Texturing of Diablo IV's Sorceress Fan Art With a Hand-Painted Style

Introduction

Hello everyone, I am Eric Liu. I have been working in the gaming industry for over 10 years. I initially wanted to become a comic artist or a manga artist. Growing up, I was immersed in Japanese and American animation, and I enjoyed drawing characters from manga books such as City Hunter, Dragon Ball, and Saint Seiya.

However, at that time, it was very challenging to land a job as a manga artist. Meanwhile, 3D animation was becoming increasingly popular in China, so I decided to learn 3D art and take it as a career. Some of the skills I have today were gained from my work experience in game studios, while others are the result of self-study at home.

I typically spend 5 to 15 hours a week during my spare time learning new skills through online resources such as YouTube, ArtStation, and 80 Level. I have contributed to projects like Marvel Rivals, Path of Exile, and Blade and Soul.

One day, I came across Cedric Peyravernay's work, and I was immediately drawn to his style. Every character he created seems to have a story behind it. The character "Sorcerer" caught my attention the most. The scars on her face and the dark blue feathers conveyed her backstory, she has been through many battles, and her occupation is reflected in her design. I was inspired to try hand-painting a character based on this concept style, using a PBR workflow.

Modeling Process

For the modeling part, I start with a sphere and sculpt until the head is about 70% complete. I mainly use the Move, Clay, and DamStandard brushes for high-poly sculpting. Afterward, I project a base mesh onto my high-poly model, using ZWrap, which gives me nice edge flow to work on. This helps me achieve a clean and neat model. After that, I continue to sculpt and tweak the model until I'm satisfied with the result.

For the scars, I simply sculpt them based on references I found on Google. For the feathers, I first create one feather strand and unwrap it, so I don't have to redo the UVs for each feather. I then reuse the same feather strand, placing the feathers by the bend curves in ZBrush. For the feather texture, I create it using FiberShop.

Texturing

For texturing, I use Substance 3D Painter. First, I add a base layer, set the value of colour to 0.7 gray, then I add another layer with a black mask on the top of the base layer, set the value to 0.15 gray, and add an Ambient Occlusion generator, set the blending mode to multiply, and rename the layer as AO layer.

The next step is to add a new fill layer with a black mask on top of the AO layer and add a Light generator below the mask, set the value to 0.3, and the blending mode to multiply, then rename it to light.

Finally, add one last fill layer with a black mask with position generator, then crank up the value to 0.3, then set the blending mode to overlay. Now the setup for basic grayscale is ready.

For the next step, I add a painting layer above the basic greyscale and use Square Band and crosshatching (that I simply make in Photoshop) as an Alpha brush stroke to mimic the vibe of hand painting.

Then I add a paint layer on top and use a colour gradient filter, giving the character a base colour. Based on the basic color, I add a couple of fill layers to brighten the face up at the front view and add colour variation.

Specular & Roughness

Once the base color is done, I work on the Specular Map next. I used Photoshop and applied a curve modifier to adjust the contrast of the face, making the shadows darker and the highlights lighter. Following that, I added a Brightness/Contrast adjustment with a mask, painting the T-zone of the face to brighten it up.

For the Roughness Map, I prefer to start with an inverted AO Map as a base and manually paint on top of it using a Soft brush, primarily in the T-zone of the face. The Roughness Map is very important to define how the light is reflected by the 3D model. These concluded my texturing workflow.

For the rendering, I use Marmoset Toolbag. I do a standard 4-light setup: a key light, fill light, and two rim lights. All the light types are directional. For post-processing, I use Hejl for tone mapping.

I crank up the value of Clarity to 0.3 to enhance details, and crank up the value of Strength of Sharpen to increase the contrast of the fine details. I also changed the value of Chromatic Aberration to 0.2 and Distortion to give it a cinematic look.

Conclusion

One of the main challenges along the way is keeping up with constant software updates (new ZBrush features, engine updates, etc.) and industry shifts (like the move from hand-painted to PBR), which requires continuous learning.

The bar for entry-level positions is constantly rising, and we're often expected to have proficiency in the whole pipeline: sculpting, retopology, UV unwrapping, texturing, and basic rigging. It's also easy to fall into popular stylistic trends. Finding a unique voice and pushing creative boundaries beyond "generic" character designs is a significant hurdle.
 
What I learned is that Fundamentals are everything. Anatomy, color theory, and composition are non-negotiable. You can't convincingly sculpt a muscle if you don't understand the bone structure beneath it. Tools are a means, not an end.

The real skill is developing your visual problem-solving ability. It matters less if you use Blender or ZBrush; what matters is whether your final model effectively tells the character's story.

Actively seeking feedback on platforms like ArtStation and industry Discord groups is crucial. It prevents you from working in an echo chamber and provides invaluable outside perspectives. My advice for beginners:

1. Start small, finish something: Don't try to make your dream character right away. Pick a simple prop or bust first, finish it, and learn from the process.
2. Embrace the mess: Your first models will probably be a hot mess, and that's totally okay! Every failed sculpt or bake is a lesson.
3. Build in public: Share your progress, even when it's not perfect. You'll get helpful feedback and realize nobody has it all figured out.
4. Specialize when you're ready:  Try a bit of everything early on, modeling, texturing, and rigging. Then, dive deeper into what you love most.
5. Take breaks: Staring at a screen for 12 hours straight isn't sustainable. Your wrists, eyes, and creativity will thank you.

Eric Liu, 3D Character Artist

Interview conducted by Gloria Levine