ZBrush Character Creation - Advanced Digital Sculpting 2nd Edition

286 chapter 8 ■ ZBrush Movies and Photoshop Composites

Figure 8.39 Place the matte layer at the top of the stack.

Painting Eyes

In this section we will create one of the most impor-

tant parts of the creature illustration: the eyes. The

eyes are so very important because they are the natu-

ral focal point of a face. Even an alien face with eyes

will naturally draw the viewer to the gaze of the char-

acter. It is for this reason that we need to do the best

we can to create a sense of realism and life in the eyes.

A flat, fake-looking eye can destroy an otherwise

compelling image. For that reason we will take extra

care to create eyes with depth, shine, and most of all

character!

1. Load the iris.psd file from the DVD. Copy
   and paste it into the current document. Enter
   Transform mode by pressing Ctrl+T, and using
   the sculpted iris as a guide to perspective, place
   the iris on the eye.


2. Repeat this process for both eyes. It can be help-
   ful to dial back the opacity slightly when trying
   to match the perspective of the guide circles on
   the eye sculpture.


3. Collapse the two iris layers into one. Jump the
   layer up as a copy by pressing Ctrl+J and set the
   top layer to Overlay (Figure 8.40). This will help
   accentuate the color of the eyes.


4. Using the matte layer, select the eye area using
   the Magic Wand tool. Invert the selection
   and delete the parts of the iris that overlap the
   eyelids. Invert the selection again and using the
   paintbrush darken a shadow in the top of the
   irises. The iris recesses into the eye so there will
   be a shadow cast here (Figure 8.41).


5. Using the paintbrush, punch in the pupil and
   change its shape if you desire. Be sure to use
   a medium softness on the edge of your brush.
   Figure 8.42 shows the iris after further adjust-
   ments but before adding reflections.

Reflections

We will now add a reflection to the surface of the eye.

Doing so will both describe the character’s environ-

ment and help define the transparent surface of the

corneal bulge of the eye.

Figure 8.40 Duplicate the iris layers and set the blending
mode to overlay to punch up the color.

Figure 8.41 Painting in a shadow on the iris

By placing the reflection correctly, you can cre-

ate the impression of a clear lens over the iris, increas-

ing the realism of the eyes.