Alright, so I decided to give this Sadie Sink modelling thing a try recently. Not like, runway modelling, obviously, but trying to capture her likeness in digital form. Saw some photos, thought it looked like a decent challenge for practice, you know?
First thing, needed references. Lots of ’em. Spent a good chunk of time just grabbing pictures from different angles. You need front, side, three-quarter views, ideally with consistent lighting, but good luck finding that easily. Found plenty of shots, but getting ones that really worked together for modelling was tricky. Lots of different expressions, hairstyles, ages… ended up picking a few that seemed kinda consistent.
Getting Started
Opened up my usual modelling software. Dropped the reference images in. Started simple, just blocking out the main head shape. Trying to match the profile, the front view. Already felt kinda tough. Getting proportions right from photos is always a bit of a guessing game.
Then I started roughing in the features. Eyes, nose, mouth. This is where it gets really hard. You nudge a vertex here, pull a bit there… look back at the reference… nope, doesn’t look right. Tweak again. Still off. It’s a slow process, lots of back and forth.
- Spent ages just trying to get the eye shape and placement somewhat accurate.
- The nose bridge and tip? Yeah, that took a while too.
- Getting that specific curve of the jawline and chin felt like it took forever.
Likeness is just plain difficult. You can get all the parts in the right place, technically, but it still doesn’t feel like the person. There’s something subtle you gotta capture, and honestly, I struggled with that part quite a bit.
The Hair Problem
And don’t even get me started on the hair. Her hair in most pictures is pretty wavy and full. Trying to model that? Nightmare. Blocked it out roughly first, just to get the volume. Tried sculpting some strands, but making it look natural and not like a helmet or spaghetti is tough work. I spent way more time on the hair than I expected, and I’m still not super happy with it.
Wrapping It Up (Sort Of)
Didn’t go super deep into fine details or textures this time around. Was mainly focused on capturing the basic form and likeness. The final result? It’s… okayish. If you squint, maybe you can tell who it’s supposed to be. Or maybe not, depends on the angle!
But hey, it was practice. That was the whole point. Definitely learned a few things about analysing facial features. Realized I need way more work on sculpting hair. And patience. Lots more patience needed. It’s funny, you start these things thinking it’ll be straightforward, and then you get bogged down in the details for hours. Still, good way to spend some time, better than just watching TV I guess.
