Modeling a Tavern

They say it's a good idea to create a storyline for inspiration for your portfolio pieces while you're in school. I have had a story about a village called Rennend which is full of diverse characters and environments that I can focus on creating graphically while I'm learning all these new tools.

I've recently started working on a Tavern scene (don't worry Ma, people drink a lot of coffee in this tavern) so I've been getting together reference images of bottles and tavern furniture.

This was a model I downloaded off a CG website and then made my own. I started working with glass materials (called Raytracer) and lighting effects on this.

The main models in these pictures are the glasses and the chair. The other items are just props for scale and interest.

New Items

It's been a while... here's a couple of class projects I had this term:

A fictional CD cover I threw together in Photoshop for Image Editing. This is intro-level so no Rembrandt here.

Here's a fictional XBox 360 game case cover. I'd spent so much time in Image Editing doing modeling with 3ds Max instead of working with Photoshop that I decided to throw in my modeling renders and make up some kind of backstory. This used a lot more PS tools and techniques, but still not the greatest.

The point of this project was to add all of the elements of a real 360 game cover but we had to make it all with Photoshop tools... no Copy and Paste. Please don't try to make sense of my composition or attempt at a storyline synopsis. It was just for the grade, hah!

Continuing Work...

Continuing my Gatlinburg scene I modelled one of the tourist trolleys that I've seen around the town. This took me about 3 or 4 hours. I'm working on efficiency with the tools. Instead of moving on to other subject matters to practice I decided to work with different elements of the little street corner. I've done a building and the street partition and now have done a vehicle. I want to work on environment as soon as I can find some tutorials or a good tutor.

I'm Modelling!

I started learning how to use the school's modelling program Autodesk 3D Studio so I can be an expert by the time I actually have the modelling class.

This scene was featured in a Kinkade painting "Mountain Memories" of Gatlinburg, TN.

The program lets you paste material images right on the models. It also uses what's called 'bump maps" to make it look like the stone and wood and such actually has depth and texture.

Underpainting

In Drawing I convinced my instructor to let me do a painting (instead of drawing in a drawing class). I think he was excited to get to teach some of his Rembrandt techniques. This project was an exercise in underpainting: laying down a think layer of a medium tone paint and then use thinner to pull out the lights.

The painting is from an old black & white picture of my dad preaching a Thanksgiving service at some church when I was 5.

Abstract: the purpose of this underpainting was to learn how to block out shapes and shading before putting the actual colors in.

Character Sheet

In Drawing & Perspective, today, we created character sheets with Front view, profile and 3/4 views. This is a creature from one of my stories called the "Rickett". Looks better blown up, just click on the image.

Intro

I always wanted to make a Website called PhilIsAGenius.com, but I didn't care to pay for the site. Since I am a student at a Design Institute the teachers recommend having an online portfolio of all our assignments. I guess the idea is to show it to prospective employers after graduation. Anyways, this is just a compilation of all my creative "stuff".