Artwork: Squid vs. Whale

Andy Price | Artwork | Showcase | 18/04/2011 14:53pm

Mark Fairless talks about his great image Squid vs. Whale. This inspirational ZBrush project was inspired by the likes of 20,000 leagues under the sea

Squid vs. Whale by Mark Fairless

Mark Fairless created this great image in his own unique style as a fun personal project. Motion graphics designer by day, Mark says that sometimes he needs to forget about those keyframes and concentrate all efforts on just one frame.

“I’m often sketching things I’d like to create later on down the line,” he says. “This was one that I couldn’t wait to get started on. I’m really trying to push my ZBrush skills so I thought this would be the perfect project.”

Creatures of the deep

Concept art

The image was inspired by a number of films including Warlords of Atlantis, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and even the films of Ed Wood.

Mark says that it was based on memories of the films that were perhaps “not too accurate”.

We certainly agree regarding the Ed Wood influence: we can’t even see one wire or a motor…

Brought to life

Mark used ZBrush and After Effects on the scene. “Obviously ZBrush created the main body of the scene but the compositing in After Effects really helped bring it to life,” he says.

“I find myself using After Effects over Photoshop for non-painting tasks simply because everything is live and easily adjustable, which is very useful when you’re experimenting.”

New to ZBrush

The process of creating Squid vs. Whale

As a new ZBrush user most of the difficulties came from getting used to the software, such as learning to create a ZProject so that all models and other elements always appear in the same place, crucial for multi-pass rendering.

“Using ZSpheres and later rigging them proved tricky at first, but once I got the hang of them I began to see the power of these tools,” says Mark.

What do you think of the Squid vs. Whale image? Leave your comment below, and if you’d like to see your work on the 3D World website, send us an email.

Check out Mark Fairless’ CGPortfolio

Posted on Monday, April 18th, 2011 at 2:53 pm under Artwork, Showcase. You can subscribe to comments. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.