In this chapter, we are going to do two things: set up templates to be used as a reference for the modeling, and build up a base mesh for the sculpting of the character.

To set up templates in a Blender scene, we have at least three different methods to choose from: the Images as Planes add-on, the Image Empties method, and the Background Images tool.

A base mesh is usually a very low poly and simple mesh roughly shaped to resemble the final character's look. There are several ways to obtain a base mesh: we can use a ready, freely downloadable mesh to be adjusted to our goals, or we can model it from scratch, one polygon at a time. What's quite important is that it should be made from all quad faces.

To build the base mesh for our character, we are going to use one of the more handy and useful modifiers added to Blender: the Skin modifier. However, first, let us add our templates.