![](https://aidinsalsabili.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/main01.jpg)
Wild West Challenge: Game Character Winners Interview
For the Game Character portion of the Wild West Challenge, participants were given 8 weeks to create one fully rendered character from the Old West. Like with previous ArtStation Community Challenges, competitors in Phase 2 had the option of using one of the concepts from the first phase or creating an entirely new concept of their own.
The part of interview:
Aidin Salsabili, share their experience and process for their winning entries.
Tell us about your concept for your piece.
Aidin: From the moment I saw the challenge’s title, I thought a Native American character would be a great choice. I wanted to have a realistic character with a historically accurate look that was also ready for today’s games. I saw lots of great concepts in the first phase of the challenge but in the end, I decided to design my own character. I spent a lot of time researching the Native American tribes and culture and in the end, I chose a warrior from the “Sauk” tribe. The Sauk warriors looked sharp, fast, and strong which was exactly what I needed for my character. He could easily be the main character in an action adventure game!
Tell us about the strategy and process for creating your piece.
Aidin: I have a regular workflow for my character creation but sometimes I change the priorities and adjust timing based on the project. After choosing the subject, I always start by research. For this challenge, I saw and read about different tribes. You can find important information about their fighting techniques, weapons, tools and etc. So I made a list of all things that need to be done. With that list, I can go after detail reference photos and plan the design and implementation. These were my steps:
- Sculpting block mesh – face and body(ZBrush)
- Checking scale-size, form, anatomy
- Skin details (Mari or ZBrush)
- The base of the clothes (Marvelous Designer)
- Making the high poly of the assets, testing size (Maya or ZBrush)
- Add more details on high poly clothes and assets ( ZBrush)
- Creating low poly (Maya, Topo-Gun)
- Unwrap (unfold)
- Baking (Marmoset Toolbag)
- Texturing – Preparing texture pack (Substance Painter, Photoshop)
- Adjusting shaders, lightings, post product setting and rendering (Marmoset Toolbag)
![](https://aidinsalsabili.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Nativ_C_08-819x1024.jpg)
What was the most challenging part?
Aidin: I enjoyed every second of this project but there are always challenges. Painting his face and body was challenging because seven different layers with different roughness needed to match together.
![](https://aidinsalsabili.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Nativ_C_06-819x1024.jpg)
What other submissions stood out to you?
Aidin: I think Jared Chavez was great. He worked on a concept that I really loved. What he has done is magnificent. It was really interesting that the top three entries had Native American designs!
What were your learning takeaways from this challenge?
Aidin: Participating in a challenge with this many great artists was truly a great opportunity for me. I learned a lot about my strengtsh and weaknesses throughout the challenge. Having great artists comment about your art is a blessing. I made a lot of friends who I enjoyed talking to and inspired by their g
![](https://aidinsalsabili.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/01-2-1024x611.jpg)