My entry to this year’s Daz 3D Calendar contest was more than a simple exercise of copy. I wanted to demonstrate (at least to myself) that it is possible to use Poser characters in a way closer to more classical art. To that effect, I looked for a recognizable painting and took on the challenge of reproducing something close enough to stand on its own.
The Raft of the Medusa by french master Theodore Gericault presented the challenges I was after : numerous characters, expressive poses, strong scene. And to complete the challenge, not a single “young half naked nymph” in view…
Working on this picture was a great learning experience. It was the occasion of many ‘firsts’ as well. To begin with the resolution required by the contest (12 inch by 12 inch, which translated into 4275×4275 pixels at 350dpi). I never worked at that resolution before and it proved to be different than what I expected – reducing a very large picture to a more reasonable size does add a higher quality feel to a scene.
It was also the first time I had to handle that many characters. Each character was created individually with Poser and imported one by one into Vue d’Esprit for an initial render. Vue handled the number of characters and complex lighting rather well actually.
For a first attempt at hand-painting, the result is satisfying enough to feel like I can move forward and maybe one day, actually paint something without a model.