The Lonely Starman
The Lonely Starman was my first venture into hard surface texturing via Substance Painter. I had been inspired by Retro-Futurism, an aesthetic developed from the 1950-70’s futurism. The bright colors and variety of materials felt like the perfect chance to practice Substance Painter, and after listening to David Bowie’s “Starman” I was ready to go. Here is my process from concept to final render.
Moodboard and Concept Art
I scoured the Internet for as many references as I could find. TV shows like The Jetsons and Loki used this aesthetic as well as films like Meet the Robinsons. I also found old catalogs depicting “the future” and pulled reference images from there. Retro Futurism is a specific aesthetic and capturing it proved to be difficult. Many of the original publishings have been lost over time and so finding references for certain objects was impossible. This forced me to be extra creative while developing each of the objects for the scene. I then drew a basic concept for the environment. I wanted it to feel cramped and laboratory-like while still telling the story of our Lonely Starman.
Individual Prop Renders
Lighting and Set Dressing
The lighting in this scene proved to be a challenge. I wanted to include a harsh orange light to represent Mars, but didn’t want the objects in the scene to have too much of an
orange wash over them. Therefore, I used lots of different colors for the lights and light
linking to keep the warm orange but still have the objects in a neutral light.
orange wash over them. Therefore, I used lots of different colors for the lights and light
linking to keep the warm orange but still have the objects in a neutral light.
After creating each of the props and assets, I was ready to fill the space and texture our Starman’s room. I wanted the entire room to be made of metal, similar to a spacecraft. This added another lighting challenge, however using Substance Painter, I was able to create a metal that wasn’t too reflective, but still gave me the look I wanted.
Final Breakdown Video
