Birdman bust

[astole]

This is a concept sculpt that I in about an hour yesterday. I still need to add some more details and paint it.

I've been using mudbox for a little over a week so I'm still new to it and any comments or critiques would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[montypython]

I love how well the various elements of the creature fit. The beak looks great.

I guess my only comment would be that it lacks anything in the way of an ear or ear canal, depending on how avian you want it to be. I might also double check the anatomical layout of the neck tendons, though that was probably not your primary area of focus- it generally isn't for me. You can also have some fun with the decorative aspects, i.e.: plumage.

Anyhow, congratulations on a good looking birdman. I look forward to seeing further develoments, hopefully in "fully-restored technicolor."

[astole]

Thanks montypython. Yeah, I just threw in some quick lines for the neck tendons. I need to fix those, just haven't gotten around to it yet.
I decided to just put in a small ear canal and after reading your suggestion on the plumage I started messing around with different feather stencils. Haven't gotten anything that I like yet, but once I do I'll post some updates. Thanks for the feedback.

[montypython]

Sounds good. Glad to have been able to offer some assistance. Again, I look forward to further developments.

You could also toy with the idea of creating some wings on the back, X-Men Angel-style. After all, what is a birdman if he can't fly?

Then again, you would only be able to begin the foundation and imply the rest with the bust-style sculpt.

A quick tip I found about the neck: I pulled up a reference drawing (see the Online Reference Resources thread in Community Help for the link) and then used a thick brush on about 40 strength and drew in all the tendons. I threw the lines down as they would be layered on a real neck. Then I took a smooth brush, large-point with a strength of less than 50, and smoothed over. It created an anatomically correct, though undetailed, neck-shoulder structure in about 30 seconds.

Pardon if it's something you already knew, but it helps me to remember that the head is part of a body as well without too much hassle.

At any rate, good hunting!

[astole]

Thanks for the tip about the neck, it works perfectly for what I needed to do. Still need to do some work on the plumage but once I get it finished I'll post some updates.