Roro Son and Iguana
(2024)
The main character, Roro Son, and her friend iguana from my independent film project Between 0 n 0 were finished in 3D.
A 2D concept illustration was transferred to photos with real models and hand-made costumes. Based on the concept illustration and photos, 3D work was done. I made base meshes in Maya and sculpted the details in ZBrush. Roro's costume was created in Marvelous Designer and polished in Maya and ZBrush. I sculpted the iguana's scales manually in ZBrush. Texture painting was done using Substance 3D Painter for all objects except embroidery made using Substance 3D Sampler. I used Ornatrix for hair and Arnold for rendering.
Below the final render shots, I have thoroughly covered the entire process, from concept art and physical prop creation to 3D production.
* For a deeper understanding of the concept and its purpose, check out the article on Roro Son and Iguana on Renderhub. Link
You can view my work in 4K at a larger size on my Artstation website.
Final Rendered Shots
Front View with Full Textures
Back View with Full Textures
Turnaround Views
Grayscale
Wireframe Front View
Wireframe Front View
Face Close-Up
Iguana Focus Shots
Turnaround Views - Full Textures/Grayscale/Wireframe
Costume Close-Up
Hard Surface Models
Concept Design
I created a 2D concept illustration, which was then used as a reference to craft real-life costumes. The decorative pieces on the character's face and head were made through sculpting, molding, and casting processes, with silicone and resin used for the final result.
Concept Art with Real-Life Costumes
The 2D concept illustration was brought to life through photos featuring a real model wearing the designed costumes.
Cinematic Reference Photos
Process
Life Casting
Life casting involves creating a mold by covering a person's head and shoulders with silicone and filling it with plaster. Since this process is difficult alone, three friends assisted me. I wore a bald cap, applied Vaseline to my hair, and coated my head and shoulders with skin-safe silicone. A plaster shell was built in two parts, separated, then reassembled. The silicone mold was removed, refitted, and filled with Hydrocal plaster, curing for 1-2 days before refinement.
Two heads were made for sculpting decorations on face, with additional molds created for the nose and ears.
Oil-Based Clay Sculpting
Using a plaster face cast, I sculpted wearable pieces with Monster Clay. The headpiece was inspired by landscapes from Zhangjiajie, Cappadocia, and Ceres Mountain, while the nose design was inspired by my 2021 stop-motion, Larvae Story. Other elements were shaped from concept drawings, with details added spontaneously.
Molding and Casting
The inner mold was made with relatively firm silicones like Mold Star 20T and SORTA-Clear 37, while the outer mother mold was created using hard plastic materials like Plasti-Paste II or Plasti-Paste EPOXY.
The masks attached to the face and nose were made with soft silicones such as Smooth-Cast 326, 45D, and 65D, while the rigid parts of the headpiece, eyebrow deco-pieces and nose tip were crafted with NuClear Epoxy UV-resistant clear casting resin.
Roro Son Character Modeling
Costume Modeling in Marvelous Designer and ZBrush
Iguana Modeling Progress
Finished Iguana Model in Gray Color
Texture Painting in Substance 3D Painter
Iguana Texture Painting Progress in Substance 3D Painter
