Blender Grease Pencil: A Powerful 2D Animation

Blender is a free and open source software that can be used for creating 3D models, animations, games, visual effects, and more. But did you know that Blender also has a powerful tool for creating 2D animation. It’s called Grease Pencil, and it allows you to draw directly in the 3D viewport, creating vectorized stroke objects that can be animated, modified, and combined with 3D elements.

In this article, we will show you how to use Grease Pencil for 2D animation in Blender. We will cover the basics of drawing, editing, rigging, animating, and compositing with Grease Pencil. We will also give you some tips and tricks to make your 2D animations look more professional and appealing.

Whether you are a beginner or an expert in Blender, you will find something new and exciting in this article. So let’s get started!

Getting Started with Blender Grease Pencil

To start using Grease Pencil in Blender, you need to create a Grease Pencil object. You can do this by going to Add > Grease Pencil > Blank in the 3D viewport. This will create an empty object that can hold your strokes.

To draw strokes with Blender Grease Pencil, you need to switch to Draw mode. You can do this by pressing Tab or by clicking on the mode selector at the top left corner of the viewport. In Draw mode, you can use different tools to draw strokes in 3D space. Some of the most common tools are:

• Draw: This is the basic tool that lets you draw freehand strokes with your mouse or tablet pen. You can adjust the size, strength, pressure sensitivity, jitter, smoothness, and other settings of the brush in the sidebar.
• Line: This tool lets you draw straight lines by clicking and dragging. You can also hold Ctrl to snap the lines to angles or Shift to constrain them horizontally or vertically.
• Poly: This tool lets you draw polygonal shapes by clicking on each vertex. You can also hold Ctrl to snap the vertices to angles or Shift to constrain them horizontally or vertically.
• Arc: This tool lets you draw circular arcs by clicking and dragging. You can also hold Ctrl to snap the arcs to angles or Shift to constrain them horizontally or vertically.
• Curve: This tool lets you draw bezier curves by clicking on each control point. You can also hold Ctrl to snap the control points to angles or Shift to constrain them horizontally or vertically.
• Box: This tool lets you draw rectangular shapes by clicking and dragging. You can also hold Ctrl to snap the corners to angles or Shift to constrain them horizontally or vertically.
• Circle: This tool lets you draw circular shapes by clicking and dragging. You can also hold Ctrl to snap the center or radius to angles or Shift to constrain them horizontally or vertically.

When you draw strokes with Blender Grease Pencil, they are organized into layers and frames. Layers are like folders that can hold multiple strokes. You can create, rename, delete, reorder, hide, lock, and blend layers in the sidebar. Frames are like snapshots of the strokes at a certain point in time. You can create, delete, duplicate, move, and extend frames in the timeline. You can also use the left and right arrow keys to navigate between frames.

By default, Grease Pencil strokes are drawn on the surface of a plane that is parallel to the view. This is called the Stroke Placement. You can change the Stroke Placement by clicking on the button next to the mode selector. There are four options:

• View: This is the default option that draws strokes on a plane parallel to the view.
• Cursor: This option draws strokes on a plane perpendicular to the view and passing through the 3D cursor.
• Surface: This option draws strokes on the surface of any 3D object that is under the cursor.
• Stroke: This option draws strokes on the surface of any existing Grease Pencil stroke that is under the cursor.

You can also use different Drawing Planes to change the orientation of the strokes. You can access them by pressing Alt + Spacebar and using the radial menu. There are six options:

• View: This option aligns the strokes with the view.
• Front: This option aligns the strokes with the front view (XZ plane).
• Side: This option aligns the strokes with the side view (YZ plane).
• Top: This option aligns the strokes with the top view (XY plane).
• Custom: This option aligns the strokes with a custom plane that you can define by selecting three points in 3D space.
• Cursor: This option aligns the strokes with a plane perpendicular to the view and passing through the 3D cursor.

You can also use Guides to help you draw more accurately and consistently. Guides are like rulers or grids that you can snap your strokes to. You can access them by pressing Shift + D and using the radial menu. There are four types of guides:

• Parallel: This guide creates parallel lines that you can snap your strokes to.
• Radial: This guide creates radial lines that you can snap your strokes to.
• Circular: This guide creates circular arcs that you can snap your strokes to.
• Grid: This guide creates a grid that you can snap your strokes to.

You can adjust the settings of each guide in the sidebar, such as the spacing, angle, offset, color, and visibility.

Creating a Simple 2D Character with Grease Pencil.

Now that you know how to draw with Grease Pencil, let’s try to create a simple 2D character. We will use a combination of primitives, blank strokes, materials, and vertex paint mode to achieve this.

First, let’s create a new layer for our character and name it “Character”. Then, let’s switch to Draw mode and use the Circle tool to draw a circle for the head. We can adjust the size and position of the circle by using the transform tools (G for grab, R for rotate, S for scale) or by using the sidebar.

Next, let’s create another layer for the eyes and name it “Eyes”. Then, let’s switch to Draw mode and use the Circle tool again to draw two smaller circles for the eyes. We can adjust their size and position as well.

Next, let’s create another layer for the mouth and name it “Mouth”. Then, let’s switch to Draw mode and use the Curve tool to draw a curve for the mouth. We can adjust its shape and position as well.

Next, let’s create another layer for the nose and name it “Nose”. Then, let’s switch to Draw mode and use the Poly tool to draw a triangle for the nose. We can adjust its size and position as well.

Next, let’s create another layer for the hair and name it “Hair”. Then, let’s switch to Draw mode and use the Blank Stroke tool to draw some strokes for the hair. We can adjust their shape and position as well.

Next, let’s create another layer for the body and name it “Body”. Then, let’s switch to Draw mode and use the Box tool to draw a rectangle for the body. We can adjust its size and position as well.

Next, let’s create another layer for the arms and name it “Arms”. Then, let’s switch to Draw mode and use the Line tool to draw two lines for the arms. We can adjust their length and angle as well.

Next, let’s create another layer for

the legs and name it “Legs”. Then, let’s switch to Draw mode and use the Line tool again to draw two lines for the legs. We can adjust their length and angle as well.

Next, let’s create another layer for the shoes and name it “Shoes”. Then, let’s switch to Draw mode and use the Poly tool to draw two polygons for the shoes. We can adjust their shape and position as well.

Now we have a basic shape for our character, but it looks very plain and boring. Let’s add some details and colors to make it more interesting and appealing.

To do this, we need to use materials and vertex paint mode. Materials are like paints that can be applied to Grease Pencil strokes. They can have different colors, textures, fills, strokes, and effects. You can create, edit, delete, assign, and select materials in the sidebar.

Vertex paint mode is a mode that allows you to paint directly on the strokes with different colors and brushes. You can switch to vertex paint mode by pressing Tab or by clicking on the mode selector at the top left corner of the viewport. In vertex paint mode, you can use different tools to paint on the strokes. Some of the most common tools are:

• Draw: This is the basic tool that lets you paint freehand with your mouse or tablet pen. You can adjust the size, strength, pressure sensitivity, jitter, smoothness, and other settings of the brush in the sidebar.
• Fill: This tool lets you fill an entire stroke or a region with a single color. You can adjust the threshold, blend mode, and other settings of the fill tool in the sidebar.
• Blur: This tool lets you blur the colors of the strokes. You can adjust the size, strength, and other settings of the blur tool in the sidebar.
• Smear: This tool lets you smear the colors of the strokes. You can adjust the size, strength, and other settings of the smear tool in the sidebar.
• Average: This tool lets you average the colors of the strokes. You can adjust the size, strength, and other settings of the average tool in the sidebar.

You can switch between these tools by pressing the corresponding number keys (1 for Draw, 2 for Fill, etc.) or by clicking on the tool icons in the toolbar. You can also access more tools and options by pressing the V key and using the radial menu.

Let’s start by creating some materials for our character. We will create one material for each part of our character: head, eyes, mouth, nose, hair, body, arms, legs, and shoes. We will give each material a different color and fill type. For example, we can give the head material a light skin color and a solid fill type. We can give the eyes material a white color and a solid fill type. We can give the mouth material a red color and a solid fill type. And so on.

To create a material, we need to select a layer that contains some strokes (for example, the Character layer) and then click on the plus icon next to the material slot in the sidebar. This will create a new material with a default name, color, and settings. We can rename the material by double-clicking on its name and typing a new one. We can change the color by clicking on the color picker and choosing a new one. We can change the fill type by clicking on the drop-down menu and choosing one of the options: Solid, Gradient, Texture, or Checker.

To assign a material to a stroke, we need to select the stroke by using the select tool (W) or by clicking on it. Then we need to select the material by clicking on its slot in the sidebar. We can also use the eyedropper tool (S) to pick a material from an existing stroke.

To paint a stroke with a different color, we need to switch to vertex paint mode and use the draw or fill tool. We can also use the other tools to modify the colors of the strokes.

Animating the Character with Blender Grease Pencil

Now that we have a simple 2D character with Grease Pencil, let’s try to animate it. We will use keyframes, interpolation, onion skinning, animation editor, dope sheet, and non-linear animation editor to achieve this.

Keyframes are like bookmarks that store the state of an object at a certain point in time. They can be created, deleted, moved, copied, and pasted in the timeline. Interpolation is the process of calculating the state of an object between two keyframes. It can be linear, bezier, constant, or custom. Onion skinning is a feature that shows the previous and next keyframes as transparent overlays on the current frame. It can help to visualize the motion and timing of an animation.

Animation editor is a window that shows the animation curves of an object. It can be used to edit the interpolation, easing, and shape of the curves. Dope sheet is a window that shows the keyframes of an object in a spreadsheet-like format. It can be used to edit the timing, duration, and order of the keyframes. Non-linear animation editor is a window that shows the actions of an object in a timeline-like format. It can be used to create, edit, blend, and mix actions.

Actions are like clips that store a sequence of keyframes for an object. They can be reused, looped, reversed, and blended with other actions.

To animate our character with Grease Pencil, we need to create some keyframes for each part of our character. We can do this by selecting a layer (for example, the Character layer) and moving to a frame in

the timeline where we want to create a keyframe. Then we need to press I and choose one of the options: Location, Rotation, Scale, or All. This will create a keyframe for the selected property of the layer. We can also use the auto keying feature to automatically create keyframes when we transform a layer.

To create a simple animation for our character, we can create two keyframes: one for the rest pose and one for the extreme pose. For example, we can create a keyframe at frame 1 where our character is standing still and smiling. Then we can create another keyframe at frame 10 where our character is jumping and waving. We can do this for each part of our character, making sure to match the timing and motion of each part.

By default, Blender will interpolate the state of our character between the two keyframes using a bezier curve. This means that our character will move smoothly and gradually from one pose to another. We can see this by playing the animation using the play button or the spacebar. We can also use the onion skinning feature to see the previous and next keyframes as transparent overlays on the current frame. We can enable or disable this feature by clicking on the onion icon in the sidebar.

If we are not satisfied with the interpolation, we can edit it using the animation editor or the dope sheet. We can access these windows by changing the editor type of any window or by using the shortcut Ctrl + Tab. In the animation editor, we can see the animation curves of each property of each layer.

We can select, move, scale, rotate, delete, and add keyframes by using the mouse or keyboard shortcuts. We can also change the interpolation type, easing type, and handle type of each keyframe by using the sidebar or the right-click menu.

In the dope sheet, we can see the keyframes of each layer in a spreadsheet-like format. We can select, move, copy, paste, delete, and add keyframes by using the mouse or keyboard shortcuts. We can also change the timing, duration, and order of the keyframes by dragging them horizontally or vertically.

To create more complex animations for our character, we can use the non-linear animation editor to create actions and transitions. We can access this window by changing the editor type of any window or by using the shortcut Shift + Tab. In the non-linear animation editor, we can see the actions of each layer in a timeline-like format. We can create, edit, blend, and mix actions by using the mouse or keyboard shortcuts.

Actions are like clips that store a sequence of keyframes for a layer. They can be reused, looped, reversed, and blended with other actions. To create an action, we need to select a layer and press the plus icon in the sidebar. This will create a new action with a default name and settings. We can rename the action by double-clicking on its name and typing a new one. We can edit the action by using the animation editor or the dope sheet.

To use an action, we need to drag it from the sidebar to the timeline. This will create a strip that represents the action. We can adjust the position, length, speed, and direction of the strip by using the transform tools (G for grab, S for scale, R for rotate) or by using the sidebar. We can also duplicate, delete, mute, lock, and solo strips by using the mouse or keyboard shortcuts.

To blend two actions, we need to overlap them in the timeline. This will create a transition that mixes the two actions. We can adjust the length and shape of the transition by using the transform tools or by using the sidebar. We can also change the blend type and influence of each strip by using the sidebar or the right-click menu.

To create more variations for our character animation, we can create different actions for different poses and emotions. For example, we can create an action for smiling, frowning, laughing, crying, etc. Then we can blend them with our existing actions to create more expressive and dynamic animations.

Here is an example of how our character animation could look like after using some actions and transitions:

Adding Effects and Compositing with Grease Pencil

Now that we have a simple 2D character animation with Grease Pencil, let’s try to add some effects and compositing to make it more interesting and appealing. We will use modifiers, visual effects, and compositor to achieve this.

Modifiers are like filters that can be applied to Grease Pencil strokes. They can generate, deform, color, and modify strokes in various ways. You can add, edit, delete, reorder, enable, and disable modifiers in the sidebar.

Some of the most common modifiers are:

• Array: This modifier creates copies of the strokes and arranges them in a grid, radial, or spiral pattern. You can adjust the count, offset, rotation, scale, and randomness of the copies in the sidebar.
• Build: This modifier animates the strokes by creating or deleting them over time. You can adjust the start, length, transition, and order of the animation in the sidebar.
• Noise: This modifier adds noise to the strokes by displacing them randomly. You can adjust the strength, scale, speed, and seed of the noise in the sidebar.
• Smooth: This modifier smooths the strokes by reducing their curvature. You can adjust the factor, iterations, and affect options of the smoothing in the sidebar.
• Tint: This modifier tints the strokes by adding a color to them. You can adjust the color, factor, hue, saturation, and value of the tinting in the sidebar.

You can combine multiple modifiers to create more complex and interesting effects. For example, you can use an array modifier to create a crowd of characters, a build modifier to make them appear or disappear, a noise modifier to make them move randomly, a smooth modifier to make them look softer, and a tint modifier to give them different colors.

Visual effects are like post-processing effects that can be applied to Grease Pencil layers. They can add blur, glow, noise, and other effects to the layers. You can add, edit, delete, reorder, enable, and disable visual effects in the sidebar.

Some of the most common visual effects are:

• Blur: This effect blurs the layer by applying a Gaussian or Box filter. You can adjust the size, samples, and quality of the blur in the sidebar.
• Glow: This effect glows the layer by applying a bloom filter. You can adjust the color, threshold, radius, intensity, and quality of the glow in the sidebar.
• Pixelate: This effect pixelates the layer by reducing its resolution. You can adjust the size and interpolation of the pixels in the sidebar.
• Rim: This effect adds a rim light to the layer by detecting its edges. You can adjust the color, offset, thickness, blur, and mode of the rim in the sidebar.
• Shadow: This effect adds a shadow to the layer by casting a ray from the light source. You can adjust the color, offset, scale, rotation, blur, and quality of the shadow in the sidebar.

You can combine multiple visual effects to create more complex and interesting effects. For example, you can use a blur effect to make the layer look softer, a glow effect to make it look brighter, a pixelate effect to make it look retro, a rim effect to make it look more 3D, and a shadow effect to make it look more realistic.

Compositor is a window that allows you to combine Grease Pencil layers with 3D objects and backgrounds using nodes. Nodes are like building blocks that can perform different operations on the input and output data. You can add, edit, delete, connect, and disconnect nodes by using the mouse or keyboard shortcuts.

To use the compositor, you need to enable the Use Nodes option in the sidebar. This will create two default nodes: a Render Layers node and a Composite node. The Render Layers node represents the output of the scene, which includes all the Grease Pencil layers and 3D objects. The Composite node represents the final output of the compositor, which is what you see in the render.

You can add more nodes by pressing Shift + A and choosing one of the categories: Input, Output, Color, Vector, Filter, Converter, Matte, Distort, or Group. Each node has different inputs and outputs that can be connected by dragging the sockets. You can also use the Node Wrangler add-on to perform common operations on nodes by using keyboard shortcuts.

Some of the most common nodes are:

• Viewer: This node shows the output of any node in a separate window. You can adjust the size and position of the window in the sidebar.
• Mix: This node mixes two inputs using a factor and a blend mode. You can adjust the factor and choose one of the blend modes in the sidebar.
• Alpha Over: This node overlays one input over another using their alpha channels. You can adjust the factor and invert the alpha in the sidebar.
• Color Balance: This node adjusts the color balance of an input using lift, gamma, and gain values. You can adjust these values by using the color wheels or sliders in the sidebar.
• Hue Saturation Value: This node adjusts
• the hue, saturation, and value of an input. You can adjust these values by using the color wheel or sliders in the sidebar.
• Z Combine: This node combines two inputs using their Z values. You can adjust the alpha and anti-aliasing options in the sidebar.

You can use these and other nodes to create more complex and interesting compositing effects. For example, you can use a Viewer node to preview the output of any node. You can use a Mix node to blend different Grease Pencil layers with different factors and blend modes. You can use an Alpha Over node to overlay a Grease Pencil layer over a 3D object or a background image.

You can use a Color Balance node to adjust the color of a Grease Pencil layer or a 3D object. You can use a Hue Saturation Value node to change the hue, saturation, and value of a Grease Pencil layer or a 3D object. You can use a Z Combine node to combine a Grease Pencil layer with a 3D object using their depth values.

Conclusion

In this article, we have shown you how to use Grease Pencil for 2D animation in Blender. We have covered the basics of drawing, editing, rigging, animating, and compositing with Grease Pencil. We have also given you some tips and tricks to make your 2D animations look more professional and appealing.

We hope that you have learned something new and useful from this article. We also hope that you have enjoyed creating your own 2D character animation with Blender Grease Pencil. We encourage you to try out Grease Pencil and share your creations with us. You can also ask us any questions or give us any feedback in the comments section below. Thank you for reading this article and happy animating!

FAQs

This is the end of the article. I hope you enjoyed reading it and learned something new about Grease Pencil. If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know. Thank you for your attention.