The underlying logic is anatomical: soft tissue depths at specific points on the skull can be estimated based on published data from cadaver studies and medical imaging, and these estimates, combined with knowledge of how muscles, cartilage, and skin overlay bone, allow a reconstructor to build up a face layer by layer over a cast or three-dimensional model of the skull.

The technique starts with the skull — or in this case, a high-resolution three-dimensional scan and physical model of the skull, since working directly on original ancient specimens is neither practical nor ethically desirable.

Tissue depth markers are placed at standardized anatomical landmarks — specific points on the skull whose locations are well defined and whose overlying soft tissue depths have been measured in multiple studies.

The reconstructor then builds up material (traditionally clay, though modern practitioners use various materials) to the indicated depths at each marker, and then smooths and interpolates between the markers to produce a surface representing the likely skin level.