LogInFernando Gutiérrez showed us the working process behind the Mr. Toad project and spoke about sculpting realistic toad skin, explaining how he took inspiration from adult human expressions and merged it with the lines and textures of an old toad.
Introduction
Hi everyone! I'm Fernando Gutiérrez, I'm from Peru, and I'm a student of Graphic Design and Advertising, as well as a big enthusiast of the 3D world. One of my first interactions with 3D was with AutoCAD when I was 9 years old, thanks to my father. Then, at 14, I started using Cinema 4D, trying to recreate movie scenes or bring to life whatever came to my mind.
Over the years, between video editing and photo compositing, I never really drifted away from 3D until I discovered Blender, which allowed me to continue developing my passion as a hobby. But in January 2024, I decided to take the first step to formally begin my journey into the world of 3D.
The skills I have today are, in my opinion, the result of my life experiences, everything I did, didn't do, and even thought about doing. Regarding 3D, beyond creating my personal projects (including modeling, texturing, and hair), which helped me learn a lot, something that was fundamental to my growth was watching many work videos and logically interpreting how they were made, how I could do them myself, and how to improve them.
At a professional level, I've worked on projects related to my field and audiovisual themes. As for 3D, I've only done small projects so far, mainly modeling, but I'm on the path to keep growing.
Mr. Toad Project
The Mr. Toad project started with the idea that I needed to understand The Foundry Mari better, improve my texturing process and quality, explore new tools, and find my own workflow. However, I didn't have a defined model, let alone the idea of creating a full character, or even attempting it.
One afternoon, I put on one of my father's jackets and started singing Disney's frog song, "Hello My Baby." By coincidence, I also came across an ad featuring the frog from Alice in Wonderland. That's when I thought, "I guess destiny wants me to make a toad," and I got to work.
Mr. Toad Modeling
At the modeling level, I worked on the project from scratch in ZBrush, where I first created the head and then decided to make the body something simple, but functional.
Although I used as references the faces of the Disney toad and the one from Alice in Wonderland, I still wasn't entirely sure how the final head should look. After a few quick tests, I achieved a result close to what I had in mind: something that conveyed seriousness, a sense of age, and a small smile, or at least the attempt.
After having a solid base, I painted the polygroups that I was going to use before doing the retopology (such as the arms, legs, and especially the mouth). Once I checked that everything was fine, I brought it into Blender to carry out the retopology.
Personally, the project was mainly focused on texturing, so I allowed myself the luxury of using ZRemesher with groups, which helped me save time.
Mr. Toad's Clothing
Once I had the model with the retopology done, I started working on the clothing in Marvelous Designer. Even though I don't have many hours of practice with this program, I believe I achieved the goal: to dress him according to the references I had. It was a lot of fun working in MD. I highly recommend it!
After that, I refined the generated mesh in ZBrush and finished the retopology of the clothing. With Mr. Toad's model, along with his clothes and accessories ready, I brought the retopologized models from Blender into Maya to make sure everything was correct and to finalize the arrangement, because yes, organizing UDIMs in Maya is much more comfortable.
Mr. Toad's Head
At this point, I already had a clear idea of the level of detail the model should have and the approximate age of the character. For the head details, I brought the model into The Foundry Mari to paint using an alpha I had found. I initially planned to create it from scratch, but I came across the perfect alpha. I projected the texture, painted it, and adjusted the bump settings in Mari to generate surface relief.
Once that was done, I went back to ZBrush to import the bump map created in Mari and refined the details of the neck and the head overall.
To achieve the skin, I used the faces of adult people as a reference and tried to combine them with the lines and textures that some toads develop as they reach adulthood, aiming for a middle ground until I achieved the look I had in mind.
Regarding the toad's eyes, at first, I didn't plan to texture them since my initial idea was for them to be completely black. However, I eventually decided to do it because it gave the character more life.
The most practical approach was to find a toad eye texture, bring it into Photoshop to clean it up a bit and remove the highlights, then take it into Mari, project it, and start painting the black areas. I also added blending modes to incorporate imperfections and reach the ideal look. This process was also very helpful for preparing the masks.
Mr. Toad Texturing
The texturing of Mr. Toad was one of the main parts of the project, especially the head, which was the original concept behind everything. First, I prepared the model in ZBrush, with two poses: one with the mouth open and another with it closed. Then I brought both models into Mari.
After that, I prepared all the masks in Substance 3D Painter, with a total of 16 masks (and inverted ones, making 32 in total). And why Substance 3D Painter? It offers a wide variety of alphas and allows you to create very specific patterns quickly and flexibly.
Later on, while continuing in Mari, I came up with the idea of automating the renaming of masks, since in large projects, especially creature work, you deal with a huge number of layers, and renaming them manually can be tedious. So I went through the Mari Python documentation to optimize that part of the process and managed to create a functional MVP.
Although programming isn't my strong suit, the foundation was solid, and I later refined it with the help of AI to optimize and clean up the code. This significantly improved the workflow and the overall efficiency of the process.
Then I imported all the masks and finished making some adjustments with complementary masks, as well as creating five custom Smart Materials that complemented the toad’s texture, including the areas of the mouth, eyes, and neck.
After that, I began the texturing process, which I usually divide into five stages:
- Base texture: Includes the general texture, main color, lighting, shadows, and color tones.
- Initial curvature: I work with the first curvature alphas, adding complementary lighting and shadow layers.
- Color projections: I use either default or custom alphas to project color onto specific areas.
- Masks and details: Application of cavity, curvature, and texture or photo projections (previously cleaned in Photoshop to remove unwanted lighting).
- Refinement: I repeat the process using all the masks and manually clean the areas where details like decals, clouds, noise, or other procedural effects generated by Mari shouldn't be applied.
For each section I progress through, I adjust the color tones until I achieve full consistency across the entire surface.
When I finished all the details, I began adjusting the final color tone of the toad, which I had already defined from the very beginning. And why didn't I do it earlier? Because I prefer to anticipate the overall result of the project and its tones before defining the final shades. That way, I can continue adding complementary details that bring more life to Mr. Toad.
As for the most challenging layers, personally, I find it difficult to move past the primary and secondary textures, since at those stages, the final result isn't clearly visible yet.
That's why I believe it’s essential to have a strong mental preview of the project, it's what allows you to keep texturing with confidence and maintain a clear visual direction.
Lighting of Mr. Toad
For the lighting, at first I planned to render the project in Blender, but I ultimately decided to do it in Maya using the Arnold render engine. I used a studio HDRI along with environments that introduced dominant colors such as greens, reds, and light blues, achieving a balanced and natural atmosphere.
However, I made a mistake with the SSS (Subsurface Scattering), which became quite noticeable when using higher quality or more neutral-toned HDRIs. It was a valuable learning experience about how the type of lighting can enhance or affect organic materials.
For post-production, I used Photoshop as the first adjustment stage, applying color corrections and tonal balance, which I find more comfortable for controlling the overall contrast. Then I brought the image into DaVinci Resolve to make more specific adjustments to quality, shadows, and tone, to refine the final look of the render.
Conclusion
Personally, the first challenge was switching from Blender to Maya. Although it wasn't as complicated as I initially thought, it was more of a mindset issue deciding whether to do it or not. But I don't regret it at all.
Another challenge was a rather frustrating technical situation: I accidentally deleted a file, and to make things worse, my computer shut down due to a faulty cable. The texture I had at the beginning got corrupted and caused an error, which forced me to retexture everything from scratch. It was a bit discouraging at first, but I managed to redo it and even improve it.
Thanks to that setback, I optimized the masks, complemented the process with new scripts, and started developing a small preview panel for mask visualization and renaming. In a way, I think it needed to happen.
This Mr. Toad project taught me a lot about organization, consistency, and mindset. It helped me strengthen my discipline and broaden my perspective on every project I take on. I learned that perseverance and discipline are essential to keep growing and reach a higher level in what you do.
A piece of advice or something you should always keep in mind is to know where you stand and what resources you have to achieve your goals. Not everyone starts with an RTX 4070, 3090, or even a 1650, but there are no limits that can't be overcome. You just need a clear vision of what you want to accomplish.
There will be times when you'll have to wait six hours for a render, the software won't progress, or the result simply won't meet your expectations. In those moments, you must be patient and remember that every goal requires sacrifice, and you have to be willing to make those sacrifices.
Surround yourself with people who know more than you, ask for feedback, and don't be afraid of criticism. Don't create your projects with fear, look for challenges, pursue the impossible, and try. Sooner or later, you'll get there.
Good luck to everyone on your journey! Don't give up, trust your instincts, they'll take you far.
To wrap up, I want to thank 80 Level and Emma Collins for the interview, as well as the small community that supports me called "Ferverse" and, of course, my parents and everyone who continues to support me on this amazing 3D journey. There are even greater projects to come.