Creature Design 01 + Hair Class [Gumroad, Rafael Grassetti]
- Publisher
- Gumroad
- Product Type
- Video Course
- Product URL
- https://grassettiart.gumroad.com/l/QOCsH
- Author
- Rafael Grassetti
- Language
- English
- Duration
- 05:39
- Release date
- Mar 1, 2020
- Skill level
- Project Files
- Yes
- Product Price
- $120
Course Description
Creature Design 01 + Hair Class with Rafael Grassetti is a 4-part workshop where the artist sculpts a full orc character from scratch. Each session covers a different stage of production — blockout, cleanup, detailing with hair, and final render — with live Q&A woven throughout. Includes project files (ZTL high-res sculpt and PSD composition) so you can inspect the result layer by layer.What You'll Learn
- Blockout a creature silhouette using Dynamesh and reference boards
- Clean up primary forms and build secondary anatomy detail
- Sculpt realistic hair and fine surface details with specialized brushes
- Render and compose a final hero presentation in Photoshop
- Real-world decision-making behind form, detail placement, and composition
Course Curriculum
Part 1 - Reference and Blocking Out
Starting with reference boards in PureRef and building the base mesh with Dynamesh. Grassetti explains how he reads reference, why he chooses Dynamesh over other approaches, and how to find the primary silhouette before adding any detail. The session includes Q&A covering anatomy for beginners, morph targets, and career advice.Part 2 - Cleaning Up and Detailing
Refining the primary and secondary forms of the orc. Grassetti shows how to balance detail across the sculpt, clean up the Dynamesh topology, and build up muscle groups with intent. The Q&A touches on 3D printing prep, portfolio presentation, and giving meaningful feedback.Part 3 - Detail and Hair
Fine surface detailing using specialized brushes and real-world texture references. Grassetti demonstrates his hair sculpting workflow — how to build believable hair systems that integrate with the base geometry. Q&A covers ZRemesh decisions, retopology in Maya, and breaking into the AAA industry.Part 4 - Render and Composing
Final render setup in ZBrush and composition in Photoshop. Grassetti walks through material handling, isolating subtools for selective rendering, and putting together the final hero image. The closing Q&A covers imposter syndrome, finding clients, and whether moving to LA is worth it.Requirements
This is a live workshop format — you should be comfortable navigating ZBrush and have basic sculpting knowledge to follow along.Recommended materials:
- ZBrush (any recent version)
- Photoshop (for the final composition)
- Drawing tablet
- Three-button mouse
Who This Course Is For
The workshop is aimed at intermediate-to-advanced ZBrush users who want to see how a senior industry professional thinks through a full character.It is especially useful for:
- Artists looking to improve their creature sculpting workflow
- Anyone interested in the real-time decision-making behind form and detail placement
- Students who want honest career Q&A from a AAA veteran
About the Instructor
The course is taught by Rafael Grassetti, a veteran character artist whose credits include God of War (2018) at Sony Santa Monica and work at Naughty Dog. He is also known for his collector's edition sculptures and runs the Grassetti Academy YouTube channel, where he shares free sculpting and portfolio advice with the community.Course Format
4 pre-recorded video parts totaling the full sculpting process. Each part includes live Q&A segments with over 60 answered questions covering technical and career topics. Includes the high-res ZTL sculpt file and PSD composition as supplementary materials.Final Result
A fully sculpted orc creature in ZBrush with hair, surface detail, and a finalized composition render prepared in Photoshop. You will also gain insight into the industry perspective and problem-solving approach of a seasoned AAA character artist.
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