Reply To: BC1-1908 Homework – Aaron Rudderham
@thecabbagedetective Now that I’m seeing the final model, you picked a complex one for sure. That ornamental hand guard is tricky stuff. Considering that, you pulled it off quite well!
I’ve got two main notes: First, a potential damage inconsistency. The blade looks like it’s been to hell and back while the handle and looks relatively unscathed. I see a tiny nick in the pommel, but by comparison to the blade it’s notably undamaged. You could either add damage details to the handle for consistency or remove most of the damage from the blade. Or meet in the middle: Add a little damage to the handle and remove a little from the blade.
Second note is about the lighting. Really it’s a week 3 exercise, but since you’re starting now you’ll have plenty of time to polish the lighting. Currently the lighting is lacking focus and proper value range to me. The center light on the sword is providing decent rim light but there’s not enough showcasing the sword as a whole. So it get’s a bit lost, fighting for attention with the rim light on the case and most-lit area (the floor). Here’s couple images from my reference collection that could help:
None of them are featuring a weapon but they’re all silhouette-heavy with dark ambient light and strong key liights. The illumination from below in the last one could be a cool way to light your sword in the case (like a light panel as the floor of the case). Do your own thing though!
As for a homework grade, you have definitely earned an A. Way to go, sir! 👊