZBrush for Digital 3-D Printing.” We will then take our model to
Maya, where we will create a scene file, lighting, and render passes using Maya render layers. These layers
will be composited in Photoshop. Once in Photoshop, we will look at how to create an interesting character
illustration using a limited palette.
We will keep the color unsaturated and monochromatic. This is often desirable when you want to commu-
nicate a design without addressing questions of color. Some directors can be quite sensitive to color choices
and as a result of this it can sometimes be beneficial to address a design in a more desaturated color space
to help the viewer see and evaluate the character independent of any color choices. This allows the sculpture
and form to be evaluated before the extra element of color is added to the mix. I have seen designs dismissed
because the color choice was not suitable. Often you have only a few moments in the first viewing to capture
attention and appeal. The Forest Spirit lends itself to this approach since unsaturated earth tones suit an earthy
character like this. While we are in Photoshop, we will look at how I paint hair and fur on a character as well
as an extremely fast technique for painting eyes.
The Brief: Forest Spirit in Color
The brief for this chapter is to execute a character illustration from the Forest Spirit model. We want to
give this character a desaturated, muted color language. Try to avoid any overpowering color choices so
the viewer can concentrate on the formal elements of the design. We will look at how to create a moody
image with dynamic presence while minimizing the amount of painting required. We will give this char-
acter a hirsute quality by painting in thickets of coarse hair.
Preparing the Model in ZBrush
Before we can render our images outside of ZBrush, there are some things we need to think about and es-
tablish. Firstly, we will need to pose the figure. In the Interdimensional Traveler character, we opted for an
evenly balanced pose. This time we will experiment with offsetting the weight of the character in what is
called contrapposto . We will also need to look at how to get the detailed figure outside of ZBrush for render-
ing. To accomplish this we will learn about Decimation Master, a plug-in for ZBrush.