Finishing Accessories
This week I didn't work as much on Vex as I worked on other projects. I do admit that I spent a not insignificant amount of time trying to figure out how to work Blender, but I can say I can do topology and cut UVs in Blender now! That doesn't mean I didn't get any major wins with this sculpt though! I've gotten every single subtool I need in this sculpt, and they're all at secondary detail at the least. This is beyond exciting to me, as I've been working on this sculpt for over a year and to finally see all the pieces together is extremely exciting.
Last week I had just gotten the rings positioned on her hands, so I started the week by working on them. They didn't need much detail to be done, I did spend some time making the one ring with a gem on it look more properly set. I've gotten into watching videos of jewelers repairing jewelry, so I was inspired to make the setting look more realistic. The particular setting is a bezel setting. I also mentioned last week that I wanted to add some engravings to the thicker ring, and I did that. I also used hPolish on it to make the front look a bit warn down.
After I was satisfied with the rings, I worked on the earrings.
I used a simple Ring3D shape I remeshed and used that to make her forward helix jewelry and her lobe jewelry. From there, I made the gems that would dangle off the rings. I did have to move the hair next to her face a little bit to make them fit. While I was working on the hair I also went to the bands and reshaped them a little bit.
I primarily used one long thing shape and one short round one, both teardrop-shaped. I duplicated them and set them aside to use them later on the chains that drape down her arms. I've worked with chains before, and the way I made them before wasn't the most efficiant. They were way too high poly and they were a nightmare to deal with, so when working with them again I wanted to make sure I made a much better curve brush. I made a very low poly mesh to use, and thankfully it was much easier to work with.
From there, I used those teardrop gems all around. I had stopped for a day after placing them, and I realized I really wanted to add jump rings attaching the gems to the chain rather than just leaving them to hang. I thought this would look better and I've also started to make my own jewelry, and I've found that through that I've had a better eye for how to make jewelry in my art look more believable.
I then used the chain curve brush on her tail to make her tail jewelry. I used a thicker teardrop for the gems that hang off her tail and for the thicker necklace, I also set the gem in a bezel setting to match her ring. I closed it off with jump rings, but I'm considering going back and making it a toggle clasp.
At this point I was very excited because all of the details were there and all that's left to do is refine. I did plan to start sculpting her scars, but I really wanted to make sure that all of the detail on her was the best it can be before breaking symmetry. That's what I'm at right now. I'm pretty happy with how most of her looks, but I do think the lips and the area around the mouth could look a little bit better so I'm going to keep working there.
Other Projects
This week I didn't really have setbacks as much as I had other projects I was working on that got more attention. As I stated previous, I've been working with Blender. I've started to retopologize a female base mesh and that's taking a little bit longer than I originally anticipated. Additionally, I've been working on refining an old Game Jam project, Orbit and Omelette, with a couple other people that had worked on it before. This week I refined a water shader I made last week and I made a telescope that looks like a carrot, so I'll give a sneak peak of that.
Next Steps
All that's left to do sculpting-wise is bring everything to its final detail level. I cannot express how excited I am to have made it to this stage. This project has been a labor of love and I think there were times when I was unsure if I'd ever finish it. Seeing it get to this point has been amazing. I can finally see a finish line for it and that makes me so excited. I'm glad that I kept pulling this project out and working on it between all the life stuff that has happened, and I can't wait until this project is finished, polished, and in my portfolio. Something about working on it now has reignited something in me that I think was gone for a long time, and feeling it again is like seeing an old friend.
I don't know how many people read through these devlogs, but just know that I greatly appreciate you taking the time out of your day to hear me talk about sculpting. Sometimes I forget it is one of the things I am most passionate about, and I'm proud of myself for taking the initative on this large project.
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