From Wax Sculpture to 3D Character Design in ZBrush

Introduction

My name is Graeme Gordon and I'm a former character sculptor working mainly in the ceramics industry. I'm currently studying game art at the University Of Worcester in the UK. My 3D experience doesn't really extend beyond my studies, but using traditional methods, I was fortunate enough to enjoy a commercial art career that included many prestigious commissions alongside the animal studies and figurines you would expect from a business of that nature.  

Becoming a 3D Artist

I decided to become a 3D artist because it seemed like the natural progression for a professional sculptor from my former industry. I came into ceramics just in time to witness the collapse of the industry, as it had been known. All the heavy hitters gradually went under, but our studio hung on longer than most because of the products we produced and the calibre of the clientele. 

Much of my working week was spent sculpting short addition pieces that retailed for £20K or more, and although some interesting exceptions still exist in the field of fine art, generally speaking, people simply don't spend that kind of money on commercial porcelain anymore (no matter who you worked for in the past). 

When the studio finally closed, I became briefly distracted by the craft-ale explosion and set up what became a successful brewery, which took me away from freelance sculpting for a time. However, I eventually resigned to resume my art career a couple of years later and decided to explore the game industry, having just met Jacqui Edwards who was to become my course leader at Worcester. 

I must carry many influences over from my previous career that affect the way in which I approach 3D art in terms of how I utilize the fundamental art skills I've come to rely on. But the main thing that comes to mind is that my experience may have allowed me to realize the importance of establishing my typical sculpting workflow pattern, even within this unfamiliar digital medium.  

It's all about the head for me in character sculpting. I traditionally begin by establishing the important nuances of the character's facial structure and expression before anything else, and let that speak to me.  

It needn't be finessed but as long as all of the important form required to sell their personality is present from the onset. That in turn allows me to visualize the configuration of the abdomen, and so on whilst portraying the same emotion throughout.  

Often, popular ZBrush tutorials centre around replicating the all-over shape of your turnaround, usually with ZSpheres, long before any of that is considered. Of course, my preferred method relies on an artist's ability to sculpt an appropriately detailed head almost fully and at some pace, early on in the proceedings, and thankfully I've been doing that long enough to do so to my satisfaction. 

I believe that the way I approach the hi-res would not interfere with the way most studios operate. At Worcester, we have been taught to respect the conventional industry pipeline.  

At the end of the day, I will proceed through the sculpt in much the same way others will, I just wait for the right face to appear first before I get ZSpheres out. 

I undertook a series of modules within my degree course that I felt would complement a profession in general, and those are 3D character modelling which included the study of vertex, edge level modelling in Maya, High-resolution Character design and modelling in ZBrush, Supplementary studies in PBR using Substance and UE4, 3D animation and motion capture as well as a number of Game Development modules using Unity.  

My initial ZBrush tutor, Jaime Pardo, felt strongly that the ability to harness my existing art skills through the medium of digital sculpture could be a valuable asset within a number of industry sectors. His experience within the Film FX industry, together with that of Animation course leader Omid Ghanat-Abady, who facilitated many extracurricular industry activities, have had a profound effect on my understanding of the various workplace applications relevant to my skill base. 

Game Art course leader Jacqui Edwards and tutors Martin Squires and Chris Pearson have all done so similarly with their combined experience within the game industry. The latter of whom has played a significant role in expanding my knowledge of the 3D character pipeline, as a whole, by introducing me to the dazzling power of physical-based rendering. 

Creating Sci-Fi Creatures

The inspiration behind my sci-fi art, and all things creepy and twisted stem right back to childhood with the Dan Dare stories in the "Eagle" comic books, and Judge Dredd in "2000 AD". As a teen, I wanted to paint like H.R. Giger, Frank Frazzetta, and Roger Dean. 

Also, early exposure to the work of Hieronymus Bosch, the Bruegels, Aubrey Beardsley, and even Sir John Tenniel have ultimately had a bearing on my thought processes regarding sci-fi character and creature design.  

Along with all that, images of infected tissue, crustacea, and deep-sea creatures mean that my PureRef boards are always good for a chuckle. 

I should also add that since I have been involved in digital sculpture, I sometimes include the work of the 3D artists I admire such as Kurt Papstein, Raf Grassetti, and Ashley Adams.

ZBrush Workflow

In an earlier question, I touched on how I like to attack the germ of the head without establishing the bulk of the body shape on mass. Outside of that likelihood, I would approach the general workflow as I'd imagine most would. After the head, I would expect to quickly refine the bulk of the torso to a similar level using cross-hatched sweeps of the Clay Buildup brush. Often in a fairly wide brush size but always shallow, and always with my left hand poised over the alt key to add and subtract at will. If I make any huge errors, I might switch occasionally to the ordinary clay brush (BCB) for its gap-filling qualities. Limbs etc. will obviously follow on in the same manner. I avoid using the move tool throughout this rapid prototyping which is hard because I love it. Too much, if I'm honest. I never use the smooth tool throughout the forming.  

Regarding the head and face if working from a sphere. After a quick tug with the Move tool to get a rough chin and some BFA treatment to make the sides flatter, I jump straight in on the face. I find it impossible to progress well with the face without following a few basic rules which have remained unaltered since modelling with wax. First, I establish the brow and nose, orbicularis (or, upper mouth area), lower lip and point of the chin, in that order. To me, it never looks like a real face until some rough upper eyelids are in place (as though the eyes are shut or at least lowered) but I will likely gouge a little more beneath the brow (BCL/alt) before I do. The corner of the jaw and rough ear shapes would go in at this point and if I'm intending to do a likeness, I would build in a rough hairline around the perimeter of the face too as this massively affects the position of the essential face landmarks for a given individual. I would then alter brush size and progressively refine all features across the face equally, constantly viewing from all angles and subdividing as I go, as you'd expect. If I get too heavy-handed and break it, I'll ZRemesh a duplicate and project detail back to get a nicer sculpting surface again.  

As I mentioned earlier, once I have a compelling head, I set aside full refinement and engage the rest of the model before fully refining it. The process of forming the facial landscape is exactly that of the rest of the model just with progressively smaller shallower cross-hatched brushstrokes usually running at right angles to the direction of the given feature and always with the Clay Buildup which I suppose we have to say is my favourite brush. If a real-world freelance sculptor could steal anything at all from the virtual 3D toolbox to use in a traditional studio it would be the Move brush and the magic of Symmetry. These features alone would increase their income by about 300 per cent, and I suppose there lies my fascination with the Move brush which must be a close second favourite to me personally. BIN, I mean the Inflate brush is also a captivating tool purely as it allows you to subtly add volume to something that might already possess a finished surface without ruining it, which is another amazing novelty to an old analogue operator like myself. 

I find the Standard brush a great tool for applying small detail in conjunction with my trusty Move and the SnakeHook comes in handy for similar reasons. I adopted Papstein's method for creating unusual clothing forms (that don't comply with body shape or might require an internal as well as external profile, such as a cape) by appending a disposable prototype form which I use to 'mask' and then extract from. If I wanted a pair of shorts, I'll mask then extract from the body like any basic tutorial would tell you to.  

For accessories that aren't quickly formed from appended primitives or built at vertex/edge level using ZModeler I use another personal favourite of mine, the Shadow Box tool. I love to form those unusual crossover forms that exist in life that have an organic feel to them but can be contained with a degree of accuracy supported by Symmetry and the polishing tools. The effect is to give a machined appearance to complex shapes in a rapid way that would be otherwise difficult to achieve. 

The Art of Sculpting the Faces

Most of us agree that having a passion for a particular subject is always a powerful driving force behind being accomplished at anything.  

For the most part, I tend to favor sombre subject material for any personal work, and I love to depict characters in that way where possible. I think you can go a long way by showing a few well-observed muscular details within the face, for example. Like the way the varying tension of the Modiolus creates a multitude of expressions in the indent at the edge of the mouth, or when a figure's entire energy can be altered by the incline of a wrist or the raising of its shoulder muscle. 

The well-meaning finalist of a prestigious international character model competition recently expressed to me that they thought my alien emperor could appear more 'alien-like' and therefore more frightening if he didn't possess some of the human attributes I had chosen to give him. 

I naturally thanked them for the feedback but came away with the thought that I could not agree less. To me, the spectre of the looming Chimera is altogether more monstrous than your average monster ever could be.  

It is a subjective notion I suppose but I think it's those delicate human nuances we see in ourselves that make a creature more disturbing if anything. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking so. 

Doing so successfully is another matter entirely and I would not claim to be an expert at that, particularly being as new to ZBrush as I am. 

The artist that says they are an expert at achieving the ultimate work of art to their complete satisfaction on every occasion they choose to put their mind to it probably lies about other things as well.  

I like the work to speak for itself. As I see things, success is for others to decide. However, I will add that I will die in the process of trying. 

Choosing the Color Palette

I believe it pays to have a broad understanding of colour theory even when you work extensively in 3D only, as I did in the ceramics and bronzeware industries. I think it is more important still in digital 3D if you are to have a more rounded feel for the design of a concept. 

From a personal perspective, I favour a muted pallet as anyone might gather from the small collection of my work currently available to view. A mild desaturated look better reflects the environments I visualize for my characters. 

I like the way that blues and browns complement each other in a composition. Greens and reds, also. A tiny splash of color in its most intense form, in those well-lit areas, can be a powerful means of creating both depth and realism in both 3D and 2D work. 

However, it's healthy to remember that a client won't necessarily share my sensibilities and as a commercial practitioner it's important to respect that. In the commercial world, it doesn't pay to get too precious about the work you produce. The client will have a better idea of what is right for their products and designs. 

Conclusion

When it comes to any kind of creative pursuit, it is never enough for me to just enjoy the act of participating. Whether it's sculpting horses in wax, creating creatures in poly-mesh, or brewing craft ale for that matter. I cannot see the point in doing it if you are not prepared to do it to what you believe is a professional standard.  

Some may think that is a weakness, but I believe it's an idea that has served me well by making me strive to do a better job during my time as an artist. 

I've been delighted to receive some encouraging remarks over the preceding months about my student work but when I look at the 3D I have done to date I see baby steps. I am ambitious to succeed in a field I have only just begun and I look forward to a time when I am fully able to maximize the potential of my new digital tools.  

In short, I feel I have done okay, but I am not as good as I soon will be.

Graeme Gordon, 3D Character Art Student and Ceramic Industry Sculptor

Interview conducted by Theodore Nikitin