#texturetutorial

So I did a little training for today for my team, it actually taught me a lot just writing out the way I do things. So hopefully you can gain something from it too. It is about observation and its importance in art. Enjoy

Texturing an Object - Andrew Rasmussen

The Interview Process…(Observation)

Channel your inner crazy, you have to to take a brief break from sanity if you want to try texturing the way I do. For example you will be interviewing your object of choice. Imagine you’re a reporter, taking your object out for coffee at the corner dinner, and asking all sorts of questions to really decipher who/what you are dealing with, get all the information you need to write your story. In essence this is an article on good journalism...

What it’s the Essence, the initial read on the object, the big scar or tattoo on the convicts face. You need to remember what you first noticed about your object, the defining feature. Because if you're not recreating it so that is the audience also gets that as the first read you didn't do your job, all the little details that follow, that you worked so hard on are moot. Focus a good bit of time here. This is also important because sometimes turn times are quick, often this will be the only feature you get time paint so make sure you understand it.

Discover the base Material, once you have that you can then dig into the object personality (all the details that make this specific object different from all the objects like it) Its important to make that distinction… Two identical fire hydrants that are two blocks from each other will have very different forces playing upon them… Be specific, its always surprises me when ask I someone what their object is made off and they respond with metal… or wood… I mean come, on be able to distinguish them is it Galvanized or Brushed Metal, Steel or Copper. Whether a wood is Common Pine or a fine Mahogany, begin to build your mental library so you can tell the difference  Base materials help sell the reality of an object.

Associates, A lot of people forget about this or discredit it but I still think its important. Learn about your object associates (or Associations), what comes to mind when you see it, if you see a Jeep you think about off roading, traveling to the country, and lots of mud. You want to think about those experiences and feelings as you work of the object. If you do those feelings will subconsciously come through in the details and even in the overall appeal of the object. Not to mention give you plenty of great little storytelling elements to add as you work.

Pick apart and separate the Onion, Macro to Micro

Building up your mental library

I think in most fields in CG but especially in texturing world experience is so incredibly important. From my experience it is also what separates good artists from the greats. Get out there and experience some things! Live! Find other things you are passionate about and photograph them, learn about them. Do this and I promise you it will bleed into your work, making it so much stronger. The more you have stored up top the more you have to reference later. This is huge even on a subconscious level.

Style vs. Workflow

I want to make a note here about style. Many artists say they are searching for a style in their art. Something that makes their work unique and stand out from everyone elses… Look at a Jean Giraud comic vs a Mike Mignola, now those are two vastly different styles but they need to be, people recognize and buy those comics because they may like one or the other. Now for a texture artist you will most likely be working on a project with several other texture artists. Here individual style is the problem, as much as you would like your style to shine through if that is the case you will end making your objects stick out and ruin the audience experience. More importantly a texture artist needs to focus on the ability to emulate others styles. So on a project you can match a directors preferred “look” or the leads direction.