Monster Hunter Iron Hammer

Monster Hunter has a unique aesthetic that is equal parts colorful and ridiculous, with a level of detail that somehow manages to ground it. A result of this is that its weapon designs are often really complex. Since I wanted my project to be low-poly and hand-painted, I wound up gravitating towards the Iron Hammer (also hammers are my favorite weapon type). Its design is simple yet readily conveys the series' look and feel.

Initially I pushed for a single very low poly model, but I found some of the surface details simply didn't cut it as a flat texture. I found better references, examined them more thoroughly and reworked the model. Since I was going to be texturing entirely in Photoshop, I didn't want to have too complex a model and thus a more complex UV map. During this rework I was surprised to learn how elaborate the Iron Hammers' design actually was on closer inspection. I'd used weapons like it for hours and hours and somehow never noticed.

Since texturing was the longest part of the project, I tried to be methodical about it. I blocked the main details first, then (after a hiatus) filled out successive layers of grunge, rust and scratches. I slowly built up a pool of references, including other artists' hand-painted work. It was especially useful to see how other people approached similar challenges to mine. The scale and distribution of these details were recurring problems for me. I caught myself fixating on tiny details that weren't important, or spaced them too evenly. I wound up spending a lot of time dialing in the hammer's wear and tear.

Another important lesson was what I'd call "detail design". That the wear and tear of a prop convey how it is used, has been used and its character and history. I'd been aware of that, but it didn't click until I realized how unnatural some scratches I'd drawn were. They felt like they were there for the sake of detail, rather than making sense based off of how the hammer would've be swung or thrown around.  Obviously I'd put thought into detailing before, but after that they felt a lot more deliberate and meaningful.

This was initially going to be a fast fan project, learning to just get a project out there, messy and loose and getting a little more experience under my belt. While finishing this faster would have been nice, I think I'm glad I decided to spend more time on the project as a whole. That extra time allowed me to be more deliberate and reflective on my decisions. I doubt I would've learned the lessons I did about modeling (and compromise) or texturing detail with my initial project.

It's been a while since I last made a singular prop project, and getting this rust off felt good. Thanks for reading this far!