Papatasi — Alex Mykris

Phlebotomus Papatasi

PHLEBOTOMUS PAPATASI

Rendering of the sandfly Phlebotomus papatasi taking a blood meal for use in a mock scientific journal. The females of this genus require a blood meal to reproduce, much like mosquitoes. The goal of this project was to create a high detail model of the insect and render it like a macro photo (actual flies are roughly 2mm long). To ensure accuracy I worked with Dr. Greg Curler, a Psychodidae expert, who supplied me with images, sketches, and specimens. The model was built in ZBrush, the hairs generated in Cinema4D, and the final render in Cinema4D.

Referenced previous illustrations, photography, and direct observations under a dissecting microscope.

Software Used: Adobe Illustrator, Pixologic ZBrush, Cinema4D

My Process

Blocking in the Head Capsule

Using a combination of Zspheres and primitive shapes I first blocked in the head capsule. I needed to ensure I had the correct number of antenna and maxillary palp segments, as well as all 6 mouth parts.

Blocking in the Body

I continued to use primitives and zspheres to create the body, legs, and wings. The most difficult part at this point was identifying the different segments of the thorax.

Head Capsule Details

A detail shot of the final head capsule. The individual eyes (ommatidia) were made using a flat texture mapped onto the eye.

Final Model

The final model with a full set of high fidelity mouth parts, wing veination, and antennae.

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