Leaf of Lorien

 Building upon what I learnt from modelling the Dwarf-Rings, I chose to model from reference rather than designing my own and I made sure to not restrict myself with poly count.

I chose to model one of the Leaves of Lorien; a brooch given to the Fellowship of the Ring by Lady Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings. This model was much more complicated than a ring and has many interpretations online, both from the movie and various merchandise stores. I found this image from an online store which captured the leaf from a good, front-on, perspective.

As well as a few other snaps from the movie for different perspectives, I was able to find a photogrammetry model on Sketchfab of a merchandise production which was very helpful when modelling the pin and the winding silver vines.

Photogrammetry Model

I first modelled the silhouette of the leaf and then extruded the silver outline separately leaving the model completely flat. From that I was able to extrude inward, following the path of the main veins and then extruding of them later to make the smaller ones.

Using a semi-transparent material I was able to trace the path of the veins onto the leaf and create similarly shaped cuts between them so that, when smoothed, the leaf can curve to the veins. I then cleaned up the polys and indented the leaf where the veins lay.

After shaping each vein to the shape of the leaf individually I was able to add any necessary edge loops and smooth both the leaf and casing. I then used the soft select tool to give the leaf subtle bends and curves to make it more like the actual product.

I used CV curves to make the silver vines and used the reference image for the general path. I used the Sketchfab model to gauge depth. I mildly adjusted the point where it meets the leaf in order to make it look attached.

The pin I kept quite basic and used the Sketchfab model for placement.

UVing the model was quite easy which meant I could almost jump straight into Substance Painter. I used the silver material but decreased the roughness in order to get enough shine. I used the brushed iron material, for it's normals, and coloured it green in order to simulate texture on the leaf. Getting it all to line up with the grain of the leaf was quite difficult so some areas needed their own layer and adjustments which created a few seams but nothing noticeable. I then topped this off with an almost transparent lighter-green glass material to add extra glossiness to the leaf which I think looks better than the usual metal shine.

I think this asset turned out so much better than the Dwarf-Rings. I think part of that comes down to modelling from a reference this time whereas before I was designing my own. Having more than a limited number of images to work from like I was when designing my own gave me a lot more freedom as a modeller to make this asset with the details it was intended to have. I also freed myself of the burden of the poly count and I think this would make an excellent collectable in a Middle-Earth-based game