Theme:
Tinkering as method
Context:
My studio practice will focus on 3D environments, characters and 3D modelling
as I move forward and explore the world of animation and game design further.
This weeks theme really allowed the offering to test some of those waters. I have always been inspired by the artist Patrica Piccinini and find her practice quite intriguing. Her works as she describes them to be are “beings of one sort or another; creatures”. They are strange, yet captivating and her idea of exploring relationships which reflect artificial vs natural / human vs environment and creating imaginary beings that are “almost possible” - inspired the direction for this weeks theme and the idea that a “creature” is something created.
https://www.patriciapiccinini.net
Exploring the world of surrealism can allow us to open up our repressed and rational mindsets and find power through imagination and expanding on what we already know. The works of Patrica Piccinini reflect a strange and interesting in between world of surrealism and reality, which help her characters obtain unique and original personalities and form.
“creativity is that marvelous capacity to grasp mutually distinct realities and draw a spark from their juxtaposition.” - Max Ernst
Method:
I will explore Zbrush for the first time and create a “Creature” like model, by experimenting with sculpting tools to see where it leads.
Response:
As I had no idea where to even begin in Zbrush, I started by selecting a base mesh of a human head and decided it was a good starting point to work from and transform an ordinary human into something of another nature.
I used the brush tool set as the main area of exploration and started applying different textures to see what kind of effects I could create in order to transform my base mesh.
Without having any kind of plan in place and no sketches as reference, the creature that evolved is not normally something I would naturally think* to create or design and developed into something quite masculine. I think this method for my particular practice could be quite beneficial in generating concepts and creative evolution, without feeling bound to one’s personal drawing style.
The screenshots below demonstrate the process I explored over a couple of hours in class time, from the initial base mesh to the end exploration.
