What I worked on
I built the octopus base with ZSpheres, shaped the mantle and eight tentacles, started the eyes, added the siphon and kept working the larger forms.
Diary / 01 18 August 2026
Daily diary.
I want to keep a proper record of what I am learning each day. What I worked on, what clicked, what still needs work and what I do next.
18.08.2026 ZBrush
Learning ZSpheres with an octopus.
Today I started an octopus from ZSpheres for the first time. I built the base, checked the smooth form, then started sculpting the head, tentacles, eyes and siphon. I am not finished yet, but after almost two hours the main blockout is close to where I want it.
Course context
I was following Abraham Leal’s ZBrush course while I worked through this. That is where I was introduced to ZSpheres and the workflow I used for the octopus.
Progress replayClick the image or drag the timeline
Left side back • Right side forward
01 / 08
Building the base
I started by laying the octopus out with ZSpheres. This was my first proper time using them, so a lot of this stage was simply learning how to control the structure and get eight tentacles into place.
What I learned
ZSpheres make a lot more sense now. I can see how useful they are for getting a creature base into place quickly before worrying about detail. I also got more practice checking the silhouette before getting distracted by smaller forms.
What needs work
The tentacles still need cleaner joins and more variation. The face and eye area are still rough, and the mantle needs another pass before I would call the main blockout finished.
Next time
Finish the main blockout, clean the eyes and siphon, improve the tentacle shapes and then decide how far I want to push the surface detail.
Archive Daily entries
The log starts here.
I will add to this as I go. Some days will be a big jump. Some days will just be one small thing that finally made sense.
My first ZSphere octopus
ZBrush • ZSpheres • Sculpting • Almost 2 hours