# April O'Neil

**URL:** <https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594>\
**Category:** Finished Projects\
**Tags:** sculpting, featured, characters\
**Created:** [July 9, 2023, 7:50pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594 "2023-07-09T19:50:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tolkfan](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/tolkfan/32/774305_2.png) [@Tolkfan](https://blenderartists.org/u/Tolkfan)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2023, 7:50pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594/1 "2023-07-09T19:50:19Z")

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Sculpt of April O’Neil based on drawing by [Chrissie Zullo](https://twitter.com/Chrissie_Zullo/status/1575116661602099203).

 ![april_final_render](https://blenderartists.org/uploads/default/original/4X/b/c/c/bcc519fb213dfdffd75bc5715da6a110dc507c27.jpeg)

 ![april_final_clay](https://blenderartists.org/uploads/default/original/4X/9/c/1/9c14e1ddaf1f9ba6aa15fe9155c758d83d4c4650.jpeg)

 ![april_blender](https://blenderartists.org/uploads/default/original/4X/e/4/a/e4ab9ec555cbdda8e85df14d08bbe1c7e37667a6.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![Aravinth\_Kumaran](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/aravinth_kumaran/32/965302_2.png) [@Aravinth\_Kumaran](https://blenderartists.org/u/Aravinth_Kumaran)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 2:02am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594/2 "2023-07-10T02:02:31Z")

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I could always recognize your model. Your shapes are so clean. Do you sculpt in multires modifier?

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**Author:** ![Tolkfan](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/tolkfan/32/774305_2.png) [@Tolkfan](https://blenderartists.org/u/Tolkfan)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 5:34am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594/3 "2023-07-10T05:34:51Z")

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Thank you! I stopped using multires because it doesn’t support vertex painting. This is just dyntopo. I blockout the face using separate meshes, then merge it all with a boolean, and smooth out the borders.

before and after shots:

 ![blockout_before](https://blenderartists.org/uploads/default/original/4X/3/2/f/32f9ec1369520450d3acf981beb2b558e0589276.jpeg)  
 ![blockout_after](https://blenderartists.org/uploads/default/original/4X/6/7/e/67e656e85ca197d2fefa7298c6f1343f57865a82.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![Aravinth\_Kumaran](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/aravinth_kumaran/32/965302_2.png) [@Aravinth\_Kumaran](https://blenderartists.org/u/Aravinth_Kumaran)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 1:59pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594/4 "2023-07-10T13:59:02Z")

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Cool. Thank you so much. One last question if you don’t mind. How are you texturing the skin for your characters?

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**Author:** ![Tolkfan](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/tolkfan/32/774305_2.png) [@Tolkfan](https://blenderartists.org/u/Tolkfan)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594/5 "2023-07-10T20:25:35Z")

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Ok, buckle up.

\*Inhales\*

I paint a separate mask for each zone of the face (cheeks, nose lips, etc) with vertex colors:

Then I use these masks to actually add the colors (and roughness too) to those places using shader nodes. I use a sort of “modular” method where I have small node groups that work like a stack of layers:

```auto
COLOR STACK
[BASE]->[CHEEKS]->[NOSE]->[GRAIN]->[FRECKLES]->[LIPS]->[EYESHADOW]->|
                                                                    |
                                                                    |---[COMBINE]-->MATERIAL OUTPUT
ROUGHNESS STACK | 
[BASE]->[SHINY]->[GRAIN]->[FRECKLES]->[LIPS]----------------------->|    

```

It works pretty much like layers and masks in photoshop. One goes over the other and respects the mask assigned to it.  
It’s modular, so I can add and remove “layers” according to the needs of the models, unlike those giant tall node groups with a million knobs and sockets. Character doesn’t have freckles? Toss out the freckle node. Character has facepaint? Put in a new node and paint a mask for it.

I’m not sure how clear that was, so here’s what the nodes look like for this character:

 ![nodes](https://blenderartists.org/uploads/default/original/4X/e/4/6/e46415c0172972b6040c92c6b29c9827aae33023.png)

Each node group is pretty simple on the inside: just a mix node with the mask plugged into the factor.

Once it’s set up, it is very easy to rapidly adjust stuff, either with the node group sliders or painting the masks. I just turned her into a pasty goth in less than a minute:

![ShesShoGothSheShitsBats](https://blenderartists.org/uploads/default/original/4X/e/f/b/efbef12942dc3a27386b9a24e3dc1e3f973ec48d.jpeg)

\*Exhales\*

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**Author:** ![Aravinth\_Kumaran](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/aravinth_kumaran/32/965302_2.png) [@Aravinth\_Kumaran](https://blenderartists.org/u/Aravinth_Kumaran)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2023, 2:29am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594/6 "2023-07-11T02:29:58Z")

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Interesting. I think I get it. I pretty much use the same method except mine is a whole mess 😂. Thank you very much for the insight. 😃

 ![Screenshot (995)](https://blenderartists.org/uploads/default/original/4X/e/e/9/ee99a0974951c9b9fe0f746fc37583f5aa75e253.png)

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**Author:** ![Aravinth\_Kumaran](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/aravinth_kumaran/32/965302_2.png) [@Aravinth\_Kumaran](https://blenderartists.org/u/Aravinth_Kumaran)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2023, 2:35am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594/7 "2023-07-11T02:35:35Z")

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I don’t know if this helps for you. I paint the vertex colors in RGB and separate colors in the nodes. It helps in some ways, like less clicking the vertex colors if we want to change the mask.

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**Author:** ![bartv](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/bartv/32/1477233_2.png) [@bartv](https://blenderartists.org/u/bartv)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2023, 10:50am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594/8 "2023-07-14T10:50:45Z")

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I featured you on BlenderNation, have a great weekend!

> **[Best of Blender Artists: 2023-28](https://www.blendernation.com/2023/07/14/best-of-blender-artists-2023-28/)**
>
> Every week, hundreds of artists share their work on the Blender Artists forum. I’m putting some of the best work in the spotlight in a weekly post here on BlenderNation.

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**Author:** ![bartv](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/bartv/32/1477233_2.png) [@bartv](https://blenderartists.org/u/bartv)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 11:00am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594/9 "2023-07-17T11:00:32Z")

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You’re on the #featured row! 👍

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**Author:** ![Draise](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/draise/32/1359853_2.png) [@Draise](https://blenderartists.org/u/Draise)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 5:22pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/april-oneil/1472594/10 "2023-07-17T17:22:38Z")

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The expression is on point!