Ekko has always been one of my favorite characters within League of Legends. In order to push my skill with Z-brush, I decided to create an Ekko render for my 2nd Z-brush project. This project is one of the longer projects I worked on since it involves character, gear, and environment modeling all at the same time. It was an enjoyable experience, and I definitely had learned a lot throughout the process.

To start the character, I focused on Ekko's face first. I used a lot of techniques that I found online, this includes pinching, subtools utilization, dynamesh, and sculpting in general. After having his face done, I continue to work on his body. This part is quite simple as I used a lot of references online to make sure that the body looks natural. Continue after finishing the basic body, I focused on creating clothes for the character. This part is quite difficult for me since I never know how to use the subtools and how to separate them into layers.

After having the general looks of the character completed, I started clearing up some unnecessary vertices through Zbrush. This is the first time, I found out that Zbrush can actually automatically reduce polycount while preserving the details. Continue onwards, I started modeling the character's weapon and backpack. This stage is quite simple as I did them both in Maya. I did learn a little technique using curves to create pipes. After finishing the character, I started focusing on the environment. I started by just simply sketching what my location should look like. I used a lot of references online mainly revolves around 'cyberpunk' style.

Lastly, I focused on importing texture from substance painter to Maya Arnold. It was quite difficult at first, however, after a lot of researches I was able to complete the task. After the render is fully completed, I imported into Photoshop and drew some extra things to fit the concept a little bit more. Overall, it was a really fun experience as I utilized all my skills (2d and 3d). The whole project took a little under a week.