From Panic Mode to Paid: Crafting a Muppet-Style Shiba Dog NFT in 20 Hours

Here we go, showcasing one of my earliest NFT commissions: grooming fur and sculpting cute animals. This particular NFT project was completed for a client in early 2022. Later, a new client approached me for character modeling advice for a still image featuring a 'young Shiba dog wearing a college jacket.' Despite not having much experience with animals and grooming, I accepted the challenge. What is the client's timeline? A mere 20 hours! Cue panic mode. I assured them I'd do my best, but no promises. Considering it was my first paid gig in fur grooming, I'm quite pleased with the result. It's a work-in-progress (WIP) prototype, and I got paid. Consider that this is a prototype; I know the nose, the jacket, and other stuff don't match.

I quickly decided on software, props, and assets to expedite the process. Instead of using ZBrush, I opted for Blender's particle system for grooming (my first time using it in Blender v2.9). Here's how it unfolded: I started by finding a dog basemesh using an old ZBrush plugin called ZAnimals. After sectioning off the head and mouth of a Doberman, I sculpted a cuter version resembling a Shiba dog. A quick retopology followed to reduce polycounts (though I'd approach it differently today). Then, I dove into Blender, acquiring add-ons and props like the college bomber, party hat, and an eye system. Finally, I tackled the grooming, following a tutorial by @AneeshArts.

Why share this when there are more skilled groomers specializing in fur, hair, and feathers? Simple: tight deadlines (like the 20-hour one) require miracles, cheats, and resourcefulness. Looking back, I'd take a different approach—perhaps using tools like Houdini, Maya, Unreal, and a revised Blender-ZBrush pipeline. Still, I learned a lot, and after all these years, I felt compelled to share.

Asset used:

Varsity Letterman Jacket Closed Front:
https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/varsity-letterman-jacket-closed-front-model-1811381

Eyes:
Procedural eyes generator by Sanctus
Product not available anymore

Basemesh of the head:
Zbuilder Animals
https://ceco.gumroad.com/l/Odrku

Mouth and teeth;
Zbuilder Animal
https://ceco.gumroad.com/l/Odrku