xvForeword
There are rare moments in history when a renaissance is conceived and the whole paradigm
of a particular medium is changed forever. Through the celebration of subtractive carving
or additive sculpting, these various art mediums have established a whole new cultural ico-
nography and have created treasures through the art of sculpture.
A new artistic renaissance is quietly unfolding around us, establishing a medium of art
no less powerful than those that have developed before it. As the unique artistic tools that are
Photoshop, Painter, the tablet, and the stylus have forever changed the conceptual designer’s
palette of techniques and injected a freedom and spontaneity into artists’ work, so has the
development of 3D modeling packages given sculptors another wonderful tool.
As each new renaissance delivers to the world master craftspeople and artisans operat-
ing at the pinnacle of their chosen discipline, Scott Spencer has chosen to master the medium
of 3D digital modeling and become a master craftsman in his own right. Scott is an excep-
tionally talented person who draws from an innate gift and understanding of the sculpted
form and pairs this with his complete grasp of the technical complexities of software pack-
ages, digital technology, and cutting-edge 3D software. Scott has become well recognized
for his work within the high-end creative merchandising field, while working within Gentle
Giant Studios (one of the world’s leading merchandising and collectibles business). But he has
also carved his own distinct career with the tutoring of 3D digital modeling and sculpture to
students and professionals alike.
I have had the great pleasure of getting to know Scott over the past four years and have
watched in awe as his skill and artistry has tasked the 3D modeling tools at his fingertips into
creating dynamic figurative sculptures worthy of any gallery. We are now pleased to have
Scott as part of our design studio here at Weta Workshop.
It is, therefore, a wonderful thing to be invited to write a foreword for Scott’s book on
ZBrush and the art of 3D modeling. I find Scott to be an inspiration as he wields his craft. It
is Scott whom I have turned to when considering our own artists at Weta Workshop becoming
proficient in the field of 3D digital modeling, as I know there is no better tutor from whom
we can all learn and who is part of this amazing new renaissance within the art of sculpture.
— R i c h a r d T a y l o r
Weta Workshop
Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand
Richard Taylor and his partner Tania Rodger began what would become Weta Workshop Ltd.
in New Zealand in 1984. Taylor has won five Academy Awards© for his work on The Lord of
the Rings trilogy, for which Weta performed the gamut of digital production from composit-
ing to animation of CG creatures, and King Kong. Over the past 20 years, the company has
provided physical and digital effects for films, advertisements, and television shows, includ-
ing the Hercules and Xena series, Master and Commander, I Robot, Van Helsing, The Last
Samurai, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of
Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Legends of Zorro, King Kong, Daybreakers, 30 Days of Night,
District 9 , and Avatar. In 2010 Taylor was awarded Knight Companion of the Order (KNZM)
by Her Majesty the Queen for his services to film.