How to Transform a 2D Concept of a Fantasy Character Into an Expressive 3D Model

Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Gleb Ivanov, and I am currently living in Novi Sad, Serbia. Since childhood, I have been passionate about sculpting with modeling and foam clay, and over time, this hobby naturally led me to 3D art and game development.

I have more than 5 years of experience in the game industry, and my main specialization is stylized characters. Throughout my career, I have worked with different pipelines and tried myself in various areas, from academic sculpture to level art. This helped me better to understand form, composition, and production processes in general.

I have participated in projects such as Days After (mobile project), Block N Load 2 (cancelled), as well as several other projects currently under NDA. Such experience allowed me to dive deeper into game character production and learn how to work in a team while following the pipeline and quality requirements.

Tiefling Lady

The work on Tiefling Lady started when I saw a wonderful illustration by Max Slavsky on ArtStation. I was immediately drawn to the pose and the overall mood of the character, so I wanted to try bringing this image into 3D. I also added a few small details of my own while respecting the original concept.

In my pipeline, I often use PolyPaint at early stages because it helps visually segment different parts of the model and better understand the structure of the object. After the main forms were ready, I gradually separated individual elements such as armor, clothing, pants, boots, and other character parts. This approach helps to control the shape of each element and maintain a clean silhouette.

I approached the hair in the same way as the overall blocking out: first creating the main form, then dividing it into logical segments, and after that adding smaller strands.

Almost my entire workflow was focused on ZBrush. All accessories and hard-surface elements were created using ZModeler, as this tool provides good control over the shape within a single program. The rapier was modeled in Blender because I needed a higher level of precision and control to create clean and accurate geometry.

To speed up the work, I focused primarily on the artistic side of the project. It was important for me to convey the character, silhouette, and expressiveness of the form, so I avoided overloading the process with complex technical stages at early steps. I used a simple and clear pipeline, focusing on sculpting, form, and composition, while solving technical tasks only where it was truly necessary. This approach allowed me to move faster through the project and keep focus on the visual quality of the character.

Coloring

Since my pipeline was fully focused on high-poly sculpting and PolyPaint, I did not need to work on topology or UVs for further texturing. As mentioned earlier, I used PolyPaint in ZBrush for coloring the model. First, I created a simple base color pass by assigning main colors to all materials.

Then I refined the blouse and the face in more detail, since these elements have the strongest impact on the overall perception of the character. It was important to establish the right color accents and overall artistic style from the beginning.

For painting the hair and gold, I used a simple but effective approach. I started with a mid-tone base color, then added highlights with very light shades and darkened the areas that should be in shadow. This method helps to quickly create a readable, stylized form and emphasize volume.

After achieving a satisfying result, I used the Adjust Color function in PolyPaint settings to fine-tune contrast and saturation, making the colors more expressive and enhancing the stylized look.

For additional detailing, I created several Alpha masks and used them to paint ornaments on the clothing, adding decorative elements while keeping the textures clean and carefully structured.

Rendering

For rendering, I used Blender because I like the soft and artistic result that can be achieved in this program. Lighting was built like that: the main light source is the sun from above that defines the overall scene lighting. On the sides, I added two colored lights, red and blue, to create contrast and better separate the character from the background.

A neutral front light was also added for soft illumination of the model, along with two additional directional lights to carefully highlight the eyes and make the gaze more expressive.

In the scene, I used a plane as a shadow catcher so the character would feel grounded and not appear to be floating in the air. I did not use HDRI, preferring to fully control the lighting manually.

Materials were divided into three groups: body, gold, and hair, with different Roughness and Metallic values to achieve clean highlights and readable surfaces.

The whole project was originally planned as a kind of vertical point of my knowledge in 3D visualization of a stylized 2D character. I started working on the character directly in pose to properly convey stylized silhouette accents and proportions. This made the process more challenging but also more interesting, as it was important for me to maintain a balance between artistic integrity and a simple pipeline.

Looking back, the most difficult part was the face. Translating the emotion of the original illustration into 3D was not an easy task. However, this stage also became the most interesting, because with each iteration, the result got closer to what I wanted to see in the final version.

Conclusion

During the project, I once again realized how important it is to focus on the artistic side and not overcomplicate the pipeline. Simple solutions often lead to good results faster. Every finished project brings a special sense of satisfaction. Seeing the journey from idea to final result is truly inspiring and motivating.

We live in challenging times, and sometimes it is difficult to stay creative, so my advice to beginner artists would be persistence, a lot of practice, and constant expansion of your visual library.

Another important aspect, no less important than artistic skills, is the community. Surround yourself with like-minded people whose opinions you respect and who motivate you to keep creating. Support and communication with other artists help a lot in growing and moving forward.

I am deeply grateful to my friends and colleagues for their help and support during this project. Thank you! The most important thing is not to stop, to study form, observe the work of other artists, and most importantly, love what you do. The results will come.

Gleb Ivanov, 3D Character Artist

Interview conducted by Gloria Levine