The Stylized Grooming Blueprint Part 2: The Clump Fallacy
In the real world, hair clumps because of oil, moisture, and static. In the stylized world, hair clumps because of Composition.
The bigg... ...est mistake Juniors make is using the "Clump" modifier in XGen to add randomness. They think "Random = Realistic." But in stylized art, Random is the Enemy.
The Concept: Rhythmic Clumping Every clump should serve the silhouette. If you have a large, broad clump, it should be balanced by two smaller, thinner clumps. This is the "Big, Medium, Small" rule applied to grooming.
The Workflow:
1- Primary Clumps: Define the major volumes. These should match your Guides perfectly.
2- Secondary Clumps: Add the "breakup." These should follow the flow of the Primary clumps but add slight variation in width.
3- The "Rest" Rule: Never clump the entire head evenly. Leave the "flatter" areas of the hair with less clumping to give the eye a place to rest.
Rule #2: Clumping is a design tool, not a physics simulation.
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