MeekWolf Studios

Here's my latest prop set! A small three-piece kit of hand-painted wooden sign props inspired by fantasy, cartoon-inspired environments. Think Shrek - and you're there! I'm getting a little bit more confident in Zbrush (though still not very confident, haha!) and started experimenting with adding a bit more height variation to the sign meshes. Unfortunately, after I added the hand-painted woodgrain in Substance 3D Painter, some of the sculpted detail from Zbrush got a little lost. I still think it was worth experimenting, though. The more I play around with the brushes in Zbrush, the more I'll learn about how much detail to add and how to balance it with the textures later on. I also got to play with making a chain and hook for the hanging sign which was a little easier than I thought it would be! I'm still working on making a metal texture I'm happy with, but overall I'm pretty pleased with how this little sign set turned out. I recently went on a studio tour where the tour guide was talking about the importance of signs in productions - how you can have a building shell and simply give it a fresh sign to turn it from a dentist's office into a coffee shop or into whatever the scene needs! That idea sort of stuck with me, which is why I've kept the sign textures blank and opted to play around with decals in Unreal Engine. Granted I spent like 2 minutes on the decals themselves but I think the idea is there. Haha! Another small project completed, another few dozen things learned! 🐺

Here's my first modular kit. A simple eight piece fence kit that snaps together to create a nice little fence scene. I loved making the pieces, figuring out how to match them all but still give them a bit of individuality was a fun challenge. And overall, I'm happy with how they turned out.

Here's my newest furniture set from my in-development project. I am working on my stylized wood textures - so be prepared for a few more wood only projects coming soon. There's something I find lovely about hand-painting wood grains with little fantasy swirls and playing with a patchwork of wood tones to get the correct level of whimsy. I'm still leaning into the exaggerated, handcrafted props look which I'm hoping to develop as I focus more on wooden items.

Here's the newest prop duo from an in-development project. I loved making this little stool and crate duo, and I'm really happy with how they turned out. The overall project has a fantasy, whimsical and cartoon-like feel, so for these props I really wanted to lean into that style and give them a slightly exaggerated, handcrafted look. As I'm still getting to grips with the tools, I wanted to use these props as an opportunity to focus on stylised, hand-painted wood textures using a combination of ZBrush and Substance Painter. I was aiming for a balance between simple, readable shapes and enough hand-painted detail to give the wood some character. I think I managed to find the balance I was looking for, and I really loved the process of creating them!

Here's my Whimsical Cosy Nook. A diorama inspired by 2D cartoons, Polly Pockets and my ever-lasting love of aesthetic witchiness. This project was so much fun to make, I'm still new to Maya, Substance Painter and Unreal but I think I've learned a lot during this project. I chose to use very simple, stylised props and fairly plastic-y, hand-drawn textures. I think the hand-drawn assets give the scene a lot of personality. Thanks for reading.

Blog post of a beginner 3D artist working on a campsite diorama.

This Arcade Machine was the hero object for my Escape Studios Game Art project — my first-ever 3D environment. I really like how this turned out. The full environment was inspired by moody, underground Victorian pubs with a steampunk flair and thought it deserved a fun arcade machine in the corner.

Here’s my final project for the Escape Studios Game Art course — my first-ever 3D environment! It’s inspired by moody, underground Victorian pubs, steampunk flair, and a bit of that hipster coffee shop vibe. Over 20 weeks, I went from zero experience with Unreal Engine and 3D software to becoming obsessed with environment art and 3D modelling.