A little change of pace recently. I've been working on selling 3d models to bring in some extra income, and this is my first finished product. You all know how much I love history, and I thought it would be smart to work on something I love while also trying to fill a gap in the 3d model market - historical assets. 

I researched top hats like crazy and came up with this collection. I modeled and textured 50 different styles using Blender that include 10 novelty hats like Willy Wonka, the Mad Hatter, and Scrooge McDuck. I also included accessories like wooden hat stands, bristle brush, satin buffer, and bandbox style hat box.

I figure I can use these in the future when I start to model my characters. I hope other 3d artists can get some good use out of them as well.

You can check out more photos and all 50 hats for sale here:

https://cgcookiemarkets.com/all-products/fashion-collection-top-hats/

St. Patrick Cathedral

11" x 14"

graphite

This doesn't quite fit into my Welcome to Autumn series, but I've included it because it's still architecture. It's also the first finished drawing I've done in almost two years. I can't believe that.

St. Patrick's Cathedral, here in El Paso, Texas, is about 100 years old. I drew it for a friend as a going away present since I'm moving at the end of the month. I chose this building to draw because it meant something personal for the person. 

It feels good to put pencil to paper again. Even sharpening pencils brought back some good feelings. I hope to do more of this in the near future. Enjoy!

You can check out some of my older drawings here if you liked this one:

http://rickycolson.com/artwork/humble-existence/

http://welcometoautumn.com/blog/autumn-city-hall-update-24/

I modeled the stained glass window to a point that I’m happy with. I experimented with different saturations and values, but this was the most accurate representation of real stained glass I could get. I attempted to texture it in Substance Painter, but there’s a very bad bug for Mac OS that causes the program to crash a lot so I’ll have to come back to it later when they fix it.

Until then, a basic bump map for the metal parts and rippled lead glass. I also added a metal trim design to integrate the dark fixture into the white ceiling. The ceiling will be textured later with some kind of stone/marble/granite. There are just a few tall cubes above the fixture to test out transparency so the final look with the real building will change.

http://welcometoautumn.com/blog/autumn-city-hall-update-23/

My motivation has gone up and down throughout the process, especially as it gets harder to tweak because of the size of the file. That's why it's necessary for me to find different mini projects to tackle like this next part. I'm attempting the stained glass skylight window for the front balcony ceiling. So, when you walk underneath the arch and before you reach the front doors, you look up and see warm sunlight filtering through the window.

I'd love to spend more time coming up with a design, but I have to go with one of the first ones I think of since I need to move more quickly than I have. I'm happy with this design because it incorporates symbols of clocks, the sun, train wheels, cogs, and flowers. It doesn't feel as Victorian as I'd like, but oh well. On to the modeling phase!

http://welcometoautumn.com/blog/autumn-city-hall-update-22/

Things are getting pretty heavy now. Face count is pretty high and my computer is stuttering. Here’s an update on the look of the entire front. I have a majority of pieces mirrored, but not all. The tower is still in the basic modeling phase. I have a few more details on the facade to model along with the windows.

http://welcometoautumn.com/blog/autumn-city-hall-update-21/

Updated bear statue. I’m gonna stick with aged bronze for now. The image is a bit dark, I know. I should have run it through photoshop quickly. I bounced back and forth between glossiness, but when I finalize the material, I’ll do some research on bronze statue surfaces.

I had some issues with the multires modifier, specifically the dreaded spike bug so I’ll have to try to clean that up at a later date. I used the new pointiness feature for the aged look, but I’m gonna bring this into Substance Painter later for a final texture paint. I’ll work on the pedestal at a later date as well. What do you guys think?

*Trying out Anthony Pilon’s new copper shader.

I decided a while back that I would sculpt a pair of bears for the front of City Hall as guardian statues where lions are usually placed. They would represent not only the animals of the region, but also stand for caution as you walk up the steps. They would act as a warning to tread carefully when you conduct business for the people.

Here is my first stage of one of the statues, probably an identical pair. I’ve added a quick bronze material. The face is taking shape so I’m going to move on to the paws and then the hind quarters. I’m still researching what type of bronze material I want to have. I’m also not 100% sure it will be bronze, stone is still an option.

This is my first attempt at sculpting in Blender, and it’s definitely been a learning process, but it feels like it will become more natural as I continue to do it.

http://welcometoautumn.com/blog/autumn-city-hall-update-20/

Here's the project trailer for my new mini-project called Candy Lane. It will be a series of digital renders and oil paintings depicting a strip of old Victorian homes in Autumn dating back to the 1880s, around the same time City Hall was being built.

Each house is unique and will be personalized by fans. Monthly contributors of $10+ to my Patreon page will get to choose a house plan, the color scheme, and, to the extent that they want, get to come up with a resident’s back story. I’ll fill in the holes from there.

More information: http://welcometoautumn.com/blog/introducing-the-historic-houses-of-candy-lane-mini-project/
History of Candy Lane: http://welcometoautumn.com/places/candy-lane/ 

I finished the cartouche structure that will sit on top of the archway balcony. With the help of an artist on Blendswap, I was able to decorate the oval pretty quickly. I added cornucopias, leaves, and acorns to continue the harvest theme. I sculpted a squirrel head for 3 reasons. 1) I love squirrels 2) continue the harvest theme again 3) The neighboring city is called Moosnick, a bad English translation of the word squirrel in Algonquican, a Native American group. The A will probably be etched into the stone without any color, but the date will stay.

http://welcometoautumn.com/blog/autumn-city-hall-update-19/