Hey Reader,

Zach here,

With new inspiration and resources from the 3D world.

Today, I’ll start with Martin Klekner’s video about the benefits of personal art projects, followed by a funny animated short "Washed Up".

Next, I’ll share a tutorial on animating fish by Polyfjord, and a 25% Winter Sale on Superhive (with a special focus on Gleb Alexandrov’s "Cinematic Lighting" Course update for Blender 5).

I’ll end with a quick reminder of our ongoing Cubic Worlds Challenge.

Let’s dive in.

​Why Every Artist Should Have a Personal Project​

Are you working on a personal 3D project, or perhaps you're considering starting one? In this video, Martin Klekner will give you some solid reasons to stick to this idea.

His own experience is a living proof of how such projects make wonders for an artist’s growth, learning, and even career opportunities.

It may seem like Martin is discouraging the use of tutorials (which he himself creates), but that’s not really the point. Personal Projects are not a substitute for courses or tutorials, but rather a great amplifier of all the other sources of knowledge, and a real testing ground, where you can apply the skills you learn and make them truly yours.

​"Washed Up" - Award-Winning 3D Animated Film​

​This funny short film was made in Blender by Liam J. M. Wilson and has already won Best 3D Animation at the British Animation Film Festival and has been nominated for a few other prizes.

It’s not a surprise, as the storytelling, the humor, as well as the stop-motion-like aesthetics are all top-notch.

Liam also shares a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes in this video.

​Animate-a-fish in 10 Minutes in Blender​

As we’re on the topic of fish… they’ve become a new obsession for Polyfjord! In this entertaining tutorial (expect a lot of dry jokes in this otherwise soaking wet video), he shows a simple, creative way to animate realistic fish movement.

Stick to the end to find out how it can also be used on cars.

​Superhive Winter Sale - "Cinematic Lighting" Remastered for Blender 5 (25% OFF)​

If you’re looking for an opportunity to grab some useful Blender add-ons 25% cheaper, a Winter Sale is running on Superhive now (until 2d March).

Creative Shrimp is part of this sale, with their latest update to the amazing "Cinematic Lighting" course by Gleb Alexandrov (which you can get 25 % Off during the sale).

It is one of the top sources of lighting knowledge for Blender artists ever made, and it has been remastered to be compatible with the latest Blender 5, so you can use all the new flashy tools to make your renders shine even brighter.

​Get Cinematic Lighting here (affiliate link)

​Last Chance to Join the Cubic Worlds Challenge​

Let me end with a quick reminder that our Cubic Worlds Challenge is still running, and the deadline is March 5th, 2026 (16:00 CET), so it might be the last moment to jump in and have some creative fun with cubes in Blender.

You can read more and see what others have been up to, as well as:

​Join the challenge here​
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That’s all from me today. Have a great weekend, and until next time.

~Zach