Brilliant Sculpture

I found this sculpture on Make.  The idea that it is always trying to sell itself, and that no buyer will ever know how long they will have it, strikes me as genius.

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/caleb_larsens_a_tool_to_deceive_and.html

Bittersweet Animation Test

This is a short animation test for my friend Asuka's project, which I am working on as a modeller.  It is intended to show roughly what a 3d character model with flat 3d eyes looks like as it moves.  This is not a final model, just a rough and ready test piece.  The textures are simple toon shaders.












Asuka, let me know what you think :)

Goals and Projects

At present I am at a crossroads regarding my work this year, which will influence my future greatly.  My accident and illness at the start of the year delayed the process of refining my P.O.S. and indeed my progress on my studies for the year.  However, I have now arrived at the crossroads, and two paths lay before me.

 

I have the choice of embarking upon the creation of an animated project, or instead exploring a far more personal route in my studies and artwork.

 

To begin, I would like to point out my personal goals for the year.  These goals will not change.

• Form an identity for myself as an artist.
• Develop my skills in both 3D and 2D graphics.
• Further my knowledge of my major topic of interest – The Uncanny

 

These goals are very important to me, both professionally and personally.  I need to have established an identity for myself as an artist before I leave the University.  I have for years dabbled in lots of different things, and a lot of different styles.  I have been a jack of all trades, and my work often goes unnoticed amongst the crowd.  I need to stand out.

 

For employment, my skills as an artist must be at the highest level they have ever been.  Even then, I strive to improve with everything I make.  In order to ensure I am at the top of my game, I need to train my skills hard this year.  Daily practice and studying of techniques and anatomy will keep me sharp.

 

The Uncanny, for some inexplicable reason, has been a guiding force in my interests for my whole life.  It was only when I started my research on this course that I realised quite how much of an impact it has had on me.  I feel that the Uncanny will continue to be a massive influence upon me, and that by studying it in as much depth as I can it will become the shining light that drives my creative practices in future. 

 

Regarding my studies and projects this year, I have assembled the following list of potentials.  I need to speak to my Tutor about these projects at my next meeting in order to smooth out the details and structure my P.O.S.  My studies will go one of two ways; either I will complete Project A, or I will complete Projects B & C.  Project D has potential to be combined on either study path, but I need to work out if it will be possible or applicable to the course first. 

 

Project A: Animated Short

• Create an animated short which explores some of the Freudian tropes of the Uncanny.
• Research Freudian Uncanny tropes in Cinema and Animation.
• Research how film makers have explored these themes.
• Explore how I can use these themes in an animation, and as a theme of an animation.

Pros:

• Leave University with a finished animated short.
• Leave University with a portfolio of assets used in the creation of the short.

Cons:

• Would rely heavily upon the work and organization of others for vital assets such as sound and music, and also for editing, etc. Requires a lot of attention and distraction from research.
• Very time consuming, would leave no time available for any other projects or research.
• Does not allow me to explore my identity as an artist in any great depth.

 

Project B: Artistic Creations exploring the Uncanny

• Explore the themes of the Uncanny through a variety of small artistic projects using computer graphics skills in 2D and 3D.
• Research how the Uncanny is used and explored thematically by artists.
• Research upon how the Uncanny is used and explored thematically by film makers.

Pros:

• Allows me to personally explore the Uncanny as a device for my own expression.
• Allows greatly for development of artistic skills, especially regarding digital sculpting and texturing, and traditional 2D skills.
• Allows me to explore my identity as an artist, and put together works for thematic exhibition.

Cons:

• Working in a void, not a collaborative venture.
• Could be tricky fitting in narrative elements to some of the projects.
• Won't allow for a lot of animation for my portfolio.

 

Project C: Uncanny Influences

• Explore how Uncanny devices and Surrealist techniques can be used to influence my work from the blank page onwards.
• Research Surrealist techniques and how the Uncanny can be used as a tool for idea generation.
• Experiment with these techniques and reflect on the findings.

Pros:

• Allows me to develop a personal work flow to avoid bouts of “artists block”.
• Allows me to find other ways of interpreting the Uncanny themes that I might otherwise miss.
• Can feed into the other projects.

Cons:

• Potential for a lot of the creations based on the methods not bearing fruit.
• Unsure of the best way to write about it.

 

Project D: The Uncanny and Me

• Reflect upon how the Uncanny influences me as an artist, and how it interests me in life and entertainment.

Pros:

• Can tie in nicely with the other projects, especially B and C.
• Fairly small project.

Cons:

• Highly personal, and entirely subjective.
• Not a lot of room for academic referencing etc.
• Unsure of how to fit it into my dissertation.
• No artwork generation.

Portrait Sculpture Update

Some further progress

Uncanny Tshirt?

Using the techniques I am experimenting with regarding creating inspiration through pareidolia, I have created my first ever t-shirt design.  Please check it out and rate it, if I get enough attention to it it might get picked to be made.  If it wins, I get paid :)

Portrait Sculpture

Some progress shots from a sculpt I am currently working on.  The sculpt is based in its beginnings on the 3d scan data of my face, which has then been subtly edited in its proportions before being used as a starting point for the sculpt.  As this is an experimental sculpture, I have not had a specific goal in mind from the outset.  Instead, I am utilizing the tools available to me in order to work freely without the real world constraints of material costs, space, or drying out time.  I am also using this experimental sculpt as an opportunity to get to grips with the recent upgrades to the ZBrush tool-set that came with 3.5 R3.

Project BARK

Progress on the main character model for an uncanny animated short about a little wooden man who buries himself.  About to start polypainting the colour and specular maps, and generating AO, normal and displacement maps.  I still need to work out how to make the moss and other superficial details, wether to sculpt them or use Maya's hair and fur tools.

 

A progress shot from the UV layout stage.

Uncanny Valley Material Test

I received a 3D scan of my face today, generously donated by fellow student Victoria Blake. In order to help her with her studies, I have put together a list of images of my face with different materials attached. Hopefully, this will help her to decide which route to go on to avoid the Uncanny Valley in her experiment (which involves people assessing virtual heads). Thanks to Victoria, I now have a fantastic asset to experiment with, hopefully helping me dive head first (no pun intended) into the Uncanny Valley.

All the materials used are freely available for ZBrush, and can be found here: MatCap Library

Or shipped with ZBrush itself.

I added simple noise to each material for the right hand render in order to view the difference between smooth surface and a non-human surface texture.  These textures only work in ZBrush, however will give a good indication of potential materials that can be made for rendering the heads in.

As I spend so much time working with computer graphics, the judgement of uncanniness on this level of texture work is a bit tricky for me.  However, I would recommend working with a more clay, stone, or silicon type of material rather than a waxy, fleshy one.  This should help avoid the uncanniness of the scanned faces a bit.

Change of Blog Address

Made a quick change of the address of my Blog, as Google searching the old one brought up some seedy sites.