Introducing "Magic Storybook" - Learn 2.5 in Blender 3D with Grease Pencil

Hey everyone! Excited to share that Part 2 of my grease pencil course is out now! I've renamed the course to “Magic Storybook" and this update focuses on how to use grease pencil in a workflow that combines 3D elements. We'll learn the techniques to take your 2D drawings and transform them into magical 3D scenes in Blender 3D.

Whether you’re starting out or looking to up your skills in Blender, this course is for you! You also don’t need to know how to draw. It’s beginner-friendly, has more than 10 hours of learning content, and access to help anytime you need it!

Outline

The course is divided into 2 parts. The first, which consists of chapters 2 through 5, will be a deep dive on grease pencil, serving as a general primer for the tool. We’ll conclude this part by creating an entire scene with it, a whimsical Fantasy Village.

The second part, which consists of Chapters 6 through 10, will focus on incorporating Grease Pencil into a cohesive 2D/3D workflow. Using this knowledge, we’ll create our second scene, a mysterious Alchemy Lab.

The course is structured to introduce and implement features as we encounter practical uses for them, so I recommend watching each video thoroughly. As far as required Blender experience, I recommend some basic knowledge and if you haven’t already, to check out the CG Boost Blender Launch Pad Course.

To clarify, this is not an animation-focused course, although we will be animating some of the elements in our scenes. And you don’t need to know how to draw. Lastly, a tablet is optional although recommended in later chapters and Part 2.

Course Breakdown

Beginning with the first part, in Chapter 2, we’ll do an overview of grease pencil, drawing in 3D space, and exploring the various modes used to interact with the tool. Some sample project files will also be available to check out. Then in Chapter 3, we’ll create our first building using what we’ve learned. This building will be the start of our fantasy village scene that we’ll complete in Part 1. In Chapter 4, we’ll build out the scene, working on it in segments starting with the midground, foreground, and then the background. And in Chapter 5, we’ll do an overview of animating with grease pencil and refine our strokes accordingly. Then, we’ll finalize our scene and render it out.

Moving on to the second part, in Chapter 6, we’ll start by covering some advanced grease pencil features and capabilities, including the grease pencil tools addon, as well as techniques for rigging & deforming strokes. In Chapter 7, we’ll introduce 2D/3D art and what that workflow looks like in Blender. In Chapter 8, we’ll begin modeling our Alchemy Lab scene that we’ll complete in Part 2. In Chapter 9, we’ll move on to shading, lighting, and adding outlines to our meshes. And in Chapter 10, we’ll incorporate grease pencil elements and animate them simultaneously to complete our scene and render it out.

For each video, english captions are available. You can toggle them on by clicking the Subtitles icon at the bottom right. And below that, you’ll find links to download the project files for each video to practice on. There’s also a comment section so if you have any questions, feel free to ask them there or join the CG Boost Community for Students Only.

There, you can ask questions, share your renders, or receive feedback. If you’d like to view this course offline, you can request access to the download section, where you’ll find the course videos and project files. Thanks again and see you inside the course!