LogInLukáš Kohutovic told us how he learned the basics of Blender in three days by creating a Frieren in a Mimic, guiding us through the modeling process that could also help other beginning artists.
Introduction
Hello, my name is Lukáš, and I have learned the basics of Blender alongside this model in the span of about three days. And I will try to help you begin modeling as well. Most professionals have long forgotten the details of their early struggles. What I tell you here might get you the initial kick you need to make the learning process smoother.
I am an art student, and the sketching and painting I do impact other media. Observation, composition, shadow, form. All of it can be studied and mastered without ever touching a modeling software. So if you boot up Blender and it takes a bit longer to make something, don't feel disheartened.
Motivation to Start
I started the Frieren Mimic project because I wanted something funny or entertaining to do. And that would be my first advice: make whatever you feel like making, it could be a random character or your OC, it has to be something that gives you motivation. Not something easy, not good for beginners, because if it is more like a chore, you won't get better at Blender.
Motivation gives you the strength to explore, to push yourself into making something even if it's hard. If you model a model just to finish it, you are not learning, you are doing homework.
I started the modeling with the chest since it's an easier shape compared to the body. The clothes and teeth were the only objects made with Sculpt (and I did only one tooth, then copied and scaled it).
For me, the fastest way to model was and still is the modeling tab. You can make most shapes faster and better with that than with sculpting. And it's really simple as well! All you need to know is these eight tools.
The most important tip I can give you is to keep your model as simple as reasonably possible until you are close to being done. If it moves, add one or two loop cuts, but if it doesn't move, you can get away with a very low number of edges. You can bevel at the very end.
I used Rigging for Impatient People by Joey Carlino. It's honestly a wonderful resource for rigging. And I highly recommend it. A little fun fact that wasn't mentioned and helped me probably the most is that Bones and Armature are modifiers. Locking your model into the pose you set with the Armature allows you to refine parts damaged by posing. This is a silver bullet for one-time posing problems you might run into. Great for 3D printing and static models.
3D Printing
The reason I decided to learn Blender was that I found the Bambu Lab A1 mini on sale. Bought it on impulse one night since I knew it's a good printer and I wanted to get into 3D printing for years. But I didn't actually prepare the model for printing.
The matter of printing the model itself was as easy as exporting the Blender file as an STL and entering it into the Bambu slicer. Allowing tree support and done, but it failed miserably. It took a day just to print it right. Sleeves clipping, random unsupported hollow spaces. The teeth were messing up the layers. At one point, the whole lid of the chest broke off because of just how little material I had holding it.
Conclusion
I would like to dedicate this section to a single advice. It's something I just recently realized. The value of art doesn't necessarily come from the skill of the artist. It comes from fulfilling its purpose. I'm not saying that artists are bad or that skill doesn't matter. Merely finding a function and purpose in your art is at least half of a great artist's success.
I have been seeking mastery over "functionality" and emotion in my art. So here is my plea for you not to make the same mistake. Find what moves you, and work with that.