15 Blender and Zbrush Sculpting Tips No One Talks About

In this video I share many of my secrets to becoming a better sculptor in both Blender and Zbrush. We talk about brush settings, brush intensity, the clay brushes, the smooth brush, mesh resolution (both Blender's Remesh and Zbrush's Dynamesh), references and more!

[@tomoyaogawa4485]

I really enjoy this video, Laura! your sense of humour is golden. personally, I would replace cocaine with metric tons of tea but I agree with you completely. What I always struggle with and need to remind myself is that I just focus on making things "look right" and putting my mindset into a tiny box where no creativity can infest. It always results in me being stressed out and I get scared to make changes because of the fear of " what if I mess things up by doing this". This is especially true when I am doing any kind of anatomical stuff. I think having this kind of mindset is really toxic for me as it is making it harder for me to enjoy sculpting even though I love sculpting. so I have decided to do a small and stupid project every day where I create things without thinking too much about making things pretty. It's been slowly but surely fixing my mindset.

[@Outgang]

Small and stupid projects are awesome! Can't be worried of screwing things up if you're not even trying to do something serious to begin with right? You're doing it right Tomoya!

[@adriank8792]

My solution to this problem is slightly different. I simply duplicate my model whenever i feel like i've made good progress and i keep all the previous versions in the same file as a backup in case i screw something up

[@Glitch-Gremlin]

*WHY* Would you tell me to Do Cocaine, only moments later tell me NOT to do Cocaine?! *ITS TOO LATE! I ALREADY DID IT! WTF DO I DO NOW!?* Besides Sculpting, i mean..

[@adriank8792]

Using screenshots from movies and shows is such a good advice. I did that yesterday and it made sculpting a lot easier for me as i didn't have to worry about any inconsistencies like changes in body shape, age or anything like that

[@Outgang]

I know right? It's so obvious in hindsight but it takes extra work.

[@niwm]

I love that you gave some actual concrete tips for this that were understandable and tangible. I have yet to properly dip my toes into 3D sculpting myself, but I still think a lot of these tips are helpful for drawing and painting as well. :)

[@raymondstrife8110]

#7 is very VERY important for beginners. Small details are important but the big form of the model is the foundation that will determine whether the small details will worth the time you spend. Sometimes, there is a situation where if the big form of the model is really good, you only need to apply a very subtle details on some parts of the model

[@benjaminpardo7009]

You're wonderful! Thank you so much for everything you taught. Your sense of humor is fantastic!

[@josephmarch7142]

The last tip is so important. Thank you Laura!

[@irapualuizdasilva5695]

Laura, your sculpts are amazing, your videos and tutorials sounds like an inspiration to became a better 3d artist...thanks for sharing your knowledge..

[@user-uw9wn1ny1x]

I'm so impressed about your approach, Laura, and thankful for important information.

[@donadesignsin3d]

I literally adore you! You’re funny, creative and so so helpful! I am so grateful I found your channel! Keep being awesome bestie!

[@Outgang]

Thank you so much for the warm comment Dona.

[@hello.4693]

Tip #4 is really important for beginners. Helped me a lot.

[@alessagotterspeise8909]

🤣

[@antONorOFF]

Really enjoying these advises. Thank you!❤️

[@g_niac]

love this!! solid approach to honing skills and embracing the journey, sometimes perilous, that is 3d sculpting! 🙌❤

[@Anisotropy3D]

Philosophy of the sculpting process. I like it! It's really important to set right mindset while process.

[@mysterycolors7617]

This is a very different sculpting video from all the others. You clearly really love it and think about everything, got a new subscriber.

[@ajlbeer]

This is a really great one. Thanks for the tips!!!

[@wiglow2810]

This are a really good tips :D. Learning drawing these days not sculpting much but some of the tips also can be applied to drawing as well.

[@alexeiwebb5159]

'Doing the Shrimp' is my new favourite quote, and something I am horrifyingly guilty of. Just starting my sculpting journey and these are some great tips. Thank you :D

[@Hoberpopkin]

I'm in a position where I'm going to switch back to intuos soon, feeling a bit resigned. I love my cintiq, but your comments about posture is so accurate to me. I feel like not only do I have worse posture, I'm tiring out my eyes more. That last one is really scary for me since I've had poor eyesight the moment I hit puberty, and I've struggled immensely in trying to keep in the moderate near-sighted range. I spent so much time saving for my cintiq, and there are elements that are wonderful so maybe I can have a more mixed workflow. But for sculpting and tasks involving long times staring at monitors, I think intuos is going to be better.

[@chanruzzi]

Love the tips and also the dynamics of edit, thanks :)

[@flayabarile7372]

I like #8. I often set myself challenges. E.g. sculpt a head as if it was marble instead of clay. So no symmetry, no undo, no buildup/pinch/inflate. Only subtract volume. Stuff like that.

[@Outgang]

That's hardcore, I love it.

[@qyoinqyuri]

That's like a perma-death mode with limited ammunition and tools, sounds scary :D.

[@thiabreu]

love the content

[@IshamPadron]

Posture is so important. Being slouched can ruin your lower back and weaken your core. If your monitor is too low you are going to be looking down and will tend to slouch. Not crazy about display tablets for that reason. A lot of monitors have fixed height stands so I bought an adjustable base from Amazon and that's helped me raise it a lot. If i'm working at a coffee shop for a few hours my Surface Pro is not bad but when i'm home and working long hours I gotta have a proper screen and decent tablet (Intuos 10.4" x 7.8") set up with ergos in mind.

[@Outgang]

I could never keep a straight back until I started exercising regularly. I realized my slouching was as much a sign of back muscle weakness as much as it was a bad habit. Exercise made it so that having a proper posture is comfortable and natural now.

[@flexcg675]

thank you!!!!i have never seen like this tutorial

[@unheilbargut]

This is aweful.. I worked in advertising- and in tv-production-companies and when your tip no. 4 came, my head answered: Yeah, that makes sense. 😂 Love your sense of humor and your videos and am glad to have found your channel quite recently!

[@isabel5066]

wow some of these tips are things i didnt even think about! aweesome video!

[@anandhg4286]

As Always Thorough Professional! Outgangs ..THE BOSS!👍

[@GianPieroAkira]

#4 is a great advice...after watching this...its the only advice i use . thanks

[@khalatelomara]

The constraints tip made me get confirmed that it does help developing skills 😃 I was using 3ds max along with 4-8 apps and plugins, which sounds not sustainable , and faced way too many problems specially with compatibility and plugins availability for each new version , that made me narrow down to blender only 🤣 and that improved my skills massively

[@Outgang]

Would you get to that point of spending minutes if not hours just updating all the software left and right and feel great that you've accomplished something when in truth you did nothing at all?

[@khalatelomara]

At the beginning I felt slightly worried of the outcome of blender compared to what I used to output in 3ds max , just few months I can't look back of the amazing blend of new tools that when used together, I concluded that blender is named correctly 😀 you have to blend all tools to achieve unprecedented achievements

[@writingmetal]

Thank you so much, specially for tip number 4

[@dabun4704]

Great video all around but i would add a caveat to the tablet point, i was running the wacom intous S for almost half a year but for some reason i just couldn't make that connection between where the pen was on the tablet in comparison to where it was to the screen, and that basically got fixed within like a week after i got a bigger tablet, so for some that tablet is quite a big role cause it could take me 5+ seconds just to get the cursor to move where i wanted it to with too small a tablet.

[@kobaltkween]

Wow. It's funny you say that about the Cintiq. I still remember way back in the early noughts, when tablets were first being developed, a coworker into them was talking to our top designer about them. He used his Wacom for everything, and they hadn't created any display tablets yet. The other coworker thought he'd be excited to use one, but he flatly disagreed with the entire draw on the screen principle. He said that professionals in graphic arts had suffered permanent physical damage from being hunched over artwork on a desk or having their arm in the air in front of an easel for decades, and that sitting up straight with an arm in a natural position was absolutely ideal. I realized then that drawing directly on a screen would have all the discomfort and problems of using a sketchbook. I think it's amazing actual artists who should have known better got duped into paying more for a less flexible, more physically debilitating solution. I'm so glad to hear someone address this issue.

[@ZalvaTionZ]

I do believe Cintiqs / screen tablets have some advantages over tablets, but none while sculpting. I find linework in 2D animation easier to pull off cleanly on a Cintiq than non screen tablet, other way around for sculpting. Even though I have been mainly using non screen tablets for the last 10+ years for drawing screen tablets still seem to offer better coordination on bigger movements.

[@kobaltkween]

@@ZalvaTionZ I haven't found digital sculpting unique from drawing or painting in terms of gesture. The only thing I've had affect my gesture accuracy is technical size and sensor resolution. Last I checked, Cintiqs had a lower res than Intuoses, but that was a long while ago. But if it feels more comfortable to you, go for it.

[@kingsevil5255]

Ive been using a wacoom mobile studio pro for years and a cintiq before that. Know how I solved this issue? A laptop stand. Thats it. And for the Cintiq, an Ergotron arm that let me adjust it in any way I choose. I have definitely not been duped. Its just not Wacom's responsibility to make my workspace ergonomic. Its mine lol.

[@kobaltkween]

@@kingsevil5255 A laptop stand allowed you to make straight in front of you and directly beneath you the same direction? Must be a hell of a stand. The issue is that ergonomic for your arm is loose at your side, and ergonomic for your head is straight forward. There's no ergonomic solution pointing head and hand in the same direction for extended periods of time. That can only be solved by separate places for your hand and where to look. But if you want to pay them three times more to lose that ergonomic benefit, feel free. It's just kind of funny, because you're literally duplicating the real world situation that artists suffered from for centuries, even with custom built easels and desks, for literally no technical benefit on Wacom's part in terms of sensors. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if their Intuos line didn't still have better sensors (though I wouldn't be surprised at parity, either). But if you're happy and productive, that's what matters.

[@Outgang]

You know what's funny about being back at preferring to use an Intuos? I learned sculpting using Intuoses and I had huge sculpting accuracy issues until the day I tried a Cintiq for the first time. With hindsight I realized that it was because I was using the Intuos across more than one screen without a 1:1 screen ratio. Terrible, I know, but I didn't know better. The Cintiqs forced me to use a 1:1 ratio which improved my sculpting quite a bit, but I started suffering from proportion issues on my models. I had to go Intuos->Cintiq->Intuos to understand how to use a tablet properly.

[@Danny-he4hi]

Best sculpting advice 😌 thanks!

[@juanjosesalazarmorales5516]

love ur videos, thank u !!

[@omidazhir9203]

Thanks Laura ❤

[@lucasdevaux1090]

I’ve watched hours of videos and tNice tutorials one is the first that explains it in a way a complete beginner could understand! Great video

[@vuankhanhbeo]

Tip #4 truly changed my life. What inspiration. But, for real, I believe in #15, that doing fun things makes the grind not so salty anymore, and then again, I can't find the joy of practice at all, so I just purely grind. Anyone actually enjoy the process here? I would love some insight so that I could find the love in it too.

[@MaMastoast]

Stumbled across the video a year later, excellent advice all around. Being left-handed made the jump into using a pen for sculpting a very daunting step for me, and as a result I have spent years sculpting with a mouse,... got pretty decent at it too. Recently though, I felt like I hadnt expecriencd any significant improvements for a while, so i finale took the time to find a solution that ll work with my setup.. So far things are more awkward, but I am able to do things I werent able to do before.. so thats nice.

[@junior.hamilton]

I am left-handed and I had a pretty notable development after switching into a screen tablet instead of drawing one

[@KitBitUK]

Excellent advice, Thank you :)

[@Brujah1988]

I loved the laidback funny vibe of the video, had a laugh and learn a lot as usual! Thanks for making this content and sharing

[@Outgang]

Thanks a lot Nicolas!

[@vladimirdrobzhev8165]

Thanks, man!

[@rickysargulesh1053]

Recording yourself is one of the most useful things and analyzing your workflow

[@3crazyclowns]

Loooove you! Thank you so much for all your videos. You are amazing

[@Outgang]

Thank you very much Eduardo.

[@Sangramoire]

I started following all the tips in this video one by one and I've definitely seen improvements but I seem to be stuck on step #4.

[@UndeadCrabstick]

A good hack I have is you can model a rough representation of your starting shape and then sculpt.

[@ghost2031]

Very good Video, all useful tips. Thanks for the video.

[@krzysztofwolski9156]

Hey Laura! Another great video! I hoped you might finally show your trick of smoothing meshes without using a smooth brush in Zbrush, that you advertised in a video some time ago. I was trying to figure out how you're doing it, but I couldn't replicate the thing. I only noticed that you use clay buildup to build the forms and clay tubes to 'smooth' the surface, but I am still puzzled how you're doing it. And one more thing, what have you done that your clay buildup brush is sooooo smooth. With default setting I can see these nasty sqaures along the stroke. Thanks in advance!

[@Outgang]

Yeah I recorded that video but then scrapped it because the audio wasn't good, my mic was too far. I should re-record that. You got the gist of it right, sculpt with ClayBuildup and polish with ClayTubes. You can see my settings for both the Buildup and Tubes here at this timestamp: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJyweWptnb9srsU The only other change I do to the Tubes other than the two at the timestamp I shared is that I keep the Brush->Depth->Imbed value around/at 0. The rest is just dexterity. Also, this will give you a ClayTubes brush that will be very similar to the TrimDynamic brush, so you could also just use that.

[@krzysztofwolski9156]

@@Outgang Right, depth equal 0 makes sense. Thanks for sharing! As always, looking forward to you next video. And thanks for the tip #4 ;)

[@abhiraaid]

This is fiery ❤‍🔥

[@3dbznessdesignz855]

Laura the only place where art is taken care with healthy approach...unique innovative futuristic i am happy and blessed to know you #peace#respect in tons

[@Rombododecaedron]

Thanks! It was fun :).

[@sidar87]

My mistake is with #6. I tend to focus too much on one thing and forget to add the ears for example. So I'm working with this weird blob that makes no sense. Getting the block outs and general shapes in order helps so much.

[@Pinguiny13]

Dude! you are awesome! love your vids and weir humor:)

[@tamtrily]

Great tips 👍

[@RonnieNimer]

Love you vids, super helpful! Thank youu & Keep it up:D

[@Outgang]

Thanks Iso!

[@guillaumedeschamps4566]

thanks you for those advices i would love to have earlier

[@MrDreamagic]

thanks so mach!

[@dikshitabaruah9713]

That's so cool!

[@WallyMahar]

What did you just say?? 😂 You're upping your game with the editing, I love it! 👍 -New blender sub

[@charlesgrant8442]

This video was very helpful. A very different perspective on sculpting. I have been an artist all my life and it is my dream to be able to make 3d Characters, but sculpting has been so demotivating. I am just not having fun learning the way that I was when I learned to model, or draw, or edit videos. I read about autodidactic learning recently and learned that having a good learning experience is just as important as actually learning the info. What can I do to create a better learning experience and stay motivated to practice this craft?

[@Outgang]

Here's a suggestion out of the blue: you need to make a habit out of sculpting before you can worry about progressing your skills. For one month, schedule one sculpting session per week on your calendar, not more than three hours each. Only move them in case of emergency. Sculpt something that's not too serious and never show what you do to anyone, you're doing it for you. After a month, increase to twice a week. If you find yourself naturally interested to sculpt outside of your scheduled sessions, do it! But there is absolutely no pressure to do so

[@MaMastoast]

Hows the sculpting going? I also come from a box modelling background and as a result my sculpting has had a very technical, kinda rigid tone to it.. I mean Ive gotten some good result throughout the years, but I never achieved the kinda free flow approach youll see with 2d artists or dedicated sculpters. That is, untill recently.. If you are still struggling, do what I do and take out time to just sorta meditate through the sculpting process.. I get so hung up on doing things correctly that I find it hard to let loose and feel the process. Making an effort to lean into the art of it instead of trying to reach "correctness" has helped me.

[@mossonthetree]

I was thinking of what I'm currently trying to sculpt, when #4 came, and I was like "Wait what, what did I just hear?" xD

[@mattfr11]

Great video.

[@bishoyadelzakaria]

That was the most important sculpting tips video I've seen

[@Zikepv]

Amazing video!

[@SkynetT800]

What kind of program is that and what kind of computer do I need? I'm in old-fashioned clay sculptures when I would like to learn a new media.

[@Ianuarius]

If you DO use a cintiq, you gotta get up and move your body. I've got an alarm going off every 30 minutes (you can find one on youtube) so that I remember to get up and do a bit of exercises, maybe with some weights or a rubber band. Also, find good stretches for the muscles that are under strain every day and stretch the muscles at the end of your session. It's cheaper than getting a surgery.

[@ratans2]

holy shit this was a great vid, the tips may seem like "duh, ofcourse" but it's easy to forget and put in practice and it feels like a light bulb moment, also the bg music rock, specially in the introduction, what tunes did you used?

[@gegi4577]

this video was... well, chaotic😅 and I love it!

[@Outgang]

Thanks Gegi!

[@mrc8308]

Damn insightful video!

[@alanripp2958]

Hello, thank you!

[@OkaToka]

Posture with cintiq is not a problem if you're using egronomic stand. You shrimp only if your tablet laying flat on the desk. You need to set it up in more vertical possition and rest on your knees and then you can just lay back on you chair and work for hours without a problems. Really great advices tho!

[@metallicaandchimaira]

What do you use in order to sculpt as far as tools. I have an iPad Pro and want to use one of the pens so I could hand sculpt projects rather than using a mouse. What do you recommend I use to pull this off?

[@Outgang]

I don't really know what apps are on an Ipad that are good for sculpting. I guess just search for what's the most popular Ipad sculpting app and you're all set. I doubt you'll find Blender or Zbrush on there. If you do sculpt on a computer, those are the two software I'd recommend, along with an inexpensive tablet to start with.

[@metallicaandchimaira]

@@Outgang what does your setup look like? I see you are using a pen. Do you have a touch screen computer?

[@Outgang]

@@metallicaandchimaira I use a Wacom Intuos tablet, mouse and keyboard. My screens are just good old regular computer monitors.

[@solidkreate5007]

Hey I have an issue. I enter scuplt mode but nothing happens at all when I start sculpting. I am using a HUION 24PRO. Is there some setting I need to activate for a pen display?

[@ricokohler2686]

I paused at 4:00 ^^ directly after you said to relax your eyes - made me giggle

[@racka4299]

New video yay

[@BlenderDaddy]

I feel that it is so hard to find a good place to put my display tablet, especially since it does not have any mounting holes. I've currently got the stand balanced on three soup cans surrounding my mousepad lol

[@Outgang]

I'm so done with display tablets. They dominate any desk they're on.

[@WeyounSix]

i love your voice

[@omirlee3908]

spat out my tea when number 4 came up

[@seragx99]

I don't know if this helps but I disabled windows ink and while searching how to do it... I discovered that everybody hates windows ink! It just screws all single click operations with a stylus, in blender switching between different objects while sculpting (which you do with alt+left click) is a pain in the... You know... Thanks for the advice!

[@rouiemoran]

my jaw dropped when you said cocaine😅😅😅, thanks for this tips.

[@oldy0e]

put De-esser on audio next time PLEASE!

[@marcusk9483]

Big smile on my face when you said cocaine. But seriously....one of your best videos yet. Really funny as well.

[@Outgang]

Thanks Marcus!

[@jostasizzi818]

Please make a sculpting course for blender with the painting system in future

[@Outgang]

We'll get to that!

[@tlilmiztli]

Hahahah! "One of these tips will surprise you!" kinda thing. Great tips indeed. Specially that about exploration - so many people always wants to get some masterpiece done. Also fact that one doesnt need 120" Cintiq to make good sculpture. Have a good one!

[@Outgang]

I used a 27 inch Cintiq for a while. It was wayyy too big and it took me years to admit that.

[@tlilmiztli]

@@Outgang I might be weird but I never liked touching screen, covering what I do with hand, feel that hot screen under hand... Not hating on cintiq just personally never appealed to me. Sort of used to good old intuos. I still have Intuos pro 3 - old AF, doing great :D (I mean tablet, I am old AF as well but not doing that good XD )

[@leongachuiri3626]

blender on a main stream channel...yay

[@Outgang]

My channel is main stream... yay!

[@nicksavoon]

danke Laura

[@maheshiyer1302]

how to smooth the strokes on zbrush ?

[@aaliyah-knowles]

💜💜💜

[@evilotis01]

oh, sweet, i already have #4 sorted!

[@avurado]

the cocaine tip really helped, now I worry about not knowing enough... but faster and more aware!

[@emirhanozer]

YESS

[@cotesimon6636]

Liked especially for the #4 joke

[@anthonyguarnich935]

Hey I've been trying step 4 for a few days and I think the drivers of my cerebellum have been damaged, 3d is difficult dudes

[@bissnisgorden9404]

Thanks ArcNice tutoriale! If you ever have a question, just write a comnt and I’ll try my best to help. Also consider joining my free community

[@art0ni641]

🔥🔥🔥🔥👍🏿

[@blurrednoise]

How do you record like in 5:29?

[@Outgang]

History playback, recorded from many angles.

[@Tiniuc]

#4 ah, the spice of life.

[@Bear_gum]

actuly ..noice

[@sinisalomikko]

Common problem with cintiq users is to use it in shrimp position. I´ve used it in normal orientation like you would have a normal computer screen over a decade now. Sure it feels weird at first but you´ll get used to it pretty quickly. Never had a single health issue because of this. On top of this you don´t have issues with your keyboard hiding under cintiq screen or stuff like that and your working posture is straight.

[@Outgang]

You mean that the Cintiq is perpendicular to your desk? Does it get awkward for your wrist?

[@wegotguns3325]

I also use mine up straight, keeps your body and spine straight, like drawing on a blackboard at schoolor standing up, never have any pain, I find you need to rotate your view more often to get clean lines, but you get used to it. Also, it takes about a week for your shoulder muscles to get used to floating in the air for hours, it can feel like a workout for a few days at first xD

[@toapyandfriends]

Who is that La Shiffre?? who made a perfect representation of him can you make a tutorial on how to sculpture perfect actor like that

[@tistalagosta3449]

first time 😂😂🔥