30 Creatures in 30 Days - Day 10

Today I have created, again, something a bit more human like. 
I had started this as a warm up.  I said to myself, "just do something easy and that could open the doors to something a bit more difficult." 
I didnt get onto the something more difficult.  Im happy with this guy tho. 

30 Creatures in 30 Days - Day 9

Today I felt quite comfortable with these two creatures.  The first creature, I didnt really have any attachment to so, it came easy.  The second also came easy but, I had a slight attachment to.  Simply cos I wanted to do a zombie girl but not a badly mutilated zombie girl.

30 Creatures in 30 Days - Day 8

A bit of a doodle for ya today.  Some sort of worm thing I guess.  Not much to say about it, just  a mindless doodle.

30 Creatures in 30 Days - Day 7

Greatings!
I love it when I just dont try.  Everything is wonderful.  This creature I said, in the begining of its creation, "I will do the least amount of manipulation from human structure for this."  I found that it to be liberating.  I had no pressure for new design, just something simple.  Maybe I should learn from that, keep the design somewhat simple.   (Sometimes...maybe just as a break)  But anyway, here it is...I have done him in an angry expression too.

30 Creatures in 30 Days - Day 6

A few drawings here.  Im starting to be free but not free enough.  I didnt force too much in these, just tried to go along with whatever they presented to me.
There is a certain zen involved with drawing as Ive noticed with many things.  Zen is not a state that can be consciously forced on.  You have to allow yourself to get there.  As if you have to relax knowing that you will be there and once the desire to go there is gone, you find yourself there.  Its the conscious thoughts that I find seem to get in the way.
I need to quiet the mind and be knowing of the place I will go.
Anyway, here are some drawings!
I missed a couple of days of posting but, I have three drawings for this post and am keeping the days consecutive.

30 Creatures in 30 Days - Day 5

Day 5 brings me to zbrush for a bit of a run. 
Was able to let go more with Zbrush today..although I was distracted a lot by my lady friend. 
This post I am putting up a sea dwelling creature.  A drawing for it and a rough sculpt made in zbrush.  The creature afer that is something I made a while ago that I wanted to repose. 

30 Creatures in 30 Days - Day 4

Well, day four...not much to say accept Im becoming more in tune with how I must let go in order to create.  The mind must be free of thought...to get into the zone. 
I will talk more about this in the next few posts.  For now, here is my creature for day four.

30 Creatures in 30 Days - Day 3

Interesting feeling today while I was trying to draw a few quick sketches.  I just couldnt let go and relax into a creature enough for me to have something happen.  I began a few designs but all just not giving me the feeling.  While drawing up a couple of them, I found myself thinking that this would be better realized in zbrush while others I just couldnt see at all.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow Ill revisit them and something wonderful will happen.
For now, here is a couple of cute little fellas for today.

30 Creatures in 30 Days - Day 2

For todays creature additions, I have whipped up a drawing and a Zbrush sculpture.
Oh, what will tomorrow bring!?
Ill just add this though...The Zbrush sculpture was depressing for about 80% of its creation and underwent many changes to his profile before I settled on this one. 

30 Creatures in 30 Days

I have decided that I will do something a little fun.  I am going to do at least one different creature design everyday for the next 30 days.  Some might be colored, some might be sculpted, some drawn, some zbrush but, either way at least one a day.
Here is number one!

Clay sculpture

Friday arvo I had a few drinks with some friends.  I had a bit of a hangover the next day.  I tried to sculpt something and found that the place before it starts to look good was just too much.  Many doubts were flowing through my mind.  "This sucks, you dont know what your doing, give up, this will never work, etc.." 
It was hard to get through it so, I didnt. 
I decided to make myself breakfast.  Beef sausages, poached eggs, toast, broccoli, tomato, avocado, spring onion and of coarse, coffee.  I felt a little better after that but, didnt go back to that same sculpture.  I started a new one.  The one below.  It took ages (about 6-8hrs) to complete.  All the while all those negative thoughts in my head.  But I kept countering them by saying, "I hear you but if I keep going, it will work out.  Just a little bit at a time.  Block it in and refine, refine, refine, refine."
Anyway, after a bit of a struggle, here it is.  Its sculpted from the zbrush sculpt posted one before this.  Its not quite the same but its kind of close...

1hr Speed sculpt in Zbrush

Well, I felt I had been neglecting poor old Zbrush in favor of clay so, I figured I would give Zbrush a quick run before bed. 
I had no plan for this guy accept to do something relatively easy.

Why am I sculpting with clay now?

A little while ago I was told to look up the name Jordu Schell.  I did and found all sorts of goodies! The guy is an amazing sculpture of little creatures and the like.
I have been sculpting in Zbrush for a few years to date and have kind of got how it works.  So as I found Jodu's webpage, on it, he has a thing called NERDcast.  Which is quite entertaining.  Basicly a podcast of him and some friends with special guests and they sit around talking crap about the film industry.  One day Im sitting there Zbrushing away and listening to the podcast and Jordu starts to mock people who use Zbrush.  I, naturally was kind of offended, having spent a few years trying mastering a program only to get there and hear that Im among a group of foolish hacks.  (Jordu didnt say that but thats how I felt from the mocking)
Anyway, I wrote him a letter saying that 3D printing will come down in price and that Zbrush will be the wave of the future.  I mean, once you can print it all you can make your masks from molds of the prints and so on.
Anyway, I saw a demo Jordu did for Dreamworks (here) which made me think, that was what I wanted to be able to do.  Not demo for Dreamworks but to sculpt a wicked creature in an hour or so and have it convey a convincing element like Jordu can in his work. So thats where I am...on the way to sculpt like that, hopefully.
So it was Jordu Schell who made me sculpt in clay and Im glad he did.
Thanks Jordu!!
I just wish there were more demos from Jordu on the web or for sale.

Speed sculpting marquettes

I threw together a little 1hr clay marquette.  I actually took 1hr 15mins.  I need to get faster.  I find I spend a bit of time fiddling with the initial form and then some time thinking about design.  This one I kept reminding myself to just go with whatever presents its self.  I like the outcome, hes like a super moron or something.

3 Fingered hand

Back to sculpey now.  I havent done anything in Zbrush for a little while now.  Im liking my little collection of marquettes that are accumulating on my desk too much at the moment.  So today I spent a bit of time creating this 3 fingered hand.  Was quite a fun sculpt, simply created the wire armature posed it and loaded it up with sculpey.

Marquette of My Little Four Eyed Fella

Ok, Im back with a new little fellow.  This time I have created a marquette from an old drawing I did.  Its pretty close to it but I didnt give him nostrils, I just liked it better without them.
The one thing I dont like about Zbrush is that the things I create are not real 3D objects.  Im going to end up with a lot of these little guys around my room. 
Anyway, here below is the drawing and under that you will see the sculpture.

Work in Progress of a Scupley Sculpture

Hi there, since my last post I had on the Smellybug Tutorial, I had also found a downloadable multi hour lesson on sculpey sculpting which I payed just 7.99$ for!!  It was by Smellybug AKA Peter König.  Turned out this website that I bought it from was dodgy and were selling it without Peters permission.

Anywho, the tutorial was/is Great!!  I learned heaps. 

So I also found this other guy who is crazy good Spiderzero AKA Simon Lee.  You can find a demo from him here.  One of the main things that he domos is that he uses a flexible armature which he sculpts onto in a neutral pose, then poses it once he has it all blocked in.  He then goes on to say that you can bake out the posed block in sculpt and then detail it in sculpey or chavant (which is a clay I have yet to try). 
Anyway, Its pretty cool, have a look.
Now below is my 5th attempt with sculpey.  Its not complete yet, will add some more to the neck and some other parts, still have to smooth and detail it and Im not sure if Ill keep the head like that too.  The head was just thrown on so I could see how it would look with a head.  I will add a more angry monster alien type head.  Maybe like this guy!

Cool Tutorial for Sculpey Users

I just came across this great tutorial in using sculpey if your interested.. Smellybugs Tutorial
Its pretty cool stuff as far as using wire mesh for supports and how to use bondo on tips of armature to help with pointy bits.  Also has a look at detailing and a bunch of other handy stuff and then paints it.

The above image is from the Sculpey tutorial page.

Clay maquette

Weeeell, Ive been playing with sculpey for a bit and I have really not been liking it so I went out and bought some clay.  I got white earthenware which feels like silk, Unlike sculpey which feels like wax.  The white earthenware is filtered and is very smooth and heavy or dense which makes it great to sculpt marquettes with so, see ya sculpey...for now.