A 3d artist can take their skills to next level by using ZBrush with a Wacom Tablet. This base mesh was built in Maya using traditional modelling tools.

The first step was to build the wireframe. Reference images can be used for each orthographic view to achieve the proper shape.

I spent alot of time creating the textures, experimenting with elephant skin and komodo dragon scales. Lighting and Ambient Occlusion Render Passes combine to form the final composite.

While AI can provide general 3d artwork quickly - it lacks the fine tune control and creative precision that traditional 3d modeling offers.