In a Chicago Art Deco apartment building several years ago, I saw a beautiful relief of an owl!
Going through my photos recently, I was inspired to make it in Blender.
Process
From the image I took, plus reference images of owls and of similar art deco works, I modeled all the elements (owl’s body, wings, feathers, plus the background clouds, the moon, and the frame). Then I applied a texture asset and introduced various surface imperfections (rust, discoloration).
When I was (finally) happy with the elements, I composited the image to introduce some slight camera distortion and bloom. Then dropped it in Photoshop to adjust some of the colors and add grain via the reticulation filter.
Updates
I revisited this model to enhance some things.
I updated the UV map for the frame. I also added a more interesting background texture for the wall. But most of all, I enhanced the geometry for the clouds. And I updated the roughness maps to create more realism in the texture. Finally, I spent a lot of time updating the lighting to better showcase the relief.
Response to “Capturing remarkable bronze Art Deco owl in 3D”
[…] a contrast to my previous. Unlike the Art Deco owl in the lobby of a posh Chicago apartment building, this entry is much less glamorous. But it’s no less […]