BlogmyQuery – BMQ

Making a realistic and lifelike human character is one of the hardest tasks in 3D graphics. For a long time it was known as the “Holy Grailâ€� among 3D artists in the community. The reason why this skill is so desired, is the possibilities it gives you in the movie or advertising industries. Imagine you could create fully artificial digital actors and make the audience believe they are real. So real that there would be no questioning it. We are all familiar with the best examples out there – Gollum in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean or the alien species in Avatar.

There are a vast amount of techniques and tools developed to aid this process. Geometry composed of millions of polygons can be easily molded like clay to form the shape of a character. The 3D model then is linked to skeletal systems that enable artists to animate the body. Complex rendering algorithms calculate how light spreads in the scene to simulate physically accurate shadows and illumination. Shading procedures are then used to compute how textures react when light hits the surface. Rendering engines imitate details of human skin to such an extent that even the scattering of the light under the skin is taken into account.

Above all that, the artist has to convey the personality and make the audience believe that it is a real person. That’s why some 3D characters look so strange – technically all the skin and shading details are correct, but something is lacking in the character. Sometimes the expression is unnatural, or the traits of the face are too perfect. When 3D characters look “almost â€� like actual human beings, it can cause repulsive thoughts, the experience often colloquially said as the uncanny valley.

Anyway, new software and ever growing computing power enables artists to create computer generated characters you would never guess it is not a real photo. Here are 40 of the most interesting and photorealistic 3D characters in the community to date.

Gallery of Characters

Captain Jack Sparrow / Johnny Depp made by ZhiHeng Tang

Portrait of President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev made by Oleg Koreyba

,,The Revolutionary” made by  Kris Kelly

,,Ayco” made by Chris Nichols

,,Bernadette”  by Stephen Molyneaux

,,The Portrait”  made by Luc Bégin

,,Body builder” made by Jian Xu (Tutorial)

Although he looks a bit exaggerated, it was made from a reference of a real bodybuilder Markus Ruhl.

,,Jonas” by Zbynek Kysela

,,Old man” created by  Jin Hee Lee (Tutorial)

,,Portrait attempt” made by Alex Huguet

Korean actress Song Hye Kyo by Max Wahyudi

,,Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Highway” made by Stanislav Klabik (Tutorial)

,,Far and Away” by  Stanislav Klabik

,,Painter ” by RenPeng Dong

,,The Joker ” made by  Max Wahyudi (Making of)

A fan art of a character Joker (actor - Heath Ledger) from the movie Dark Knight.

,,Muriel 2” made by  Mauro Corveloni

,,Young Girl”  made by Viki Yeo (Tutorial)

,,Mursi Tribesman” made by Adam Skutt (Tutorial)

,,Apocalypto’s Middle Eye” made by Peter Zoppi

Close up portrait made by David Moratlla (Tutorial)

,,The Blue Project” self-portrait made by Dan Roarty (Tutorial)

,,An elderly curmudgeon” made by Rokly Wang

,,Hold Hakka Woman” made by Salvatore Ferracane

Portrait of an Old Man made by Tony Reynolds

Varvara made by Denis Tolkishevsky

Sad woman made by Kleber Darcio

Slayer made by Guang Yang

Actor Tommy Lee Jones made by SiYoung Lee

Old woman made by Ivan Ozyumov

Girl elbow stand made by Alexander Tomchuk

Portrait  made by U Ri So

Last Elf made by Piotr Fox Wysock (Making of)

Kid made by Rakesh Sandhu (Tutorial)

Mage made by Joel Mongeon

Chris made by Redragon

Artist Addy Rose made a portrait of her boyfriend in 3D. Here is the tutorial of how she created this image.

“Old Detective” by James Busby

Old man made by Anto Juricic

Pink Amazon Portrait made by Rebeca Puebla

Evil Witch made by  Sven Geruschkat 

Inspired by Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”

Young Chimp made by Hyejin Moon

Not entirely a human but nonetheless one of the best CG characters of our ancestors.

All For Now

3D technology is evolving so fast that soon digital actors maybe replacing the real ones before too long. When it will be? Only time will tell. Tell us, how many of the images above could you not tell apart from a photo?

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Of late, Pinterest has taken the social networking world by a storm. Pinterest makes it extremely easy to find and share content of your liking and interest. Whether you prefer typography, or are into photography and interior décor, you are sure to find many like-minded individuals on Pinterest who are sharing content related to your topics of interest. Further more, if you like design inspiration and infographics, you should really be on Pinterest.

In this article, we are showcasing some Pinterest users who are sharing awesome stuff using their pin boards – not just any stuff, but content that is especially useful for designers. So take a look down through this collection of design-related Pinterest boards, and start following these along today.

Following the Masters

Dainis Graveris

Dainis Graveris is the Founder-Owner of 1stWebDesigner.com. With over 5000 followers on his Pinterest page, Dainis is surely one of the “must-followâ€� persons on Pinterest. His most notable pin boards include ‘Web Design Trends’, ‘Fonts’, and ‘Technology and Design News’. Also, just in case you are new to Pinterest, Dainis Graveris has a pin board meant just for you – ‘Guides to Pinterest’.

Paul Andrew

Paul Andrew is the Owner of Speckyboy Design Magazine. Apart from usual infographics, he shares interesting stuff such as ‘Books Worth Reading’ and ‘Resources Worth Taking A Look At’, in addition to design inspiration and other such related topics.

Russ Burtner

Russ Burtner is a Senior User Experience Research Scientist by profession. Sounds big, doesn’t it? He mainly shares stuff such as typography, art and photography, along with all genres of design (architectural, interface, industrial as well as product design).

Design Quixotic

Design Quixotic is the pin board of Thea, a graphic designer from NYC. It focuses mainly on design-related aspects, such as typography, graphic/web and product design, logos/icons as well as book covers and wedding invitations.

Trent Martens

Trent Martens basically shares things related to logos, photography, posters and graphic design.

Mattias Ahlvin

Mattias Ahlvin does not share content related entirely to web design, as there are pin boards for topics such as Politics as well. However, there is an interesting and content-rich board about HTML and CSS, along with separate boards for pixel art and WordPress.

Jen Vasseur

Jen Vasseur is a freelance web designer and developer. Major pin boards include those related to design, coding and fonts. Furthermore, there are also separate boards about interesting websites and ‘Websites That Need Help’.

Paula Cevasco

Paula Cevasco is a graphic and user interface designer based in Argentina. On this Pinterest page, you’ll find boards catering to different types of design, such as web, architecture, and so on.

Samantha DeMott

Samantha DeMott is a graphic and web designer based in Washington, DC. The pin boards on her Pinterest page share stuff related to design, especially inspiration and package design. Also, the infographics’ board has a very interesting line-up and is definitely worth checking out.

Sixtyseven

Sixtyseven shares things related to logos and brochure design on Pinterest. There are a couple of other boards too, but they aren’t so well populated.

COLOURlovers

COLOURlovers has over 6000 followers on Pinterest. The pin boards are in perfect harmony with the brand name – BLUElovers, BROWNlovers, GOLDlovers, WHITElovers, and so on. Beyond that, there are genre-based boards as well, such as PHOTOGRAPHYlovers and PRINTlovers. The total number of boards is over 70, and the pin count is well beyond 3000. Obviously, this is one of the most active Pinterest profiles out there!

Graham Smith

Graham Smith is a graphic and logo designer from the UK. With over 2000 Pinterest followers, he shares stuff mostly related to logo design. There are some interesting boards, such as ‘Batman Logo Evolution’ and ‘Vintage Packaging’.

Paolo Bossi

Paolo Bossi, a graphic designer and music producer, pins stuff which is related to design and inspiration – typography, logo design, UI design, identity design and even Photoshop tutorials.

InfoTrust LLC

The Pinterest page for InfoTrust LLC contains boards dealing with social media and design resources. There are also separate boards for premium WordPress themes, Google Analytics and mobile web design.

Ophelia Quixote

Ophelia Quixote has over 1400 followers on Pinterest. Most interesting pin boards included ‘Art I Heart’, ‘Photo Ideas and Inspiration’ and ‘Patterns and Colors’.

Stu Greenham

Stu Greenham uses Pinterest the way it is supposed to be used– to organize and share things he personally likes (or, probably, dislikes). Just along side Typography, you’ll find ‘Favourite Fonts’, and other mutually resonating boards such as ‘Books to Read’ and ‘Books I’ve Read’. Terrific way to personalize social media, isn’t it? There is also a separate pin board pertaining to Facebook Timeline Covers.

Niki Blaker

Niki Blaker, a visual designer, has created boards about typography, animated GIFs and illustrations. Just in case you are looking for some awesome artwork, check out her pin board ‘Mexicana Floral Embroidery’.

Jeff Andrews

Having over 4000 followers, Jeff Andrews has created pin boards related to architecture, design, film and television, typography, photography and many other topics.

Mashable

Mashable has over 40,000 followers on Pinterest. The pin boards cover varied topics, such as space, fashion, lifestyle, humor, business, advertisements, social media, and so on. For web designers and other internet enthusiasts, there are also special boards about Instagram photos and Pinterest itself.

Smashing Magazine

You’ll find eBooks, desktop wallpaper calendars, and other awesome stuff from Smashing Magazine‘s Pinterest boards. Need we say more?

Over to You:

Finding design-related content on the internet is almost like building a personal library. No matter how many books you collect, there are always many more just waiting for you! Just like a good reading pane or library, the above list too can never be complete. Know any Pinterest boards that we missed? Feel free to share in the comments!

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Ask almost any designer about custom colors and the name that will probably be waiting on the tips of their tongues would be Pantone. Such a rich selection of patented hues rest under the Pantone umbrella, but their reach does not end there. Far from it, in fact. Pantone’s custom color service has given brands the world over the ability to coordinate in style.

Today we are turning that inspirational spotlight towards the wide reach of influence that Pantone has had over designers the world over. Below is a collection of both concepts and fully realized products that have been modeled after and honors the Pantone brand. We hope you find this as inspiring a collection as we do.

The Pantone Hotel

The Pantone Hotel invites you to experience the city of Brussels through a lens of color and a spectrum of comforts. From the moment you arrive, our “hotel of colors� will awaken your senses to an array of delights and playful surprises.

Impeccably designed by Michel Penneman and Olivier Hannaert, The PANTONE Brussels showcases the color of emotion with a distinctive hue on each colorous guest floor. From vivid to subdued, for business or leisure, our unique boutique hotel perfectly suits your savvy palette and colorful imagination.

From a design perspective, The PANTONE Brussels is built on an exceptional use of contrast; a white canvas provides clean space for saturated colors to pop. Guest rooms feature unique photography by esteemed Belgian photographer Victor Levy.

Pantone Universe

Pantone Universe is a design-led collection for the home, the workplace and the road… Accessories and apparel you need and designs you want – and in colors you love, by Pantone, the author of the universal color language.

Sephora + Pantone Universe Eyeshadow Pallete

Pantone Wall Stores

Pantone Twin Markers

Pantone Barbie

Pantone Mugs

Pantone Folding Chairs

Pantone Artist Acrylic Paint

Pantone Storage Boxes

Pantone Coaster Set

Pantone Notebooks

Pantone Contact Lense Case

Pantone Postcards

Pantone Toothbrush Set

Pantone Eco Pencil Tubes

Pantone Christmas Ball Ornaments

Pantone DIY

Pantone Flower Pots

Pantone Knitted Swatches

DIY Pantone Easter Eggs

Pantone Chip Cookies

Pantone Colored Tarts

Pantone Stained Glass Window Door

Pantone Concepts

Pantone Digital Leather Chair

Rubitone

Pantone Stamps

Pantone Nail Polish

Pantone Eye Shadows

Pantone and Gap Clothing Booth

Share Your Thoughts

Thanks for joining us for this collection, but before you go, share your thoughts with us via the comment section. What were some of your favorite interpretations or applications of the Pantone color wheel? Do you know of other pieces or projects that were left out of our showcase? If so, point us in that direction.

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“It’s sort of Victorian-industrial, but with more whimsy and fewer orphans.� Caitlin Kittredge

Steampunk is a genre which surfaced during the late 1980s and early 1990s, as an amalgam of various science-fiction and fantasy elements resembling the British Victorian era or the U.S. “Wild-West” era, in which steam power was widely used. One of its main characteristics is anachronism – designating an object, person, event or custom which is inconsistent with its current time period. The term “steampunk” was allegedly originally coined by author K.W. Jeter in a letter to science-fiction magazine Locus in 1987, to separate himself and fellow sci-fi retro-tech lovers from their contemporary, futuristic “cyberpunks”:

“Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of that era; like ‘steampunks,’ perhaps…”

The genre itself actually predated the appearance of its denomination: some of its specific, easily-recognizable features can be found in the works of literary titans H.G. Wells and Jules Verne in the late 18th – early 19th century. Since then, steampunk elements and influences can be found throughout an array of domains, such as art, literature, television and film, fashion, music and design. Today, we’re going to dip our toes into the web design pool and take a look at an inspiring showcase of websites and resources that pay homage to this unique style.

Steampunk Web Design

3232 Design

3232 Design is a Minneapolis based web design studio specializing in websites and interactive media. They also produce and integrate business systems, print and online marketing and brand identity design.

Abney Park

This is the official website of renowned Seattle based steampunk band, Abney Park. It was formed by Robert Brown in 1997 and named after a London cemetery and are now referred to as the “quintessential steampunk band”.

Arthrobots

Arthrobots is Manchester based artist Tom Hardwidge’s website, where he commercializes hand-made ornamental robots inspired by arthropods.

Chris Jockey

This is the official web page of Colombian graphic designer Chris Jockey. He offers a plateau of services, among which illustration, animation, web design and branding.

Dr. Grordbort

Dr. Grordbort is a unique and eccentric website that commercializes rayguns – weapons that any true steampunk lover must have in their artillery.

Felideus

Felideus is a Spanish freelance illustrator, designer and writer that has worked as an art director, graphic designer, animator and screenwriter in audiovisual productions.

Freak Angels

Freak Angels is a website dedicated to posting an online weekly comic written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Paul Duffield

Ian Tregillis

This is the website of New Mexico based author Ian Tregillis, who is best known for his science-fantasy trilogy The Milkweed Triptych.

Iron Grip Marauders

This is the official website of the Iron Grip Marauders multiplayer strategy game. Here, you can experience virtual strategic battles in 3D graphics.

Internal Carotid

Internal Carotid is a design company from Ukraine, specializing in web design, interaction design and illustration. Here, you can browse through their portfolio and get a pretty good idea of what they do.

Kultika

Kultika is a German website containing a large list of psychics, fortune tellers, astrologists and clairvoyants, which you can call for advice.

La Lune Mauve

La Lune Mauve is a French webzine containing the works, thoughts and ideas of various francophone artists passionate about dark romanticism.

Light Quick

Light Quick are a web design company from South Oxfordshire, England. On their websites you can find relevant samples of their previous projects, a helpful guide as to what their services entail and more.

Lord Likely

“The Astonishing Adventures of Lord Likely Aristocratic Adventurer and Gentle-man of Action” by its full name – is a website dedicated to an eccentric figure of the English aristocracy in the Victorian era. Here, you can read outrageous stories about his life and adventures.

Mechanical Mirage

This is the official website of Japanese artist Kazuhiko Nakamura. You can marvel at the numerous prizes he has won during his longstanding career and at his art – “a surreal hybrid of man and machine, a hard marriage of metal and flesh”.

Myke Amend

This is the official website of artist Myke Amend, surreal pop fantasy painter, engraver, sculptor, and woodworker from Cincinnati, Ohio. It contains his steampunk, gothic and horror mixed media artworks.

The New York Moon

This is an Internet based publication in sync with the lunar phases (meaning that it is released at every other month’s full moon) and a cool collection of imaginative projects.

Conselho Steampunk

Conselho Steampunk is a Brazillian website created by the Steampunk Council from Rio de Janeiro as a place to share related news, events, designs, music and more.

Loja São Paolo Conselho Steampunk

The Loja São Paolo is actually linked to the above mentioned website. The things that set them apart are the city in which the council is based and the fact that this particular one also contains a forum, where steampunk aficionados can discuss related topics.

Steampump

This is the official website of the annual steampunk festival in North Melbourne, Australia. Here is where you can find out all the details about the festival’s third edition that is taking place this year on the 11th of August.

Steampunk Comic Shop

The title of this websites gives us a pretty good idea about its purpose. It contains numerous steampunk inspired graphic novels, sketchbooks, photography, magazines, trading cards, toys and other fun items for the passionate.

Stephane Halleux

The official website of artist Stephane Halleux, featuring a short bio and news regarding previous and future expositions of his amazing steampunk artworks.

The Steam Emporium

The Steam Emporium has been created as a collection of the coolest gadgets and artifacts related to the steampunk genre. It also contains news about upcoming events and art shows.

Thin Gipsy Thief Studios

Thin Gipsy Thief Studios is visual artist Kyle Miller’s website and brand, based in Vancouver Island, British Columbia. His work entails steampunk and science-fiction styled woodwork.

Vulcania Volunteers

This is award winning artist David McCamant’s website, where he guides visitors through a unique journey in imagery of the Nautilus from Twenty Thousands Leagues Under the Sea.

Steampunk Inspired Design Resources

So what’s the next step if you’re a designer and you just decided you love this style? You’ll continue to scroll down through a list of steampunk inspired design resources for your web interfaces. Because putting an extra effort in the details makes the whole more than just the sum of its parts.

How to Create a Steampunk Style Illustration in Photoshop

Create a Steam Powered Typographic Treatment – Part I & Part II

How to Create a Steampunk Golden Car

Creating a Highly Detailed Steampunk Insect

Customized Name Tag

Steampunk Web Browser Icon

Steampunk Header

Steampunk UI Bits and Bobs

Steampunk Clock Calendar Widget

Steampunk Navigation Menu

Steampunk Weather App

Conclusion

We’ve begun unraveling the mysteries of the steampunk genre together and have taken the first baby steps inside this fascinating fictional world. To take it further share with us. Have you encountered other websites with steampunk inspired landing pages or interfaces? Would you use elements from this unique style in creating your own website? Why or why not?

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One area of design that tends to constantly be producing innovative and impressive results is the field of costume design. With so many important scenes relying heavily on the costumes to help create and solidify the tone and feeling of the piece, costume designers have a lot to carry on their shoulders. So much has to be conveyed through the clothing the models are clad in, and sold through them as they are often more than just the focal point of the piece, they are often the only engaging element in the foreground.

So below is a fantastic collection that explores so many talented designers’ work in this field for you to refill your inspirational well. From all of the everyday casual fashion that surrounds us, it is always nice to break into new worlds through the art of creative costume design.

Creatively Clad

Treadwear by Carl Elkins

Exoskeleton by Janina Alleyne

RANDOM RAINFALLS (photographed) by Julie Marie Gene Gobelin

SUMMER LAWN COLLECTION 2010… by Noori Worldd

Triumph by Olga Baturina

Nekromantik collection by Katarzyna Konieczka

Nintai by Lucia Benitez & by Mercedes Arocena

Tequia – Goddess of Aztec (photographed) by Gabriella Gertruida

Zignatories by Tarveen & Vikul

Geometric corporal expansion by Marcos Paulo Piccoli

AArambh by Yatin Gandhi (photographer radhakrishna)

Serie Guerreras “Joya nunca taxi” by Samantha Otheguy

Poupée de la Lune by Jesica M. Almaguer

Triumph by Olga Baturina

Medical Costumes by Katarzyna Konieczka

Treadwear by Carl Elkins

50ft. McQueenie by Gerwyn Davies

Accordian by Marcos Paulo Piccoli

Noi.se by Zuza Sowinska-Bania

The birds, fashion design, 2004 by Baiba Ladiga

Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, by EL NIDO

Geometric corporal expansion by Marcos Paulo Piccoli

Exoskeleton by Janina Alleyne

Zignatories by Tarveen & Vikul

The Runway’s End

We are finished with our side of the showcase, but now we want to hear from you. What pieces really moved you or caught your attention from this collection of creative costume design? Do you know of any others that we should see? Leave us your thoughts or links in the comments.

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