A 22-year-old French 3D artist has showcased his impressive skills in creating stylized character models through his latest project, "Pouring Dreams." Selman Bernis, a current student in the Game Art Master program at New3dge, demonstrated advanced techniques in modeling and texturing a hand-painted 3D girl character that has garnered attention in the digital art community.

Bernis, who began his artistic journey with a passion for comics and manga during childhood, discovered his love for 3D sculpting after initially focusing on concept art. "When I discovered sculpting, I fell in love with the way I could play with forms and shapes. It really feels like 2D sketching," he explained. "For me, it was a new way to express myself and create what I wanted, with everything becoming much clearer and more precise in 3D space."

The "Pouring Dreams" project originated as an assignment at New3dge under the supervision of instructor Adrien Simon. The main objective was to create a 3D model based on a 2D illustration while maintaining maximum accuracy to the original concept. As one of Bernis's first stylized characters, the project required extensive research and reference gathering from existing artworks to understand proper shape stylization techniques.

Bernis drew inspiration primarily from the works of renowned artists Thibaut Granet and Kirill Senzu. His focus centered on achieving a clean and dynamic sculpt for an unlit render, aiming to improve his ZBrush sculpting skills and deepen his understanding of shape simplification and stylization. "I was mostly inspired by the work of Thibaut Granet and Kirill Senzu," he noted. "My focus was to achieve a clean and dynamic sculpt, even though it was an unlit render."

The modeling process began with a basic sphere in ZBrush, followed by a quick blockout phase where Bernis placed all main volumes while attempting to match the concept from every angle. He emphasized the importance of capturing the character's vibe using the simplest shapes possible during this initial stage. "It's really important at this stage to capture the vibe of the character using the simplest shapes possible," he explained.

Bernis utilized the T-Pose Mesh feature, a ZBrush plugin that merges all subtools into one, allowing for comprehensive changes to the entire model simultaneously. This approach helped maintain workflow flexibility throughout the project. During the working process, he regularly took screenshots, imported them into Photoshop, and drew character outlines to analyze how the silhouette and negative space worked together.

The posing phase proved challenging yet educational for the young artist. Using the splash art as reference, Bernis worked to maintain the dynamic energy from the original concept. "It was a very dynamic pose, and I wanted to keep that same energy from the concept," he said. Despite initial concerns about working directly in pose, which can feel uncomfortable for beginners, the experience helped him gain confidence and overcome mental barriers associated with sculpting.

For the refinement phase, Bernis followed the splash art closely for clothes and props while maintaining the same volumes. When working on anatomical parts, he kept human anatomy in mind while using simplified and stylized anatomy references. The facial features required particular attention, with volume deformation necessary to achieve accurate results matching the concept.

The texturing process utilized ZColor in ZBrush, where Bernis picked colors directly from his concept and painted the model accordingly. He employed the skin shade shader for the base and the flat color shader for refinement to achieve optimal unlit results. "With ZColor, I simply picked colors from my concept and painted my model, using the skin shade shader for the base and the flat color shader for refinement," he detailed.

For the final render, Bernis used Marmoset Toolbag 4, starting from a scene created by Gianluca Squillace, which he then edited to fit his specific needs. He modified the lighting and adjusted the clay material to achieve his desired aesthetic. The lighting setup consisted of a simple three-light arrangement with a colored rim light to lift shadows, initially established using a gray shader without subsurface scattering for clarity.

Post-processing required minimal modifications, with Bernis making only contrast and exposure adjustments to match his reference colors. The project wasn't focused on game optimization but rather served as a training piece to improve sculpting skills and create a strong final render resembling an illustration.

Reflecting on the project's impact, Bernis acknowledged initial uncertainty about working directly in pose, which can be confusing for those not comfortable with the technique. However, the experience helped him overcome mental blocks often associated with sculpting and made him more comfortable with asymmetry and trusting his creative process. "Working on it helped me get past those mental blocks we often have with sculpting. It made me much more at ease with asymmetry, letting go, and trusting my process," he reflected.

The artist emphasized the importance of viewing sculpting as a living process rather than putting excessive pressure on oneself. He advocated for embracing exploration and experimentation during the creative process, noting that fear often creates artificial barriers that limit artistic growth. "What matters is not putting artificial barriers on yourself and not being afraid to explore ideas during the process. Letting go of that fear unlocked a lot for me in 3D," he concluded.

Bernis's advice to fellow beginners centers on embracing challenges that may seem intimidating. "If I had one piece of advice, it would be not to hesitate to try things that scare you. It helps you understand your level better, but also teaches you a lot along the way," he shared. His "Pouring Dreams" project stands as a testament to the value of pushing creative boundaries and demonstrates the impressive results achievable through dedicated practice and willingness to explore new techniques in 3D character modeling.