I have been working on this project for a little while, and was wondering if I could get some feedback on it. The rough models are pretty much finished, but I’m not sure where I should go from here when adding materials and textures.
Would freestyle or cycles be best for this project?
Here is a picture of the 3D viewport (without all subdivisions and smooth shading) and here is a quick sketch of my concept. The colors aren’t final, but this is kind of what I’m going for.
The picture is supposed to be ironic because instead of being afraid of the frog, this fly is out for revenge, and is plotting against the frog. I’m trying to make the fly look a little evil and the frog is supposed to look scared or surprised by the fly.
I would be very glad to get some feedback on this work.
If you want to go for a double complimentary color scheme, make yellow frog eyes, red fly eyes and mottled green frog skin and iridescent, purple fly body.
Looks good so far. Due to the extreme close up, you are going to need to put a lot of work into that skin texture. Lots of DOF will obviously help. I look forward to seeing this grow.
@HelloHiHola- I really like your idea for the double complimentary color scheme. I’ll probably try to do that as I’m texturing.
@MonkMonk- Thanks for your input! The frog’s skin texture is the main thing I’m nervous about. I’m usually not great when it comes to texturing, but I think this will be a great learning experience for me.
Hopefully I’ll get a chance to work on this later.
@MonkMonk- Thanks so much! I’d really appreciate your help. I’ll keep posting as I make progress with the project.
Right now, I’m not sure of the best way to texture the frog’s skin. I think it would be best to decide on this after I pick my renderer. Do you think I should use Cycles or Freestyle?
I finally got to start texturing the frog’s skin. I think it’s a pretty good start, but I feel like it’s missing something.
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Update:
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And here is a quick test render of the project so far. I changed the skin a little more, but I’m not sure if it’s exactly how I want it. I also started texturing the eyes (They’re not in the cross-eyed position yet). I think they’re okay, but I want them to look more lifelike. I’m not sure how to fix it.
I like but I think the frogs Skin needs more texture as in roughness. It looks like it has a little but the light Specular Highlight is to smooth over it. I actually like the skin a little darker but that is personal preference.
@Softwarespecial- Thanks for the advice! I thought the skin was a little too smooth, but I wanted another opinion on it first. I’ll change some of the settings with the skin to make it bumpier.
I have been focusing a lot on the frog’s eyes today. They’re not positioned how I want them yet, but I wanted to know what everyone thinks of the texture. I think I also need to reposition the “eyebrow” area to make him look more afraid.
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I’ll probably add some bumpiness to the skin later today and then I’ll work with the lighting.
I’ve changed the frog’s skin a little more, and I’m pretty happy with the results so far. I’ll probably keep adjusting his skin as I progress, but I think I’m going to start with the fly now.
I’ve made a little more progress with the overall image. The fly is now smaller, and its image texture is about done. I also repositioned the frog’s eyes again.
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I’m not quite sure about the fly’s skin texture yet though. I’ve been having some trouble with getting it to look iridescent without being too overpowering before adding the hair. I’m also trying to get the wings to look more visible (I used a UV image texture. Could that be the issue?). I’m also having problems setting up the hair for the fly. I know how to set up a particle system, but I’m having trouble with combing it.
Does anyone know how to fix this?
I’d really appreciate any critiques or assistance.
You’ve been moving quickly! That’s great I like the eyes in comment 16 if the frog is supposed to be looking AT the fly - 17 if he’s looking at the viewer and specular of 17 in either case.
I’m not perfectly sure what the fly is doing but with his hands so tiny, would you consider adjusting his pose slightly to make the silhouette stronger? The action of his hands is pointed too much at the viewer; it’s getting lost in the darkness of shadows and torso.
With your question about the wings, I wonder if stronger ‘veins’ would make them more to your liking without having to change their transparency?
@HelloHiHola- Thanks for your advice. I’m really happy with all the progress I’ve made so far!
I think I’m going to change the eyes back to the position in comment #16. After comparing the two images, it does look more like the frog is looking directly at the fly in that picture.
I see what you mean about the fly’s pose. I’m having a lot of problems making the gesture easily readable. I’ll try changing the pose later and maybe even the fly’s color to see if that helps. Maybe some lighting adjustments will fix the shadows. I’ll see if I can make some stronger veins for the wings too. If not, I’ll try to find a better image texture.
I’m really learning a lot from this small project and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
The frog’s eyes are now re-positioned to look more directly at the fly and it looks more afraid than surprised now.
The frog also has some bumps added to its skin, as well as nostrils.
The fly’s pose and color is slightly different.
There are also some minor changes to the lighting of the scene.
Next, I plan to add a background (but I have no clue of what to use), add hair to the fly, and possibly test how it looks with Freestyle.
By the way, I’ve tried to add hair to the fly by using an object as the particle system, but it doesn’t look quite right. Could someone please give me some suggestions on how to add hair to the fly?
I am very glad to accept critiques on this project.
