Full-time Blender learner looking for fast track learning path

General Forums Blender and CG Discussions
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Hey everyone,
I’ve been learning Blender for a long while now through YouTube tutorials. I’ve covered some basics, mostly modeling and good topology (TopoTalk, Ian McGlasham, etc.), but haven’t really touched materials, lighting, rendering, compositing, rigging, or animation yet, especially rigging, I haven’t done that at all.

My goal is to start making stylized animations like some of the short animated series online (e.g. “Noodle and Bun”), but with both animal and stylized human characters in a clay or wool felt world. I’m not expecting instant success or anything, but I would like a clearer direction, as there are so many tutorials and courses out there that I’m not sure what to focus on.

I also want to make sure my models have clean topology so I can reuse them in other projects later. Would a simpler method like building limbs from subdivided cubes or basic shapes and just placing them next to each other (without merging geometry) as most YouTube tutorials do, work well enough? I like working in a flexible and non-destructive way where I can change things easily later if needed.

Are there any reliable services that could handle final renders privately for a decent price? I’m working on a fairly weak laptop, so rendering is already tough.

I know this might take a while and a lot will come from trial and error, but right now I have a lot of free time and this is going to be my main work for the time being. I’ll be working on it full-time, but I’d love any advice on whether there’s a smarter or faster way to get started.
Thanks in advance.

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For rigging, I can’t praise this one enough - https://www.p2design-academy.com/p/the-art-of-effective-rigging-2
If you only watch one rigging course, it might as well be this one. They also have an awesome animation course.

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Well, you must find a way to make baby steps through your goal.
I suggest you start making static images first, and eventually learn rigging and animation.

Also, I don’t want to kill your motivation, but keep in mind that most of the time to make an animation project (short / series) even the simplest ones it takes a team of people, all with their own specialties.
Because learning any skill might take at least a year, to get something correct, to know enough of modeling, material, animation, rigging, lighting, compositing, storytelling, we might just be looking at 7 years of practice to get a basic level at all those areas. And some of them like rigging or animation might take even longer. Plus you need to have a good eye for art stuff and that takes generally a couples of years to develop to a basic level too.

Anyway, some people manage to learn all that quicker and do shorts all on their own but first it’s really a lot of work, and generally it feels amateurish anyway, but it’s a great achievement nonetheless.

Then you should consider the time it takes to make an episode, I’ve worked professionally on various 2/5mn long webseries intended to be made as fast and cheap as possible, and generally to make an episode you can consider a week for any particular step, given you already have the main characters and set. Making an episode takes roughly 1 week of storyboarding (1 week = 5x8hours), 1 week of creating props (model, rig, surface) , 1 week of layout/fx prelight, 2 weeks of animation, and 1 week of final touch-up, light, fx and rendering/compositing/ grading.
Meaning that to make an episode alone it’s 1,5 mount of work, so if my maths are correct we’re talking about 9 episodes a year. And I’m talking about something simpler than Noodle and Bun.

Speaking of which, I didn’t know Noodle and Bun and it looks pretty cool ! it got a quick and dirty vibes, like something done fast with some assumed “mistakes” which makes the style. However, it works well because the people beyond that show are people with likely 10+ years of experience in the industry, at least judging their work : https://www.polycat.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL7nt7hsC6A&list=TLGGLjz9dy6-vQAyNzA1MjAyNQ

Anyway, I’m saying all that because I think many artists started their career thinking they can do projects on their own, to realize it’s way much work than expected. This is fine and I think it’s worth trying, but if you really want to build a business here you might think of a backup plan !

I think for now don’t worry about that, just focus on learning and trying things and latter you’ll get a better understanding on how to build models for your projects. I suggest that you don’t start to work on your project until you have a good understanding of all the techniques involved. That way you can learn by doing mistakes and when you’ll need to build all the assets for your project you’ll have proper technique and overall vision of how to make a project.

Hope that helps, sorry if it’s a bit harsh and maybe not what you expected to be told …

Have fun !

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There is no “fast track” in learning… only “intense” and consequent practicing.

Just think about this:
How long does it take to learn to write… and how long to write “good” understandable sentences?
(?? just look at all those text messager “conversations” or some chat platforms and also some forums/forum posts…)

Next… : How long does it takes to actualy write good stories ? And then how long to make some money with it ???

Same thing with everthing else including 3D with or without blender. Practice, practice, compare, practice, practice, try something new, practice, practice…
…so: no fast track… And still: Have fun !!
:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Thanks for your reply, I really appreciate the honesty. I totally get that animation takes a lot of work, and I’m not under the illusion that I’ll get amazing results overnight. That said, I think my situation is a bit different. I’m currently living with my parents, jobless, and stuck in a very unstable country. For me, making something—anything—creative and personal feels like one of the only ways forward right now, both practically and emotionally.

I’m not aiming for something as complex as “Noodle and Bun.” What I have in mind is simpler, with a more handmade stop-motion kind of look. I like the DIY approach and can’t afford to hire or commission others, though my sibling is a skilled graphic designer and helps with the art direction and visuals.

I understand what you mean about learning all the skills first, but I honestly can’t afford to wait that long. Furthermore, I feel like learning through doing my own project is the only way I can stay motivated and actually make progress. Watching tutorials and trying different courses is useful, but I don’t really have the time or resources to study every field of CG in depth before working on my own thing. I’d rather learn while building something that matters to me.

As a possible backup, I’m also considering creating an animated avatar, something like a VTuber, but used differently, which would need less 3D animation and could be more manageable.

Lastly, I want to say something that might sound a bit off-topic, but it’s been on my mind a lot. Seeing how fast AI is moving, especially with stuff like Google’s new Veo 3 videos, is honestly scary. A lot of what’s being generated now looks so real at first glance, and it makes me worry that in a few years the internet will be buried in AI-made content. It feels like original and handmade things could get drowned out or ignored. I see people online hyping up this idea of AGI arriving by 2027, saying we’ll all be living in a world where you just ask for a movie and it appears. I’m skeptical, but the pace is worrying. That’s another reason I want to start making things now, while it still feels like there’s room for small, personal, human projects.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

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Be prepared for a rough ride… and if yougo this way, do not forget having fun… then… it will be fun.

There are so much peope complaining about “cumbersome”… so they concentrate on the work they have to do and not on the fun. :smile_cat:

Of course in some situations one has to earn money with something else. :person_shrugging:

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Ok ! Thanks for sharing your story !
Then as said, focusing on static image first can be a way to learn faster.
Try to make still images from your show is going to help a lot !

Especially if you look for a very simple style it’s possible to pull something out without learning for years. A short film that I really love took that approach : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7cTgLzvV38

But it’s an art in itself to keep things simple, for me it was too hard to balance that with the joy of learning and trying complex stuff. But we are all different.

And about AI, well I’d say let’s wait and see. Maybe it’s possible to make a movie out of a prompt, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be interesting…
A good movie is a particular look on life rooted in director’s own culture and personal story, with many creative choice to convey an idea. That’s what makes David Fincher’s movies completely different from say Wes Anderson or Tim Burton…

For sure AI will allow new things and new ways of making images but I’m sure animation isn’t going anywhere in the meantime…

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You have literary written the title of the course - Fast Track:
I don’t have experience with this guy, maybe you will find it useful:

https://www.cgfasttrack.com/library

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well, that looks cool, however if I had to subscribe to something I’d look into CGcookie, blender cloud, or maybe CGBoost…
however I’d probably try to make the most of what’s available online first.
Even if that might feel like when buying a course half of it you already know, I think it might be better to approach it that way !
Blender Cloud could be interesting alongside free tutorials since you can learn from their animation project, download and study files.
It’s probably the best learning resource once you get the basics and know enough to dissects files.

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:point_up:this. With Blender Studio subscription you support the dev fund and get access to a lot of cool learning paths - all the math of Cycles, Geo nodes, possibility to dissect Open movie files. And so on…

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The hardest part for you would be knowing how not to take on a project that is too ambitious.

Because you have not been through it yet.

Just getting a lot of information for the sake of the information might be a hard way to go.

You seem like you don’t want to waste your time, so I think maybe the first thing is to clearly define your project and project goal.

Overall the very easiest way to reduce time and work and frustration on an animation project is to simply reduce the running time.

So think in terms of seconds not munutes. Maybe 1:30 at the max.

The second easist way to reduce production time is to reduce the characters, sets and props.

With these basic parameters in place, short running time and smallest amount of assets, now you are ready to embark on a project that won’t frustrate you and waster your time.

Then the next thing to do is write a story you are satisfied with that can achieve these goals. This is the hardest and most important part.

But once you have that and a basic storyboard or outline of what to do, then simply find the tutorials and other information to help you with the things you don’t yet know how to do.

Learn how to do it, practice a bit. (Don’t do it in the project yet)

Then apply it to the project once you know how so you are not distracted creatively. And just keep going.

After your first project you will be more informed and prepared for the next one.

And so on.

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Just some background on “Noodle & Bun”

Although they are using Maya, this type of stylization could be easily replicated in
Blender as they do not seem to even have complex facial rigging with speaking characters.
However ,as others have stated, you need to become well versed in the basics before thinking of embarking on an animated series project.

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You’ve said you’re jobless, and living with your parents. It sounds like time is one thing you have quite a lot of.

And look - you’ve asked your initial question, and several people who are extremely skilled in doing this, have given very good extensive answers. So accept their answers as truth. If you don’t wish to hear the real answer to the question, don’t ask.

If there was some fast way to learn how to do all of this (at a level that anyone would be interested in watching the result), none of us would have spent years learning it; we would all do it the quick way also.

You are not special in wanting to get things done as quickly as possible. Everyone in this industry wants things done as quickly as possible. And the time that you’re spending trying to find shortcuts around the process, would be better spent learning the process.

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I ’m currently living with my parents, jobless, and stuck in a very unstable country. For me, making something—anything—creative and personal feels like one of the only ways forward right now, both practically and emotionally.,I understand what you mean about learning all the skills first, but I honestly can’t afford to wait that long

.

Well to be brutally honest.
it sounds like you may be a candidate for a prefab solution such as Daz.
If indeed You don’t want to learn to model or rig texture etc in Blender
but want to start animating and posting “kids stuff” to youtube, then install the free Daz software and load some canned animations to some of their toon styled prefab characters with their nonlinear motion clip system.
you will be limited to whatever prefab characters they have for sale within your budget constraints however
but you can be making basic youtube “content” from day one
if that is your goal.

DAZ ANIMATED PIGLET
DAZ ANIMATED PIGLET1899×881 376 KB

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To add to what has been said, it’s worth trying since what you’ll learn is always going to be useful.
If you need CG as a mean to express yourself and better cope with a difficult situation I think it’s completely fine to dive into it. You don’t need to do something as complex as a series/short to enjoy being creative and put ideas out of your head.

If making that series is more important than anything, you might consider alternatives such as what @Anabran suggested.
Or you can make things even simpler by doing a 2D animation, with grease pencil or cut-out images.
Basically you focus on the story, and keep the means to do it to the bare minimal… Like what story can you tell with your actual knowledge or with 70% of your actual knowledge and 30% stuff you learn on the way.

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maybe with the complexity and animation like the short film that made SouthernShotty? it took him 4 years (not literally that amount of time of course) to create this short film called WATERMELON GIRL

Also i am a private blender tutor, but i understand that you can’t afford to commission someone for making your learning curve faster perhaps, so i was interested to offer paid help on your progress, specially for rigging and else “advanced”, as you seem to already know the blender basics at least. (but if the chance comes to you to have that financial “stability” and still interested in learning cg art in the future, let me know though to see what we could workaround)

yeah i get you, i have about 8 years “studying” blender and cg art in my own as a self-taught 3d generalist mostly like you describe, and it’s been a slow journey in my case and also in the country i live has not been easier at all and neither is a career that is worth studying to work on here locally (except if is international company or something like that pays reasonable or standard salaries), but rather in other countries instead, but neither right now i can’t travel abroad for “stable” freelance in-house jobs so i do few freelance remote commissions only with what i can do currently…

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I’m working on that now, just starting with still images.

That’s a great and inspirational find, thanks! Any idea how long it took the artist to make it?

Totally agree. What’s called AI now is non-deterministic and inconsistent.

When you say “in the meantime,” how long are we talking about?

The name sounds a bit familiar, but I don’t think I’ve seen this course before. The art doesn’t really grab me.

I’ve seen some of their free stuff on YouTube. I really like Jonathan Lampel’s videos.

I’ve already done that, just might not have mentioned it here in detail.

Did that too.

Probably another rabbit hole. There are lots of storyboarding courses out there. Do you have any go-to resources for the basics? Or should I just start drawing?

Is SavannahXYZ’s facial rigging considered complicated?

If you had to start over and become well-versed in the basics, what path would you have taken, and what resources?

I’m not trying to cut corners, I was just wondering if there’s a better path, and I’ve never aimed for complex animations.

I want to do that and enjoy making my own stuff. Just wondering if there’s a better way to learn or some solid resources.

I’ve been interested in the hybrid style. Thought it was harder, but you say it’s easier? How so?

That’s a bit too complex. I’m going for something simple and beautiful.

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I was referring to the “Noodle & Bun” series that you mentioned.
The animals facial features are static with what appears to be some simple bone dynamics causing the wiggly ears and slacked jaw on the dog.
This could be easily be replicated in Blender with a combination of Bone dynamics pro addon and alot of custom Blend shapes for the squash & stretch effects

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Here’s where I would begin: “Do Something.”

It could be literally anything. Tell a fun story with the “default cube.” Invent a single simple scene, render it, then animate it somehow. The point is simply to get away from “analysis paralysis” and start moving in a definite direction.

“Rinse and repeat.”

Also: Be careful not to [pre-] judge whatever it is that you are doing. You are going to make lots of mistakes. But, you are learning. If you allow “judgemental” thoughts to intrude, they will shut you down in a heartbeat, because that “judge” will never excuse you. Likewise, don’t hold your initial works up to somebody-else’s “standard,” because they’ll never measure up.

Every(!) project is a constant series of compromises. Yes, you could make it “perfect,” but no one would ever get a chance to see it. :slight_smile:

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I don’t know, maybe by reading the comments it’s possible to find information, I think the author posted something here too…
By judging the movie, and given he was learning in the meantime it might be something between 2 and 4 months, but hard to tell really…
However with proper workflow and good knowledge it’s possible to make something like that much faster.

An inspiring channel is this one : https://www.youtube.com/@TinyMediaTV
I can’t recall exactly but I think they manage to do an episode in one week…
But they are quite experienced…

Well, it’s only speculations here, but I don’t think it’s possible to get something precise and complex by just doing some prompt.
It’s likely that AI will bring new tools, and maybe that could lead to something close to getting a movie from a prompt.
But I can’t see how we could get something like a pixar short by just prompting an AI … something bad that kinda look like it maybe, but I can’t see how to get to that level of refinement by just prompting.
Needless to say that in order to get to that level of refinement you need to have a strong art background in order to guide the AI correctly… Therefore if you know how to do it you might just actually do it :smiley:
If you just prompt the AI without any animation knowledge how can you make something really good ?

That depends, but in 2D you can go further into abstraction, stuff like that is simpler to do than the exact same thing with 3D characters : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDoo53YgQhY
However, nothing prevent you from doing those stickman in 3D and mix 2D and 3D animation with a 2D look.

But if by hybrid you think stuff like spiderverse yes it’s going to asks for even more knowledge…

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