【Blender】Grease Pencil Introduction - Merging 2D and 3D for New Expressions

Overview

Blender is known as a powerful tool for 3D modeling and animation, but it also includes 2D drawing and animation capabilities. This is called "Grease Pencil."

Grease Pencil is a highly flexible and powerful feature that can handle a wide range of uses—from digital manga creation and 2D animation production to adding annotations to 3D scenes, and even creating original expressions that combine 3D models with 2D drawings.

This article covers the basics of Grease Pencil, from basic usage to simple animation creation and 3D fusion expressions, providing the foundational knowledge for beginners to intermediate users to step into the world of Grease Pencil.

Creating Grease Pencil Objects

To start using Grease Pencil, you first need to create a Grease Pencil object.

1. Press Shift + A to open the Add menu.
2. Select "Grease Pencil" and choose a preset for your purpose ("2D Animation," "3D Sketch," etc.).

Selecting "2D Animation" automatically sets up an environment optimized for drawing in front view.

Drawing Tool Basics

With a Grease Pencil object selected, choose drawing tools from the toolbar on the left.

Tool	Purpose
Pencil	Basic drawing tool. Creates natural, hand-drawn lines.
Brush	Creates thicker, softer lines.
Eraser	Erases drawn lines.
Line	Draws straight lines. Hold Shift for more precision.
Polygon	Draws polygons.
Circle	Draws circles.

Brush Settings

• Size: Adjust by pressing F and dragging the mouse.
• Strength: Adjust by pressing Shift + F and dragging the mouse.
• Color: Click the color swatch in the left toolbar to select drawing color.

Layer Management

In Grease Pencil, you can use multiple layers to separate and manage different elements. For example, separating layers like "Background," "Character," and "Effects" allows you to edit and animate each independently later.

Adding Layers:

1. Open the "Grease Pencil Properties" tab in the Properties editor.
2. In the "Layers" section, click the "+" button to add a new layer.
3. Give each layer a descriptive name.

Simple Animation Creation

The basic workflow for creating animation with Grease Pencil is the same as traditional hand-drawn animation.

1. Frame 1: Draw the character's first pose.
2. Frame 5: Draw the character's next pose (set a keyframe).
3. Frame 10: Draw the next pose.
4. Playback: When you play the timeline, frames are automatically interpolated, completing the animation.

Setting Keyframes: After drawing, press I to set a keyframe, or add "Grease Pencil Keyframe" from the Properties editor.

Drawing in 3D Space

One of Grease Pencil's powerful features is the ability to draw directly in 3D space. This allows you to overlay 2D drawings on 3D models, creating unique visual effects.

3D Sketch Mode:

1. Select the Grease Pencil object and choose a drawing tool.
2. Draw while moving the mouse cursor within 3D space in the viewport.
3. Drawings are placed in 3D space at the position viewed from the camera.

This approach lets you add explanatory arrows, text, and decorative elements around 3D models.

Mixed 2D/3D Expression

One of the most creative uses of Grease Pencil is combining 3D rendering with 2D drawing. For example, you can overlay hand-drawn characters on 3D backgrounds, or modify and emphasize parts of 3D models with hand-drawn elements.

Combining with the Compositor:

1. Render the scene containing Grease Pencil.
2. In the Compositor, composite the render result with Grease Pencil layers.
3. Add color correction and effects to adjust the final look.

Summary

Grease Pencil is a unique and powerful tool that fuses Blender's 3D capabilities with 2D drawing.

• Basic Drawing: Draw intuitively with tools like pencil, brush, and eraser.
• Layer Management: Use multiple layers to separate and manage elements.
• Animation: Create 2D animation with the same workflow as traditional hand-drawn animation.
• 3D Drawing: Create unique expressions by drawing directly in 3D space.
• 2D/3D Fusion: Combine 3D rendering with 2D drawing to create new expressions.

Grease Pencil opens possibilities for new expressions beyond traditional 3D CG. It's expected to be utilized in various fields including animation, illustration, design, and VFX. Master this powerful tool and fully express your creativity.