After diving into research and sketching out rough ideas, it was time to roll up my sleeves and start sculpting the individual components in ZBrush. First on the list? The skull.
Luckily, I had a real skull on hand from my earlier skull-drawing sessions, which gave me a solid reference for the sculpt. Organic shapes like this are my comfort zone, and once you get the hang of ZBrush’s basic tools, the process feels pretty intuitive. It’s all about adding and removing “clay” and nudging it around until the shape clicks into place. How you refine the mesh at the end really depends on its final use, whether it’s for rendering, 3D printing, or something else.
Since Beowulf is a strong and heroic figure, I wanted the skull to reflect those qualities. Starting with the larger shapes was key, I had to resist getting lost in the details too soon, which is true for most artwork unless you’re working with a grid to copy a photo exactly, which (hot take alert!) feels more like a mechanical exercise in replication to me.
Once the skull was done, I moved on to the crown. This was a fun challenge: Should it be simple or intricate? What should it symbolise? I decided to skip including Grendel and his mother in the artwork, focusing instead on Beowulf’s final boss, the dragon (spoiler alert: it doesn’t end well for him).
With that in mind, I toyed with the idea of crafting the crown from the dragon’s bones. But then I thought about the story’s deeper themes, like Christianity’s triumph over paganism. That’s when inspiration struck, a gold crown shaped to resemble Christ’s crown of thorns, forged from the bones of the defeated dragon. Adding a few precious gems for flair brought it all together. Voilà!
The Process
As I mentioned earlier, I used ZBrush to sculpt these digital assets, starting with the skull. I began with a simple sphere and used the clay buildup tool to shape it into a rough skull. It’s such a satisfying process, gradually pushing and pulling the “clay” to get the basic forms in place.
That said, it’s also ridiculously easy to get caught up in the details too early, I’m definitely guilty of this. Sometimes, I’ll add way more polygons than I actually need, jumping into fine details before the overall structure is solid. When that happens, I usually have to re-mesh at a lower poly count, which means losing all those details and projecting them back later. It’s not the most efficient workflow, but hey, it’s all part of the learning curve!
Once the basic shape was in place, the real fun began! Adding detail by increasing the poly count allowed me to refine the sculpt further and really bring it to life. Using ZBrush’s Boolean subtraction function, I worked on carving out and perfecting the zygomatic arch, which gave the skull more definition and structure.
Once the shape felt just right, I moved on to texturing. I used the noise plugin to layer on a masked texture, adding depth and subtle variation to the surface. Afterwards, I grabbed the standard brush and used the Alt key (subtract) to carefully carve out the joints between the skull’s bones. This step brought everything together, creating that detailed, anatomical look that makes the sculpt pop. It’s always satisfying to see it all start to come together!
At this stage of creating the skull, I got to have some fun experimenting with the material look, which was such a cool part of the process. Seeing how different materials changed the feel of the sculpt was awesome! But, of course, I wasn’t done yet, I still had to add the mandible.
For the lower jaw, I started with a simple block of clay, shaping it into a hollow horseshoe using the Boolean subtraction function. Once the basic form was there, I switched to the move tool and clay buildup brush to refine the shape and gradually add more detail. Bit by bit, it came to life (pun intended) as I honed the contours and textures, making it feel cohesive with the rest of the skull.
Creating the crown was definitely a challenge for me, it marked the start of my journey into hard surface modelling. Unlike organic modelling, it’s not as intuitive and requires a solid understanding of the tools and when to use them. It felt like a completely different skill set to learn, but it was exciting to push myself out of my comfort zone.
For the crown, I relied on the symmetry tool, tweaking the point count to get the base shape right. Then, with the move brush, I began pulling out the “thorns,” shaping them to create the jagged, dramatic look I envisioned. Adding the gems was a fun touch, bringing a regal flair to the piece. To achieve a semi-organic feel, I rounded off some of the edges, giving the crown a bony, thorn-like appearance. It was a tricky balance to strike, but I think it hit the vibe I was going for!
I created a basic rendered turntable of the completed skull for you to check out. Just click the play button above to see it in action!
One of the best things about creating the skull digitally is how easy it is to experiment with different material looks. The variety of combinations you can try is endless, and some of them are absolutely wild! I’ve definitely found a few favourites along the way, it’s such a fun part of the process. Have you got a favourite?
