How to Make Simple 2D-Like 3D Sculpt of Pretty Girl in Blender

Introduction 

Hi! My name is Fabien. I’ve been passionate about 3D art for a long time. In 2019, I began a master's at an animation school (ECV Bordeaux). During that time, I worked on a lot of projects like 3D/2D animation, 3D modeling, and texturing. I also worked on some team projects with friends like Mauvais Coton. Here is my graduation short film:

3D Portrait

For this project, I really wanted to discover 3D sculpting in Blender and try my best to make 2D stylized textures in Substance 3D Painter. This illustration really inspired me, and I thought it was perfect for my level.

First, I discovered the sculpt tool in Blender, and it was much easier than I thought because I already knew how to sculpt in ZBrush. In Blender, I used basic tools and watched a lot of tutorials.

The secret of my topology was the Automatic button. My goal was to finish a cool 3D sculpt as fast as possible. The best part was texturing. UVs were also automatic (yes, I know, my UV maps are really horrible to see).

I used Substance 3D Painter and imported Blender’s camera into the software to paint textures from the camera view. To achieve this painterly effect, I just painted directly with a brush. Painting the impact of light on the character was the most challenging step during the process for me because I really wanted to paint light exactly like in a 2D illustration.

I just used basic point lights in Blender, and I tried to reduce the shadow impact on the character to improve the 2D effect. 

Conclusion

This project is just a training project for me, to discover if I can finish an exercise in Blender. Now, I think I can make a more ambitious project in the future and improve my skills in Substance 3D Painter. 

Fabien Metais, 3D Animator

Interview conducted by Emma Collins