Three Portraits We Can’t Get Over Right Now
Because of the careful display of the face and expression of the subject, the portrait is the most well-known character study, and a recurring theme across human art from every culture. Portraits engage, mystify, and continually draw viewers into the world of the subject, or central character. Used by artists in paintings, sculptures, and photographs, it’s no surprise that portraits are also very popular in 3D art.
Daz Characters are great for portraits because they can be combined with an entire world of Props, Environments, and specific addons like Makeups and character Morphs. We headed to the Daz Gallery to check out three portraits by artists whose carefully composed character studies that intrigue, delight, and invite the viewer to another world.
Blue Man
by James47
About this portrait
Blue Man is done in a standing pose that’s popular for older images of individual characters, especially those dressed in traditional battle outfits or other full military or cultural regalia. Because of the shield, weapons, and dress, we know that Blue Man is a warrior. Because of the subtlety of his expression, and his confidence, we perceive that he’s a very successful one.
Why the image looks so good
There’s tons of elements of this image that are working together to achieve the visual effect the artist desired. Some of the most successful elements are individual pieces of composition, which the artist carefully considered to create this portrait.
Here, the blue/orange color scheme (blue embellishments on the character’s skin, orange elements in the shield) is a driving force of visual intrigue. Combine that with the so-satisfying blue clouds in the background, echoed/called to with the white leather elements of the shield, and we’re hooked!
This image also keeps on giving the longer you look — after the viewer has perceived the ‘main’ information, there’s still plenty of smaller pieces to hold the viewer’s interest. Note the finely textured leather thigh piece, the teeth necklace, or the belt of rope (also with teeth).
What Blue Man makes us think about
Blue Man makes us think about TONS of things, but just a few things in no particular order are: battles of the past, blue clay, amazing makeup, artisan weaponry, whose teeth are those?, cool hair, fine materials, pride & confidence, impeccable physical training, and WHOSE TEETH ARE THOSE!?
AR
by aograi
About this portrait
AR is a character close-up that focuses on the details of the face of the android/fembot. There’s tons of visual intrigue, but the lines on the face especially make us look at it closer — we keep on returning to the eyes, which are surprisingly human for a character that otherwise generally registers as a robot.
Why the image looks so good
AR is an exercise in marrying two things that shouldn’t go together, but do here — technology and a human figure. And there are several other competing dualities in the image that are intriguing, like the luminous skin in the foreground versus the dark background, or the visual ‘smoothness’ of the cheek versus the detailed pattern on the parasol.
The contrast between light/dark and smooth/complicated is further echoed in the color scheme, where red competes with a cool stormy blue. Note, too, that these two colors combine on the cheek, which relates thematically to the more intriguing combination of human and robot.
Lastly, we like how much geometry drives this image, from the visual lines on the face to the organized geometry of the parasol. Those lines help with composition in general, but also lend a very palpable sense of order to the image that further complicates how the viewer perceives it.
What AR makes us think about
AR makes us feel relaxed and nervous at the same time. It makes us think about subtlety, human emotion, AI, whether or not robots enjoy (or see value in) pearls, vocal chips for realistic speech, what sort of complex batteries must be needed to power a human-sized android, peacock feathers, and how to get makeup off a porcelain-finished titanium faceplate.
Fantasy Harpy
by ShibaShake
About this portrait
Fantasy Harpy is a stunning image of a fantasy character — part elf, part pixie or sprite, and definitely part Harpy — who poses on a tree trunk or branch in a fantasy forest. She addresses the viewer face-on, with a mysterious expression and a very complex (and very subtle) smile.
Why the image looks so good
The composition in Fantasy Harpy is pretty astounding. The diagonals of the supporting branch/trunk, the character’s arms and thigh, and the feathers combine to draw the viewer in. A balanced contrast of light and dark elements ensures we keep exploring the portrait, and elements of high, almost over-exposed light (on the back of the tricep, in the background, on the tips of the ears) make sure the viewer considers the light that illuminates the Harpy’s eyes.
Operating in the earth palette, this portrait has a warm color scheme that mixes the earthy oranges, siennas, and browns of the figure with the olive- and forest-greens of the background. Yellows serve as both a highlight on the figure’s skin as well as bright areas in the background, and the character seems molded, or perfectly suited, to her environment, demonstrated by the similarity in the color of her feathers to her wooded perch.
Most importantly, the pose and the expression in this image are striking, and strikingly realistic, which is not an easy feat in 3D art. There’s something simultaneously foreign and familiar about this Harpy, and it’s almost as though the Harpy sees the viewer, which serves to make an intimacy between the featured character and viewer.
What Fantasy Harpy makes us think about
When we look at Fantasy Harpy, we wonder about the rest of the forest that she calls home, if she plays a lute, harp, or other fantasy instruments, and what a bird-lady eats for breakfast. We also think about twigs, flowers, fairies, magic, and the way that sun feels on the skin when it’s filtered through a forest.
Share your Portrait with Daz!
Whether you’re working on a portrait, have a character study or subject you want to share with the world, or want feedback on your 3D artwork from our worldwide community of artists, the Daz Gallery is always open for submissions. We can’t wait to see what you’ve created!
