Review: Modeling the Female Head
Its an incredible time to get into Blender, especially with all of the available learning resources. Lets look at one of these resources. A head modeling training DVD from Jonathan Williamson (aka:mr_bomb) that covers every aspect of modeling the female head. You may remember Jonathan’s head and ear modeling videos well this is a leap above that and we’ll take an insiders look at what can be found on this excellent resource.
When we first heard about this DVD we pinned Jonathan down to ask him a few questions under the spotlight.
What is the length of the DVD?
Jonathan: Nearly 3 hours of video.
Sections? And organization of the DVD? Menus?
Jonathan: The dvd is cut into sections via the parts of the face. e.g. Eyes, nose, ear, etc. (We’ll look at that more. Read below for details.)
In whole the DVD covers? (head, ear, eye…?)
Jonathan: The entirety of the head has been covered. The learner will go through the steps of modeling the entire head, going from the eyes clear down through the neck.
Why did you decide to create this DVD?
Jonathan: Early last year I released two video tutorials, one on modeling the female face and another on modeling an ear. The response I got was incredible, far more than I expected. So, I thought, why not make a whole DVD? It would allow for me to give even more back to the community that has so graciously helped me through the years, and perhaps even make a bit of money on the side. However, the main deciding factor for me was simply that I love to teach.
How did you get into Blender?
Jonathan: My thanks actually go out to one of my dad’s old employees. He was an avid gamer and enjoyed playing FreeCraft. He thought it would be cool if I got into 3D modeling and sent some models into the project as the current state of the game art at that time was mediocre at best. After trying out several programs he came across Blender and handed it off to me. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Any future plans for more DVDs? If so what are they?
Jonathan: Yes, I do plan on doing more DVDs after the completion of this one. I’m tentatively planning doing one on lowpoly character modeling for games, one on clothing, and perhaps one on a variety of various small subjects (trees, rocks, swords, whatever). Although I don’t currently have the time at some point I would like to do a DVD over the entire human figure.
Now lets take a deeper look into what you’ll find on the DVD. One nice thing is that Jonathan includes all of the .blend files that progress through the entire development of each section of instruction. He also includes Blender installations for all major operating systems and provides the same for the VLC player. That way ensuring that when you buy the DVD you are set and ready to go. A very nice gesture and is an example of the quality to be found on the DVD.
The first video begins with some good discussion on preplanning your mesh and discusses some core edge loop concepts. Then Jonathan shows how to setup background images for modeling reference and begins modeling the eye. You’ll find some excellent techniques on getting the proper eye shape on this video, especially in regards to the eyelids.
The videos continue on through the nose and mouth. Once again I was impressed with the detail Jonathan goes into while explaining the modeling process. Down to the subtle realistic ridge found in a character’s nose.
The videos are very casual and the viewer can almost feel like they are watching over a friend’s shoulder. I look forward to Jonathan’s next DVD. For now you can buy the head modeling DVD for a reasonable $30 +shipping.
Make sure to check out the Blenderartist thread about the DVD release and shipping.
bien!!
bien? No.
C’est incorrect:
Awesome!!!!!
TRÈS BIEN!!!!!!!!!
PARFAIT!!!
Ok, enough of my french :D It’s not that good…
This looks reeeaaaly impressive! I like this partial textured version ;)
This pics are interlaced… can you filter them for here, as this is on the pc?
If not, doesn’t matter… You can see, what’s there, anyway :D
The DVD must be hiquality. o.O This screenshots are BIG
this dvd is really good, ive learnt alot since i first watched it. not just about modeling the human head, but also about topology in general :)
looking forward to others
im working on mine at the moment, hopefully i can get it on here :)
dan
This should be really good. The first face I ever did was with the Adrianna tutorial (the same guy, Jonathan, created the tutorial – check his website) and I had very good results.
Wow, awesome. I made his head modelling tutorial, it’s one of the best modelling tutorials I ever saw. So this DVD is definitely bought!!! :)
I got my copy a few days ago and it looks great… haven’t had time to watch it through yet, but I’m really looking forward to it. The Adrianna tutorial was a classic…
I have the DVD and can say that it is even better than the old tuts he did. Nice work!
I already bought it…. just waiting for it to arrive
Hey I’d just like to thank everyone that has purchased a copy of the dvd and to send out a special thanks to Brian for doing this review. I appreciate it :)
I just completed the tutorials on Jonathan’s DVD and I have to say it is worth every penny. This is the first human anything I have ever modeled (except for the Adrianna tutorial) and although less than perfect, I’m very happy with the results. Jonathan’s modeling magic is made accessible through this generously offered DVD.
My Head Model (Plain)
My Head Model (Wire)
You’ll certainly notice some mesh imperfections in my model, and I certainly haven’t attained modeling perfection in just one pass, there are plenty of problems to pick at. None the less, I’ve just accomplished something I thought nearly impossible for me and it is because of Jonathan’s DVD.
BTW, this DVD is superior to the Adrianna tutorial in every way. Not only does it offer instruction on the rest of the female head, the mesh techniques are superior, not to mention, it’s paced better.
Here’s some advice to those following along with the DVD:
– Go ahead, rush on ahead of the instruction and try to do things your own way. Then, when you fail miserably, wipe away the tears, and go back and follow along carefully with the instruction.
– Follow the mesh construction as closely as possible. You’ll find that when the mesh is constructed properly, as is given by Jonathan step by step, then getting the proper shape comes easier than you might expect.
– Take your time. What Jonathan does in a couple of hours will take a beginner quite a bit longer to get right. I spent the better part of a week going through the instruction.
– Don’t be afraid to yell at and mock Jonathan. He can’t hear you. They’re just videos. This will make you feel better when he effortlessly does those things that seem much more difficult for you and me.
– Don’t expect perfection from yourself, and don’t be afraid to experiment a little, it will aid the learning process. There are a lot of modeling techniques offered that will take some experimentation to master.
– Stick with it and don’t get discouraged. You can do this. If you hit a wall (it happened to me a few times) then put it away and go to sleep. You will dream about extruding edges and filling faces all night long. Then just pick it up again when you’re ready.
Thanks Jonathan!
OOOOOOOOOOOOh i have realy loved the short time i have spent on the blender website ,its like idont remember havin got this from any where ,BUT how can i get the soft ware. EMULSIONIX lab CEO