[FINAL, FINAL] CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #7 (Apr 11, 2018): Thanks to those of you who have responded to the Questionnaire. The feedback is extremely helpful. If you haven't responded yet and you participated in the class - or even if you didn't participate - please fill that out and I will gift you 20 Breath of the Wild screenshots from my Switch.
[FINAL] CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #6 (Apr 9, 2018): We've reached the end of the homework extension period and this class officially comes to end. What a month! It's been a thrill to see each of you forge your characters, learn new things, share tips with each other, and offer critiques along the way.
This thread will be open indefinitely but it's officially at the end of it's "class lifespan" meaning I won't be able to commit weekly time to it anymore and I will unpin it from the forum topics list. I'll pop in occasionally if I see activity but you all are more than welcome to keep working on their characters here if you wish!
UPDATE: Closing post on page 44 and XP has been added to each participating account.
CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #5 (Mar 28, 2018): Week 4's stream is archived and available via the Past Events button on the Live Event page. Also a reminder that I'm extending the 'deadline' of this month and will be keeping this thread alive through the end of the first week in April. Hopefully that gives you all a bit more time to get your characters done!
CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #4 (Mar 26, 2018): Week 3, done! Thanks to everyone who submitted by Sunday. I'm quite impressed by the neutralization and retoplogy work I've seen. It's a lot of work and I can see that effort in the WIPs and especially completed submissions.
Week 4 - the final week - dives into adding color to our model, primarily in the form of creating textures. Check out this week's breakdown a little further down in this description and see you tomorrow at the Live Event!
CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #3 (Mar 19, 2018): Week 2 is accomplished and I'm finally caught up on submissions! Thanks to everyone who submitted by Sunday. We have some impressive character concept sculpts underway. In fact, I have yet to bestow a grade lower than an A this week.
Week 3 continues our 3-week character building production. Specifically we're going to look at pursuing an animation friendly version of our character - both how and why we would do this. See you tomorrow at the Live Event! Don't forget to RSVP.
CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #2 (Mar 12, 2018): Week 1 is done! Thanks to everyone who submitted by Sunday. It's been a lot of fun seeing your caricature work and concept art choices.
Week 2 begins the 3-week process of building a character based on the concepts we choose. Don't forget to RSVP to the Live Event tomorrow - See you then!
CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #1 (Mar 5, 2018): Class is in session! Today officially begins the BC2-1803 class. Please check the syllabus below for Week 1's focus and assignments. Begin watching the pre-recorded courses if you haven't already and begin looking for a cool, stylized character design for creating in 3D this month. The first Live Event is tomorrow at 2pm EST - SEE YOU THERE! 😎
Welcome to the CGCookie Class: Creating Stylized Characters with Blender! This class is designed to teach you everything you need to know about building stylized 3D characters. If you’re diligent in watching all content and hitting homework deadlines, by the end you will have a modeled and textured stylized character! It’s an intermediate-to-advanced class which means you’ll do best by having some experience with Blender and 3D modeling before committing to this class.
This is the second "Class" format where Citizen members are invited to focus together on a particular topic/skill for a month. Participation looks like this:
WHEN? The class will take place from March 5th through March 31st
Abstract: Stylization is any deviation from realism. Thus it’s a broad spectrum from slight liberty away from reality to extreme abstraction of reality. This week we're going to sift through various examples of stylized characters, noting their qualities, and categorizing a spectrum of stylization.
Goal of the Week: Train your eye and mind to stylize your perception. Practice simplifying and exaggerating reality. Loosen up your sculpting approach (gestural sculpting).
Pre-recorded course to watch: Art of Sculpting: Caricature Chapter
Week 1 Live Event (Already happened and archived!)
Homework:
Abstract: Story plays a big part in stylization. Not necessarily ‘narrative’ but background, personality, and purpose. The success of a character is strengthened by its developmental arc. The best artists create characters that are more than the sum of its pixels; more than the sum of its brush strokes and polygons; more than its final render.
Goal of the Week: Develop a story for your character; one that can fuel your creative workflow for the rest of the month. Then channel that story into the first stage of sculpting.
Pre-recorded courses to watch:
Week 2 Live Event (Don't forget to RSVP)
Homework:
Abstract: At this point a decision needs to be made about our character sculptures: A) Leave it as a sculpture or B) optimize it for ‘production’. Leaving it as a sculpture means it’s a static sculpture that can be painted, rendered, or 3D printed but not animated. Optimizing it for production means you turn your sculpture into a model that’s easiest to work with up to and including animation. If you opt for optimization, this week is mostly a technical and problem-solving task. We need to both retopologize our mesh and also neutralize it if the sculpt is posed.
Goal of the Week: Understand the concept of “production-friendly” and practice retopology.
Pre-recorded courses to watch:
Week 3 Live Event (Don't forget to RSVP)
Homework:
Abstract: Like Dorothy, our characters have so far lived in a black and white world. This week we’re leaving Kansas and adding color. There’s many methods for creating our character texture(s) including hand-painting, baking maps that accent the painting process (great for the less painterly character artists), as well as photo-sourcing. There's also a couple different formats: Vertex Colors and UV/Textures.
Goal of the Week: Get comfortable with painting textures.
Pre-recorded courses to watch:
Week 4 Live Event (Don't forget to RSVP)
Homework:
This thread is reserved for CG Cookie Citizens that are participating in the "Creating Stylized Characters with Blender" class. Its purpose is to serve as central communication for all participating Citizens (excluding Hobby plan Citizens) to ask me and each other questions and to post homework. As the instructor of the class, I will be monitoring this thread on a daily basis (especially Mon-Thurs) throughout the month of March to review homework and answer questions.
Free members are welcome to observe the thread but please respect that communication is reserved for Citizens.
So I won't be able to make the march classes homework's, I have to study hard to pass some rock solid English test. The exams are in April. It's writing, reading, listening and speaking. The last one I cannot practice on my own so I was hoping to jump into one of those streams you guys make in Discord or Slack. I have to loosen up on speaking English, I get a bit shy and sound like a little girl.
It's for a Canadian program, maybe I can get lucky and get in the market there as a CG artist, so far I've only done freelance. So I have to beef up my portfolio. This classes might get much more important for me @theluthier
lhumungus 
jack07 I appreciate the feedback guys, but for the sake of this exercise, she'll stay in high heels. From what I could gather, you can dance and fight in high heels, or you don't have to. So again, for the sake of this stylized character, she'll be in high heels.
This is my second iteration, and I don't care for some of the extreme things I put in there, but I did it for the exercise and to bust out of my comfort zone. This character will most likely be iterated on again until I can find a design that makes sense, blends practicality and grace, and makes me happy. And hey, it's DND. Magical telescoping heels.
Yeah, that's probably what a Bladesinger does lol. Vanity drives this character, so that's probably why I picked that particular prestige class. This is my first character branching out of the default classes, so I'm figuring out the class as we go. Switching up the play style.
She is wearing shorts under that skirt. No need to flash people in a fight.
I've been wanting to play Dark Souls just for the art alone, but I just keep putting it off. I know how awesome it is; my SO keeps talking about it. We made a deal where if he plays Dragon Age, I'll play Dark Souls. Now we're waiting for the remaster of Dark Souls lol.
As long as you are happy with your character, you will do great! I'm looking forward for the final design!
The first time you play Dark Souls you will feel despair, anguish and that you are lost. But the feeling when you succeed, when you defeat that one boss or when you get back in track is a feeling of reward that no other game will ever give you. Be safe friend, don't you dare go hollow! Praise the Sun! \[T]/
I too await the DS1 remaster, after playing a ridiculous number of hours on all the Soulsborne games. The character, level and monster designs are all amazeballs...I looove those games. I've never gone for Platinum 100% on any game before, but I did it for DS3. Oh, Ashen One...
Homework submission Week 2
Where is that damn thing again? It must be here somewhere... I swear if Peterson was through my things again, I'll paint her stupid rocks purple. She just can't keep her nose out of— Oh, here it is. Now, what did the notes say... Hmm, yes. Swish and wave! ... Oops! Eh, I'm sure she's not gonna miss that. No, maybe it's more in the wrist, like— Oh no, not on the chandelier! Now I'll have to call Mr. Hedgewort and he's still angry about last week. "They are priceless! Contest winning material!" Rubbish. Carrot is a carrot, if you ask me. Good for salad, but not to be fussed about like a... like a... vegetable! He really is a ridiculous chap, that one. And what would he have me do? Keep poor Fluffy in that stinky hat all day? He doesn't like it in there. It gives him... indigestion. Ugh. I can still hear that horrible woman's laugh when I took my hat off last time. "Oh look, Morris is planting his own garden now. With that amount of fertilizer you are no match for him, Peter!" Would that she'd fallen off that chair. But tomorrow, oh yes. Tomorrow I'll show them. Peterson, Kelly, even that wombat-loving Thompson fellow. They will all feel sorry for mocking me. And if the "Deck Predictor" fails to amaze them, I still have one last trick up my sleeve...
He was really fun to sculpt. In the end I split him into many pieces, as it made things a lot easier. So there is a hat, head, eyes, cape with a clasp, lab coat, shirt with a tie, pants, socks and slippers. For the cape I used cloth simulation, I hope that's alright. I had to adjust it slightly with proportional editing, but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. For the rest I used a combination of dyntopo and multires (on shirt, pants and slippers). I also found out that I rather enjoy sculpting hands, but the nails always end up on the rubbish side of things. Oh well. Onto the retopology.
Fun charactization. Feels like we’ve just stepped right in the middle of the drama.
Homework submission week 2
Here's my character sculpt and the story. I apologize if there are mistakes in the text, writing is not my strength and it's even more difficult for me in English.
Named as Cuthbert, he is a chimney sweeper apprentice. Usually called as "Bert", "Hubert" or "Hugh" by his Master Sweep Floyd Griffiths. Sometimes the name turns in to form of just "Lad" or "Boy". It is not rare to hear the coughs roughed voice through the chimney pipe yelling "Go on, hurry, Cuthbert! Why'd you were given so long name anyways? Enough to think through with your small brain, laddy? C'mon Hugh. You think we got all day to sweep only this one chimney? Do you want something else for supper than just water? Better keep sweeping and sweep fast, or you'll stay like the little bastard you are for the rest of your short life." and so on. Even so the master sweep is tough slave driver, Cuthbert is not afraid of the man and secretly calls him with names when he's not hearing or around.
The young chimney sweeper kid Cuthbert, well not so young anymore as being the age of twelve, is very brave boy. He doesn't mind the crap he has to take every day. After orphaned at the age of eight and living in the streets barely a month, Floyd found him and took the boy along. It is usual that the Master Sweeps hire homeless kids, even after The Chimney Sweepers Act in 1875 changed the job description of apprentices. Using the climbing boys was not only illegal in England, but also followed by the authorities. So after not being forced to climp trough the pipe, Cuthbert carries tools around and sweeps chimneys with the long sweeping tool. He keeps thinking positively: imagines that one day he will have a life of his own, a life with a real job. A job that maybe isn't even sweeping the chimneys. Some times, or maybe too often we could say, when standing on the rooftop, he stops to stare in to horizon and falls daydreaming of something better. He is certain that with hard work and right amount of willpower, a better life will be achievable. Many times in situations like that if he gets caught of slacking, the Master Sweep gives some beating and makes him work even harder. Life is cruel but Cuthbert deals with it. He sleeps on the floor of his masters apartment, and at the next morning once again he runs trough the London streets and loyally sells their work by yelling "Chimney sweeps! For cheap!"
Almost done here but I've a problem.
I sculpted the right arm and happy enough with it. I found it very hard to sculpt an accurate copy for the left one. I also does not have the symmetry to symmertize. Anyone knows how could I copy the mesh and merge it? So I tried to select a hand in edit mode and then picked "Add duplicate", mirror the mesh then. Somehow the new mesh appears in different color and doesn't merge with the main one. I tried to manipulate the edges and vertices, combine and add faces, but had no luck. The mesh still does not behave as one.
mmalhomsi Oh, thank you! You are my savior ;)
I still had to make both meshes' ends low-res and stitch it edge by edge, which is probably a wrong way to do it. But it definitely easier than sculpting from scratch
Week 2 Homework Submission
I had a lot of fun sculpting the guy and find it fascinating how the sculpting process could carry away. I actually hoped to finish the second concept also but the week was crazy intense. I still hope I could sculpt it for next the next week.
The character background would be semi-canon since the original story is not very rich.
For those who didn't play the game - Boogerman is a gross type of superhero who farts, burps and throws boogers to defeat his enemies, also flushes himself into toilets to travel between levels. Anyway the gameplay was great and graphics were very smooth for a time. So it is probably a comedy take on Mario (who eventually goes down sewer pipes).
Snotty Ragsdale (that's the guy's real name) is a millionaire. He made his first million by winning a lottery and then invested most of his money into garbage collecting and recycle business. Boogerman is his company mascot and Snotty loves to dress like him on events.
Prior to that he had some military training and was assigned to an air carrier maintenance team. That's when he got hooked with canned food and also discovered having sensitive digestion system. Being exposed to winds and cold sea air he got himself chronic rhinitis, making his nose run all the time. That was the reason for his decommission. While in the hospital, he got his lucky lottery ticket with the newspaper.
Snotty discovered Professor Stinkbaum was secretly building a machine that would save the world from pollution by transporting it to a place he called Dimension X-Crement. Disguised as a cleaner Snotty entered the lab to study the machine, but eventually broke it. The portal opened with someone stealing the main part of the machine. Snotty turns into Boogerman's suit and rushes to the portal to return the stolen part (that paragraph is pretty canon :) ).
Homework submission week 2
a fun and challenging week ! finally i love to work with a dead line .
my concept art is from Chris Walton , i found it on devianart, i was unable to ask him permession , i hope he dont mind !
it took me about 15 hours mouse sculpting , my diffuculties were tecnical issues , with a lagging Pc.
i'm not too happy with the result , i tried my best to stay true to the concept art , but my own style continue to pop out , i dont know if it is ok..
so here is One-legged Pete.
-I'm hungry..too hungry..
i've been roaming the streets for days..begging for something to sustains me..
all i got is their disgusted expresions..i hate them , i want to put my fingers deep in their eyes..
-One-legged Pete stinks..poor fools..you ignor the fetid odour of a roten leg..
Oh my leg ..it had been years since i lost it ..ican still feel it ..it still hurts..it burns..
-i'm hungry..
the night is falling ..this old hobo seem to hide something ..i'm pretty sure it's food..
-i'm too hungry..
i have no choice, my knife is going to find a way to his throat..
tonight someone is going to eat..someone is going to die ..
-Oh dear ...i'm so hungry.
Homework submission week 2
Wow guys it's so fun to sculpt characters, i think i got a little carried away and picked a concept art that's waaaaaay above my skills to replicate well in 3D, nevertheless i tried and this being my first full character sculpt, i am super happy with the result because i really had a hard time sculpting this speacially without symmetry.
The sculpture isn't a 100% match of the concept art in terms of proportions, for example in the fingers if i had followed the artwork she would end up with huge dementor fingers. Also the places which i had more of a hard time sculpting were the shoes/feet (sorry Kent) and legs. Learnt a lot doing this!
Here's the reference image: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/3GXyo .Kent you voted to do my character option B, i liked it but i am just a big fan of anime and was a more excited to do this one.
Mia Lovelace, The little Witch or Pumpkin as the people of her village like to call her, she is a genius of a witch, despite her age she is capable of using magic as naturally as a veteran wizard. Although she’s really good at magic, none of her spells are close to being deadly. She can only cast summoning spells, and all of her summons either are scary pumpkins or the thing the her enemies are most scared of. Her mother says her magic is a reflection of her creepy personality and a way to counter her small size.
Despite her creepy looks, Mia is actually a nice person with good ambitions. Since she’s able to summon pumpkins, even though scary they are still pumpkins, therefore she feeds free pumpkins to those in need of her village until she’s out of mana, besides, the more reputation she has, the more likely she’ll get invited to the Grand Mage’s Race, a race where all invited mages go and the winner will be awarded a place in the group of it’s creators and so achieve her dream to be one of the greatest mages in history, or in this case, witch.
Now for the scultpure, i spent so many hours on the face and body that i pretty much had to do everything today all day.
This is what I did front thursday until yesterday:
And this is the progress today. It's pretty much final, unfortunatly i don't have time to refine it (the extract mask i did for the big scocks gave a lot of volume to the legs, for example I need to fix that):
Woooooow that's so good! You should be really happy with the result! Also maybe my character could give Pete some pumpkins ;)
