Hi there,
I’m new to 3D modelling and I try to model the following bear head.
I began extruding a cylinder with help of a side and front image (see attached blend).
I would like some tips about the best way to improve the shape of the head and insert the nose, the eyes and the ears.
Thanks in advance.
bear_head.blend.zip (86.6 KB)
basically, you have too many spokes, and not enough hoops. You want your mesh to be like a fishing net with roughly square, even segments. I’ll make a little example of a better way to go about it using the subsurface modifier and a cube…i’ll post it here shortly.
Well, you’ve chosen a nice hard one to start with, since heads and faces are generally some of the hardest modelling tasks to get right, especially if you want to do it “properly”! If you’re just beginning, I wouldn’t worry about getting it perfect first time, but it’s worth remembering that there’s a real art to it that will come with a lot of practise and learning. What I’m trying to say is, don’t get discouraged if it takes a little while to get the hang of it!
For getting started, I’d say to apply two modifiers quite early on - the mirror modifier and the subsurf modifier. Since faces are symmetrical, the mirror modifier is really useful for pushing and pulling verts around on one side or the other. The subdivision surface modifier automatically adds more geometry in a smooth fashion, and I find it quite useful to have it on from the start so I can drag vertices around and see how that affects the curved surface. If you’re having trouble seeing the vertices under the subsurf’d mesh, you can uncheck the “eye” icon turn it on and off.
I’d recommend getting to grips with the basic modelling tools - extrusion, subdivision, loop cuts, etc. Blender Cookie has an excellent (and, I believe, free) intro course that’ll get you up to speed really quickly: https://cgcookie.com/flow/introduction-to-blender/
If you’re looking to sharpen your skills further with mesh modelling, I’d really recommend Jonathan Williamson’s Mesh Topology course - it’s a bit old now, but the core techniques haven’t changed: https://cgcookie.com/archive/learning-mesh-topology-collection/
ok, here’s how I broke it down:
step1: give your cube a subsurface modifier, then use the inset tool ( I key ) on one face, then extrude that face outward a bit
step2: adjust the vertexes of your mesh to more closely resemble the general shape you want
step3: add more geometry by making loop cuts and continue to adjust
step4: apply subsurface modifier, and start modelling in some details. I used: extrusion, bevel, inset, and vertex slide to achieve the final modelling.
Hi,
Thank you both for your tips, comments and references.
It’s indeed kind of an art and I need some more practice 
