Blender projects

For this animation, my good friend Sijb and I set out to create something truly surreal, an experience that would pull the viewer into a dreamlike world where reality bends and flows in unexpected ways. We experimented with a fusion of animation techniques, blending traditional frame-by-frame animation, keyframe animation, 3D animation, and rigged movement into one seamless, hypnotic journey.

Over the course of two intense weeks, we poured more than 10 hours a day into this passion project, completely immersing ourselves in the creative process. We played with physics and lighting in Blender to push the boundaries of what feels real, crafting strange shapes and unpredictable motion to build a world that feels both bizarre and mesmerizing.

This project was more than just an artistic challenge, it was a test of endurance, creativity, and collaboration. Through countless iterations and problem-solving sessions, Sijb and I discovered that we work insanely well together, balancing each other’s strengths and pushing each other to new creative heights. More importantly, we grew even closer as friends, bonded by the shared experience of bringing this surreal vision to life.

For The Hero Pose project, I wanted to challenge myself by building a fully realized 3D scene inspired by the world of Zelda. My focus was on creating an immersive environment, simple yet effective character models, and rigging them for animation.

To bring the scene to life, I designed and modeled Bill from Gravity Falls, ensuring he fit naturally within the Zelda-inspired world. To streamline the process, I used pre-existing textures, allowing me to focus on character form, style, and integration into the environment. Additionally, I created and rigged another character to walk around, adding movement and liveliness to the scene.

A major challenge was balancing detail and simplicity, ensuring the rigging was functional while keeping the models clean and stylized. Lighting, camera work, and composition played a crucial role in crafting the right atmosphere, and I experimented with different setups to enhance depth and mood. This project pushed me beyond just modeling, it taught me the importance of scene-building, atmosphere, and animation. I learned how to optimize rigging techniques, use lighting effectively, and compose a scene that feels cohesive and alive. Moving forward, I want to take these skills further by working on more complex environments and refining my character animation techniques.

For this animation, I set out to bring a simple soda can to life, making it feel dynamic and engaging. This was my first-ever Blender animation, and it challenged me to learn keyframing, timing adjustments, and easing curves to create smooth motion. I also experimented with Blender’s node system for the first time, using procedural texturing to achieve realistic reflections and condensation.

The biggest challenge was mastering the node editor, but by watching tutorials and iterating on my work, I improved both the animation and the materials. Feedback helped me refine details like bounce effects and lighting, making the final result more polished. This project taught me the fundamentals of animation and procedural workflows, and now I’m excited to push my skills further by creating more complex scenes with interactive elements and advanced simulations.

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