Evil Within: The Keeper [Stylized] - Need Feedback

Hello!

I’m currently creating a stylized version of “The Keeper” from a game called The Evil Within. My overall goal is to produce a polished model that I can use in a beginner tutorial series that teaches the basics of Blender 3D.


I’ve attached an image so you know what I mean when I say “polished” (art work by Gleb Alexandrov). By polished, I mean that the textures don’t look flat, brightness/contrast are balanced, and shaders (reflections, gloss, etc) are noticeable, but not overbearing:


Primarily, I’m a 3D modeler, so I’m trying to improve my texturing and shading skills via this project as well.
I’d love to get feedback on what you think is wrong with my model, may it be with the textures, shaders, lighting, proportions, etc. and what you think I can do to improve.

My project is in the look development stage. I’m experimenting with different textures, shaders, and lights.
I’ve attached a render of my incomplete project below. I’m using Blender’s Cycles render engine along with the Principled BSDF shader.

One of my primary problems is getting The Keeper’s apron to look a certain way. For example, here is what it looks like in the game:


While I’m not trying to exactly recreate the Keeper’s apron shader, I would like to make something similar to it. However, I can’t seem to come up with a good combination of node groups and texture maps to do this. If anybody has any solutions or tips, I’d love to hear them.

If you need anymore information, tell me in the comments and I’ll see what I can do.

Thanks in advance!

Update: I’ve altered the apron texture. I’ve adjusted the specular mapping for the apron to make it reflect more light. I also added some smudges and fabric stitches to it. The lights have also been adjusted to brighten the scene.


New update: look development is progressing. I’ve been testing out different combinations of texture maps and shaders to see how it improves the look of my model. This includes using a small repeatable fabric stitch texture for the shirt (with its own specular and normal maps), and overlaying blood textures on top of it (which also has its own shader settings).

At the moment, I’m trying to figure out how to make the barbed wire around his head look better before I move onto the gloves and boots.

Here’s what it looks like at the moment; what do you think?