Ashli - 80lv Breakdown

This article was written for and published by 80lv on March 18, 2021
https://80.lv/articles/ashli-making-a-mielgo-style-character-in-3ds-max-v-ray/

Here in its original redaction format:
https://sites.google.com/view/ashli-80lv/

The original asset.

The visual style of Spider-Verse, infused with Alberto Mielgo's creative touch.

Final baccalaureate project
3D animation, 2008

Retrospective of Star Wars - Shadows of the Empire
3D illustrations with parallax 2D animation, 2019

Ashli
3D illustration, 2021

References relevant to Ashli, featuring images from Bo Mathorne, Nacho Yagüe, Maja-Lisa Kehlet, Julio Cesar, and Jeremy Mann, among others.

The exploration process, kind of.

The main shader for the head (simplified a bit here)
The primary trick for the toon part is the falloff node in light/shadow mode, which basically acts as an on/off switch with its behavior dependent on the illumination received in the scene.

Quite a simple setup!

Left: Typical key light (neutral) and rim/back light (colored)
Right: Supporting top light (neutral) and kick light (colored)
Absent: The usual fill light and even global illumination

Upper body apparel (close to final)

The stylistic evolution of Ashli.

Deep, gem-like eyes are appealing. Eyes hidden in the shadows create mystery. Only one visible eye pinpoints the focus even more. Two different eyes tell a story.
Closed eyes break the human connection. Too many eyes is unsettling. No eyes is horrific.

References from Spirou alongside Ashli.

The four sets of outlines. From left to right: those from the shaders, those from the renderer, those on cards, and those drawn in post-production.

The bright and dark halfone patterns complementing their respective areas of exposure.
The bright one was actually tinted yellow in the final version to better suit the mood, while the dark one remained as shown here.

All the effects put together (exaggerated).

From final render to final image.