AuthorTopic: Realistic human skull reference  (Read 3196 times)

Offline rocifier

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Realistic human skull reference

on: March 21, 2016, 03:14:49 am
I've been studying anatomy and today was the head. I made this animation of a skull to help myself and others as a reference for shading heads at different angles. Let me know if it's useful.

Offline LeafyMystic

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Re: Realistic human skull reference

Reply #1 on: March 21, 2016, 05:40:01 am
Woah, you made it from scratch? It looks great! I love the use of dithering! It's not smooth, but I like the grainy quality. It makes it feel like an old computer program. Where is the light source supposed to be, though? Something feels off but I can't put my finger on it.

Offline Roach

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Re: Realistic human skull reference

Reply #2 on: March 21, 2016, 08:18:50 am
Kind of looks like you just put a dither effect on a 3D model.

Offline rocifier

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Re: Realistic human skull reference

Reply #3 on: March 21, 2016, 11:06:23 am
I copied a small 3D model on each frame I rotated it. I used the alpha of the rendering so I didn't have to muck around for ages getting the sillouhette right for every frame. It was more an exercise in studying and rendering the form. Light source is supposed to be above and forward slightly. It's aiming to the right a little as well. It's rendered in a white box hence why there is quite a lot of bounce light going around, in the eye sockets etc. I was trying to go for a slightly more generic "ambient occlusion" so that it's more obvious how to change the light source if desired.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2016, 11:13:00 am by rocifier »

Offline rocifier

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Re: Realistic human skull reference

Reply #4 on: March 21, 2016, 11:21:11 am
Here's an example render with reduced colours. I just picked the colours straight off it. Do you think I went to overboard on the dithering? I discovered the dither brushes in Grafx2 lol

« Last Edit: March 21, 2016, 11:23:58 am by rocifier »

Offline Roach

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Re: Realistic human skull reference

Reply #5 on: March 22, 2016, 07:42:15 am
Interesting process. Though I think it would be better to draw it by hand to actually make it pixel art. Adding effects on an image or 3d model just kind of makes it look unnecessarily pixelated. This would give you a great reference however to base a pixel piece off of.

Offline Cyangmou

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Re: Realistic human skull reference

Reply #6 on: March 22, 2016, 01:45:54 pm
I don't think it's useful as a reference for an artist, because pixel art as a medium already stylizes.

For references we usually want to have full detail and all details as clear as possible - speak HD renders or photographs which are "realistic" to read

This here is literally a skull model with a filter on it. Not as good as a HD render would be and not stylized in any way that it could be used as style reference on it's own.
"Because the beauty of the human body is that it hasn't a single muscle which doesn't serve its purpose; that there's not a line wasted; that every detail of it fits one idea, the idea of a man and the life of a man."

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Offline kullenberg

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Re: Realistic human skull reference

Reply #7 on: March 22, 2016, 01:53:41 pm
Well... You totally nailed the early 90's "better put a animated gif on the frontpage" homepage aesthetic. I'll give you that. Maybe you should consider doing graphics for the vapor wave scene? They would love you ;]

For actual reference I think this is way more useful:
http://www.anatomy360.info/skull-sketcher/

These are actual scans of skulls that you can lit and rotate in real time.

Offline rocifier

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Re: Realistic human skull reference

Reply #8 on: March 23, 2016, 12:53:54 am
Wow that looks awesome. Maybe too detailed? haha