How to Model & Texture Jinx from Arcane with ZBrush

Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Javier Benver, and I’m a Senior Character Artist based in Barcelona. Ever since I was very young, I’ve loved creating things; I’ve always enjoyed drawing and doing crafts. I began my artistic career as an illustrator, creating work for magazines, books, and other types of commissions. In 2010, I started seeing work on social media and in magazines created with ZBrush, and decided to give it a try. Since then, 3D has become my main focus; even so, I've never stopped drawing. In fact, at most of the companies I’ve worked for, I’ve also done concept art and visual development in addition to character modeling.

My career hasn’t followed a straight path, and I’ve worked on all kinds of projects. I’ve worked on animated shorts for television, toy design, augmented reality projects, virtual reality, and video games. From every project I’ve worked on, I’ve learned something that has made me a better artist. I love creating, and I don’t place much importance on whether the project is a video game or a movie, as long as it aligns with my vision.

I love challenging myself to keep growing.

Inspiration

I'm a huge fan of Fortiche. In 2014, I saw a music video, “Freak of the Week”, produced by this studio, and I loved it. Years later, “K/DA-POP/STARS”. Fortiche has always been a reference and an inspiration. I can confidently say that, for me, Arcane is the best thing created in 3D animation in the last 10 years, which is why it has become a show that has inspired me to create a lot of fan art.

Arcane’s art is incredibly rich and complex; it’s always a challenge to create fan art of any of its characters. Since Arcane, there’s been a flood of projects trying to recreate that style.

As for the character I chose for this project, Jinx is definitely magnetic, and I’ve already created some fan art of her, but this version is the one that appears in the latest episodes, and it’s the version of her that I like the most.

Modeling

First, I want to clarify that this piece is a sculpture, so I haven’t focused on making it game-ready or ensuring perfect topology. Even so, I always like to work with a clean mesh; this allows a better mesh subdivision and even makes the subsequent posing process easier. 

Body

The software I use for sculpting is ZBrush, and I’m increasingly trying to create everything within the same software, as it streamlines the process for me. I do the blocking in ZBrush using primitives; I build the entire body this way until I get close to the proportions of the original model. I won’t say that I do this step for every model I create, since over the years I’ve accumulated many base models with clean topology that I can simply adapt, which saves a lot of time. Still, it’s a good exercise whenever I have the time to create the character from scratch.

Hair

Regarding hair, it’s something that takes a lot of time on my models since it’s one of the parts I enjoy working on the most, and I also believe that well-rendered hair is a major point of interest. I’ve been using ZBrush for many years, since 2010, I think, so when I start a new project, I like to analyze it in detail and determine how many custom brushes I need to create. For hair, as well as for elements that are common across different characters, like eyes, teeth, buttons, and buckles, I have brushes that I’ve created myself. It’s very easy to create your own brushes, and it saves you a lot of time, especially when it comes to hair. 

Gadgets

As for the gadgets, in this model I created the simpler ones directly in ZBrush using ZModeler, but for some of the more complex pieces I used 3ds Max, since I find it much more comfortable for this type of hard-surface modeling. In my professional experience, I’ve noticed that even artists with years of experience don’t use GOZ, a plugin that lets you send files directly from Maya/3ds Max to ZBrush and vice versa. It saves a lot of time on exporting and importing, and allows you to modify something in 3ds Max quickly and immediately apply the change to a subdivision model in ZBrush.

Working with the gadgets, I tried to minimize the amount of work involved and modeled a specific number of pieces, creating some color variations and adding details to make them look different.

Cloth

For clothing, in this case, I don’t use Marvelous Designer or any other type of simulation. For the jacket, I start with a sphere to create the initial shape and gradually add detail. I recommend not subdividing the mesh too much and keeping it fairly light so it’s easier to manipulate. 

At the beginning, I don’t start with small wrinkles but rather the general folds that define the overall shape. I use ZRemesher to make the piece more uniform after stretching it every so often. 

Years ago, I created my own brush for this type of fold; it’s a version of the standard brush that comes by default, but with some values modified.

I use this technique whenever the part cannot be created by extruding the mesh itself. For parts like torso straps, arm straps, or pants that are quite tight-fitting, I simply mask and extrude the part.

For the extraction, I recommend using zero thickness. First, we’ll reduce the density to achieve a better distribution of polygons using ZRemesher, and finally, we’ll add thickness using ZModeler.

Texturing

In this model and in the rest of the Arcane fan art I’ve created, I’ve used Polypaint in ZBrush. It’s simply a matter of applying color in ZBrush. For this type of work, sculptures that we later want to render, I don’t need to worry about UVs and other technical aspects. In my personal projects, I always try to focus on the artistic side, since working 8 hours a day as a character modeler already means constantly keeping an eye on the technical aspects, and when I model something for myself, I like to avoid that part.

To elaborate a bit more on this topic, some people rely heavily on projecting a reference onto the model, but I prefer to paint directly. I recommend not assigning any fixed material to the model; that way, you can use the flat material view to see the color information much more clearly. Once I’ve applied the basic color touches, I continue painting with the flat material until the end of the process. I think my 2D background also helps me a lot in this regard, since I treat the 3D model like an illustration. It’s important to keep in mind that the quality of the polypaint depends on the density, since it’s based on vertex painting, so the more vertices, the more definition.

The biggest challenge you face with the Arcane style is that it relies heavily on hand-painting, but at the same time, the model is rendered in 3D with some PBR aspects. So, I try to paint in some highlights and shadows without making it obvious from certain angles that the painting was done with a specific view, such as the front view, in mind.

Once you're done, simply export the model as an FBX file, and you'll have that color information even without the UVs.

Lighting

Regarding lighting, I like to render my models with Arnold in Maya. I usually don’t overcomplicate things with lighting, since I think that, in most cases, simple is best. A simple three-point lighting setup is enough. I also added an extra light that only affects the background. I did the main render with Arnold, but I wanted to create a couple of 360-degree videos of the model, so to save time, I used Marmoset Toolbag. I think it’s perfect for this type of rendering.

Conclusion

The biggest challenge with this model was definitely its complexity. Aside from the challenge of making it look like the original, it’s a model with a lot of elements. I really enjoy posing my characters using Transpose Master in ZBrush, though I have to say it’s not easy. I’ve developed a certain skill over the years, but when you pose a model like this, you always have to fix some parts that have broken and even resculpt the anatomy and the wrinkles in the clothing a bit. 

I could have modeled Jinx directly in that pose, but when a model is too complex, I like to model it in A Pose so that, if I want to in the future, I can give it a different pose and generate more renders.

Once I had the model in A Pose finished without the jacket or accessories, I decided I wanted to add another layer of complexity, so I spent a little more time adding the entire arsenal.

I strongly recommend asking for feedback from more senior colleagues. We often lose our objectivity, and getting feedback from a fresh pair of eyes can be a huge help. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and even after I’ve finished the final render, I often like to review my own work, usually after taking a day or two off from that model.

I’ve been teaching ZBrush and drawing for a few years now, and I always give the same advice. I think one of the challenges for the new generations is competing with a legion of top-tier modelers. You go on social media, and everyone seems to be modeling incredibly well and at lightning speed. It’s true that there are more and more talented people out there who learn faster because they have access to many resources and tutorials. Even so, you have to try not to fall into the trap of quick art just to fill your profile or portfolio. If you’re a 3D artist, patience is the greatest virtue. The tricky part here is that the concept of patience isn’t the same for a 40-year-old as it is for a 20-year-old, and it’s something you have to develop over time.

I always tell younger artists that when you think your model is already perfect, spend one more day working on it. Those details can be decisive and determine whether you get hired by a company or whether your art remains mediocre and ends up as filler on social media.

Javier Benver, 3D Artist