The Character Portrait: Sculpting the Alien Mystic - ZBrush Creature Design: Creating Dynamic Concept Imagery for Film and Games - page 61

Chapter 2
The Character Portrait: Sculpting the Alien Mystic
In this chapter we will look at the process I take to design a character I call the alien Mystic. We will look at
how I create this character based on instructions from a director called “a brief.” In the process of designing,
we will see how basic shape language is used to create an interesting silhouette, which in turns helps to cre-
ate an interesting character design. We will see how natural human anatomy can be pushed into the uncanny
valley to create an alien face that has a basis in reality. This anchoring of fantasy characters in real-world
anatomy helps the viewer accept the creature as a biologically viable creature and not just a blob of fantastic
shapes with no physiological veracity. Over the course of this chapter, you will see the design process we
have discussed so far in action as it unfolds within ZBrush. It is my hope that by seeing what changes I make
to the character head at various points in the process, you will come to understand how I employ many of
the design concepts we discussed in Chapter 1, “ZBrush as a Character Design Tool.” In this design, we will
be particularly focused on silhouette, shape language as expressed between the various masses of the head,
creative manipulation of human facial anatomy, and how the lines of the sculpture flow and guide the eye
through the design.
You may recognize this character ( Figure 2-1 ) from the cover of my book ZBrush Character Creation , 2nd
edition. I am excited to now be able to show you how I went about designing this character in ZBrush. In-
stead of focusing on the technical aspects of sculpting and working in the program, we will look at the design
methodology I used to guide my process while sculpting this character.
Figure 2-1: The final Alien Mystic design bust