I really enjoyed the modelling process for this character. Having relied a lot on kit bashing in the 2d module, it was a different but really fun learning experience modelling completely from scratch. I think doing the 2d workflow helped me understand proportions and the building blocks of a body in 3d by working with preexisting assets that broke down the parts of a body in a way that made sense to me. This gave me something more tangible to work towards while not feeling too overwhelmed.

I started with a very rough block out, using my own rough turnaround, and the turnaround of Melinoe from Hades 2 as a reference. The goal for this stage was to put place all the limbs in the right places, with big shapes that were easy to adjust and move around. I kept a few subdivision levels so I could move between low poly for bigger transformations, and higher poly for more fine tuning, like the shape of the nose or jaw.

During this stage I discovered the beauty of poly-groups from my tutor which I used to keep track of the separate body parts. This was different from my 2d workflow, where I had each body part as a separate tool so I could articulate them without working about deformation. For this project, I wanted to explore a different workflow, one that made me think about the body as a whole, rather than in parts.

I was very happy with my final block out for my characters body, I think having a friend be my reference really helped me in detailing her face and ensuring consistency as all angles. I think I did a good job when it came to parts of the body that had more character, such as the face and hand, but struggled to maintain the same level of detail for the arms, chest and legs. I definitely could benefit from studying more muscle anatomy.

After the body, I moved on to the hair, using a combination of curve and tube brushes to create locs for my character. I chose locs over a different hair texture as they felt reminiscent of the snake forms I wanted to sprinkle throughout my design. Additionally, I wanted to represent a hairstyle that made sense for a black character. Locs felt like they made sense for this god, who would prefer what I think is a lower maintenance, more freeform hairstyle. I used a range of sizes to mimic freeform locs, and tried to ensure I was following physics rules  with how gravity would impact the fall of the hair.

I used the same technique for the snakes before moving onto the clothing. I took inspiration from traditional Greek garments such as a chiton or peplos. I adapted my design with these, along with the draping of a south Asian saari in mind. Hades doesn’t have too much dimension in the modelled clothing, adding dimension through the texturing process, but I wanted to use this opportunity to experiment with other types of brushes, and be purposeful when modelling clothing.  I used different curve tools with an extrude profile brush to create the base of the pleats, before adjusting them with drag and stroke brushes.