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GLBAn Interview with Pablo Munoz Gomez on Art, Teaching, and Character Design
0Article by Aimee Gilmore
Pablo Munoz Gomez is a Concept Artist, 3D Sculptor, and Educator whose work seamlessly blends the world of 2D design with immersive 3D character creation. With a career spanning multiple high-profile projects, his work brings characters and worlds to life in ways that feel both fantastical and grounded. In this interview, we will take a closer look at his creative process, influences, and teaching philosophy.
Artistic Inspiration
Who or what has significantly influenced your work as a 3D Artist and Concept Designer?
So many artists and teachers have influenced me over the years, but storytelling and animation have had a significant impact. Films, books, and even childhood toys shaped my thinking about character and design. I'm always chasing that feeling of wonder. Specifically, inspiring works from artists like Moebius, Katsuhiro Otomo, Frank Miller, Frank Frazetta, and the list can go on and on (a lot of comic artists actually haha.)
Reference: Memories by Otomo Katsuhiro
Do you draw more inspiration from traditional art, other digital artists, or non-artistic sources (like music or nature)?
It's a mix. I love traditional sculpture and painting for grounding (probably the best way to learn the basics is to study the classical masters), but I also follow a lot of digital artists. That said, nature and everyday life are huge sources of inspiration, like textures on rocks, weird bugs, or a random fashion show can all spark something unexpected.
Conceptual Ideas
As someone who wears many hats (concept artist, 3D sculptor, and educator), how do you manage your time and energy? How do you switch between different modes of thinking when moving from teaching to hands-on sculpting to creative brainstorming?
It's definitely a juggler. I try to block time for each task and stay present with whatever I'm doing. Teaching actually fuels a lot of my creativity. It forces me to simplify ideas and often sparks new ones in the process. In more practical terms, I try to be very organised with my time and use tools like Notion to keep track of projects, to-do lists, and notes. Also, a lot of those 'different hats are actually' linked together, for instance, I might be working for a client doing a concept of a 'lizard creature', and during the process I might find a cool way to create scales which then I'll use as a topic for a lesson.
Do you prioritize form, function, or emotion when designing characters or environments? How do these elements influence your sculpting and concept designs?
It depends on the project, but emotion usually takes the lead for me. If a piece doesn't feel right, it doesn't matter how well it functions. Form and function are important, but they exist to support the emotional impact. The 'appeal' of a character can be hard to define, but I think it comes down to how memorable they are. How they make you feel? Whether it's funny, scary, awkward, or intimidating, that emotional response is what sticks with people long after the design itself.
The Creative Process
How do you move from the initial idea to the first sketches or 3D model?
It's rarely linear. I usually begin with a quick 2D sketch or shape exploration just to get the idea flowing, then move into 3D to start blocking things out. I go back and forth and sometimes just paint over a screenshot of a quick 3D volume to iterate What I do in 3D often influences new 2D ideas and vice versa. I mostly work in a '3D environment', but I heavily rely on 2D techniques for exploration and iteration.
How do you stay true to your 2D concept art when translating it into a 3D model? Are there any common pitfalls that new 3D artists should avoid during this process?
Instead of trying to match the 2D piece exactly, I focus on capturing the attitude and essence of the design. It's easy to get caught up in technical details and lose what made the concept strong in the first place. A common mistake is always over-detailing before the main forms are solid. If you have a very polished 2D concept and want/need to recreate it exactly as a 3D mesh, then 90% of the focus should be on getting the blockout and the primary shapes right.
What is your workflow when creating a new 3D sculpt? Do you start with block-out shapes or jump straight into detailing? How do you decide when a piece is "finished"?
I start by blocking out primary shapes and nailing the silhouette. Detailing a sculpt is easy. It's just patience. The bulk of the work should be on getting the primary and secondary shapes working harmoniously and keeping a balance in the proportions. Then you can gradually build up layers of detail, and check that the core forms still read clearly. A sculpt feels finished when it tells the story I intended, even if it's not super polished in every area.
Design Philosophy & Storytelling
How do you ensure your designs tell a story without needing text or explanation?
I think about who or what the character is supposed to be in their world, what they've been through, their purpose, their environment. I try to reflect that in material choices, proportions, posture, or little props and surface details. If someone can guess part of the backstory just by looking, then it's doing its job. I think sometimes it is just a matter of grounding the design in reality, even if you are working on fantasy stuff, and make sure at least one human trait is highlighted in the design.
How do you balance exploring a wide range of creative possibilities early in a project versus refining and perfecting a specific design in the later stages?
At the start, I allow things to be messy and open-ended. I like to test bold or weird ideas without judging them too early or worrying about whether they are plausible. Once something feels promising, I switch gears into refining and tightening up the design. That shift is important, but I try not to lose the original energy in the process. For instance, I might really like a quick rough sketch or thumbnail, but during the blockout stage in 3D, I might find a very interesting alternative or find better proportions, so I'll just flow with that.
With so many different sculpting and texturing tools out there (like ZBrush, Blender, Mudbox), what's your preferred software and why? Do you have any "unconventional" tools or techniques you use in your workflow?
I mostly use ZBrush for sculpting and Substance Painter for texturing; those two give me the most flexibility. Sometimes I generate quick photobash collages or abstract shapes to push new ideas before sculpting. I also use custom brushes for detailing (most of my brushes are available in my store (https://zbrushguides.store/en-au) and alphas with noise to break up surfaces and avoid everything feeling too clean. The tool that I don't use is Mudbox, but Blender is definitely within my pipeline. I just use it for different stages to get what I need: sometimes rendering, sometimes quick modeling tools, etc.
How do you strike that balance when designing something that needs to be aesthetically appealing and functional (like a character that must be rigged or a prop for animation)?
To be honest, I never think about the output first. The most important part for me is that the design tells the story and that the character is appealing. The functionality comes after. There is always a technical process or a clean-up method you can use to optimize a 3D concept for rigging or animation. Having said that, I do save multiple versions of my sculpts when I'm working for a studio, for instance, in this scenario, I will present a polished concept with a character posed and rendered, but if they need it for animation, I can also share something like the symmetrical T-Pose for rigging.
Overcoming Creative Blocks
Has there ever been a moment when you felt creatively stuck, either in concept art or 3D sculpting? What strategies do you use to overcome creative blocks?
Absolutely. Sometimes I hit a wall creatively and need to step away for a bit walk, sketch something random, or even teach. Other times, switching tools or working in a different style helps reset my brain and get things flowing again. The best thing to overcome a creative block is to rely on frameworks so that you can have some simple structure and steps that you can follow to get from point A to point B when there seems to be no progress.
As an educator, what's the one core principle you emphasize to students learning 3D sculpting? What is the biggest mistake you see beginners make, and how can they avoid it?
Focus on form before detail. Beginners often rush into sculpting pores or wrinkles before getting the anatomy and silhouette right. If the big shapes don't work, no amount of detailing will fix them in fact, it will make your idea worse. Also, something I say to my students is to focus on progress, not perfection. Progress will look different for everyone, but as long as what you do today is an improvement, you are making progress.
Teaching and Learning
How do you adjust your teaching methods when working with students with different learning styles or expertise in 3D art?
I try to offer multiple ways of learning, some people need visual step-by-step, others want to understand the "why" behind a technique. I also encourage questions and keep feedback tailored so that students can build on their own strengths and pace. My in-depth course, The Extra Mile, builds on this idea, so it is a comprehensive program that incorporates pre-recorded lessons with detailed explanations and a structured approach. We also have live workshop sessions with more casual and 'fast-paced' applications, and we have a strong community for feedback, sharing progress, and gaining inspiration.
Many students begin in one of two disciplines: 2D concept art or 3D sculpting. How do you teach students to think across both, and how do you find that blending of skills enhances their work?
I encourage them to treat both as tools, not separate disciplines. Sketching can help clarify an idea before sculpting, and 3D can inform better 2D designs. Blending the two builds stronger visual problem-solving skills. I actually did a lot of traditional sculpting before 3D, so that is a separate 'discipline' that can help you understand the forms better if you want to do 2D work. Also, I studied digital animation, and it was heavily focused on the motion side of things, which I think also helped me in the sculpting process because it gave me a good understanding of the deformation of the volumes and anatomy. So basically, I think whatever the background is, there is always a way to find a connection and lean on it while developing a new skill, like moving from 2D to 3D.
Work Ethic and Principles
How do you approach personal projects differently from client work? Do you ever find your artistic style coming through in professional projects, or do you prefer to keep them separate?
Personal projects are where I experiment the most. I take more risks, explore weird ideas, and follow my instincts. In client work, I stay flexible to match the brief, but my style still sneaks in especially as I try to push the storytelling. The main difference I would say is the time constraint: with clients, I have deadlines to meet, whereas with my personal projects, I can spend more time if I want to.
How do you stay inspired and motivated to create when working in both a teaching environment and in production? Are there particular sources or methods you use to avoid burnout?
I try to keep things varied. Teaching helps me stay connected and energized, but I always make room for personal projects to recharge creatively. I've also learned to slow down when I need to sometimes stepping back is more productive than pushing through and burning out. These days, I think a big part of burnout comes from social media pressure. Before all of that, I didn't know any artists who talked about being burnt out. I don't think artists burn out from making art; they burn out from having to package constant content. That's a different kind of pressure.
Evolving as an Artist
How do you keep evolving in your craft as a concept artist, 3D sculptor, and educator? Are there specific areas you're working to improve, and what resources do you use for growth?
I'm always trying to get better at storytelling through design, making characters feel like they belong in a world. Lately, I've been exploring more stylized anatomy and improving my painterly texture work. I watch other artists, take online courses, and stay curious. I'm also constantly searching for interesting techniques and learning new things.
You can follow Pablo's incredible work as a 2D Concept Artist, 3D Artist, and Educator on Artstation, Instagram, YouTube, or ZBrush Guides.
