Bibliography

Bibliography

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/1xbqo (2015) (Accessed 2^nd March 2016)

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/2W9Oe (2016) (Accessed 8^th March 2016)

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/b5QZv (2015) (Accessed 13^th May 2016)

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/r9lBO (2015) (Accessed 13^th May 2016)

http://ftextures.com/textures-Stone-texture.html (N.D.) (Accessed 20^th May 2016)

http://pcwallart.com/jack-daniels-bottle-outline-wallpaper-1.html (N.D.) (Accessed 24th May 2016)

https://sumateologica.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/a-arquitetura-gotica/ (2009) (Accessed 18^th May 2016)

FMP Evaluation

Evaluation of final major project

The theme throughout my project was Graveyards/Gravestones. I thought that I’d make it a little personal and closer to the heart by adding the little touch of Lemmy Kilmister – Lead singer to Motörhead. My ideas have been developed from simple and quick initial ideas for a gravestone to then going to the graveyard where my Nan’s is and looking around and older styled graves. Consequently taking my final idea from my primary research.

For reference images I got the primary research photo’s I taken and four artist research (one I done as a Maya experiment and artist interpretation). It was useful in ways because I was able to get the design I wanted for my final piece and ways to help me with learning Maya and doing experiments to see what I like and dislike about the research I done. Research that I done helped my skill development because I was able to do little experiments from some pieces like the Photoshop/Maya artist interpretation and the piece on my blog I took from my initial research.

Artists that I researched inspired me to try and use their techniques – hence the interpretations to try and find what I like about the way they work – and the Maya experiment helped me get an understanding of Maya along with a tutorial I used. The materials I used throughout my project varied depending on the software I was using or if I was using paper and pencil for initial sketches. For Photoshop the materials I mainly used the brush tool, pen tool (for the exact colouring I needed) eraser tool and the paint bucket tool. For Maya tools used were the different shapes, I needed but mainly was the cube mesh, I used Extrude, the multi-cut tool, an option allowing me to bevel an edge and for the Jack Daniels bottle I combined the two mesh’s I used to create it.

A technique used for my painting experiment was lowering the opacity and flow of the brush and take the main colours of an object then draw the object without looking at the picture or tracing it. The different techniques would’ve influenced my final piece because if I couldn’t find a side view of a JD bottle then I would have just taken the label and then painted the whiskey inside the UV’s.

Throughout my project my final piece was ever changing because I didn’t know whether to make the piece as a Concept piece on Photoshop or a 3D piece in Maya. The work was also changing through my primary research because at first I wanted it to be like my Nan’s but then found what I thought would be a better one to base my final piece off.

Personally I feel that the amount of research I had conducted is sufficient enough because I was able to find out enough of what I needed for my project idea.  An element of art used within my project was when texturing my final piece because I’ve done it so the Gravestone is grey and dark then the JD bottle is bright – It give an insight to what the person was like. Dark until he had a drink.

Some of the visual language used as said before was the transitioning from the black, darkness and grey to the bright contrast of the JD bottle with the orange colours. I used these elements because Lemmy is seen as someone that influence people to do wrong though they’re normal people that have a drink and are quite down to earth and like the common man just with a bass. I think I was successful in portraying this because as I keep mentioning the colour of the gravestone contrasts to the lightness of the bottle.

I am happy with my final piece because I feel like I was able to show as much respect as I could to Ian Fraser Kilmister Aka. Lemmy. I am particularly happy with my final piece as a whole but if I had to choose one thing it’d be the JD bottle because I had help designing and modelling except the bottle I was able to create that myself without help using two mesh’s and then UV it and texture it also. The stone texture I used when texturing my final piece after I had turned it black and white then inverted the colours in my opinion does look like the original stone texture I had found to use. There is nothing that I would change throughout my project because I’ve done my best and that’s really all I can do – so I will be happy with the outcome.

Framing Pictures Of Grave

Out of the 5 framing positioning my favourite is either the one that’s head on to the grave because you’re able to see everything, or one of the side views because again you can see everything the other ones are mainly focused on the Headstone with the engravtion or the Jack Daniels bottle.

Texturing My Final Piece

To start the texturing I had to bring the UV's from Maya into Photoshop by selecting Properties in the UV editor and select the UV snapshot then save it as a Targa file; once in Photoshop create a new page but change the size of the page to the 2048 by 2048 like in Maya.

Now in Photoshop what I done was create three different folders (Normal, Colour and Specular). Specular was for any writing I wanted in the grave, and normal was if I wanted the typography to have a 3D engraved feel to the headstone. Before I was able to create any folders to do texturing I changed the colour of the background grey so the UV's are visible. 

I done a tester of writing in the specular folder: to do that I had to use the type tool; then by Right clicking on that layer I had a list of options, to make it an image which I needed I chose "Rasterize type" then by hitting "Shift + Ctrl + N" it creates a new layer; right click that layer and merge down making the typography it's own layer. 

To ensure that it only appears on the headstone in Maya, I had to move the typing into the headstone UV. Save it as a Targa File. To import it into Maya select the Headstone mesh and on the "Blinn1" Tab and on "specular colour" I clicked that box and imported the Targa file into  Maya. 

To get the stone texture I simply searched for the texture on the internet. I Copied it into Photoshop in the colour folder; and dragged it over all UV's. Once more I saved it as a Targa file; in Maya I selected any object and on the Blinn1 tab in the colour folder imported the picture, but it's on every Mesh because it's covering all UV's in Photoshop. 

In Photoshop I selected the layer with the stone texture and then clicked "I" to invert the colours of the texture then as before saved as the Targa file and again imported it into Maya  

Now that the main texture has been completed for the piece my next task was to find something to add to the gravestone so a Quote which Lemmy had said; First one I thought wasn't really appropriate because of religious reasons, second one was about drinking and hangovers - again which may not be appropriate - I found one to do with life and death. 

In Photoshop (Now in the normal folder) I typed out the quote I found then rasterizing it like before then merging down the two layers - still in the normal folder - click the "filter tab" then "generate normal map", and then click the 3D tab and I had a play with how I wanted the engraving to look.

The main Headstone is done the only thing for me to do was to texture the Jack Daniels bottle. I had a bit of trouble doing this because I wasn't able to find a side view of the bottle for a while and the way it was UV'ed I had two Mesh's meaning I had to line them up perfectly. 

That is how it looked on the UV's in Photoshop

That's my final Piece with it being textured.

Exhibition Plan

Exhibition Plan

Other artists that have used my technique of making a 3D piece display their work on forums or websites such as Artstation. (https://www.artstation.com) Through this the artist is able to get another pair of eyes on the work and can give constructed feedback upon how to improve it.

       

   I have 2 ideal ways of displaying my work:

1.     Hire out a warehouse and supply the people that come to visit my work with a Virtual reality headset and get them to walk around the warehouse trying to find the gravestone I made in a virtual environment of a graveyard.

2.     My second is get foam board and a hot glue gun to make the 3D model and make it to fit an average 6ft person to lie in.

In an ideal world I’d like to invite the band of Motörhead and close friends of Lemmy such as Dave Grohl (Drummer to Nirvana and singer/lead guitarist to Foo Fighters) and one of his best friend’s Paul Levesque (Triple H: COO of WWE)

The two ways that I’d show off my final piece are:

1.     Have the four different orthographic views up at once

2.     Or by having a camera go around my piece and show off the gravestone

The list of people I’d be inviting to the show are:

-         My parents

-         My girlfriend

-         My friend Ben

         I’d use two forums to show off my work:

-         Artstation (https://www.artstation.com)

-         Polycount (http://polycount.com/categories)

UV-ing Final Piece

After Uv-ing all my pieces, selecting the edges and sewing them together to hold “Shift + Right click” which enabled me to unfold the objects; this is the final of it.

The process in my opinion was simple because it was repeating the steps over and over. First I would choose the object I wanted to UV first and select it. To isolate it I would hide the un-selected objects by pressing “Alt + H”

Now I can only see the object I want to UV the next step is to go to the UV tab, go to planar and click the little box, once that has been completed it’s time to start UV-ing. I decided to do the top first so I selected all the top faces and then went into the planar box and mad

e it so it was perfect for the UV axis.

 Next I done the sides so I went into the side orthographic view dragged a box within the shape to select the other sides also and done the same process with the planar box but on the “X” axis

After the sides were done I done the front of the shape so as before dragged a box within the shape so it only selects those faces and then done the same process but on the “Z” axis

So now as the whole shape has been UV-ed It’s now time to create it as one net, so to select the edges hold “Right click” and select edge, going over the edges I'm able to see which ones should connect because it’s partner will also be highlighted red, so I clicked the edge and then held “shift + right click” and selected “move and sew UV’s” After I held "Right Click" and then select the "UV" tab double click the sewed shape hold "shift + Right Click" and select unfold

Now to bring back the hidden mesh’s simply press “Ctrl + Shift + H” select another mesh and as before hit “Alt + H” 

In the side orthographic view as I did with the other shape I dragged a box in within the shape selecting both sides of the shape. Then as before in the planar mapping options box I UV-ed it on the “X” axis

In the Front orthographic view as with all the other shapes; I dragged a box within the shape and then in the Planar mapping box UV it on the “Z” axis.

  After that I done the top of the post and as before joined the edges that connected together and the top, unfolded the net by selecting the UV’s and pressing “Shift + Right click” then selecting unfold

As there was another post but the net would be the same I duplicated the net. Left is the headstone and Jack Daniels bottle 

So; as before I held “right click” selected the faces of the headstone. And in the planar options box UV-ed it on the “Z” axis

I done the Exact same on this top (top of the gravestone and the lip) then done the sides and bottom.

Once more, joined all the edges and then by selecting the UV’s and holding “Shift + Right click”  and unfold

Now the Jack Daniels bottle, something I struggled with this one is that I crated with two shapes. Meaning two different UV shapes and nets

So once more selected all the front faces to the bottom half of the bottle and in the planar box options and select the “Y” axis

Like the posts as is the same each side it looked the same and the bottom of the bottle in their respected orthographic view and in the UV editor joined up all the edges and unfolded them

For the top of the bottle I did struggle with UV-ing it because of it being designed with Cylinder mesh so I wasn't really able to figure out which were the front and side faces and which weren't UV-ed and which were but I was able to get it done and joined the edges finally unfolded it by using the “shift + Right click” and select unfold

Błaźej Kaczmarek (Artist research)

Błaźej Kaczmarek

Title Work: Tombstone Model

The piece is a well detailed and well textured 3D tombstone model. There is something engraved on the stone also. With the skull and wing things on the top and also the writing on the main body.

I think that the image above has been created on Maya and then taken into Z-brush to add the final finishing touches. A skill that may have been used when making this is Texturing and also the colours seem to have been blended. The colours seem to give off a moody eerie showing effect which in my opinion is quite a good thing to have pulled off.

I personally think that the image was created in memory of someone close to him because upon further inspection into the writing there’s a name and age on the stone. I think that the artist has put a bit more light on the name than anything else because he wants to draw the eye there.

I personally really like the colour and shading with what affect that brings, as mentioned before that the colour has an eerie effect; but not only the colour the more shading than light used as well. This relates to my project by first being a Tombstone and also being a 3D piece