Why I Teach

I knew early into my professional career as a CG artist that I would someday like to teach. I wanted to share all I learned so that I can help other students navigate their way into the career of their dreams. The most important lesson I discovered in my years of schooling, internships, and as a professional is how to learn. That is a skill I try to emphasize with my teaching. Asking “why” is what makes the lessons stick and the tools we use have more purpose and power.

I began my teaching career in CG Modeling in the spring of 2021. Since then I have been an instructor for online classes at the AnimSchool and CGMA and created a YouTube and Patreon channel. My teaching is primarily for beginner and intermediate levels, but the principles can help anyone broaden and improve their skills set. My hope is to continue to build my teaching content so I can help educate more students and industry professionals. As my own skill set grows, so will my content.

What I Teach

Modeling Concepts

When learning how to model, it is quite easy to find resources to show you the tools and steps to perform operations. For example, how to add an edge loop to a mesh. What I cover goes beyond the how and explains why we add edges to mesh. I explain how many the mesh needs, where they are needed, what effect they have on the pipeline. Once concepts are explained more clearly we can start modeling with intention and have cleaner, higher quality models.

Modeling for a Pipeline

Modeling with the final product in mind is very important. If you are modeling concept art, that will only be seen in a still render, the process can look very different from when you are modeling something that will be passed through a full pipeline. It is also important to understand how pipelines can differ and what technical aspects are important for us to keep in mind. Modeling is the first step in the pipeline and it is important to ensure there won’t be hiccups during other phases.

Tutorials and Courses

Sometimes you just need to see step-by-step how to do what you are trying to get done. Whether it is how to use a tool, how to accomplish an effect, or how to model an asset from beginning to end, I walk you through what to do and why we are approaching it that way. My courses cover how to set up a scene, a project, modeling, and cleaning up your project for the next step of the pipeline. Some of my courses follow me as I click through a project. Others include time lapses so we can tackle bigger more time consuming projects with direction and instruction. These courses are meant so you can model with me or model with your own project using my steps and approach for guidance.

Courses and Classes

As an instructor I have taught structured courses with live demo sessions and reviews. At the Animschool, I teach the Intro to a 3D Modeling course. Over eleven weeks I demo modeling a simple prop, a simple vehicle, and a character bust. The students follow along with the same models or models of their choosing and we meet weekly to review their progress. At CGMA, I run reviews for a course that was created by another Instructor. There I supplement the weekly lessons with insights, tips, and feedback for the students.