Week 5 - Male Human Head

 Week 5 - Male Human Head

Unfortunately, as of yet I have been unable to get ZBrush working.
Every tool I load seems to be permanently shaded in a very dark grey, and I am unable to sculpt anything due to this.
I have tried reinstalling, cleaning the registry, etc, etc to no avail.
Once I finally get it working, I will catch up on the weekly work and continue as usual.

Nevertheless, here are a few example heads I have sculpted previously:

As I was unable to complete the prac session of this week, I have spent some more time on researching the way faces are constructed.

-------Facial Structure-------

The structure of the human face is highly important when designing characters (especially cartoon characters) as it subconsciously connotes certain traits about a person.

The most prominent example of this is the how the sharper facial features are, and the larger the jaw is, the more manly or 'tough' a man will appear to be.

The image below is a good example of how these traits can be used in a stereotypical way in character design.

Raymundo, N. (2012). Mr Incredible [Online image]. Retrieved July 2, 2013 from http://www.1upuniverse.com/other-cartoons/disney-and-pixars-the-incredibles-review/

A more subtle example of this effect can be shown in the following image:

Lonewolfe (2011). Handsome Male Face [Online image]. Retrieved July 2, 2013 from http://www.politics.ie/forum/education-science/197606-scientists-confirm-we-really-tiny-part-neanderthal-3.html

The centre image is the original face. 

I have edited the left and right to convey less/more masculine facial features

The face on the right has a more triangular shaped jaw, with sharper edges and a flatter chin. The eyebrows are slightly thicker and the cheekbones proturde higher and sharper. The neck is also thicker, conveying more muscle mass.

The face on the left has a smaller, rounder jaw, thinner eyebrows, smoother cheeks and a thinner neck. These are generally considered femenine qualities. Whether we consciously know it or not, we percieve men with these qualities to be physically inferior than men with more masuline features, regardless of how "masculine" they actually are.

The reason some people have more or less masuline features can be for a number of reasons:

Genetic predisposition:
There is no doubt that genetic predispositions play the biggest role in governing the shape of our faces. However, the following reasons below act upon these genetic predispositions to also give the face it's shape.

Testosterone in the Womb:
According to Livescience (Welsh, J, 2012), a research team has found that the higher the levels of testosterone are in the womb, the more masculine certain body features will be.

"The researchers found that low digit ratio (higher testosterone) corresponded to this "robust" masculine face with a more prominent jawline and smaller eyes, even before puberty hits. For comparison, boys with higher digit ratios (less testosterone) have smaller chins and larger foreheads and eyes, what the researchers refer to as a "more childlike/female appearance."

Prepubescent boys with low digit ratio have smaller and shorter foreheads, thicker eyebrows, wider and shorter noses, and larger lower faces — all features of a characteristically masculine face"

Welsh, J. (2012). Manly Fingers Make for Strong Jawline in Boys. Retrieved July 2, 2013 from http://www.livescience.com/18484-finger-length-masculine-faces.html

Bodyfat levels:
The higher level of bodyfat a person has, the rounder their jawline and cheeks will appear. People with low bodyfat levels have sharper jawlines and cheekbones.

See images below for examples:

       Image 1                               Image 2                              Image 3   

 Image 1: http://www.menshairstyletrends.com/designer-stubble/

 Image 2: http://menshair.about.com/od/haircaretips/ig/Male-Face-Shapes/Oval---Barry-Watson.htm

 Image 3: http://www.r6-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=163261

Wear and Tear: 

Despite our the incredible healing abilities of humans, our faces still get old. The amount of times a person has smiled or frowned in their lifetime will have a great impact on the shape of their wrinkles. Skin can also age quicker when a person is exposed more to the sun. Facial Scars can also connote a 'warrior-like' personality of a character.

 All of these traits can be incorporated in character design, especially when you know the type personality of the character you are designing. For example, the following character below is a veteran spec ops soldier.

Jukes, K. (2010). Master Chief Redesign [Online image]. Retrieved July 2, 2013 from http://vi.sualize.us/master_chief_redesign_kolby_jukes_design_3d_model_zbrush_game_picture_5SfR.html

You know that his job has taken its toll on his body and mind simply by the scars, wrinkles and expression on his face. The shape of his facial features are also very sharp and masculine.

-------The Perfect Facial Shape-------

 In regards to the most aesthetic male face, I personally believe there is no perfect face beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and perfection cannot be achieved in this imperfect universe. However, one of the closest have come to unraveling what makes a face beatiful is the  Marquardt Beauty Mask. 

Marquardt, S. (2012). Human Beauty and the Golden Ratio. Retrieved July 2, 2013 from
http://www.goldennumber.net/beauty/

This mask intends to outline the perfect geometrical features of the face based on the Golden Ratio. The Golden Ration (1:1.618) is found in Renaissance art, Ancient Greek Architecture, Trees, Shells, Pinecones, and virtually every aspect of nature. It is believed to symbolise mathematical perfection and harmony, so naturally, humans being part of nature, it would make sense that the human head also abides by the golden ratio.

This would usually seem a bit far fetched, however, there are a surprising amount of celebrities that fit this mask perfectly. 

 

Although not a perfect answer to the 'beauty' question, the Marquardt Beauty Mask does provide some interesting information into how we percieve the beauty of the human face.