The Blind Man is based on a painting of the same name by Gustav Klimt. I was immediately drawn to the unique character of the model and how Klimt uses lighting to accentuate his features. I took the main concept from his work and interpreted the details to bring the painting to life in CG. It was a great learning experience in lighting and look-dev.
For textures, I used a 3D Scan Store texture as a starting point for the skin, which was then painted over in photoshop, Mari and Substance Painter. The clothing was simulated in Marvelous Designer based on some designs from the late 19th century. I also used a modified HDRI from Poly Haven, and some light textures from Cave Academy. Finally, I rendered in Arnold and composited the final images in NukeX. I decided to create one version to match the tone and feel of the painting and place the viewer in the Blind Man's world, and another version to show him in neutral lighting to showcase the work as a 3D asset.
I was lucky enough to get feedback from a few of my favorite artists, and so I would like to extend a warm thanks to Alex Sizov, Jon Catapia, and Alex Huguet who gave me some great feedback and endless inspiration during the process.
Gallery
Reference painting
Medium close-up
Close-up
one of my reference images
render to match reference
Groom splines 3/4 view
