AWAmag#2 by AWANetwork

I ssu e # 2

March. 2015

Line ArtsProcess breakdown

POGBA

Blender CG breakdown

AWAmag #2

AnimaxFYB Cover Image

Kiro'o GamesGamer Spirit Design

Interior Grafitti Amazement

AWAmag #2

CONTENT 10

Illusion of Depth with Lines BMX Tricycle

AKOGUN VS Brute

Animation Tips

Pogba - the making

Agorkoli

Kiro'o Games

Pale Face in Blender

Secret Santa

Interior Graffiti Art

Managing E d i t o r 's D e s k

Its is with a lot of excitement and positivity that I present you this second edition of the AWAmag. AWA is the Animation West Africa community positioned to thrive as the face of the cg industry in West Africa. If you have enjoyed the first edition which was a while ago, then this is hoped to be an upgrade and we focus mostly on drawn illustrations. It is note-worthy to emphasize that the local indusry in West Africa has experienced a bit more of working together and collabo towards mutual development and we have certainly moved an inch forward but the journey is still far, however we understand that it isnt about a destination but a process that is ongoing, so sit back and see some of the exciting process breakdowns and see how much vibrancy we have got going. We certainly can use a lot of support from volunteer action and patronage, do get in touch even if you dont think you have a reason, we love suprises. Thank you Sen-Deboh

Chief Servant - AWA Foundation mailtodeboh@awafoundation.net

AWAmag is a publication ofAWA Foundation Ltd. Gte., publishedin the UKby Sen-Deboh. ISSN 2058-3222 AWAmag is protected by copyright and nothing may be reproduced in any form, wholly or in part without prior permission and consent. The acceptance or placement of advertisement can not be assumed to indicate editorial endorsement.

AWAmag #2

Wall Artwork for SuperGeeks office, located in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria. Th e p ro j e ct s ta rte d fro m i d e a , to re s e a rch , co n ce p t a rt, fu ll tra d i ti o n a l i llu s tra ti o n , d i g i ta l i llu s tra ti o n a n d th e n i t wa s

Anthony Anth Ezeokoye Architect, Concept Designer, Digital Illustrator, Animator INSECTA

p ro d u ce d to th e re q u i re d s ca le .

I t wa s fu n a ll th e wa y. . . e ve n th o u g h I h a d s o m e h i ccu p s a lo n g th e wa y, I ' m g la d i t ca m e o u t g re a t.

M o re i n s i d e

www.behance.net/Anth_insecta

AWAmag #2

Creating the

Illusion of Depth with Lines

by Adeboye Adegbenro

A veteran in his own rights, an instructor in 3d and animation in the US, he reigned greatly back in his home country during the years of military dictatorship and working as comic artist and cartoonist in the 80's with a popular newspaper his name was widely acclaimed all over the national scene for his thought provoking cartoons on the nation's governace. He has between 1 995 and 201 1 worked in the Effects and Inbetween artist departments on movies like 'The Road to El Dorado', 'The Iron Giant', 'Mulan', 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', 'Pocahontas' and as a storyboard artist on 'The Little Angel'. The Lead at Toonefx and to further display his creative mind he is a keen musician and instrumentalist.

AWAmag #2

Hi everyone in AWAdom! This is my first tip on this page regarding maintaining great line quality and captivating your audience before we even start thinking of adding color to our scenes. Many artists have their own approach on how to deal with problems of line quality, the heaviness and how that translates as we move into deep space on paper, be it digital or analog animation clean up. One thing common with artists in studios is that they cultivate the common collective procedure in dealing with line issues, because of the approved design and the type of character models artists will be dealing with, they have to conform to certain rules strictly, to make sure the line quality stays the same all the way through each scene. For me, if I am working on any personal project, I like to start with rough drawings which I love to lay down pretty quickly while using the side of the pencil. Since I will be working on the project by myself, I set down these rules for myself to make sure my character or imagery conforms seamlessly just like a team of artists would do in a studio situation. I like to break my space down into three or four stages depending on the type of scene. My foreground will take the heaviest of lines and I would pay more attention to line quality here i.e. laying smooth lines down without intrusive featherings. The reason is that my viewer will be conscious of those closer lines first, especially where the characters on stage are and most certainly on their faces. I will take down the heaviness of my pencil line a tad bit to create a thinner difference between the foreground and the mid-ground. After completing the mid-ground we should see a visual separation of both levels through the subtle line applications. The background should be quite a piece of cake from that point on. Some artists prefer to reduce the amount of pencil mileage in the background because that would be overkill in a movie situation, but could be applicable for print poster or display art. So friends and gladiators of the pencil, I say go ahead and continue with your exploration. You could post some images here for us to see. This I believe is a great way to practice without color, and will add more punch to the overall visual experience. I personally enjoy this process using it for effects work, be it snow, fire, rain, clouds and rising ocean waves. I hope you enjoyed this little bit of information and hope to catch up with you soon. . Cheers!

AWAmag #2

La n d sca pe wi th trees exa m ple:

Th e sa m e tech n i q u e a ppli es h ere a s I u sed th i n n er li n es to d escri be th e fu rth est tree.

I f we cou ld i m a g i n e sn ow on th e bra n ch es of th e trees, th en th a t wou ld exten d ou r explora ti on by crea ti n g con tra st. I n th a t ca se, th e li n es on th e foreg rou n d tree wi ll be h ea vi er or th i cker, wh i le th e sn ow on th e bra n ch es wi ll be th i n n er to con vey softn ess.

AWAmag #2

O cea n wa ve exa m ple:

I n th i s sh ot we cou ld observe th e va ri a ti on i n li n es a s th ey reced e fu rth er i n to th e ba ckg rou n d .

Th i s a pproa ch h elps to crea te th e i llu si on of d epth a n d con veys a stron g er vi ew even wi th ou t th e a ppli ca ti on of color

AWAmag #2

Rendering Walkthrough:

BMW PCX TRICYCLE by Uji Terkuma

http://ujiharrydesigns.blogspot.co.uk/ http://www.coroflot.com/terkuma

AWAmag #2

The PCX is an EV (Electric Vehicle) with four electric motors. It has a 1 +1 seating arrangement, comprising of 1 driver and a single passenger. In order to minimize weight, the vehicle is made of advanced composites such as Carbon Fibre and CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics). The wheels are made of a carbon fibre disc to increase aerodynamic efficiency and optimum weight performance. The passenger safety cell is made of HSS (High Strength Steel) to give protection from external impact forces

2. Scanning and Line Work: Since I am satisfied with the quality of the sketch, I make a scan of it. Open it in Adobe Photoshop. Since the sketch is just a guide for the final render, the opacity is reduced to about 46 to minimize interference with the line work that will be created above it (on a new Layer). Consequently, it becomes an underlay. Using a Pen Tool, paths are created and filled with solid black (For shapes out lines) and yellow ochre (For shut lines and swage lines).

The PCX combines the luxury and safety of conventional vehicles together with the flexibility of motorcycle. This is a walk-through from the sketch to final render of the side view of the BMW PCX tricycle concept. The productions tools used are as follows: A4 Paper; Black pen; Scanner; Mouse; PC; and Adobe Photoshop.

1 . Sketch: After making a series of

3. Body Blocking and Stance: Once satisfied with the lines, a solid grey is blocked in so that the silhouette aesthetics could be assessed. Shadow and wheels are quickly added to give the tricycle concept a balance and prevent it from visually floating within the workspace.

ideation sketches to determine the design features and parameters of the concept, I finally settle for this look. Using a plain white A4 paper and a black ball point pen (with a Wacom tablet, this stage can be done directly in Adobe Photoshop, Sketch Book Pro or any 4. Adding Graphics and other graphic software), I create a sketch of Chiaroscuro: A well designed graphical the concept which describes in detail the side element(s) is meant to accentuate the view. overall silhouette, design concept and visually interact with other elements in a sensual manner. Chiaroscuro (Light and Shade) is added to efficiently express the conceptâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three-dimensional forms and materials. This is done by masking and applying white or black at strategic locations using the Gradient or Brush tool. 12

AWAmag #2

The Artwork Making:

AKOGUN VS BRUTE by Dominic Oziren Omoarukhe

I studied Physics at the University of Ilorin despite the fact I always bring drawing to calculation and calculation into drawing. Personally I see art in everything and Yes the Universe the artwork of God. At a very young age, I had found my interest in Art and ever since then till now, it has refused to die. I love art and drawing was a medium to express my talent. Although, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a freelance Artist but I work in an Office, which is more of an administrative work but I also have time for my art projects which is a second source of income for me. I have been involved in various art projects, drawing comic books, Cartoon / game characters, portraits, book cover designs and so on. Hence, I draw to Inspiration from Nature and God and I hope that I will get to a level in my art that will enable me be a source of Inspiration to Younger Artist. God bless Art. http://oozartz.deviantart.com/

AWAmag #2

Here above is the artwork final result, this was done as an entry for the Drawrathon of Champions competition set up by Empire Comics, and artists get two comic characters from different comic strips and engage them in a crossover battle. First was to get a reference that helps lay out the idea properly and I found a reference image of 'Hulk vs The Thing' on the internet which was very close to the concept idea I had in mind for the artwork. I have long realised that sometimes as an artist you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just sketch directly from your head without any reference to give guide and give you an idea of the image you plan to create however I also always remember that references are to guide me, not to copy from.

PROJECT STEPS Preparing Grid lines

I use the grid lines on Photoshop to help keep my work neat and in good proportion, it thus help me stay focus in my sketches, just like the way comic artist or illustrator uses the standard comic template with bleeds .

AWAmag #2

The key tools I used was Adobe Photoshop CS6 and a Wacom Intuos tablet. Set Up Canvas I Use a Adobe Photoshop CS6 to sketch and Ink most my artwork digitally, but first I need to set up and prepare my canvas on Photoshop to kick start my process. To setup up the canvas the dimensions and resolution really need to be considered. I prefer to work with a 200 to 300 resolution but for this project I used a 200 and dimensions are in inches.

Reduced Sketch Layer Opacity

I find it convenient for me sketching on Photoshop because one may not have the chance to scan a sketch or drawing to work on digitally on Photoshop. While getting to work on the rough sketch, I used the smaller pencil brush tool aka H pencil, which is the traditional pencil used for a rough sketch ,at this stage I get to experiment with the pencil to derive at what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m aiming for in my art work.

Brush Preset and Set Ups It's Important to have the right brushes before beginning the Inking Over the digital art process. Having great Sketch outlines is all about having the right brush preset. I set the minimum roundness of the brush to 50% and Before inking over the sketches, I reduced the opacity of the sketch layer to say 30%, this gives a clear view for me to ink the control to pen pressure. over the sketch Layer. Pencil and rough stages I used a sketch pencil brush set for Sometimes I use the default brush to ink over my sketches, but mostly I use a brush preset pack form Dan LuVisi as the main my drawing and sketches. I downloaded from deviant art some brush I use on Photoshop, I applied strong outlines and thin detail lines do ink over the sketch, this can be explored with time ago. Sketch WIP - 1 pressure on the drawing tablet. A tip I learnt from one of my favorite digital artists Patrick Brown, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thick line on the outside, thin line on the insideâ&#x20AC;?

Sketch Final

So here I finally rap up my work by making some few finishing touches, I made some slight changes by erasing some inked lines, thick and thin line adjustments. The End. Hope you enjoyed this breakdown, thanks to AWAmag for the opportunity to showcase my process, it was really fun, stay tuned for more tutorials from me in the nearest future, Keep drawing and God Bless.

AWAmag #2

2 Pro-Animators share their personal principles and tips for survival

TIPS and TRICKS

Before animating a shot I like to do as much planning as possible. I will act the shot out for my self, maybe shoot some reference if needed or sketch out a couple key poses.

Animation tips always seem a bit standard as the basics are most important. Tips for beginner animators:

I have found the more time spent in planning your shot the more time you save when you are doing the animation.

(1 )Focus on telling the story, don't over act. Usually one or two strong poses tell the story better than something more complex. Always ask yourself, "What is the single most important piece of information that this shot has to get across to the viewer?" Focus on making that clear.

Whilst animating I keep asking my self if the intention will be clear to other people who will be looking at my shot. Of course your shot will always make sense to you since you (2)Animation is hard work; prepare yourself for are animating it, but it is important to try and stong critique and don't be precious about your look at your work through the eyes of someone who did not animate it. Is it clear? work. Don't hold off on showing your director your shots until you are completely happy with Ask for opinions and feedback! them. Show them early and get lots of feedback. This will catch mistakes early on, saving hours of work, and help align your style My name is Friedl Jooste. I have been in the to your directors vision. animation industry for about 1 0 years now after finishing my studies at the animation Kane Croudace is school in 2004. I wrote and directed the short currently the CG film Hooked in 201 1 . supervisor on "Stick I have worked at a couple studios in Cape Man" for Triggerfish Town and I spent a year and a half working in Animation, Capetown. Canada on a couple films including, 'This is He has function in the the End', 'Now you see me', 'Riddick and The position of a Senior legend of Sarila'. I have since Canada worked Animator on on a short film called Unsung Hero and two Adventures in long form TV series projects. I am now Zambezia and Shot animation director at Supervisor on Khumba Sunrise productions in for Triggerfish aswell. Cape Town South Africa.

AWAmag #2

Game Character

The Making: Pogba by Mike Ekenobi

AWAmag #2

Hello folks, here’s a quick art I did of Pogba (a top EPL soccer star, for those who may not know). I will walk you through my process, which I did from scratch in Photoshop CS6. Heads up! I won't provide a lot of details here because of my time constraint therefore not much time to give many details, nevertheless I think you will get a good idea of how the end result was achieved. Let’s go there.

3) Thi s is wh ere it sta rts to get intere stin g. On a dup lica ted layer of ste p 2 I select are as wh ere I wa nt the dark ton es to be, the n I fill it with the colours I fee l are app rop riate. Thi s sta ge can go a lon g wa y to determ ine how thi s wo rk will end up, so let’s see wh at next I did .

gu id e I m ad e a 1 ) U si ng a re fe re nce of Pog ba , ch ni ce ly de ta ile d sket blet by th e ta I am us in g a Wacom wa y.

2 ) o n a s e co n d I la y m y fla t c la ye r I cre a te d b e n e a th . o lo u rs . 21

AWAmag #2

4) Okay, so the previous image looked a bit different, well I didn’t really like the tones looking all dark like that so I decided to lighten them up a bit, you could do same using the levels tool by pressing Control L on a windows PC or Command L on a Mac. Afterwards I dropped the opacity just a little bit and selected my highlight areas and filled them up same way I did in step 3… and there you go!

6) Next I use my digital pen to make colour sketches of spectators in the background and blur them using the gaussian blur. This drives the focus further behind thereby directing the eye to focus on Pogba, which is what I want in the end. I touch up the colour contrast a little bit using Hue and contrast, afterwards I arrive at what you see below.

5) I think Pogba is looking pretty cool now. So its time to begin adding some background, I wouldn’t want to leave him flying in space, LOL. First I consult my initial reference again just to make sure I’m on track and to imitate a similar background. Using the gradient tool I created a blue gradient for the sky in the background… then I take a breath.

TADDAM!!! Hope you found this quite insightful. I’ll like to see your amazing works as well. Thank you for your time. And thanks to AWA foundation for the privilege. Bye http: //mike- mikenobi. deviantart. com/

AWAmag #2

Francis Yushau Brown (AnimaxFYB) Takoradi , Ghana . (English, Fanti, Ga & Twi )

Favorite quote Everyone is Animated so each day is a new Animation film.

CREDITS: Begger: Short Animation (201 1 )

Viewer’s choice at the CBA Film Festival 201 1 Viewer’s choice at the Francophone Film Festival 201 4 Road To Heaven: Short Animation (201 1 ) Judge Not: Short Animation (201 2) Agradaa: Short Animation (201 3) Award winning animation in the Klik! Amsterdam Animation Festival 201 3, Viewer’s choice at the Francophone Film Festival 201 4 Agorkoli: (201 4) Nominee for Best Short Film in the Ghana Movies Awards 201 4 . IceCool Animated Commercial (201 4) Anokye: Animated feature (Work in progress)

“The Road to Agorkoli”

Before embarking on the journey of “Agorkoli” I had two questions, the first being, why was Agorkoli considered to be such a wicked King? And two, what did the Ewe people do to inflict his wrath? A native Ghanaian, I had grown up with the story of “Agorkoli” but never fully understood what had transpired between the Ewe people and the infamous King prior to their imprisonment. An animator to boot, I am always in search of a good story to bring to life, and with the full story of Agorkoli being neither discussed nor honestly portrayed, I felt that it was my responsibility to depict the truth through the use of my chosen aesthetic. By first initiating my journey through portals as simplistic as the internet, I was fortunate to come into contact with such valuable resources as a former lecturer who also happened to be an Ewe King, and thorough in the history of the Ewe. Laying the story out for me in an honest and structured way, I was able to create a shell for what would later become “Agorkoli.” Agorkoli is a story that talks about the history of the migration saga of the Ewe people of Ghana who can be located at the Eastern part of the country, after misfortunes of the migration settlements, the Ewes had to move for a greener pasture. and by this move, they settled under Agorkoli, leader of the Notsies. and for a while they enjoyed a beautiful time of peace, until an unknown rumor which became a big dispute between the Notsies and Dogbo transpired. 23

AWAmag #2

Are you able to help start a meetup group around your locality... meeting once in a while and you can basically begin with as little as 3 people then watch it grow into a big number as you share ideas and discuss trends or learn from each other, all within the sphere of the cg, animation and media interests? Yes? Then do get in touch with us?

Subscribe to AWAtv Youtube Channel http://goo.gl/ow2Y5F

AWAmag #2

Revealed

KIRO'O GAMES Interviewing: Olivier madiba

"Being realistic is finding a rational means of achieving a magnificent goal" MADIBA Guillaume Olivier

AWAmag #2 2. Could you give a brief profile of yourself/bio of yourself.

Hello Olivier Madiba, 1. Lets begin with your name, you may have heard from people that it sounds unique, especially the surname... tell us about that.

Yeah, it’s true that lots of people often confuse it with the one of Nelson Mandela « Madiba », and then ask me if I am of his descendant. I have nothing to do with him, apart from his ideals. I am from Douala and belong to SAWA ethnic group. In my home town MADIBA means « water » while in South Africa it means « Chief ». So MADIBA is the name that my family have been bearing for several generations.

I am a young 29 going to 30 year old Cameroonian writer, entrepreneur and Programmer. I was born October 1 0, 1 985 in Douala, I did my primary school education in Yaoundé at “Centre Educatif d’Ekoudou Bastos” and my secondary in Douala, then I went to University of Yaounde I in 2002, where I obtained my Bachelors degree. I am the co-founder of MADIA Group, which I created in 2007. I founded MADIA with my comrades from college, NGUIEBOURI MAMIA Patrick MATIKE Jacques and Roger AMOUGOU. MAMIA Patrick and I are the main creators and "MADIA" comes from a word game between our two names. 3. Seeing your interest and involvement in gaming in Africa, what is the ONE thing that inspire you most about the gaming industry in Cameroon/Africa?

Until now, we have achieved the following Gained the patronage of the following - Ministry of Art and Culture of Cameroon. - Organized 2 conferences for the Kiro project in May 201 3 at Hilton and GICAM - Video of the conferences are here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8AjylFq85A - In the top #3 projects on the VentureCapital4Africa Platform - Obtained 2 news-articles news-articles about our Africa video game project by professional video game critics in the USA/Europe http://indiestatik.com/201 3/08/20/aurion-legacy-of-kori-odan/ 28

What motivates or inspires me the most in Cameroonian/African video game industry is the fact that we can bring, through our culture, traditions, new playful genre which is Kiro’o Tales and Gameplay, a new source of inspiration in the video game sector on international scale. 4. What are those other things that encourage you the most about the gaming industry in Cameroon / Africa?

Willing to bring new thing in the field puts aside, what encourages us most is the fact that we are pioneers on the continent. To that effect, we have a long way to go and must not fail since all eyes are set on us. Our duty is to assure a feasibility for the GameDesigners to come. 5. Where did you study? Or How did you educate yourself in this line

I studied at University of Yaoundé 1 where I earned a bachelor degree in computer science.

AWAmag #2

I have also acquired, during that training, some competencies in programming and software engineering. To design the game, let’s say I trained myself in a selfeducated way. First, I went into writing. I wrote articles and a book Day and Night, which enabled me to learn to write scenarios and dialogues. Then I made amateur games (Aurion’s non-professional Versions) to take knowledge of what is needed to produce a video game. I received good critics from the international community. At last, I set up a company which deals with computer services (MADIA) and I acquired some experience in projects management. In short, I will say these are what favored today the realization of our Kiro’o Games studio and Aurion game: The inheritance of the Kori-Odans. 6. How did you hone your craft? practically speaking.

As a gamer "without boundaries", I am interested in video games since my tender age (an encounter with Mario Bros at the age of 04). At 1 4, when I just finished playing the 7th part of the Final Fantasy Saga for the 6th time, I started imagining a follow up of the gameplay that could integrate some elements of the African Culture. Thus, year after year, I dreamt of one day creating a video game that taps from a new raw material; a game that promotes the wealth of the African culture; a culture that seems to be highly under exploited, not to say never in exploited in the video game industry. My idea found shape and since December 201 3, the Kiro'o Games Studio is operational. Since that day, we are full-time in the development of the first version of the game Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan, an Action-RPG gameplay (inspired from 'Tales of Destiny') whose goal is to offer a revolution in the

domain of Action-RPG with much innovation and dynamism at the level of the gameplay. 7. What software applications do you use?

Aurion is a 2D HD game. We mainly focus on tools which help design a game based upon Framework XNA which is offered free to free-lance developers. 8. Can you describe your process – how do you take a game from concept to launch?

We follow the overall procedure of gamedesign. In the beginning, we completely write the gameplay and the scenario. Then, make the areas of the phases of level design as well as the sketches of the characters’ movements. These having been completed and approved, the real phase of designing of the game begins.

AWAmag #2

We start coding the game engine and once itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done we 9. What are your target market at the gather the whole. It is the standard procedure. Indeed, moment? it is much more complex, but in summary we work on Our current target is worldwide. We focus this basis but we mostly use the sketches in order to especially on the United-States, Europe and make up our mind and avoid ambiguities. Africa, as the game is planned to be released in French and in English. It may also Sketch be available in other languages, if we find partners that will translate it. By the way, our code makes the translation easy. Furthermore, as the game will have to be sold by on Internet by downloading as well as on Video On Demand (VOD), we know we will not get industrial restrictions. Physical versions will all the same be available for Cameroon.

The outcome

Level Design

1 0. How important is it to create games which can be played on mobile phones, especially in Africa? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true that this is not the branch we have previously chosen for our game, for other African studios operate in this sector yet and are doing a good job, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we wanted

AWAmag #2

to put ourselves aside to become pioneers in a different branch. However, we acknowledge this is a really developed and integrated sector in Africa. For example you will see some people who do not have time to play on a personal computer but will play small games seasonally. Briefly speaking, we have not targeted this sector because we wanted to reach the Hard Core Gamers.

expansion. We then want Aurion to be the reference.

1 1 . Do you create games that appeal to a broad base or to Africans first? Any instances?

1 3. What quote inspires you?

We are planning to design universal video games. Of course, our work base is African but we want any one, even based in Alaska, to identify himself in. Here is the goal we have set: producing not for a specific kind of public but for everybody so as every single person find himself in it.

1 2. If you had three wishes which would benefit your company, what would they be? Firstly, I would like all the team to be in good health and may it always be in a good mood for we work a lot and it is not always obvious. Secondly, may we make a very big game with the Aurion saga. May it be appreciated and loved by the public and give to the African video games a strong

Thirdly and it’s the last, may a billionaire be interested by our project and why not fund us so as to support our dynamism. That will not be bad; we will never say no (laughs) .A more little bit of help than what we have already received in investment will always be welcome.

My personal quote: “Be realistic is finding a rationale way to reach a magnificent goal.”

1 4. What do you want your company to achieve in the next couple of years? For the coming years, we want the Aurion saga to be completed, May it be successful and may we become editors. That’s mainly what we aim at, be the first editor of African video games. Email - contact@kiroogames. com WEBSITE - www. kiroogames. com

Thank you This interview was conducted by the publisher for Autodesk Africa via AWA Foundation (Animation West Africa)

AWAmag #2

3d Character Creation / Breakdown

Pale face

by Emmanual Okafor

My name is Emmanuel Okafor, I am a freelance CG artist and my speciality is character creation, ranging from modeling, animation and rigging. I also dabble in other aspects of visual effect, so my skills set is basically a generalist so to speak. I am currently located at Philippines for educational purposes and I am studying for Bachelor of information technology in Lyceum of the Philippines, Manila, Bantangas. Of course I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t born a cg artist, though I was gifted with the art of draw and this has fueled my passion for pursuing and becoming a better cg artist.

AWAmag #2 s ta g e th a t I d o a ll th e i te ra ti o n s I n e e d a fte r wh i ch I d o a q u i ck re to p o lo g y i n z b ru s h .

N o w i t ti m e to cre a te U V a n d I d o th i s s ti ll i n z b ru s h wi th U V m a s te r, m y d i re cti o n i s to u n wra p th e m o d e l b a s e d o n th e

p o ly g ro u p s .

Wi th th i s co m p le te d I ca n n o w s ta rt a d d i n g

So . . . e n o u g h a b o u t m e .

Th i s i s a m a le p o rtra i t cre a te d b y m ys e lf a n d I wi ll b e s h a ri n g m y p ro ce s s wi th yo u .

M y p ro ce s s s ta rts i n z -b ru s h wh e re I s cu lp te d

th e s ki n d e ta i ls , m o s tly u s i n g i m a g e re fe re n ce s .

th e h e a d b u s t wi th d yn a m e s h , i t i s a t th i s

I n th i s a b o ve p ro ce s s I cre a te d m y s ki n p o u rs d e ta i ls , I u s e th e a lp h a d i s p la ye d a t th e le ft s i d e o f th e s cre e n . I cre a te d li n e s o n th e fa ce b e ca u s e th e s ki n i s n â&#x20AC;&#x2122; t j u s t fi lle d wi th ti n y h o le s .

So a fte r th a t I a d d m o re ti n i e r d e ta i ls . , wh e n I

AWAmag #2

After blender detailing and tweaks of top productions units are using Blender and its user-base is already huge. Now I will start the rendering process For the lighting, I used a mesh light with blender physical based rendering (Cycles Renderer) and the setup is a basic three point light system being customized for dramatic results. (see setup image below) am happy with it I move to painting process still within zbrush, as in the next image below. This above was hand paint and this was until I felt satisfied then I export my map (diffuse, specular, displacement and normal) and then I would do a little editing in photoshop.

For the shading part, it was a nice learning experience cause I usually avoid rendering sub-surface scattering in cycles because I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t done enough research on this, however I believe this is a start for me and thanks to AWAmag for being the push and reason making me begin to explore this. (see setup image below)

My primary 3d package is Blender3d a free to See also image below, for the node setup of use and open source 3d software, so at this the cloth. point I did import all the data into blender to add more details. Blender offers amazing grooming tools and definitely a solution especially for the growing industry like ours, and actually a lot 34

AWAmag #2

Lighting system with 3 point lighting setup

The skin shading setup

After I got it to look Nodes setup for the cloth good, I rendered it out, for about 45min or less, finally rounded it up in photoshop to give you the final image For more information, you can reach me at: emmanuelokafor802 1 @yahoo.com. 35

AWAmag #2

Hey there, my name is Lynton Levengood, I'm a concept and texture artist working in Cape town South Africa. I have always loved drawing for as long as I can remember. I have worked in the 3d animation industry since 2007 and also creating concept arts and as a texture artist. I have worked on a feature film (The Lion of Judah) and numerous animated series pilots and animated shorts like Hooked. I thank the Lord for allowing me to use the gift of creativity. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I do creating it. http://lyntonlevengood.deviantart.com/ http://lynton.cgsociety.org/gallery/

A WA C H A L L E N G E 2 0 1 5 C O M I N G Y O U R WAY S O O N ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL

AWAmag #2

#iamAWAre Contact us for sponsorship or advert placement knowmore@awafoundation.net website at www.awafoundation.net

To donate towards the efforts of AWA Foundation - http://goo.gl/ucZHtL

Supported by