Realistic human 3D model: the skin

Realistic human 3D model: the skin For a realistic rendering of human skin, we need to take a closer look at the textures used for the skin shader. In this walkthrough, our senior 3D artist Jēkabs Jaunarājs shares his methods for authoring these textures. Some time ago, I created Alina, a realistic human 3D model […]

Realistic human 3D model: hair and teeth

Realistic human 3D model: hair and teeth A realistic human 3D model requires believable hair and teeth. The teeth part is the easiest one, but hair requires you to keep many things in mind. Our senior 3D artist Jēkabs Jaunarājs explains what these things are. Previously we talked about modeling eyes and authoring skin textures. […]

Realistic human 3D model: the eye

Realistic human 3D model: the eye Creating a realistic human 3D model is very challenging – as you work towards realism, it’s easy to step into the uncanny valley, the phenomenon when something is slightly off with the model. To avoid that, our senior 3D artist Jēkabs Jaunarājs guides us through creating one. Working on […]

Upper limb: bony landmarks

Bony landmarks of the arm The upper limb consists of 30 bones if you don’t include the two bones of the shoulder – the scapula and the clavicle. Regardless of how you count, the arm features many bones and many bony landmarks of the arm are visible in the human body’s surface forms. In this […]

Books for animators: review by Scott Claus

Books for animators: review by Scott Claus Scott Claus is the Animation Manager at CG Spectrum. With over two decades of animation experience—in production and teaching—Scott played an integral role in bringing CG Spectrum’s 2D animation courses to life. He has worked in both 2D and 3D animation on iconic Disney films such as Pocahontas, […]

Books for illustrators: review by Eric Wilkerson

Books for illustrators: review by Eric Wilkerson Eric Wilkerson is a New York Times bestselling illustrator, 2020 Chesley Award Winner for best hardback book cover sci-fi illustration, and was also a finalist in the ARC International Salon. He is also a mentor of CG Spectrum’s digital illustration courses and has taught at the university level […]

Book reviews by Uldis Zarins

Book reviews by Uldis Zarins After years of fruitless searching for a comprehensive visual anatomy book for his students, he decided to create his own handbook with reliable anatomical references for any aspiring artist. Uldis teaches anatomy at the Art Academy of Latvia and is an award-winning traditional sculptor with more than 25 years of […]

Shoulder bony landmarks

Shoulder bony landmarks​ Although the shoulder is made up of only two bones – the clavicle and the scapula – shoulder bony landmarks are numerous. The shoulder’s composition, as well as that of each bone, is not that simple. Shoulder bony landmarks are located both anteriorly and posteriorly. The scapula, in particular, holds many of […]

Best anatomy books for artists

Best anatomy books for artists The best anatomy books for artists explain complex structures through visual language and present information systematically. This is the big difference between finding references on the internet or anatomy textbooks intended for medical students. I’ve compiled a list of the best books on animal and human anatomy for artists in […]

Muscles of the upper limb

Muscles of the upper limb Playlist 2 Videos Deltoid muscle (Part 1) – Upper limb muscle anatomy for artists 14:51 Deltoid muscle (Part 2) – Upper limb muscle anatomy for artists 13:13 What are the upper limb muscles? The muscles of the upper limb can be divided into four different groups: • Shoulder muscles • […]