Adventure Time Scene 2D to 3D Mock-Lighting!

Hi! I have been taking a two-semester course on advanced CGI using open source software, in this instance Blender! I think it's super important to learn both industry leading software such as Autodesk Maya as well with more beginner, free software such as Blender due to accessibility after graduation :). For this project, I utilized Pepe School Land's Clay Pencil modifier to adapt a short Adventure Time GIF from the ending of "Hall of Egress" to a 2D/3D hybrid using modified grease pencil! In this instructable you will have done an animation study, learned about geometry nodes, used advanced modifiers on Blender, and made your very own GIF!

Although I will not dive into an introduction on how to use Blender, I will be sure to introduce the basics of geometry nodes and grease pencil! I recommend to learn some more of the basics in order to navigate the layout and viewports with ease :).

You will need download Blender 4.4 ( https://www.blender.org/download/ )in order to do this project, a mouse is recommended and so is a drawing tablet (I used a Wacom Cintiq) But of course just pure will and motivation can also do the trick!

Download these demo files for setup:

https://pepeschoolland.gumroad.com/l/ibbls

You can also setup the geometry nodes by yourself following the tutorial which is a good option if you want to use them in an earlier version, but it can get buggy and tricky so here's my warning!

Download the demo files from this link:

https://pepeschoolland.gumroad.com/l/ibbls

Ensure you have Blender 4.4!

Unzip and open the file "ClayPencil v0.1 - Start Here.blend" in Blender!

Once you have your file open, I would begin by setting up your scene! You're going to want to create the materials and colors you will be using in your scene. I added the colors for both Finn and Jake. To do this, leave the drawing mode and enter object mode. In the material properties, add and edit your materials, each for every color you would like to use. Make sure to label them! This is how mine turned out, adding a different color per item that I would be illustrating!

In order to be able to select the colors and layer them to create a drawing, you're going to want to go into the geometry nodes tab, duplicate one of the groups, go into it's properties panel and edit the label, match the label name to the layer name, and edit the material to add the material/color you want to use on this layer. So the steps are:

1. Create a new layer in the data tab, title it (ex. tester)
2. Duplicate a node within the geometry nodes tab, make sure to label it the same as your layer in the data tab.
3. Edit the label and layer within the node to match all layer names
4. Select the material at the very bottom of the properties tab to whichever color you created and would like to use for this layer.

Recorded reference below!

Ensure your camera is angled correctly!!! The thing about the grease pencil modifier is that the camera position alters the way your flat lines will look on top of 3D items, making it difficult to work in 3D space unless you modify the settings to ensure that your items look the way you would like them to look. Edit the camera in the properties panel to ensure that your camera is angled correctly towards the background.

OK!!! You are pretty much set to animate! In order to draw with the grease pencil and clay pencil modifier, you will need to exit object mode and go into draw mode. From there, edit your controls to ensure if you would like to use a tube, a filling, the ratio and diameter, rough, soft, stabilization, everything as you would in a typical drawing software but in a 3D space. To use your newly set up workspace, you can select the colors/layers within the dope sheet modifier and going under the stroke panel. Each layer you select will be the one you draw under. Once selected, you can edit various things such as the offset (if you want some things at a different origin than others). You can also move the keyframes in order to test out various speeds and animated edits. This works a little bit more like traditional frame by frame animation, so things drawn in different keyframes wont move gradually as they do in typical 3D animated workspaces.

But apart from that, you are ready to do frame by frame animation!

Once you have finished animating, you can now light your scene! Lighting a 2D scene using 3D elements can be extremely fun, as you have the flexibility of imagining the space in 3D without having to worry about shadows and placements. I have attached the settings I applied to my scene above, in order to match the scene I studied from Adventure Time. I used a sun splotlight to softly light the entire scene and give it an outdoor look, and added cast shadows and bounce to blend the 2D aspects with the 3D aspects.

Now you have finished and can export! This project was a super fun test as someone who enjoys the ease of 3D with the look of 2D animation, and I hope to implement it in my future projects again!