Hello! Welcome to the final lesson in our first module on medal design.
In our previous lesson, we focused on the art and science of designing lettering for medals. We covered compositional principles and the non-negotiable technical rules for struck medals, such as avoiding undercuts and incorporating a proper bevel. We saw that lettering is, in itself, a form of low-relief sculpture.
Today, we will expand on that idea to tackle the main imagery of the medal. Our goal is to translate a 2D medal design into a 3D low-relief model, managing planes and transitions suitable for medallic art.
As an experienced sculptor, you're already familiar with the principles of bas-relief. Medallic art, however, pushes these principles to an extreme. The relief is often exceptionally low—sometimes less than a millimeter—yet it must create a convincing illusion of depth and form. This lesson will focus on the specific mindset and techniques required to achieve that illusion.
The Core Concept: The Illusion of Depth
The fundamental challenge of relief sculpture is creating a 3D illusion in a compressed space. An excellent article by sculptor Paul Minkiewicz provides a conceptual framework for this, which he calls "The Flattening" and "The Deepening." It's a powerful way to think about organizing your sculpture.
Flat Out Fun: Sculpting In Relief Part I - Minkiewicz Studios
In his blog post, 'Flat Out Fun: Sculpting In Relief Part I,' Paul Minkiewicz explains the core mental shift required for relief sculpting. This is one of the best explanations of the theory behind creating depth in a shallow space.
Please read the section titled 'The Flattening and The Deepening'. Focus on the analogy of Photoshop layers to understand how to organize the different elements of your composition into a series of planes.
The key ideas from the reading are:
- The Flattening: Think of your 2D design as a series of layers or planes. Identify the closest point to the viewer and the furthest point. Every other element will fall on a plane somewhere between these two extremes.
- The Deepening: This refers to the actual sculpting—carving into the surface to define forms, create shadows, and establish perspective. Because the relief is so low, you are essentially sculpting with light and shadow.
This approach requires you to make interpretive judgments. It's not a literal translation of 3D space, but an illusion designed to be viewed from a single, straight-on angle.
Digital Workflows for Translating 2D to 3D
With your proficiency in Blender, the digital realm offers powerful tools to translate your 2D concepts. Let's explore a few methods, ranging from automated processes to fully manual sculpting.
Method 1: The Automated Approach with Depth Maps
One of the fastest ways to get a 3D model from a 2D image is by generating a depth map (or height map). This is a grayscale image where white represents the highest points of the relief and black represents the lowest.
This method can be a great way to generate a starting point for your sculpture. The following video demonstrates this workflow using an online tool and then importing the result into Blender for final adjustments.
Do YOU want to Turn a Flat 2D Image Into a Full 3D Printed Bas-Relief?
This video from the Silver Punk channel, titled 'Do YOU want to Turn a Flat 2D Image Into a Full 3D Printed Bas-Relief?', walks through a complete 2D-to-3D workflow.
Please watch two segments: Depth Map Generation (00:08:17 - 00:10:43): Observe how a 2D image is uploaded to a tool that generates several depth map options, and how the resulting 3D model can be previewed. Importing into Blender (00:10:54 - 00:12:14): Pay close attention to how the artist imports the model and, crucially, sets the final dimensions and thickness (the Z-axis), which directly controls the overall relief height.
While fast, automated depth-map generation often produces results that lack the subtle transitions and artistic control of a hand-sculpted piece. It's a useful tool, but rarely the final step for high-quality medallic art.
Method 2: The Sculptural Approach in Blender
This approach mirrors traditional sculpting and gives you complete artistic control. It involves using Blender's sculpting tools to manually build up and refine the forms, directly applying the principles of "The Flattening" and "The Deepening."
There are also hybrid techniques that can speed up the process. A common one is to use a normal map to create the illusion of fine detail on a surface, or to use extruded SVG files for sharp, graphic shapes. The next video demonstrates both of these quick techniques in Blender.
How to make 3D COINS from 2D images in Blender Easily
In 'How to make 3D COINS from 2D images in Blender Easily,' the creator shows two more quick methods for creating relief.
Watch the following sections: Using a Normal Map (00:04:25 - 00:11:18): This section shows how to use a 2D image to generate a normal map, which fakes the appearance of relief by telling the software how light should bounce off the surface. This is excellent for fine textures. Using SVG Extrusion (00:11:18 - 00:15:25): This demonstrates importing a 2D vector graphic (SVG) and extruding it to create a clean, sharp 3D shape. This is ideal for lettering (as we touched on last time) and stylized imagery.
Ultimately, the highest quality work often combines these methods: perhaps starting with an SVG or depth map for the basic forms, and then using manual sculpting to refine planes, soften transitions, and add artistic detail.
A Professional Case Study
Let's see how these principles are applied in a real-world project. French engraver and medal maker Nicolas Salagnac documented his process for creating a medal for the carpenters of Notre-Dame de Paris.
Creation of the medal for the Carpenters of the spire... - Nicolas Salagnac
This blog post provides a concise overview of a professional medal project, from digital modeling to final production.
Read through Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 of the process. Note the specific language he uses regarding defining 'depths,' creating 'plane transitions,' and managing 'draft' and 'differences in planes.'
Salagnac's process perfectly illustrates today's topic:
- He starts by establishing the viewpoint and then digitally "redraw[s] all the elements... as well as the rhythms and depths." This is "The Flattening" and "The Deepening" in action.
- In the die-finishing stage, he manually works the steel to "create plane transitions and accentuate certain details." This shows that the management of planes is a critical artistic step that continues even after the digital model is complete.
- During inspection, he explicitly checks to "manage draft and try to limit excessive differences in planes," reinforcing the technical constraints that govern medallic art.
Conclusion
Translating a 2D design into a convincing low-relief model is an interpretive act that balances artistic illusion with technical constraints. Your background in sculpture and graphic design provides the ideal foundation for mastering this skill.
Key Takeaways:
- Effective low-relief sculpture relies on creating an illusion of depth by organizing the composition into a series of planes or layers ("The Flattening").
- Form is defined by carving into the surface to create highlights and shadows ("The Deepening").
- Digital tools offer multiple workflows, from automated depth map generation to direct digital sculpting, which gives maximum artistic control.
- The final model must respect technical production constraints, including draft angles and limited differences between the highest and lowest points of the relief.
This lesson concludes the first module of our course. You have now covered the entire design process, from historical context and composition to lettering and 3D modeling.
In our next lesson, we will begin Module 2, "From Model to Object." We will dive deeper into the technical side of production, starting with a detailed comparison of the requirements for cast versus struck medals, formalizing many of the concepts we've touched on like relief depth and draft angles.