Experimenting with a new Method.

The initial concept for designing my characters, was to use realistic textures. I decided to use Rex to play with as he is a furry creature, in which would possess more texture then the others. I followed up some basic fur tutorials to aid me in the process of creating a realistic texture. As i have never done fur before, i was apprehensive at first as i was unsure what to do.

From a useful tutorial, i learned how to make fur by combining the noise and motion blur filters. I shaded and coloured Rex in my usual manner. To add the texture, i highlighted a body part with the magic wand tool and added 13%, monochromatic noise. I then added the motion blur in the direction of the body part, whilst paying attention to skin fold etc. This clever method was simplistic but affective, because the noise added the texture by the motion blur blending the noise pixels into strands. However this effect only covered the section i selected, it didn't go over the outlining of the character because of the use of the magic wand. I wanted to have long fur not short, so i had to help myself within finding a better method.

I selected the splatter brush number '59' and used the blur tool at 30%. I used quick strokes working from the inside out, whilst paying attention to the way the fur flowed around the muscular structure. I was very pleased with the outcome as it mimicked fur perfectly. However, it had little tonal range, so i used the burn and dodge tools to add some highlights and shadows to the fur. Although  i was pleased with the outcome, i thought there were sections that looked a little bare. To add more texture, i selected different colours from the selection and used a thin brush to make individual strands. I repeated this process around the important follicle areas and finally went over the strands with the blur tool again. By repeating this process, i believe i came out with a realistic representation of fur. However, some issues arose.

I couldn't continue with making the mane as i lacked in the skill of how the hair would flow. I also came to the conclusion that something this detailed would be too complex for the iPhone format as the components within it would not be as advanced to handle the graphic capabilities. The intricate details and textures would be lost when it would be re-sized for the screen. I felt the best idea was to stick with a vector style, because i can still use lots of detail and colour, but it would be able to be hosted on the iPhone far more efficient, without the threat of distortion issues with formatting to screen restraints.