I wanted the Night Elf to look believable, despite the fact that this particular kind of elf, besides the enormously huge ears, should perhaps have violet skin, freaky eyebrows and blue hair (also two belly buttons and a third nostril on her back).
I began constructing the material and the lighting setup process for the Elf as if she was a human, gradually mutating her into the intended creature. The hair ended up being just a few planes with textures, painted in Photoshop with a mouse because I actually don’t have a tablet. Even the teeth, I modeled separately.
Since I didn't have an anatomically accurate reference and using any regular photographs are inherently problematic because of the perspective, after finishing the 3D model and working on the materials and the lighting, I still had to constantly correct her face, saving the renders along the way. Here are nine stages of the facial generation.
I call this image "The evolution of the Gollum".
his was a Blizzard fan art competition entry that I didn’t
get to submit because of time. I am such a fan of the
Warcraft series that I thought I should continue for
educational reasons and to just have a bit of fun.
When I begin personal projects, I have a habit of starting something not knowing exactly what it should look like, but still imagining some very small and unimportant details that definitely should be there. While it may be seen as very unprofessional, that’s what makes it fun; exploring the possibilities along the way.
