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by Hugh O'Malley, Beauty Photographer and Videographer based in Shanghai

so i started this journey to create some characters inspired by hieronymous bosch paintings and i know the skills i need to learn on the way. the skills include, in no particular order 

1. sculpting in zbrush
2. retopologizing
3. generate uv maps
4. texture baking
5. importing, painting and exporting from substance painter
6. creating a texture that mirrors cracked paint as in an old painting
7. rigging the character in cinema 4d (or maya?)
8. building a very simple scene or just a 360 for output 
9. posting on social/blog
   

i’m sure i’ll update this list as i progress

i know this is a huge amount of learning but my goal is to produce one character a week.  my first project took me a lot longer than a week to learn the basic skills but the file was mostly done in a little over a week from start to finish.  the final output is not a masterpiece and it’s not rigged and the textures are stretched and messy and the 360 is meh.

at this point my goal is not to produce a beautiful artwork every week but to build up my skills and get used to the software and see what the stumbling blocks will be and to refine the process over time and to hone my vision. i don’t want to get hung up on creating ‘perfect’ artworks from the start as i feel that will impede my progress, induce procrastination and be of little value at the outset. later when i have more developed characters

i deliberately am starting with very simple characters and i aim to increase the complexity over time.

by Hugh O'Malley, Beauty Photographer and Videographer based in Shanghai

ain’t no one reading

why i could take a shit right here on this desk and no one would notice

by Hugh O'Malley, Beauty Photographer and Videographer based in Shanghai

by Hugh O'Malley, Beauty Photographer and Videographer based in Shanghai

@_liushin makes looking cool look easy

by Hugh O'Malley, Beauty Photographer and Videographer based in Shanghai

i made up my little back story for her. she’s the boss of a fashion company, a plucky startup. she’s tough as nails – you don’t want to fuck with her – but if you’re having a bad day, she’s actually super sweet and supportive. like the mom you never had. am I wrong?

by Hugh O'Malley, Beauty Photographer and Videographer based in Shanghai

lexi is a regular at fashion week and always dresses spectacularly. i got chatting to him at the anno mundi show – coincidentally we were sat together and we had a good conversation. He’s from the middle of Sanya island but has been in Shanghai for about 8 years. Looking forward to seeing you at the next fashion week, lexi.

by Hugh O'Malley, Beauty Photographer and Videographer based in Shanghai

A huge thanks to my partner in crime during fashion week. hook ups to all the best shows and vip areas and spotter of the well dressed. Encyclopedic knowledge of KOL’s, Social Media, PR, pasta sauces and pistachio nuts. Looking forward to the next one, Ambra! thanks for your generosity and all the insights. I’ve learnt a lot from you!

by Hugh O'Malley, Beauty Photographer and Videographer based in Shanghai

it’s a real scrum at xintiandi but sometimes you can find moments of calm amidst the chaos

by Hugh O'Malley, Beauty Photographer and Videographer based in Shanghai

it’s really refreshing to see the diversity of styles at fashion week. even at the high end shows you see people pushing the boundaries and producing unique combinations. of course there are more risks being taken at labelhood but xintiandi has its fair share of creativity too.

by Hugh O'Malley, Beauty Photographer and Videographer based in Shanghai