In this workshop, you’ll take jewelry designs from concept to 3D-printed, castable pieces using ZBrush on the iPad. Perfect for students with little to no experience in digital sculpting programs, ZBrush is incredibly affordable compared to traditional jewelry CAD software ($89/year) — and your bench is now as portable as your iPad. Work from your favorite coffee shop, the couch, or anywhere inspiration strikes.
 
You’ll build practical design skills — durability, wearability, combining settings and findings, and creating a personal library of reusable motifs for your signature collection. We’ll even dig into advanced techniques like custom brushes for prongs, stone settings, and stamps. In the class, we’ll also cover affordable printer options, castable versus standard resins, and how to make rubber molds for scaling up production. Every exercise ends with a printed result you can hold in your hands.
 
Your skills go beyond lost wax casting, too — undercut-free printed models can also be used for sandcasting, cuttlefish casting, or hydraulic press work. This course is designed to complement other DJS classes, and traditional jewelry experience is a genuine asset here.
 
What to Bring
A fairly recent iPad or iPad Pro (3 years or less?), iPad Pro 13” is ideal, but anything over 10.5” will work (ZBrush for iPad will work on the iPad Mini, but it’s a bit small)
Apple Pencil or Apple Pencil Pro
ZBrush installed and subscription enabled (zbrush.com)
Integrated keyboard or external bluetooth keyboard (optional)
Power supply/cord
Notebook (although there will be handouts)
 
Tuition includes $15 kit fee
 
About Kat Adair:
 
Kat Adair has always been drawn to the intersection of technology and art. With a background as a trainer for Apple and a love of 3D tools, it was only a matter of time before she brought that expertise into her true passion: jewelry design.
 
In 2015, Kat discovered ZBrush — the same program used by Hollywood studios to create onscreen characters — and immediately recognized its potential for jewelry. With her foundation in fabrication, wax carving, and casting, she was uniquely positioned to teach the full process from concept to finished piece, launching her course at zbrushjewelry.com in 2021. When ZBrush for iPad arrived in 2024, she saw immediately that its accessibility and lower price point could open the door to a new generation of digital jewelry designers — exactly the students she loves working with most.
 
Known for her patience and genuine enthusiasm for working with beginners, Kat has a gift for making complex tools feel approachable and fun. Beyond jewelry, she is a fused glass and ceramics artist who uses ZBrush to design molds for both disciplines, and a trainer for SketchUp and Shapr3D. She lives and works in Silverthorne, Colorado.