Blender 3D: Noob to Pro/Model a Low Poly Head

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This tutorial is designed to teach users to make a low-poly animesque head in Blender.

All of the pictures were made by me as Blender3D screen shots. They are all free for any form of use. NOTE: Pictures go from left to right

[edit] Overview

What you need to know:

• Basic Blender controls

[edit] Making the Model

Before doing anything, delete the default cube by selecting it in object mode, pressing XKey, and confirming. Go into the front view (keypad 1) and add a plane.

Select the bottom two vertices (Shift + Right-Click) and press W to bring up the vertex menu. "Select Merge", then "At Center".

Now you have a pointed chin.

Select the top two vertices (use the BKEY) and re-arrange them so they make more of a chin shape by pressing the GKEY to move and ZKEY to constrain the movement to the Z-Axis.

Now extrude (EKEY) along the Z-Axis (ZKEY) so that you have another area.

Scale it (SKEY)so that it's not so cubic.

Now extrude along the Z-Axis again (EKEY then ZKEY) and scale (SKEY) it down a bit.

One last time... (E) (Z) (S)

Select the middle vertices (BKEY) and press (WKEY) to bring up the edit menu again. Subdivide it once.

Now select at first the pair of verticies above and subdivide once.

Do the same two times with the pair below.

There!

Select and subdivide here, so you can make the eyes.

And rearange the vertices so they make eye shapes.

Now select the middle vertex here (right mouse button).

Extrude it along the Y-Axis (EKEY) (YKEY) and move your mouse around to change how far it moves.

Now we make the nose. Select these three vertices (Shift + Right mouse button) and press (F) to make a face.

Now do the same to the other side, and you will have the nose's base.

Select these vertices (Shift + Rightclick) and make a face (F). Do this to the other side.

Now you have a nose.

Rotate the camera so you are seeing the back. Press CTL+NUM1. Also, change to face select mode.

Select the faces behind the nose. (Shift + Rightclick) and press (X). This will bring up the delete menu. Selected "Faces" to get rid of these.

Now select these vertices (above and below(user comment: the one at the bottom of the chin, and the one at the bottom of the nose right above the first one), and subdivide them.

And select all the edges on the outside.

Move the vertices back a bit to give the face more smoothness (G) (Y)and rearrange the chin.

Now select the vertices at the back of the head, using (B).

Extrude these along the y axis (E) (Y)

Ta da!

Now select the back vertices and press (F) to make a face.

and so on....

and so on....

now select and subdivide these once (W)

and these points too.

Now select the middle and move it back (G) (Y).

[edit] Finishing it up

And here it is with sub-surfacing. You have finished. Hit (F12) to see the final render.

Using triangles on a subsurfed model may result in "peaks" on to occur in some areas. To reduce this problem, merge as many triangles into squares as possible.