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Aug
23
2021

August ProgBlog #2: stalls and tools

It's been a few weeks.

And then I finally got around to writing this thing, and was making some half-decent progress (while chatting to sibling dearest in our inaugural hopefully weekly project chat and progressing some other stuff as well) and then had one of those infuriating semi-frequent crashes that refuses under any circumstances to be diagnosed (it's probably hardware because there is literally nothing that I am doing that can reproduce them reliably).

Some good things happened too.  I got a new graphics card, which I of course had to test out on the top of Acaedia where there's a fair bit of glass.

Aug
08
2021

August ProgBlog #1: branching out

The scales are still going.  The only thing that's changed is that I'm now in the yellow PURPLE section! XD

neverending scales   in the purple (second last!) section of the dragon)

May
28
2021

May ProgBlog #5: reeeeeeeeeeeee 2 the sequel

I'd finished the reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetopo by the end of the last progblog and was working on transferring the texture maps.

Only something went kind of horribly wrong and things were getting transferred oddly (I could see the shapes but they weren't where they were meant to be).  I eventually decided to just redo the sculpt and after a moment of confused panic as it's backwards to how I was starting to normally do things (sculpt, retopo, bake) and I was trying to be careful of the shape of the original mesh, when it entered my thick skull that I can just shrinkwrap the base mesh, and nuts I went.

Aug
28
2020

August ProgBlog #5: insane in the membrane

It's the little things.

I keep getting told not to worry about the tiny little details, because no one will ever notice them.  I do sometimes (depending on how long I'm staring at something that I didn't make).  I'm reasonably certain that people might not notice the little details when they're there, but will definitely notice them or at least pick up something "wrong" when they're not.

Depending on the style of the artwork of course.

Or at least that's what I keep telling myself when I'm obsessing about all those little details.

And even if nobody else knows or cares, I know and I care, and in the end I'm doing this thing for me first and if anyone else likes it, that's a bonus for me XD

And this is why, gentle readers, I am zoomed in this freaking close fixing up the wing membranes.

Aug
21
2020

August ProgBlog #4: more fingers

Finally got done with the hands (or at least as done as I can be/am prepared to do).

I really hope I don't regret the decision to try and fix some of the more finicky things in the normal map later x_x

finished sculpting the hands (to some value of finished)

This is actually the right hand.  I usually work on the left side because I manage to get in my own way less on that side.  I am showing off the right hand because I had to hide the right arm so I could start working on the wings.

Aug
16
2020

August ProgBlog #3: fingers

There has been some hilarity with some of my previous progblogs as I've shared the dodgy looking things that usually end up happening whenever I'm building (at least characters, I haven't done much else recently x_x)

Blender 2.88 sculpt mode annoying bumps in mesh that won't go away no matter what

The above screenie is not that dodgy, it's just highlighting those irritating bumps.  All I want is a perfectly smooth mesh but pparently there are vertices that just jut out for no apparent reason regardless of what I'm doing with autosmooth and the smooth brush settings.  I have wasted so much time on this that it's well beyond ridiculous.

Aug
08
2020

August ProgBlog #2: back to the grind

This is a really boring phase where things are super slow going but they need to be done to keep me happy.

still sculpting in Blender 2.8

Other people obsess about mesh smoothness and stuff in obscure places like the soles of feet right?

Yes I'm aware the tail is still a bit of a mess, seems like I'm going to have to edit the normal map for that one -_-

I'm kind of mostly trying to repair shapes but also seem to create a hell of a lot of dents before it will smooth out.  I don't know why that is.  I guess the autosmooth gets confused sometimes.

Aug
05
2020

Hive hoodie

Zara in a hive hoodie

Quickie because sculpt fixing is taking forever and I felt like doing something else for a little while. 

As I said in the last progblog, I had been intending on sketching Zara in a hive hoodie as I've drawn her in a steem hoodie previously, and then decided I should use her model instead.  Some fixing was required and that had to be done anyway so it got done, and then I made the hoodie together out of a cube.

Blender 2.8 sculpting jumper shape

Aug
02
2020

August ProgBlog #1: and then one thing led to another and...

WARNING: if you're an ultraprude there's a nude character in here but only the breasts are somewhat detailed, while you can see the crotch area due to lack of clothes there isn't even implied genitalia.

So there I was, just smoothing out Red's feet and toes and fixing toenails that needed fixing

Blender 2.8 sculpting feet

Jul
29
2020

July ProgBlog #2: minified progblog

I'm severely out of it.  I'm currently struggling (and mostly failing) to not revert to my owlish ways.

I don't even remember why I didn't post the progblog on Friday.

Oh yes, I had an extra child (11yo had a friend sleeping over for the weekend).

I also hadn't finished the tail at the time and I was sick of posting pictures of the unfinished tail.

Then I stayed up way too late last night because I finally finished it.

Blender 2.83 character sculpting

To some value of finished.