Question for 3d character modelers & sculptors

[system]

I’m currently practicing traditional figure drawing and studying human anatomy at the moment. One of the primarily reason is because it’s always been something that I wanted to learn and had a fascination for.

Another reason is because I want to learn zbrush in the future for doing character modeling and sculpting, so naturally knowing human anatomy is of utmost importance.

However, is traditional sculpting (clay sculpting) also an important step prior to 3d sculpting/modeling? It’s probably not absolutely REQUIRED, but most reputable schools often have classes regarding clay sculpting/modeling to help students apply their knowledge of anatomy and to gain a more concrete foundation and familiarize themselves with the human body from a 3 dimensional point of view right?

I still have a long way to go before I even touch zbrush, but I was wondering if anyone could recommend any good resources on traditional sculpting/modeling? If anyone has went to 3d design/animation type schools and have taken classes in traditional sculpting, what are some books/videos or artists you would recommend ?

In addition, are there any popular modeling/sculpting forums that you know of? ones that focus on the art of sculpting instead of the software.

Thanks in advance.

[system]

I am by no means a Zbrush guru, (I’m still pretty new to it), but am a professional sculptor who’s worked in traditional mediums for a long time. In my opinion, if you come to Zbrush with a solid understanding of traditional sculpting it makes the leap that much more intuitive. You’ll likely have a better grasp of how to use the tools Zbrush provides in order to shape, form, and detail your model. Most Zbrush artists I know also have a background in traditional sculpting. That said, it’s certainly not always the case, and by no means dictates you can only be successful in digital sculpting without the background in traditional sculpting.