(12:36 PM) ~ Hey guys! Here is some of the final updates to Project Howard before I make it an actual art piece on my ArtStation and website! I've got a few more things I would like to do before I call the project complete, and I'll be working with him even after its completion to integrate him into the remake of Howard and Wispy. Needless to say, you'll be seeing a lot more of this little fellow, ha!

Be on the lookout for him within the next few days to see the entire project in one post!

(7:56 PM) ~ Another update on my little friend, here! Recently returned from visiting some friends over in Monterey, California, as well as this year's GDC in San Francisco. I had an amazing time, and I got to meet some awesome people! Working on Howard outside in the mountains was also very relaxing, and very much a needed experience.

I finished the retopo of Howard's hair, and got everything unwrapped! Separating Howard into multiple UVs (body on one map, pants on one map, shirt on another, etc) allows for easy clothing customization and swapping if a player chooses to dress him differently in a game scenario. I'm not 100% sure how customizable I want Howard to be quite yet, but I prepared for the complex situation: hair, shirt, pants, feet, accessories, even advanced eye detail. 

Here is the finalized high-poly sculpt of him. It deviates just a bit from the earlier high poly sculpt I posted previously. The image quality is not the best, as the stitches on his pants and shirt don't really show through, but they're there! I also added a bump on his right cheek for his signature mole c: 

I have also began the process of baking and texturing him in Substance Painter. Here's another low-quality WIP image of that xD

Progress is a bit slower, but its steady. I'm continuously learning new information and techniques that I will be able to use for all future projects. I'll continue to post updates as I see fit!

(12:41 AM) ~ Here is an update on Howard! His base form and the basics to his clothes are all sculpted and retopoed. My next step it to work more with the hair and its topology; I would like to have the different hair clumps bob and move a bit when he walks. Right now, each clump is its own object, but I'm going to combine them into one and retopo them together. This will result in clean looking textures and light bakes when he is being animated for a short film, or a game engine. I will also be tackling his unwrap and texturing soon!

(7:23 PM) ~ I wanted to share some WIP of the current project I am working on! Here are some concepts of my characters Howard and Wispy, based off of the award winning 2D puzzle / platforming game I made called Howard and Wispy a couple years ago. For this project, I am focusing on creating Howard in 3D for film and cinematic animation purposes and for possible use in a game engine. I will work more on Wispy once Howard is finished.