LogInAnder Esparza Gómez discussed the Tiger Jones project – a recreation of his earlier personal work – and showed what he did to convey feelings of distress, alarm, and hope.
Introduction
Hello everyone! My name is Ander Esparza Gómez, and I'm a 23-year-old artist from San Sebastián, Spain. Throughout my career, I've been fortunate enough to work on some truly amazing projects such as Call of Duty and NBA. I’m currently working as a Character Artist at 2K.
I've had the pleasure of collaborating with recognized brands like HUION or projects such as the Rewind Hispano 2022. And I collaborated with sensational artists like Lola Indigo.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated with special effects, which is why I would spend countless hours diving into video editing, using software like Premiere and After Effects. Now as a 3D artist, I get to combine my love for VFX with the power of 3D art.
The Tiger Jones Project
The Tiger Jones project was actually born out of a spontaneous sketch during my free time. It started as a way for me to sharpen my sculpting skills, but as I worked on it, I felt a strong desire to revisit my very first character and give it a fresh twist. While most of my projects had been centered around Basque mythology, I had been longing to explore new creative avenues.
Beyond the nostalgia, there was a deeper motivation for recreating my first character. It was a chance for me to test my limits as an artist, to showcase the growth I’ve experienced since the beginning of my artistic path.
That is why this project held great significance for me, as it allowed me to create something distinctive and personally meaningful. I firmly believe that art should carry a message, and pieces that come from an authentic and personal space tend to resonate more deeply with the viewers.
Thus, the decision to recreate my initial project felt like a natural choice – a chance to return to my artistic roots and offer something that would truly resonate with the audience.
The design of the character was my original idea. While I drew inspiration from various online references, the composition and overall design were created through trial and error with sketches in Photoshop and ZBrush.
Face & Head
For the head, I started with a simple 3D sketch. I aimed to create a friendly-looking feline head with simple shapes that would be easily recognizable. The sculpting process was done in ZBrush, while more technical aspects such as retopology and texturing were handled in Maya and Substance 3D Painter.
One of the biggest challenges of the model was creating the hair. Achieving hair that appeared soft enough to not give away that it was in real-time was quite difficult. I conducted several tests until I achieved the desired result.
I added various details to the hair, such as small strands and loose hairs, using masks and modifiers to achieve a more organic result.
Body
The modeling of Tiger Jones' body was a more complex process. I wanted to respect anatomical rules and proportions to facilitate animation while also creating a body that could easily be identified as feline. To achieve this, I referred to various animated films and aimed for a similar and simplified result.
When it came to creating the outfit, as mentioned before, I experimented with multiple designs through trial and error. I created the base clothing design using blockings in ZBrush and then attempted to translate that idea into Marvelous Designer.
However, many of the ideas for the outfit were developed after the initial renders. I prefer to model based on renders to achieve more interesting shadows and shapes in the final composition.
Some accessories were directly modeled in ZBrush and later optimized in Maya. Along the way, I also discarded some props that initially seemed like good ideas but didn't fit the envisioned composition.
Texturing
The entire texturing process for the outfit was done in Substance 3D Painter. However, for the microdetails of the fabrics, I tried to combine workflows by adding the detail generated in Substance 3D Painter to the Micro Detail of the Unreal Engine shader.
I wanted to ensure that the textures maintained the same level of detail in close-up shots. This, combined with fuzz and loose threads, gave the fabric a more realistic appearance.
Cinematics
The cinematics were intended to tell a story. I wanted to give the character a sense of purpose beyond being a friendly tiger.
That's why I decided to add a personal touch to the character by giving him a background story. In this case, I positioned the character as a father who loses his son and sets out to find him.
For this project, I wanted to maintain the pattern I used for the "Sorgina" project and decided to divide it into three scenes once again.
The first scene depicted Tiger in an everyday scenario, fishing with his son. I wanted to portray it as a beautiful scene, which is why I used the squid and fish in a comical way, accompanied by vibrant colors. I mixed this with a wide and clear sky to create a sense of freedom in the composition.
The second scene was intended to be the most intense, showing the decisive moment when Tiger had to leave his son alone to protect the camp from hunters.
In this cinematic, I wanted to generate a sense of distress, so I decided to completely cover the sky in contrast to the first scene. This effectively conveyed the feeling of anguish that Tiger was experiencing.
Similar to the second render in the "Sorgina" project, I surrounded this scene with flames and reddish colors, symbolizing danger and alarm. I also wanted to convey this feeling through the character's pose, with one hand holding the sword (his duty to fight against the hunters) and the other hand empty, moving away from his son (his concern about leaving his son alone).
In the third scene, I tried to show Tiger resting by a bonfire. This cinematic was meant to be set at a later time after the loss of his son. I wanted to create a serene yet somewhat sad scene, so I combined warm colors with dark blues. Here, Tiger was shown holding the pendant of his deceased wife and regretting his inability to protect his son.
In this cinematic, similar to the previous ones, I played with the sky composition to convey a message. I combined the ideas from the previous scenes: on one side, the covered sky with the fire, representing the problems Tiger had to solve, and on the other side, a clear sky. Here, I tried to recreate the sense of freedom with a starry sky, symbolizing the hope of finding his son.
Lastly, in the section with the clear sky, I added the element of the butterfly. I have used this symbol in several of my works to address the theme of resilience. In the scene, Tiger is saddened by the loss of his son but must overcome the circumstances to be able to save him.
My intention with this project was to seek something different from what I was accustomed to. I always try to approach projects in a way that tells stories, and I believe that conveying something should be the primary objective of artists.
The butterfly is a symbol of constant transformation due to its process of metamorphosis. The transition from an egg to a caterpillar, from a caterpillar to a chrysalis, and finally from a chrysalis to a butterfly. Therefore, butterflies are synonymous with perseverance and resilience, as they undergo a long journey to reach their goal.
It's something that I have tried to maintain throughout my career since my first project on Basque mythology, "Basajaun." I feel that all artists should have their mark, and that 3D artists should also give importance to these kinds of things.
Tips for Artists
Throughout my career, the biggest challenge I have encountered is staying up to date with the latest advancements, but at the same time, it's what has motivated me the most to keep moving forward.
I firmly believe that progress lies in embracing change, and I advise any aspiring artist not to be afraid of experimenting and seeking new ways of working beyond traditional methods.
Often, we hold ourselves back due to fear of failure or wasting time on experimentation. But the foundation of learning is through failure, and even though it might not succeed on the first attempt, it's very possible that by the sixth attempt, you will discover things that others haven't tried.
Conclusion
I have many plans for the future and new project ideas to embark on. I wouldn't want to limit myself solely to character creation.
I believe that in the future, 3D artists will become more significant, and the industry will undergo significant changes in the coming years. We must discover in which direction things will evolve and remain open to new ways of working.