Creature Design Class by Raphael Grazetti

Raf Grassetti, the Art Director behind God of War, breaks down his entire creature design workflow. This isn’t a speed-sculpt—it’s a recorded live workshop where he answers real questions while building a character from start to finish. You’ll see how he thinks about reference, blocks out forms in ZBrush, refines the design, and takes it all the way to a final Photoshop composite.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• How to gather and use reference material effectively
• Blocking out a creature in ZBrush from scratch
• Refining the design and cleaning up the model
• Texturing and rendering inside ZBrush
• Composing and finishing the piece in Photoshop

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic knowledge of ZBrush interface and navigation
• Tools: A drawing tablet
• Hardware: A computer capable of running ZBrush

📝 Description

This class is built from a live two-day workshop, edited down for clarity. You get over 4 hours of real-time demonstration, plus timestamps and notes so you can jump to any section. Raf doesn’t just show you what he does—he explains why he does it, sharing the same industry insights he uses as a senior art director.

The course covers the full pipeline: starting with a blank canvas, gathering the right references, blocking out the creature in ZBrush, and then refining the design until it’s portfolio-ready. You’ll also learn his personal techniques for rendering inside ZBrush and finishing the piece in Photoshop, including how he composes the final image for maximum impact.

Because it was recorded live, you also get over 60 answered questions covering everything from career advice to specific sculpting tips. It’s like sitting in on a real workshop without the travel.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Intermediate ZBrush users who want to see a professional’s full creature workflow
• Artists looking to improve their design sense and portfolio presentation
• Anyone interested in the creature design process used in AAA games

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Raphael “Raf” Grassetti is a renowned concept artist and art director, best known for his work as the Art Director on God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök at Santa Monica Studio. He has also worked on major films and games, bringing a wealth of industry experience to his teaching. His approach focuses on practical, production-ready techniques.

🏁 Final Result

• A fully sculpted, textured, and rendered creature character
• A final composite image in Photoshop, ready for your portfolio
• A deeper understanding of the professional creature design pipeline

📢 Guys, this is a Group Buy campaign, check the GBC forum thread to get access

You can find the course preview in the download section below.