Behind the Scenes

Once I finish the bump map, I start to add the color, specularity, glossiness maps, etc. I set the background color to something light and inoffensive in order to help me guage color. I never work against a black background because it creates a harsh contrast that makes it difficult to work.

I  light up the character with lots of light so that I can see what I am doing and see how lights affect the materials. Also, I render at different sizes and angles in order to make sure the textures hold up well under different conditions. Lots of closeup renders are important.