Chapter One

One of the most exciting aspects of ZBrush is the way it allows the artist to interface directly with the model and create in a spontaneous and organic fashion, just as if working with balls of digital clay. Thousands of years of artistic tradition have given us a wealth of technique when it comes to the discipline of sculpting. While traditional painters have had applications like Painter and Photoshop to open the doors to the digital realm, sculptors were out in the cold-until ZBrush.

Gesture, Form, and Proportion

When learning to become a better digital sculptor, you will benefit from the same traditions and tenets that guided traditional sculptors for centuries. Just like drawing and painting, all the fundamental artistic lessons applicable to sculpting are true on the computer as well. Whether we are sculpting an alien, a princess, a warrior, a horse, or abstract form exploration, our primary concerns will always be the same (Figure 1.1).

Gesture

Gesture represents the dynamic curve of the figure. In life drawing, these lines are quickly laid down on paper and do not necessarily seek to describe the contour or form of the figure at all (Figure 1.2). The function of the gesture drawing is to capture the rhythm and motion of the pose, the thrust of the figure, and the action inherent in its posture (Figure 1.3). Keeping a sketchbook of quick, loose sketches you don't intend to show is a great way to train yourself to find the gesture and rhythms in a figure. These kinds of exercises help sharpen your eye, and this translates into better figures when