[Course]3dcharacterartist,paulruanoborbalan Details
Intro
Class Intro
3D Character Artist,
Paul Ruano-Borbalan
"I will teach you how to sculpt your favorite anime character! I hope my insights in this class help you bring your characters to life, in the world of 3D."
Sculpt Your World: Create 3D Anime Characters Anywhere with Just an iPad
Create 3D anime-like characters anytime, anywhere—right from your iPad. Expert 3D character artist Paul Ruano-Borbalan has crafted a course that makes it easy to design anime-style figures on the go. This is the perfect opportunity for students who are interested in 3D sculpting but find the ZBrush interface overwhelming. Using Nomad Sculpt, a powerful yet beginner-friendly app for iPad, you'll be guided step by step through the process of creating your own 3D anime figure. With this course, there's no need to be tied to a desktop—just pick up your iPad and start bringing your ideas to life, wherever inspiration strikes.
Across 20+ classes, you’ll learn every essential step to mastering Nomad Sculpt. From building a strong foundation through concepting, understanding proper sculpting techniques, adding depth and detail through texturing, to rendering your final piece—Paul will guide you through it all. By the end of this course, you’ll see that sculpting doesn’t have to be intimidating anymore. If you're excited to start creating your own 3D anime characters, grab your iPad—enroll now and begin your creative journey!
Class Preview
Still Not Sure?
Check Out Paul's Class Preview!
Chapter 07.
Sculpting the Anime Face
Shape the character’s face in an anime style, establishing major facial features and achieving appealing expressions.
Class Perks
Special Gift from Paul Ruano-Borbalan
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Nomad Sculpt Brush -
Project Files -
Base Mesh Anime Modular for Quick Modeling
Recommendation
Who should take this class?
Aspiring Character Artists
Artists aiming to build strong 3D character creation skills and pursue opportunities in games, and animation.
Nomad Sculpt Users Who Want to Level Up
Artists familiar with Nomad Sculpt who want to advance their 3D sculpting, detailing, and rendering techniques for more professional results.
Hobbyists and Illustrators Curious About 3D
2D artists and hobbyists looking to explore 3D sculpting, expand their creative skills, and bring their ideas to life in a new dimension.
Expert 3D Character Artist Paul Ruano-Borbalan's Portfolio
* This Portfolio includes fanart.
Why Take This Class?
What If Creating 3D Characters Was Easier Than You Think?
Creating a 3D character can feel like a huge challenge, and when you try to tackle it alone, you often end up asking the same question: ""Why is this so hard?"" Eventually, you give up. But this course is here to show you that the creation process isn’t as difficult as it seems—especially when it comes to sculpting. You don’t need to wrestle with overly complex programs to produce great results. After all, every software has its pros and cons but, they all serve the same purpose.
Paul Ruano-Borbalan invites you into the world of Nomad Sculpt—a powerful yet accessible sculpting app perfect for beginners, hobbyists, and even experienced artists looking to streamline their workflow and truly master the sculpting process. You'll have the opportunity to sculpt intricate details like clothing, hair, and shoes, while also learning how to use painting tools and the PBR system to enhance your character’s quality. Once you've gone through this journey, you'll not only feel confident in your sculpting skills—you’ll realize that creating stunning 3D characters is completely within your reach.
17 Class Exercises
3 Set Up Exercises
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Build Your Reference Board -
Speed Sculpt Challenge
3 Anime-Style Proportion Exercises
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Mannequin Blockout -
Anime Proportion Study
2 Cloth Exercises
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Fold Study (Pinch, Drape, and Stretch) -
Base Garment Sculpting
2 Hard-Surface Sculpting Exercises
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Hairpiece Sculpting -
Hardsurface Sculpting
3 Color Theory, Materials & PBR Painting Exercises
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Material Study -
Layered Detailing -
Final Polish
HQ Rendering & Showcasing Exercise
Final Showcase
Final Product
3D Anime Sculpture with Nomad Sculpt
*Above are sample images for a better understanding
Instructor
3D Character Artist
Paul Ruano-Borbalan
I’m a 3D Character Artist at Housemarque, where I specialize in creating high-quality PBR characters for video games. My workflow follows the latest character production pipelines, and I stay on top of industry trends by constantly honing my craft, always chasing the skills of the masters.
With strong proficiency in tools like Maya, ZBrush, Marvelous Designer, Substance Painter, Marmoset Toolbag, and Unity, I focus on bringing game-ready characters to life with both technical accuracy and creative flair.
3D Character Artist, Paul Ruano-Borbalan
[Current]
Freelance Senior Character artist @airbornstudios working on Overwatch 2
[Previous]
Senior Character artist II Redhill working on Overwatch 2
Senior Character artist Housemarque working on Returnal
Character artist Nextgames/Netflix studio
Projects & Awards
- Overwatch 2
- 2017, 2018 The Walking dead Our World
- Sandbox MMO PaxDei
- Returnal
Highlights
Class Highlights
Sculpting Fundamentals
Understanding clean shapes, form language, and an efficient blockout-to-detail workflow tailored for stylized characters
Stylized Anatomy for Anime Figures
Learning how to simplify and exaggerate anatomy to fit the anime aesthetic while keeping proportions balanced and appealing.
Texturing and Rendering in Nomad Sculpt
Using Nomad’s built-in tools to paint, apply materials, and create polished final renders—directly on the iPad, without needing external software.
Class Details
You'll Learn
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Introduction to Nomad SculptGet familiar with Nomad Sculpt and the iPad workflow. Learn how to gather references and start strong with a clear concept. Set up your workspace, brushes, and UI for efficient sculpting. -
Sculpting the Base Anime FigureUnderstand proportions and stylized anatomy for anime characters. Learn how to block out the body with simple shapes and refine it. Sculpt core forms including the face, hands, and feet with clean stylization. -
Creating Clothing and Fabric DetailsStudy how folds work (compression, tension, gravity-based). Sculpt stylized clothing from floating fabric to fitted garments. Block out and refine cloth with proper thickness and flow.
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Hard Surface and Hair SculptingSculpt accessories and hard-surface props with sharp detail. Learn how to create anime-style hair using flow, volume, and shape control. Add shoes and stylized footwear that fits your character's design. -
Painting, Texturing, and Surface DetailsMaster Nomad Sculpt's painting tools and PBR system. Apply materials, highlights, gradients, and surface breakup. Use layers for non-destructive texturing and fine detail adjustments. -
Lighting, Rendering, and PresentationSet up lights to enhance mood, depth, and readability. Apply post-processing and filters to polish your render. Export final renders and learn tips to present your work like a pro.
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Today's Deal
Interview with
3D Character Artist, Paul Ruano-Borbalan
Question.01
Why did you choose this specific topic?
Absolutely. I chose to focus on sculpting anime figures in Nomad Sculpt because it’s a combo I wish I had when I started. Anime-style sculpting is hugely popular, but it’s still intimidating for a lot of people. And Nomad well, it’s powerful, mobile, and weirdly underrated in the pro scene. I want to show that you don’t need a monster PC and ten years of ZBrush to make something cool. You can do it on your tablet, in your bed, eating chips. True story.
Question.02
What makes your class different from other classes?
This class is built entirely around Nomad Sculpt on the iPad, which already sets it apart. Most tutorials focus on heavy desktop software like ZBrush or Blender, but I wanted to show that you can create high-quality, stylized anime characters using just a tablet. No expensive gear, no massive workstation, just your fingers or an Apple Pencil and a bit of obsession. Nomad is super underrated. It has an intuitive interface, strong sculpting tools, and it's accessible without being limited. I’ll show you how to push it as far as possible clean shapes, sharp stylization, even complex characters all on a mobile device. It’s not a watered-down version of sculpting. It’s the real deal, just more portable. So if you’ve ever wanted to sculpt from your couch, from a café, or while pretending to listen during a meeting, this class is for you.
Question.03
What are some "to-go" or "must-have" tools in your industry, and why?
The basics are still the basics. You need a solid sculpting tool like ZBrush or Nomad, a modeling package like Blender or Maya, something for texturing like Substance Painter, and a real-time engine like Unreal or Unity. Those are the usual suspects. But honestly, the real "must-have" is adaptability. I've had to switch 3D packages, pipelines, and workflows almost every year. Tools change, studios have their own setups, and what’s considered “industry standard” today might be irrelevant tomorrow. What matters more is how fast you can learn, how curious you are, and how comfortable you are jumping into something unfamiliar. So yes, know your tools, but don’t marry them. Be the artist who can pick up whatever software the job needs and still deliver. That mindset is way more valuable than knowing every shortcut in one program.
Required Programs
This course will use Ipad/Android tablet Nomad Sculpt.
Please purchase and install these program(s) for an optimized chapter experience.
*These programs and/or materials will not be provided with the chapter.
