Log inBy CategoryBy Instructor
Browse

Creating a Character Bust: From Ideation to Final Render

ZBrush, Maya, Marvelous Designer, Substance 3D Painter & Marmoset Toolbag Workflow with Colleen Larson

Description

Leveraging all of the skills learned throughout her career, Colleen Larson, a Senior Character Artist at Naughty Dog, takes you through her entire process of bringing a character to life in 3D. The workflow showcased is a modified version of the game art pipeline she follows daily in her professional role.


This workshop is intended for anyone who would like to gain a holistic view of how a character is created from initial ideation and reference gathering through to the final render. Foundational knowledge of ZBrush, Maya, Substance Painter, and Marmoset Toolbag is recommended, but this workshop will provide a brief overview of each software used for those interested.


Throughout this 3-hour tutorial, Colleen shares her approach to preparing for a 3D character project, demonstrates head and likeness sculpting in ZBrush, instructs how to create realistic clothing using Marvelous Designer, shows how to create impressive hair using XGen, and explains how to texture the character using Substance Painter. She then walks through the process of rendering the bust in Marmoset Toolbag to create the final images and videos to showcase in a portfolio.


In addition to sharing her professional techniques, Colleen discusses her philosophies for staying creative throughout the process. If you are passionate about character art and want to know how to push it to the next level, or simply curious and want to learn more about how it’s done, this tutorial will provide essential insights to help you level up your 3D characters.


The 3D Scan Store Free Base Mesh and the 3D Scan Store HD Male Head 23 are utilized in this workshop. A .txt file containing links to the other resources that Colleen found helpful with her project is also provided as a project file.


Duration: 3h 18m

Format: HD 1920x1080

Colleen Larson

Senior Character Artist at Naughty Dog

Colleen Larson is a Senior Character Artist at Naughty Dog in California. With over eight years of experience in the gaming industry, she has had the privilege of fusing her lifelong passion for art and video games to bring life to characters for several titles, including The Last of Us Part I and II


Having first earned a BFA in 2D illustration before delving into 3D character game art, she brings a broad skill set to bear when approaching any project, valuing above all the desire to imbue her work with a sense of personality and narrative.


Follow Colleen Larson on Instagram @colleen_sculpts and on X @colleen_sculpts.

  • Colleen Larson is a very talented character artist. Before I hired her, her work already spoke for itself. Once we'd worked together, I realized that not only is she a great artist, hard-working, but she also has a great attitude to try her very best and learn with each task. Most importantly, she is a team player, helping other artists on the team. She's very humble and also not shy about giving feedback to help others! I believe many people will be able to learn a lot from her experience and artistic vision.

    - Frank Tzeng
    Principal Character Artist at Naughty Dog

  • I've had the privilege of working alongside Colleen Larson for many years. She is one of the most driven and talented artists I've ever collaborated with. Her relentless pursuit of excellence and deep understanding of her craft make her an invaluable asset to any team. Moreover, her passion for mentoring elevates those fortunate enough to learn from her, helping them grow at an impressive pace.

    - Darcy Korch
    Lead Character Artist at Naughty Dog