I have decided to create a Japanese koro after carefully considering dozens of ideas, including: Japanese standing dolls, various ornate Japanese boxes, masks, netsuke, and many other fascinating objects. A koro is a ceremonial vessel used to burn incense. In western religions it is analogous to a censer; their key difference being their distinct Japanese artistic style. This particular koro is from the early 20th century, between 1900-1920, though an exact date is not given.
Koro are traditionally used in Japanese temples and shrines; however, in the modern age they can also be used in homes. They can be made from ceramic, copper, bronze, iron, or even precious metals like gold and silver. Many typical koro from this time period are cast bronze, as is this one. It is also notably missing its lid.
To create this artifact in 3D, I will block out the forms and create a base mesh in Blender. This will later be adjusted as needed to make the low poly mesh. I will import the blocked out form to ZBrush where it will be given detail. This will produce the high poly mesh. Once the high poly and low poly meshes are complete, I will bake the high poly details on to the low poly mesh in Substance 3D Painter. This will also be used to texture the object after baking. Once the object is ready, it will be imported into Marmoset Toolbag, where I will establish lighting and render the final image.
The reference images can be found on Cherish.
