The guys at work are sharing this link, which displays the work of artists using a computer program to add detail to their CG models.
OK. I like detail as much as the next guy. As an artist, I do believe one of the hallmarks of quality is an attention to detail. But I need to clarify. There’s detail, and then there’s detailporn. Detail for the detail-obsessed, people who get off on detail alone. These guys feel the need to model every pebble in a scene, every brick in a wall, every wrinkle and pore on a face. That is the bar to these guys, the indicator of Quality. It’s got lots of wrinkles. Therefore, it must be good.
There is a lot of skill that goes into building all that detail, sure, but at some point you cross over from being an artist to being a technician, and beyond that, into someone that’s left the artistic process behind. You might as well be a camera.
Quality is in the details, but so is the devil. You have to choose what details to put in and which ones to leave out. 5 well-placed bricks represent a brick wall much more effectively than every single brick with every single crack and mortarline. A few wrinkles around the mouth, nose, and eyes will convey age. You don’t need to wrinkle every square inch of skin as in the example above. You can go too far.
See the examples below. On the left are the original photos. On the right are versions I put through a filter to make the details stand out. Does MORE detail = MORE quality?
Blech. I much prefer the ones on the left. And it’s not that I object to wrinkles, mind you. I have quite a few myself. But when it comes to detail, a meal is as good as a feast.
But when I say things like this, it’s easy for me to get branded the Anti-Quality guy. I deny it. Quality comes through the decisions you make as an artist. Remember, you can’t keep everything; where would you put it?
It’s not the size of the wrinkles, it’s how you use them. Yes, yes – one of those hackneyed saying complained about in previous posts. However, the point stands. How many times have you been emotionally moved by a simple illustration or animation but unmoved by some realistic rendition of something. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you can’t achieve the same emotional response from a highly detailed object. What it comes down to is the skill of the artist. A great artist breathes life into whatever form they choose to channel their message.
The images on the right freak me out. Too much detail for my taste.
Spooky.
Excellent post, Steve. Interesting. Your observation could be applied to writing as well. I adore the last line of Peter’s comment as well.
You’re so right, Beth. In fact, one of my lines was paraphrased from an other author’s advice. He was talking about backstory, and said, “When it comes to backstory, a meal is as good as a feast.” There is certainly the danger with detail, backstory, character beats, description, stage direction, that you can overdo it. It’s good to know when to say when, innit?
As you point out, I often find good advice in many artistic disciplines seems to apply to others. I have tried my hand at songwriting, and that informed my writing. I’ve tried my hand at writing, and that informs my art, and my art can’t help but influence my worldview when it comes to my writing and music. There is a nice cross-pollination in the arts.
Thanks for the notes, everyone.