Explorer Restoration Center

Museum Age for Explorer Created work

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Re: Explorer Restoration Center

Postby Atheni33 » Thu Sep 25, 2008 5:12 pm

I was checking the thread and realized I didn't respond to folks post. :oops:

Well the least I could do is show you a few roughs drafts of some of the masks I'm texturing for the ERC. Warning: The masks appearance is subject to change. Mostly because I'm still learning blender and I'm a perfectionist. :P I really like the idea of ambiguous patterns on the mask (which is still being perfected) and I purposefully left the mask with almost no physical features. I felt the bird like figures and drawings should be more of the focal point of the mask, which were central elements for the cultures rituals. A culture that had a deeply rooted connection to the metaphysical qualities of their world. Also I want the masks to be a conversation piece.. maybe eventually introduce a story line sometime. 8-) I am open to any suggestions on improvement. One thing I may work on is the dimension, they look a little flat to me, probably because I created them with a Bezier Curve.

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Last edited by Atheni33 on Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Explorer Restoration Center

Postby Jennifer_P » Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:22 am

Wow...Seeing those in 3D is something else. They look very mysterious and intriguing. I especially like how the stripes are arranged on the bottom one's "face" part, and how the pointy tips of the first one are darkened (even though that's probably just a light effect.) For the suggestions for improvement, let me say that one of the things I liked about your original masks was the pleasing contrast between the colors of the different parts. The new color scheme looks fine, but I miss the contrast that the old ones provided.
maybe eventually introduce a storyline sometime. 8-)

*gears start turning* Maybe like how the masks were obtained? And who found them anyway, and how did it come about?
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Re: Explorer Restoration Center

Postby Jojon » Fri Sep 26, 2008 4:47 pm

Me too on the original "temporary" colouration. :7
Just some rather discrete dense and longgrained wood pattern, with large sections treated to different darkness and spot detail painted on in sharp unblended colours, would look great to me, although it may be considedered a bit standard fare and wood might suggest a modest age. :7

Me too on background info as well - hints on the makers of the things, location and environment, what the shapes might depict/represent, possible ritual use.. *rubbing hands together* :9

EDIT: ...or maybe it is simply Atheni handiwork - great as well. :)
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Re: Explorer Restoration Center

Postby Ruvinka » Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:05 pm

Atheni... I'd forgotten just how beautiful the form of these masks are.
They are very mysterious, and while i do love the texture ( it makes me think of acid metal etching or an extremely exotic woodgrain) I too miss the contrasted colour. Your form is so elegant and simple while maintaining such an avante garde theatre sense that I know those masks can stand up to whatever yourmind throws out at us colour wise.

I think Jennifer's story line idea of who found the masks and how they got to the ERC is a fine one !
Thanks so much for showing us your work!
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Re: Explorer Restoration Center

Postby Atheni33 » Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:51 pm

For the suggestions for improvement, let me say that one of the things I liked about your original masks was the pleasing contrast between the colors of the different parts. The new color scheme looks fine, but I miss the contrast that the old ones provided.


Yeah you are so right about the contrast I didn't even think about the original sketches which started all of this, when I was creating the texture..lol I added a dark red for contrast and color, moved the texture around for dramatic effect. (I might have went a little to far with a few). It's so good to have other people viewpoint, it helps keeping me on point. :)


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Just some rather discrete dense and long grained wood pattern, with large sections treated to different darkness and spot detail painted on in sharp unblended colours, would look great to me, although it may be considedered a bit standard fare and wood might suggest a modest age. :7


You know I did consider wood originally, but when I started to render this group of mask in Blender my idea ended up going in a different direction. I think maybe because the mask were created on a Bezier curve and they came out almost two dimensional...which I kind of liked. They had a more sophisticated and regal feel, I started to imagine the people who used these group of masks were probably the weathest and most educated in this age, using the finest of materials for their masks. But I do have other mask ideas from the more rural regions of this world that have a more organic feel to them, making them out of some exotic looking wood work and paint would work perfectly.

they are very mysterious, and while i do love the texture ( it makes me think of acid metal etching..


Thats exactly what I was thinking....an acid metal etching technique!! And I think it would work with the dimensions of the mask. The patterns are going to be refined. The ones I created were only temporary, I just wanted to see if it's a direction I really wanted to go. I want the patterns to have some significant meaning to the culture so I have a lot of planning and research to do.

*gears start turning* Maybe like how the masks were obtained? And who found them anyway, and how did it come about?

Oh..I have a few ideas. *we should talk* :twisted:
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Re: Explorer Restoration Center

Postby Ruvinka » Sat Sep 27, 2008 11:25 am

Yes yes yes! Atheni!!
Beautiful!!
The red is gorgeous. It has such depth over the gold it gleams.
I absolutely see these on the noble and well to do.

... if I had the money I'd fund you to produce a live product!!
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Re: Explorer Restoration Center

Postby Raider7 » Sat Sep 27, 2008 2:50 pm

Great work on the mask Atheni.
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Re: Explorer Restoration Center

Postby Atheni33 » Sun Sep 28, 2008 7:57 am

Thanx! I still have a lot to do until they are finished, refining the texture, symbols... Also Jennifer mentioned sometime ago to think about how I want to present the masks. I imagined the installation in a enclosed area in the ERC and I knew I didn't want them to be mounted on the walls but on pedestals. I had this idea giving the pedestal a stylized figure like shape with a bent metal rod/neck at which point I would mount the masks, and have them arranged randomly through out the room. I hope the effect will be a little.. unnerving as visitor would feel entering a party and didn't know anyone, forcing oneself to take inventory of the environment.
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Re: Explorer Restoration Center

Postby Jennifer_P » Sun Sep 28, 2008 10:34 pm

Oh, they look just beautiful now Atheni! :) I love how the red looks with the golden brown.

Also Jennifer mentioned sometime ago to think about how I want to present the masks. I imagined the installation in a enclosed area in the ERC and I knew I didn't want them to be mounted on the walls but on pedestals. I had this idea giving the pedestal a stylized figure like shape with a bent metal rod/neck at which point I would mount the masks, and have them arranged randomly through out the room. I hope the effect will be a little.. unnerving as visitor would feel entering a party and didn't know anyone, forcing oneself to take inventory of the environment.

This is a new idea on me--I really like it too...Instead of taking in all the masks at one glance, and getting to see them from only a 180 degree frontal view, the viewer has to walk all around the room to see the masks, and he sees them from a full 360 degree forward and backward view.

Oh..I have a few ideas. *we should talk*

Let's! :D How about if we go over to the private SR storyline forum so that we don't give away the future story? I'll invite the rest of the ERC/SR team as well and we can work on it together. :) And I'll share my theory on what the upper crust must have used the masks for...
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Re: Explorer Restoration Center

Postby Jennifer_P » Tue Sep 30, 2008 1:16 am

Hm, on second thought do you think we could wait until Thursday to start? Unfortunately I've got an exam on Wednesday, and I've really got to study for that... :roll:
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