Banjo Slinging Roy Thorntail

This week's progress was dedicated to detailing. While I said last update that I would add robot limps to the character, I thought it would be more important to create the character's instrument. Modeling the banjo was a fun exercise. I was originally going to add a resonator to the banjo, but I realized the that making an open-back banjo would be faster to make and would evoke more of the old-timey feel I want this character to convey. I am still struggling figuring out how I should detail the inside of the mouth. I am planning on adding teeth, but I feel the rest of the cavity feels bare. Thanks for checking in, and I hope you have a blessed day. Until next time.

This week I focused on sculpting the proportions of the body and started representing the clothing. I made a lot less progress than I had hoped as I wanted give the character his robot limbs, add more details to his overalls, and give the bandana a knot. I also wish I could have spent more time honing the muscles. I might also need to redo the tail as some of the smaller spikes at the end are hard to manipulate. This week has been a valuable lesson in choosing my battles. I hope to add in what I missed before the next progress check. I look forward to seeing you then.

This week's progress was dedicated to roughing out the head. At this phase I am more concerned with proportion than detail. This was also a great technical exercise for me as it was my first time using Zbrush to sculpt and polymodel. I am impressed with the form I was able to accomplish and am looking forward to laying in more detail once I have blocked out the rest of the body.

Its time to polish the concepts. The character on the left is closer to what I originally thought of when starting this project. I actually painted the character on the right second, taking elements from all the sci-fi-esque concepts. Lastly, I painted the middle one, which combines some of my favorite elements from all of the rough drawings with the first design. So far the middle design is my favorite, but I am still open to experiment further.

For the character I'll be making in this project, I started with an idea for a post apocalyptic character. The character is mutant animal who lives in a rustic setting, like a farm. I was inspired by Roy Clark's humbleness, passion for music, and humor and naturally want to incorporate these elements into my character's persona. This character doesn't have much, but prizes what they do have. If they own an instrument, maybe it decorated with drawings and trinkets - or maybe it has undergone some makeshift repairs. Maybe this character has a robotic appendage that is dented and rusted out. For animal reference, I looked at horned lizards and toads as I think they would fit in a dry post apocalyptic climate and because I think it would be fun to sculpt the texture of their skin. I also was inspired the interesting forms of the robot arm in Kondroel's "Zenn".

After collecting reference, it is time to create silhouettes. I tended to pick an choose aspects from the before mentioned character idea. Some are more focused on the instrument, some are more focused on the robotic features, some are more animalist, and some seem more sci-fi. Personally, I am not a fan of the designs with advanced weaponry for this particular project for the simple reason that it doesn't fit the humble nature I am trying to emphasize with this character.