Using Stencils for the Eye Wrinkles
To add the wrinkles around the eyes, you can use a stencil. A stencil allows you to select an image of eye wrinkles and place it directly on the model where you want that texture applied. Then you can sculpt through the stencil with any brush and only the area defined by the stencil will be affected.
1. Included in the Gnomon Alpha library you will find an alpha in the LeatherySkin folder called LeatherySkin67 (Figure 4.47). If it is not already loaded, import this alpha now in the Alpha menu. Click the Make St button under the Alpha menu.
2. Under the Stencil menu turn on Wrap mode. Place the stencil over the eye area. Rotate and scale it to the correct placement (Figure 4.48).
Figure 4.47 The LeatherySkin67 alpha placed
Figure 4.48 Eye wrinkle stencil placed
Figure 4.49 The eye wrinkles sculpted
3. Once the stencil is placed, turn off Show under the Stencil menu to make your sculpting easier to see. I find it difficult to work with the Stencil visible; turning off Show keeps the stencil active but only shows it when you press the spacebar.
4. Change to Alpha 1 and keep the DragRect stroke on. Set the ZIntensity to 5. Draw a stroke on the model. The stroke will be very light because of the low ZIntensity. Use the Replay Last command under the Stroke menu to gradually build up the detail. The stroke will repeat and increment the depth of the eye wrinkles (Figure 4.49). You can continue to replay the last stroke to build up the wrinkles to an appropriate depth. 1 is the hotkey for the Repeat Last operation.
Whenever you are using alphas as texture stamps, be sure to go back over the detail freehand sculpting. This helps tie the texture together with other areas of the face and avoids a “stamped” look. Here I have feathered the wrinkles at the corner of the eye and added a sense of direction and flow that follows the secondary forms of the head in this area.
Wrinkle Dynamics
When you’re sculpting skin details like pores and wrinkles, keep in mind certain aspects of how these tertiary forms tend to flow on the skin. The skin has a tendency to wrinkle in the opposite direction of the muscle fibers beneath. Take the mouth area, for instance.The primary wrinkles around the mouth should radiate out and transverse the direction of the mouth muscles (Figure 4.51).
Wrinkles also have a tendency to be broken, sketchy lines and not straight grooves carved into the skin (Figure 4.52). Be careful not to make the wrinkles too deep or too regular. Crosshatch them with secondary wrinkles that run in the opposite direction. When crosshatching wrinkles, give consideration to line weight (Figure 4.53).
Figure 4.50 The orbicularis oris muscle around the mouth. Wrinkles in this area tend to run against the direction of this muscle; as a result, they radiate out from the mouth.
Figure 4.51 Mouth wrinkles run transverse to the muscle fibers.
Figure 4.52 Notice how the wrinkles in this image are composed of several broken, sketchy lines. Also notice how some are more visible than others. This disparity in heaviness is known as line weight.
Line weight is a design term. It refers to the relative heaviness of one line when compared to another. In Figure 4.54 are two lines: notice how line A is darker and thicker than line B. Because of this it can be said to have a heavier weight. Lines with heavier weight seem to advance in front of thinner lines. They also tend to command more attention and seem more important. In a design sense, the heavier line has more visual impact.
Figure 4.53 Crosshatching the mouth wrinkles
Figure 4.54 Line weight comparison
When detailing your characters, let some wrinkles have more line weight than others (Figure 4.55). This helps add variety and realism to the surface. The manner in which the skin wrinkles can also reveal a lot about a character. If there are prominent frown lines, a character appears to be angry. Skin wrinkles can be considered more than just a polishing pass on the character. Use them as a design tool and guide the eye around the face. See Figure 4.56 for an example of how wrinkle patterns can be used as a design element.
Figure 4.55 Crosshatched wrinkles with varied line weight. Notice the wrinkles that radiate from the mouth have a heavier weight than those that crosshatch them.
Figure 4.56 Wrinkles can help guide the eye around the face and have a logical flow that is determined by the character, underlying anatomy, and aesthetic choice.
