Breakdown: Sculpting a Fierce Fantasy Troll Using Only Nomad Sculpt

Introduction

Salutations! My name is Janell K. Buncome, a.k.a. Jay Bee. I am a 42-year-old 3D Artist residing in Boston, MA. I was born on the island of St. Kitts and raised on the island of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

From an early age, I always had an interest and a desire for art. I've been dabbling in art for as long as I can remember, as early as four, doodling and sketching in my book, etc. At about the age of 12, my mother bought my first PC. It was a Compaq Presario. I learned about 3D art and animation and was working with 3ds Max, Maya, and ZBrush, later on, Blender, and currently, Nomad Sculpt. 

I am self-taught in every aspect. I've always had the desire to learn and grow in art, both traditional and digital. I like to joke and say I graduated from YouTube University, as this is where I gathered most of my skills and techniques, complemented by numerous art books on lighting, composition, animation, anatomy, etc.    

My art style is a hybrid of stylized and realistic. I was never too sure which way I wanted to go, photorealistic or cartoon, so I decided to do both and blend them. I'm heavily influenced by the Street Fighter character style, Gears of War, and Def Jam Vendetta-type characters.

Inspiration & References

I spend an insane amount of time on Pinterest. It is the perfect place for me to find inspiration and motivation from other artists. I also find inspiration in real life, movies, and video games.

Say, for example, my troll character that I worked on. There was never any thought behind it. It started from a basic sphere that I worked and shaped into the character. Without any direction, I started sketching and moving points, and voilà.

Sculpting

My workflow varies depending on how I feel at times. I'm always experimenting and trying new processes, and adding them to my workflow. I usually start by gathering references and ideas of what I want to build. From there, I hop over to Nomad and start with a low resolution, blocking out the primary forms. I try to add as much detail as I can using just the Move brush, shaping and molding the mesh to my liking.

After that, I then voxel remesh and start to build up on the secondary forms, mostly using the Clay brush, adding and subtracting clay as needed to build up the form. Then I subdivide the model using the multiresolution option. To achieve the final details, I make heavy use of the Crease brush to add wrinkles and lines. At this stage, I usually combine alpha maps with sculpting to add finer details such as pores, wrinkles, and imperfections.

Then, after that, I would try to break the symmetry and start to pose my character. I do this using masking and moving pivot points. At this time, Nomad does not have rigging and or posing tools. Then, finally, my last step will be lighting and rendering. I make heavy use of the layer tab as well. It makes it easier to pose and add detail without messing up your model. 

Retopology & Unwrapping

Retopology is optional for me; it all depends on what I'm using the model for. If I plan to animate, I focus on proper edge loops, etc. If not, a simple quad remesh would be fine, only to bake maps and save resources.

Working with Nomad Sculpt

Nomad has been my tool of choice from its onset. I dabble with other programs and apps, but I've been using Nomad since its release. I’ve grown as an artist using Nomad. I love the fact that I'm not tethered to a desk, and I can sculpt and create on the go. The part that makes Nomad stand out to me is its real-time rendering engine. You can get some beautiful renders if you know what you’re doing. The ease of use is also a great factor. I believe that all programs are difficult. You only have to take your time to learn the interface and the controls.

I believe that in a couple of years, as Nomad continues to grow, it can be a powerful tool in an artist's workflow, and will no longer be considered a tool just for hobbyists, but will be capable for professionals. A couple of things that I would love to see implemented into Nomad are more control over texturing, namely the ability to control and paint directly on UV maps. A couple of hard-surface brushes would be awesome, and finally, an easier way to pose characters. These are my personal requests that I would love to see added to future Nomad Sculpt releases.

The best way to get started is to grab your tablet and start!!! Explore every button and option, see and test what everything does. I spend a lot of time on Pinterest and watching speedsculpt from other artists. Try to sculpt things that you are good at and or interested in. Take your time to learn anatomy, lighting, shading, and composition. All of these things will make your work look believable and professional. Invest the time, and the magic will happen.

All in all, Nomad sculpt has played a huge part in my artistic growth. I can't wait to see what the future holds for this deceptively powerful tool. Looking forward to continuing to develop and grow along with Nomad.