For the skull project, I had two goals: I wanted to create an abstracted rendering of a skull with the tools I was learning on Houdini, as well as making a more realistic skull that I could use in a game or animation project. Scroll down to see my full process!
This is the low poly version of the skull model. I used a collection of reference images to fit as much detail - including the grooves above the eyes and at the temples, the curves of the jawline, etc. - into the restrictive poly count, in case I were to use it in a game requiring a lightweight model.
Once I had the low poly version, I smoothed the skull and added more detail, then did some cleanup to finish the high poly model.
After finishing the full model, I imported it to Houdini to create the look I wanted for the abstract rendering. After setting up lighting and materials, it was ready to go!