Scholar SXSW
A few artists at Scholar were asked to create a graphic for Scholars SXSW conference that shows experimentation and mixed media. I decided to combine 3D rendering with 2D pattern and cel expressions. I did a lot of ideation to get to this result and there’s still more I would like to do with it eventually, but my favorite part was the brain texture I created using toon shading methods in Redshift and blending that with an Iridescent-like glass texture.
I started by sketching out some rough ideas. This task was meant to happen simultaneously with other projects so I knew I wouldn’t have a ton of time to complete this. The composition had to be very graphic and not over complicated at first.
I created some texture tests to see what direction I’d like to go in and what had the most potential. I was in love with the toon shader look because I don’t play with that ever and there was some beauty to combining it with something so gorgeous in 3D like glass.
Now it was time to experiment in 3D. I created two looks with the toon shader I liked and the glass but not combining them yet. Then to really try something new, I comped the first render in Photoshop adding a more paper texture overlay over top and echoing the shape of the brain. Then I put that through an online AI program that adds a painterly feel to images. These were beginning to feel right but weren’t mixing mediums the way I originally intended.
Finally, I tried mixing materials in Redshift and got a look I much more enjoyed. The cel expression was a last minute edition but It was fun to play with none the less. I don’t think I would have ever gotten to the final result if I hadn’t taken this much time to experiment and try something new.