Brought back the smoother sides so I could try the engraving again. This time I just traced over the original image on a transparent layer in GIMP. Then used that image as a texture for a bump node.
Definitely my favorite incarnation of the axe head, so I’m going to stick with it. Thanks for the recommendation, @Bradley_Bowers!
And here’s the finished scene:
This is how I will submit it for the weekly challenge (Check it out if you haven’t already!), but I may keep working on it later. Pretty happy with how it came out, but there are still some things I would improve. Namely:
- Battle Damage - How much cooler would it be with dents & dings on the metal, chips and splinters in the wood, maybe even some blood splatter!
- Chain mail - maybe a hauberk (as @NP5 suggested) hung over the top of the shield, or across the log. At least some hanging down from the bottom of the helmet for neck protection as I saw in some reference photos
- Maybe do a real fire simulation for better fire light/reflections?
Many are wise after the event.
~Fljotsdale Saga, c.19
What do you guys think? How could I make it better?