How To Sculpt Bacchus With a Natural-Looking Pose in ZBrush

Introduction

Hello! I'm AS.Art @letsc3d, and I'm a Digital Sculptor. I discovered 3D modeling from an assignment in school related to Computer Science. I was impressed by the freedom it offered me and started exploring all its possibilities. I wanted to start adding life to my structures, but the software I was using didn't allow me to create anything organic, so it drove me to discover ZBrush.

I started learning the basics through YouTube, where I found amazing artists like Daniel Bel, and I was captivated by the expressiveness of his work. I understood the importance of anatomy, started looking at books like Paul Richer and George Bridgman, and did a lot of practice every day. My learning process never ends, and I'm always studying and trying to improve. I have the pleasure of collaborating with CA 3D Studios, sculpting models for 3D printing. I'm also starting a Patreon, where I share my personal work.

About The Bacchus Project

The Bacchus project started as a quick sketch; I wanted to try different body types and find structure in a fat body. I had this image in my mind of Bacchus as a fat and drunk man from the game Smite.

I started looking for references for my concept and found this old painting by Aimé Nicolas Morot. It was so expressive and funny. I did a quick block-out to capture the main information and left it in my sketches file. After a while, I was reviewing my old works and decided that this one deserved to be continued.

I have a few basic references that are in my PureRef in every project, mainly about muscles, fat, and bones. As I progress, I add more references depending on the model. I also take screenshots of my progress and review them later to see what I have improved and what interesting details I might have missed. I use 3D viewers like SketchFab. I have a small mirror next to me to use my face as a reference; I think it's the fastest way to get an exact reference of what I'm looking for. I believe it's very important to take my time examining references because they often contain valuable information that can be missed if I'm not patient. 

Modeling

I started with a very low-poly sphere, pulling with the Move brush to create all the parts of the body without symmetry, focusing on finding a natural-looking pose, a sensation of movement, and weight. Then, I began establishing the primary forms, giving structure to the three immovable masses of the body (head, rib cage, and pelvis), bending and rotating them, generally looking for contrapposto. I remained in this stage for a long time, making sure the proportions and primary forms are correct. 

Then, I analyzed the body to understand which parts are contracting and which are stretching. This allows me to know which sides will be round and bigger and which will be flat and straight. I also make sure the silhouettes are not symmetrical, finding a rhythm where the curve of one side leads to the next curve on the other side.

Next, I increased the poly count and started differentiating the muscles and tendons with a small negative standard brush. This gives me a perspective of the superficial muscles' position to establish their volume and form. I later smooth them with the ClayBuildup brush to give a sensation of skin and use a low-strength smooth brush to clean up some remaining strokes.

Now that I have a slightly denser mesh, I begin working on the hands, feet, and face. I separate them to have more freedom to alter their geometry without affecting the rest of the piece. I can also keep them attached and use Sculptris Pro. This is when I use the "Gio" brush the most, to work on the fingers without detaching them from the mesh.

Regarding the face, after detaching it from the neck, I usually position the Gizmo over it to use local symmetry. But this time, I sculpted the head without symmetry to achieve the drunken effect. While sculpting the head, I keep watching it from every angle and use references for structure and proportions.

Finally, when the small details like skin, wrinkles, and veins are completed, I reattach all body parts to the same SubTool. I make sure they are well-connected. In the Gizmo, I use the gear option and select "Remesh by Union" to merge the meshes. With Sculptris activated, I smooth the seams to hide them. Later, with a higher mesh density, I look for areas where the skin might be folded, and with the DamStandard brush, I create irregular lines to avoid parallelism. To finish the body, I use a standard brush without Lazy Mouse to draw veins in areas that usually have superficial veins, varying the thickness and relief during the strokes. 

I create hard surfaces with ZModeler by inserting edges into my cylinders; I mask the edges I want to edit and move or scale them with the Gizmo. For the grapes and leaves, I make a single unit and duplicate it with the Gizmo, slightly altering the position, shape, and size of each to give a natural look.

To sculpt the cloth, I use references from classical sculptures and basic concepts of tension, gravity, and their relationship with forms. I use the Standard and Move brushes to sketch the folds, then use ZRemesher for a cleaner surface, subdivide, and reinforce the folds with the Standard and DamStandard brushes. My workflow can vary; sometimes I start from a mannequin or primitives, but I always focus on the gesture first so that after the blockout, I won't need to make major changes that could destroy the forms.

The tools I use are DynaMesh in the initial stage, increasing the resolution about three times during the process. I use Sculptris Pro in areas that need more resolution, like the head, hands, and feet. If two parts are colliding, I polygroup one of them and use multigroup DynaMesh. I use Transpose Master to measure proportions.

Regarding brushes, I don't use anything special besides the Gio Soft Forms from Pablo Muñoz; I use ClayBuildup and Standard brushes a lot. I don't use perspective to prevent distortion of proportions. I work with materials that have low specular highlights to avoid distractions with tiny details, and constantly rotate my model to view it from all angles.

Like other artists, I try to make the pose with my own body to understand it better. I prefer to do everything from scratch without shortcuts; this way, I enjoy the process and learn more. However, when time is limited, I sculpt only one arm or one hand and mirror it, or reuse objects from previous projects. I also use symmetry in parts where it's possible, like the face or some props. I have tried to use a base mesh for the body to save on primary forms, but I had bad experiences with that, especially with dynamic poses, where everything ends up broken or becomes too stiff.

Texturing

I create textures in ZBrush using Polypaint. I start with a simple skin tone and, with the Paint brush and Alpha 08 without Lazy Mouse, add variations with a red color across the whole body, applying darker tones in areas more exposed to the sun. I also use Mask by Curvature, soften the mask, and lightly paint to add a reddish hue. I do this on other parts as well to add more color variations.

For the face, I apply a more yellowish tone on the forehead, reddish tones on the nose, cheeks, and ears, and a more grayish tone in the jaw area.

Since my models are intended for 3D printing, the only retopology I do is with Decimation Master to reduce the geometry efficiently. Before that, I mask and create polygroups, insert keys in the joints, and frame the model on the screen to match its real-life size. Then, I carefully decimate each part to preserve important details. 

Rendering

My scene in KeyShot consists of the typical three-point lighting setup: the key light is an area light disk, the backlight is a pin in the HDRI editor, and the rim light is an HDRI image reduced to 70%. I also add subtle colors, like light blue and red tones, to my key and backlights to increase contrast. Regarding materials, I use translucent ones for almost everything, adjusting them depending on the object's nature.

I try to avoid a too plastic-like specular look by decreasing the refractive index or adding darker tones to the specular. I manually tweak each value to find what I like best.

My rendering process involves trying different settings until I achieve a convincing result. Sometimes I use curvature as a texture for my materials. I believe the key to a good result is the contrast between lights and shadows, avoiding images that are too dark or over-illuminated. 

Summary

This project took me around 60 working hours. What I enjoyed most was the initial stage, starting from a simple geometric shape and watching it take form, seeing how errors developed into something valuable, adding character and authenticity to the figure. At this stage, you feel challenged to create something good; it requires your full attention, and this puts you in a very enjoyable state of flow. The final stage, where you add finishing touches and small details, is also challenging. I find this part less exciting, which makes it difficult to complete.

I learned to be patient and that dedicating time is essential; everything eventually gets resolved. It's not just about the amount of time that passes since I started, but about maintaining focus. Distractions can make time pass without progress. Concentration is like a muscle, and it's very important to develop it. I also realized that art is like sports; knowing the theory is not enough, practice is crucial.

I recommend Daniel Bel's YouTube channel, Rafa Souza, Daniboy_Art, David Finch, and Proko. I also find great value in books like Complete Guide to Drawing from Life by George Bridgman, Artistic Anatomy by Paul Richer, Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier, and Anatomy for Sculptors. You can also find valuable information in other artists' works and photographers.

AS.Art, Digital Sculptor

Interview conducted by Amber Rutherford