1. Design & Illustration

Design & Illustration Learning Guides

Discover our selections of the best free design tutorials on a range of topics, all in one place. If you want to brush up your Photoshop skills or learn a new piece of software like Adobe XD, you’ll find learning guides here to help you do that. Or maybe you want something more specialised, like learning how to draw textures or how to paint hair. We’ve got guides to help you with that too.

Just browse through the list and click on a topic that interests you to discover more and to find links to our hand-picked selection of free tutorials, designed to teach you that new skill or software as easily and enjoyably as possible.

  1. Model a High Poly Airframe Missile Launcher in 3ds Max

    3 Posts
    In this six hour intermediate/ advanced level tutorial series, you'll learn how to model a high poly RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile Launcher step by step. You'll use many of 3d Studio Max’s poly and spline modeling tools, while keeping the model as light weight and simplified as possible, only using subdivision in areas that require it.
    View Learning Guide...
  2. Model a High-Poly RPG in 3ds Max

    3 Posts
    In this mammoth, nearly ten hour long tutorial series, Chris Tate gives you an in-depth, step by step look at modeling a faithfully constructed, photo-realistically precise high-poly RPG launcher and rocket using 3D Studio Max. Throughout the series you'll utilize a wide range of modeling tools and techniques, including many of 3ds Max's edit poly and spline modeling tools.
    View Learning Guide...
  3. Create a New York Subway Entrance in Maya

    3 Posts
    In this three part series, lead video game artist, Ron Davey, will walk you through the process of creating a game-ready environment prop in Autodesk Maya, and also share his personal techniques and thoughts along the way. Ron will begin by modeling the low-poly and high-poly meshes, and then cover UVMapping, Map Baking and Texture painting.
    View Learning Guide...
  4. Incredible Looking Hair Effects in Blender

    2 Posts
    In this multi-part tutorial focused Blender's Hair Particles System, you'll learn some very useful options to use when trying to create cool or convincing hair effects. You'll learn how to add color, light the scene, add a few compositing nodes, and finally how to set up the particle system as a softbody so you can animate it.
    View Learning Guide...
  5. Create a Detailed Zune HD MP3 Player in Cinema 4D

    2 Posts
    Creating convincing product visualizations can sometimes be a daunting task, due to the high level of detail and fidelity the artist must achieve in order to make it believable. In this multi-part, intermediate to advanced level tutorial, you will learn the many techniques needed to model a Microsoft Zune HD.
    View Learning Guide...
  6. Model, Texture, and Render a Photo-realistic Ipod

    2 Posts
    In this two part series, you'll learn how to model, texture and render an 1st Gen iPod Nano in Modo 401. The techniques used here are strictly poly modeling, and can therefore be applied to other 3D packages as well. The main focus is on the modeling and the texturing aspect, while the rendering process will be fairly simple in comparison to professional level renders.
    View Learning Guide...