Polygon Pilgrimage - Episode 2 - The Tale of Two Brothers

Chris Tate (website)

Ben Tate (website) (under construction at the time of this writing but the tutorials are still accessible)

Greetings all! This week we get a 2-for-1 deal with the introduction of the Tate Brothers!



The collective genius of these CG artist brothers is clearly evident in their clear, concise, and easy to follow video tutorials. What makes a good tutorial great is the time and care taken to show the viewer every step in the process and to further, explain why it is important. Here you will find many a great tutorial that will expand your knowledge and your bag-o-tricks.



These are not your typical 3-5 minute “here-is-kind-of-how-I-do-this” tutorials; these average 4 hours long each! Not only that but tutorial comes with the required reference images and any additional files such as custom checker maps for your convenience. With great care Chris and Ben have taken the time to show you the exact steps needed to create awesome assets and uncanny unwraps. I don’t think it is possible to recommend these guys highly enough.



Along with learning how to use the “basics” such as 3DS Max and Photoshop the Brothers Tate show you some of their (and my) favorite 3rdparty tools that can shave HOURS off your workflow. Several of the tools that they recommend are now staples in my personal pipeline. (Next week we will discuss Tools so stay tuned!)

You can view even more of their tutorials on CG Tuts+ where Chris is a co-editor. There are several tutorials there from the guys that were created exclusively for CG Tuts+.





QOTD (Quote of the Day):
"The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity."
Alberto Giacometti

I hope you enjoyed Episode 2 of the Polygon Pilgrimage. If you like the series please be sure to subscribe and follow the series on twitter (@PolygonPilgrim). Cheers~

Polygon Pilgrimage - Episode 1 - Ars Longa, Vita Brevis

First things first, what is the Polygon Pilgrimage? This is my journey towards becoming a better artist. It is my goal to, each week, share with you my progress as I work to sharpen my pencil, my skills, and my mind. As I learn new things, find great resources, and discover great tutorials I will be sharing them here with you in hopes that throughout the process we all become better artists. Without further delay, let the journey begin!

"Ars Longa, Vita brevis" - "Art is long, Life is short"

These are the wise words that are shared by fellow artist and teacher Mr. Josh Reed on his fantastic website www.drawsh.com

From my experience the number 1 thing that every 3d aritst could benefit from is more practice with anatomy. We are asked to create everything from wild and fantastic creatures to detailed copies of human beings. Our work is under it's greatest scrutiny during the latter. So how are we going to improve our anatomical knowledge? There is a wealth of information to learn and it seems like quite the task. Fortunately for you and me there is a very talented and generous teacher. Mr. Josh Reed is an artist and educator who has taken the time to share his knowledge with any aritst willing to learn. Here is Mr. Reed's introduction to his site:



"My name is Josh Reed, I am an artist and educator who loves drawing and learning, especially when those involve the human figure! Over the course of teaching figure drawing for the last several years, I have developed a series of handouts to help my students in their understanding of how to express the wonder of the human figure.

I am providing those pages here as a free resource to artists who share my passion for drawing people. I hope you find these pages helpful and they set you on the right track to expressing your own art!"

On his blog, Mr. Reed shares with us a series of handouts (1 to 3 page mini tutorials) focusing in on specific areas of anatomical and general artistic study. These "bite sized" study materials are of wonderful assistance to any artist trying to freshen up or begin their drawing studies.

Here is a small example of the handouts found on the site:


Head on over to www.drawsh.com and get downloading! This is great information that is free and very well presented in an easy to absorb format.

I myself have been blessed that my wife (who is an anatomy teacher at a local high school) has access to some great learning tools as well. I have on my desk an anatomical clay rendering skeleton that I will be building up as I re-learn human anatomy. (See Figure 1)


(Figure 1)

Additionally I will be following Mr.Reed's handouts and sketching the muscles and landmarks as I learn them. I will then present my work to you here on the Pilgrimage and I welcome feedback and comments.

QOTD (Quote of the Day):
This is a very special quote to start the series off. I truthfully cannot remember if my father actually said this or if I just happened to make it up, but I've always given him credit as it sounds exactly like something wise that he would say. This is one of the most profound things that keeps me going when I have doubt, when I am tired, and when I feel like giving up:

"There are two kinds of people in this world. There are those who do, and those who do well. Those who simply do will never be remembered, but those who do well are never forgotten." - my father, Thom Parkin

So today we began the journey towards being a better artist. It is a long road ahead but we will get there, of that I have no dobut. I hope you enjoyed this first episode of the Polygon Pilgrimage. If you like the series please be sure to subscribe and follow the series on twitter (@PolygonPilgrim).

Cheers~