CREATE YOUR OWN PICKETT, THE BOWTRUCKLE
Learn how to create a fan art inspired by Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
Idecided to create a Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them themed fan art as a personal project. Over the next few pages I will demonstrate how to make Pickett, the Bowtruckle that Newt Scamander always carries with him in his pocket. Collecting good references as a starting point and using Cinema 4D, it will be possible to create a highly detailed character in a relatively short time.
Cinema 4D is easy to learn and extremely powerful: through the extrusion tool and the sculpt system integrated in the software we will be able to obtain an excellent result in a few steps, and without focusing too much on the technical aspects typical of 3D processes.
Rendering will be performed within Cinema 4D using the V-ray rendering engine. Finally we will take a look at how we can achieve a more realistic look through post-production processes with Photoshop.
A project like this does not require particular skills in polygonal modelling and digital sculpture, however it is advisable to be familiar with Photoshop and the right sensitivity in capturing the soul of the character we want to create.
01 MODEL A BUST
Start by selecting a cube, make it editable and find the front elevation of what will later be your character. Using the polygon mode select the face facing up and start extruding using the Extrude command. Extruding the faces of the polygon, start to draw the profile of the bust and head of your character. Any reference images you’ve collected will be very useful to help you achieve an ideal posture. Once you have completed all the extrusions, you can refine the character design by going into border mode and using the Loop Selection tool.
02 ADD THE LEGS
The Extrude command in this first phase of processing will be very important because it will allow you to create the whole structure of your character. As you have made the bust, proceed in the same way for the realisation of the legs. Also in this phase reference images will be fundamental to understanding the anatomy and pose you want to give to the character. Extrude the polygons from the base of the body and start creating Pickett’s legs. In this first phase, do not pay too much attention to the character design: as we did for the bust, we could then return later to improve it through the modelling for edges and points. Pay close attention to the different anatomy of the two legs. While modelling, it may help to place a plane below the character. In this way you can already from the early stages verify that all the limbs are equally placed on a plane.
03 HORNS AND HEAD
Once you have defined the overall design of the bust and legs you can start defining the shapes of the head. By working in border mode and with the Loop Selection tool you can improve the shapes of your Pickett’s head by starting to add expressiveness to your character’s face. At this point you can start working on the first details of the head such as the horns from which the leaves will emerge.
To create the horns first go to polygon mode and with the Loop Selection tool select all faces. Then with the cut tracing/loop tool with the mode limit to active selection cut the selected faces longitudinally. Once you have cut, go to stitch mode and adjust the stitches by giving asymmetry to the upper face of the head. Back in polygon mode select one of the two faces created and extrude with the Extrude command. With the Scale, Rotate and Move tools, adjust the design following the reference images.
04 ARMS AND HANDS AS IF THEY WERE BRANCHES
We’ve now defined the head, torso and legs, so let’s move onto the arms and hands – this will also enable us to better define the pose of our Pickett. By watching the film carefully and analysing many reference images, you can understand the character's psychology well: he is a shy and introverted character. These notions are indispensable for creating the final pose.
We can now proceed with the arms in the same way as we did for the legs: use the Extrude tool to create the basic shape of the arms
and then adjust the design through the edges and points modes with the Loop, Move, Scale and Rotate selection tools.
I advise you to pay close attention to the shoulders: asymmetry will play a fundamental role in giving your character greater expressiveness.
05 DETAILS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
Take a good look at Pickett reference images and you will see that his body is extremely rich in details that tell his Bowtruckle nature. Along the arms and other parts of the body you can see small leaves, reliefs and many other details that characterise his anatomy. To create these intriguing details, all you have to do is utilise all the tools you have used so far: Extrude, Loop Selection, Rotate, Scale and Move in the modelling modes for polygons, points and lines. As you have seen in this project, asymmetry plays a fundamental role in making the character more expressive, so don't be afraid to experiment.
06 DIVIDE
This is a very important step. Starting from the box modelling you created the base of your model. But this turns out to be decidedly too angular. How can we ‘smooth’ it by giving it a softer shape? Through the HYPERNURBS object. Create one and insert your character inside it: it’s time to start visualising what your personal Pickett will be in a more organic way. The shapes will definitely soften and you can better visualise your character. You can also decide the subdivision number of the object. Also, through this command you can continue to perfect the design and see your changes in real time. HYPERNURBS can be enabled or disabled via the check mark. Once you have obtained the desired design, you can fix the HYPERNURBS object and use the sculpt brushes to improve the shapes and define the details.
07 A FACE FOR PICKETT
At this point we need to define the face of our character. To do this use Cinema 4D’s sculpt tools such as the Pull, Grab,
Smooth and Knife brushes. In this step, asymmetry is everything: an asymmetrical face will give greater expressiveness and you will be able to give the face a shy and more bewildered appearance. First define the face, enlarging the mouth and eyes area. Choose the polygon mode and select the useful faces to create the mouth. Using the stitch mode and the Join command, create the sides of the mouth, then return to polygon mode and extrude inwards creating the hollow of the mouth. In the same way, create the profile of the eye socket and extrude. You can always perfect the design and expressiveness of the face by using the sculpt brushes or by acting on the points with the Move tool in points mode. To create the eye simply use a sphere, increasing its division.
08 CREATE THE LEAVES
First, start by selecting a plane and dividing it appropriately to create the correct base for your leaves. Make the plane editable, go to points mode and with the Scale, Move and Join tools adjust
the points to give the plane the typical design of a leaf. With this simple step you can create the base for all types of leaves you want. Use the HYPERNURBS object to split the surface of the plane, return to point mode and further improve the design of your leaf.
Divide the object again. For the stem use a cone, divide it and make it editable, then position it in the centre of the leaf. Group leaf and stem. To make the leaf more dynamic and expressive, have fun modelling with the deformers: bend, compress or twist the object without damaging the geometry. Deformers work non-destructively and are ideal for creating complex objects that can be modified over and over again. Reference images can offer some interesting ideas.
09 DETAILS AND TEXTURES
This is definitely the most enjoyable part of the whole production process. The model has finally taken shape and you can seriously start giving life to your Pickett. I recommend before going through this step to create a backup file of your object. At this point select the layout sculpt and divide the object: three times should be enough to be able to work smoothly and have a good visualisation of the work. Select the Pull brush and insert in the stamp a texture that you can download or create yourself with Photoshop. For this project I recommend using textures inspired by the world of nature.
Adjust the settings and start sculpting. During this phase of the work, use brushes and textures to enhance parts of the body such as the legs and hands or to emphasise the woodiness of the horns. This type of processing, if well used, also allows you to emphasise the pose of the character such as the torsion of the bust or head. During this phase I recommend alternating between the Pull, Inflate and Smooth brushes for best results.
10 SECONDARY DETAILS
At this point you are very close to the final display of your model. However, some details are still missing to make it even more real and fascinating. For example, you could add drops of dew. To make the dew take a sphere and divide it several times, make it editable. With the ladder tool, flatten it and work it in order to obtain a design close to a small drop of dew resting on a branch or leaf. Choose the most interesting points on the anatomy of your Pickett and place your small drops of dew. Run a standard render and analyse the model.
11 SET THE ENGINE
To render this project I chose to use the V-ray rendering engine. First from the output panel set the size of the file to be rendered: height and width. For the first test renders I recommend using low values. Set the render format in TIFF and activate the alpha channel (it will be important for postproduction work). At this point you just have to select V-ray Bridge as the rendering engine and adjust the main parameters: Antialiasing, Indirect Illumination (GI) and Color Mapping. It is advisable to use low values to obtain faster results in the first renders.
12 TURN ON THE LIGHTS
For this project I chose to use a lighting scheme from still life. Imagining that we are inside a photographic studio, we could take advantage of infinite combinations of lighting for our subject, but above all the best is always that of the three-point lighting technique – three lights optimally positioned to illuminate the subject, lighten and soften the shadows. At this point
you just have to select three V-ray Area Rectangle Lights and place them on stage with the respective functions of key light, back light and fill light.
Starting to think about a hypothetical shot of your subject will help you to orient and adjust the various parameters of the lights, in order to obtain a decidedly more expressive and emotional image. In the V-ray Bridge parameters in the Environment tab you can insert an HDRI (High Dynamic Range Image), which allows us to obtain excellent results in terms of photorealism.
13 CHOOSE THE RIGHT SHOT
Already in the previous step you started to think about what the most effective shot could be to enhance your project. Now let’s see how to fix the shot you have chosen. First of all you have to activate a V-ray Physical Camera: essential for viewing a render with V-ray. Position the camera and adjust the frame, after which adjust the lights so that the framing and lighting work. For an excellent image, check that you have reset all camera rotations, eliminated the vignetting effect, set the white balance presets to Neutral and checked the exposure value. Run a test render and check the quality of your image.
14 CREATE THE MATERIALS
Before starting on the materials to be applied to your Pickett it is advisable to analyse all the reference images that you have collected: it will help you understand what type of material to create. For this project I recommend using a decidedly more artistic than real approach, considering the texture space contained in Diffuse Layer 1 as if it were a real Photoshop file: mix images and blending methods in the Layer mode in order to obtain expressive and interesting materials. At this stage, be creative and don’t be afraid to experiment, especially in the creation of Pickett’s skin. In addition to Diffuse Layer 1, also use the Specular Layer 1 channel. It will help you to add even more realism to your materials. You can also use a third channel: Bump. I recommend applying not only a V-ray Advanced Material to your model but also a V-ray Displacement Material. This choice will help give your final rendering greater expressiveness and realism.
15 TOWARDS THE FINAL RENDER
Before proceeding with the final rendering, you can add a few more details to make your subject even more realistic. For example, using the V-ray Fur Tag, you can create hair typical of that found on insects. This gimmick, if applied correctly, can be a trump card in the final visualisation of your Pickett: find the combination you like best between height and thickness as well as quantity. Further image research could help you understand how to integrate this detail into your model. For the V-ray Fur Tag apply a V-ray Fast SSS2 Material. If you are satisfied with the result, you just have to set the final output values, raise the values of the V-ray settings and launch your final render.
16 POST-PRODUCTION
Open your final render saved in TIFF with Photoshop and through the channels separate the subject from the background. At this point you are ready to work on your model in order to give it a decidedly more realistic look. Before proceeding, it is advisable to do a further search for images
that will help you during postproduction. For this project, use images related to nature such as vegetables, bark, dew, etc. In this phase the texture of the parsnip and the Jerusalem artichoke proved extremely important. In this preparatory phase, you are also looking for images that will help you contextualise your render and act as a setting.
17 CREATE THE SKIN
For the skin, analyse Pickett reference images and observe the various colours and how they are distributed on the anatomy of the character. To recreate this skin in Photoshop quadruple your subject by changing its colour respectively from the bottom to the top: dark brown, light brown, yellow and green. At each level, apply a mask and with a material brush, start to erase, trying to replicate the skin seen in the reference images. Increase the shadows with a material brush on a new level in Multiply mode, in particular near the joints. With a textured brush and working with blending methods on a new level, start painting details in order to make your character’s skin even more interesting.
18 GREATER REALISM
At this point you have created an excellent base to be able to push your model towards even greater realism. Look for images with interesting and useful textures to enhance your work. Select the most interesting parts with the Lasso tool and superimpose them on the model. Through the casting methods, the adjustment tools and the masks, blend the textures with the render. Try to combine the images in order to give your work a realistic and interesting look. You can work the drops of dew by superimposing images of real drops on those of the render and play with the fusion methods in order to enhance them. 19 ADD THE IDEAL ENVIRONMENT
To increase the visual impact of the project, only the creation of the right setting is missing.
Choose a background image, blur it more and slightly lower the overall brightness of the image. Create a new layer and with the Overlay blend mode lighten the lower part of the image.
Select an image from which to extrapolate a base to place your
Pickett on. Blend it into the scene by adjusting blur, light and shadow. Position Pickett at the point you want and add the shadows in the correct way on the support surface. Adjust the colour balance by using a cold light that we will then heat up later with a full hot gradient level characterised by a slight noise filter. Work with Overlay and Multiply blend modes to accentuate or correct highlights and shadows.
20 LAST STEPS
The project is moving towards its conclusion. But before saving we will apply the latest post-production effects. First of all duplicate all the levels and combine them. Duplicate the single layer and apply a slight filter accentuating passage. This will give your image even more impact.
An interesting effect to apply could be that which makes Pickett’s skin almost translucent. To achieve this, apply the internal and external glow filters, lower the opacity and the filling of the character and rasterise the level. At this point, apply a mask and remove the effect from the shaded parts and leave it for the backlit ones. Finally, add a slight vignetting and if the image produced works, save the project.