In nuce: Pixar has given Toy Story hero Buzz Lightyear a solo adventure for the big screen – but how did the hair-tastic hairstyle of his co-star Alisha come about? Sofya Ogunseitan, Technical Director at Pixar, has published a paper explaining how the cornrow hairstyle from the film Lightyear was created – as seen on the 3D characters Alisha Hawthorne and her daughter Izzy. In addition to the so-called cornrows, the paper also looks at how plaits, curls and hair roots were created. This paper will be of particular interest to grooming artists who want to learn more about procedural approaches.
Who is Sofya Ogunseitan? Sofya started her career at Pixar as an intern in the “Technical Director for Grooming and Shading” department. In September 2020, she filled the same position at Pixar, this time as a regular full-time employee. She is a graduate of Stanford University, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Graphics.
Click to continue: The full paper “Space Rangers with Cornrows: Methods for Modelling Braids and Curls in Pixar’s Groom Pipeline”.
Turn the page: In our last print issue, DP 04 : 2022, we talked to Tailoring & Simulation Supervisor Fran Kalal, Director of Photography Jeremy Lasky and Art Director Greg Peltz about Pixar’s Lightyear on page 120. The second part of our Lightyear series awaits you in DP 05 : 2022.
