Animation2023

Blender Grease Pencil for Messy Artists

A free-to-browse video course on 2D animation inside Blender’s Grease Pencil.

Still from the Blender Grease Pencil course.
Announcement animation for Blender Grease Pencil for Messy Artists.
Blender is a hot mess of confusing levers and buttons, but that complexity is the point — unlimited power once you know where to grab.

Grease Pencil is a 2D object inside a 3D environment: a canvas you can treat like any other Blender object. Use it as a pure 2D tool, or pull in the rest of the 3D suite when you need it.

Fifteen short chapters, each with a video. Start at the interface and work through drawing, sculpting, keyframes, modifiers, and object-level animation.

Chapters

  1. 1. Blender interface introductionA foundational guide to understanding the Blender environment, focusing on the grease pencil tool.
  2. 2. Getting started with Grease PencilDive deep into the features and functionalities of Blender's Grease Pencil, and get acquainted with its interface and customization.
  3. 3. Basic Object TransformationsLearn about essential object transformations with Blender's grease pencil tool and understand the concept of objects in 3D space.
  4. 4. Draw ModeAn introductory guide to the Draw Mode feature of Blender's Grease Pencil, where you learn the basics of drawing in a 3D space.
  5. 5. Edit ModeA comprehensive guide on leveraging the Edit Mode in Blender's Grease Pencil tool for optimal drawing and editing experience.
  6. 6. Sculpt ModeA guide to mastering the Sculpt Mode in Blender's Grease Pencil, enabling powerful editing and animation tweaks.
  7. 7. Animation, Timeline, and KeyframesBasics of 2D animation in the Grease Pencil object
  8. 8. Onion skinManaging the onion skin overlay in the Grease Pencil object
  9. 9. InterpolationAutomatic interpolation between keyframes in Grease Pencil
  10. 10. Modifiers in Grease PencilDive into the powerful world of Blender's Grease Pencil modifiers, a tool unique to Blender that brings static drawings to life.
  11. 11. Reference ImagesLearn to use reference images in Blender, optimizing your workflow, enhancing precision, and enabling creative tracing techniques.
  12. 12. Example ProjectsDelve into a real-world example project, examining its intricacies, and understanding how to take full advantage of Blender's 3D environment with Grease Pencil.
  13. 13. Object TransformationsLearn how to animate and transform the entire Grease Pencil object, leveraging the power of object movements combined with frame-by-frame animation.
  14. 14. More examples
  15. 15. Positioning Strokes in the Viewport