Amazing facts about the Hellbird: it used more than 50 different particle systems to cast a spell of infinite darkness on my GPU, and it builds its nest out of lost souls :)
Final Renders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py_kXaYnfSo&feature=youtu.be
Work in Progress Gallery
1: Sculpted head, first try
2: Sculpted body, first try-- getting a general sense of proportions
3: Head with more detail
4: Head and body with more detail
5: Initial materials
6: More head refinements, + arms as separate geometries
7: Body refinements, legs as separate geometries, downy feathers with particle system
8: Single primary wing feather with particle system
9: A full wing with primary + secondary feathers and coverts, a foot
10: Head and body second try, initial materials
11: Creepy vertex painting time!
12: Full body vertex paint
13: It took so long to figure out how to mirror the wings with particle systems, I had to brute force it but got good enough results.
