Tutorial: Sculpting the Human Skull in ZBrush
The Gnomon Workshop has released Sculpting the Human Skull, a guide to sculpting an anatomically correct skull in ZBrush, recorded by games artist John William Crossland.
The workshop, which is intended for newer users of the digital sculpting software, also covers lighting the skull in Maya and creating a portfolio-ready render in Arnold, and provides over three hours of video training.
Sculpt an anatomically accurate human skull in ZBrush, starting from a simple ZSphere
Crossland begins with basic anatomical principles, explaining how to identify the key landmarks of human skulls, and the differences between male and female skulls.
He then reveals how to sculpt a realistic skull in ZBrush, beginning with a simple ZSphere, and using just a few of the basic tools to build up the detailed form.
He then imports the sculpt into Maya for lighting, explaining how to create a portfolio-ready render using the Arnold renderer, and adding the finishing touches in Photoshop.
As well as the training videos, viewers of the workshop can download project files for the tutorial, including Crossland’s ZBrush .ztl file, Maya scene and layered Photoshop .psd file for the final image.
About the artist
John William Crossland is principal character artist at Remedy Entertainment, now working on Alan Wake 2.
He has over 15 years’ experience in game development, at studios including Sumo Digital and Ubisoft Toronto, with previous credits including Watch Dogs: Legion and Quantum Break.
Pricing and availability
Sculpting the Human Skull is available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, providing access to over 300 tutorials. Subscriptions cost $49/month or $490/year. Free trials are available.
Read more about Sculpting the Human Skull on The Gnomon Workshop’s website
Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.