> This guide was written for **Blender 4.3**. Some information may be incorrect for more recent versions. # What We'll Be Learning - **[Scene & Geometry Setup](#scene-setup)** - **[Line Art Object & Modifier](#line-art)** - **[Flat Shading + Transparency](#shading)** - **[Basic Toon Shading](#cel-shading)** --- # What We'll Be Making By the end of this guide, you should be able to make something like this: ![basic line art shader in Blender featuring a flat white white background, dark blue line art, and light blue shadows](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/b046f7b8-1535-4000-87c3-36244ac8b3cc) And, with a little extra work, you can get results like this! ![a vibrant cel-shaded bass guitar with sketchy line art](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/65d66ca1-f937-42d1-a8db-4c31c974045d) ![a complex ballroom scene with accurate line art on a flat color background](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/5277d13d-a1d8-4de2-b456-542fcb2e8860) ![a flat-shaded strip of buildings on an empty street](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/8dfe27db-7d50-45e0-9762-debb791bbe33) If you'd just like the file for the result of this tutorial, you can download it by clicking below! Download .blend File > This file is CC-0 (public domain), feel free to use it to create new projects! ---

Scene & Geometry Setup

So, there are three basic things you really need to get this working. 1. A mesh to display lines on. 2. A Line Art object /w modifier. 3. A camera looking at the geometry. > #3 Really is key! If you aren't seeing any lines, make sure the camera is looking at the geometry you'd like to draw lines on! --- We can just use Blender's default setup to test things out! Press `0` on your number pad to go into camera view. Press this key again to leave camera view. ![camera view of cube](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/03dffe99-faf9-4980-9084-3b2d98f4d11e) We'll make a basic building by first moving the cube up to sit on the floor. You should be able to press `Tab` to enter edit mode, then `G`, `Z`, & `1` to move the cube up by one meter on the Z (up) axis. Pressing `Tab` again will return to object mode. You can also just select the camera and press `G`, `Z`, & `1` to recenter it on the cube. ![editing cube and recentered camera](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/5aff5c53-e41f-41a5-b61d-e7b1fa6b9c45) For this guide, we'll also create a basic plane for the floor by pressing `Shift+A` and selecting a mesh plane. ![add menu mesh plane](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/ae2b1ba4-2fd6-444d-8b8b-21c99d6155d0) Press `Tab` to enter edit mode, and `S` & `2` to scale the plane to twice it's original size. Press `Tab` once again to return to object mode. ![scaling the plane by 2](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/3548dad1-5acc-412c-a435-c51ee5143995) ---

Line Art Object & Modifier

Next, we can add the thing that actually makes the line art. Unsurprisingly, called the Line Art... object? Modifier? Both! ![add menu Grease Pencil Line Art objects](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/a2923b1f-0a31-47dd-9ce9-958f4686c91e) For now, we'll just select Scene Line Art, since we won't be doing anything crazy. But, if you were curious: - Scene Line Art: Will use geometry no matter where it is in the current scene, as long as it's visible. - Collection Line Art: Will only look at the geometry in a specific collection to create lines. - Object Line Art: Will only look at a specific object to create lines. Generally, I find Collection Line Art to be the most useful in most cases. > Sometimes, the line art object will not update to new object being added to the scene. Simply select the Line Art object and press `G` to start moving and `Right-Click` to cancel. This generally forces the update. At this point, you should be seeing lines drawn at the corners of your cube and plane. You could also rename these to better keep track of them as the scene expands. I'll just rename the cube "building" and the plane "ground". ![renamed objects and line art](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/9befb91c-d8b2-4457-8d3f-0b1f55421266) --- ### Edge Marks Are Your Best Friend! This is another key to controlling how and where your lines appear. While in edit mode on the building, I've added an edge loop to act as the edge of the roof. You can select any edge and press `Ctrl+E` and find "Mark Freestyle Edge" to tell the Line Art modifier to generate it. ![adding edge mark to all edges.](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/01c22eb9-2788-4dfb-b995-6c8503c88df6) ![flat geometry showing new lines](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/5a220ca3-8e0c-41f4-b817-01b5d0e07091) From here, you should be able to add all the detail you want. Here are a few tips to help out: #### Tip #1: Locking Camera to View If you want to preview the Line Art modifier as you move around the viewport, you can open the "N panel" by pressing the `N` key, going to the "View" tab, and finding the "Lock camera to view" option. ![directions to the "lock camera to view" option](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/33df2482-1755-48d9-961a-35b04da67d40) When you hit `0` on your numpad, you can still pop in and out of camera mode to leave the camera where it is if you need to. #### Tip #2: Knife Tool Sometimes, you may need to add detail directly to a surface, or inset a shape into it. The knife tool is a quick way to get the detail in-place, if you don't care about total accuracy. Press `K` while in edit mode to activate the knife tool. You can now snap to edges and left click to add points. Once done, press enter. For example, I'm going to cut a doorway and some windows:

After this, I extruded the new faces inward slightly to create depth. ![building with added depth](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/8a0b2ac9-7097-4abb-bcee-dd0162352f3d) #### Tip #3: Smooth Objects If working with objects that require smooth areas, use the Shade Smooth option, followed by either the "Shade Smooth by Angle" or by manually creating sharp edges in edit mode: ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/cb241bb9-2a7e-49ac-8fbb-92a864ff7088) ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/ca7d1090-9cbd-4120-a685-114ff072f4e4) Sharp marks will also create lines, so setting them intentionally is usually best. #### Tip #4: Intersecting Geometry Intersecting geometry will automatically create lines at the intersection. This is extremely handy for not having to create objects exactly as the lines need to show. You can overlap geometry in many cases to save time, and not require booleans. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/f255c7af-fbd0-482d-8515-27a0ac6fa2d2) ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/fcb8034d-1ea3-484c-af68-f71b9e61a903) --- ### Editing the Line Art to Look Sketchy (In a Good Way!) We'll be diving a bit more into the Line Art modifiers at some point, but for now, we can start by adding a Generate 'Multiple Strokes' modifier, and a Deform 'Noise' modifier. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/b1face57-40e1-453b-85d1-032f42d149cb) These are the two modifiers I mainly use to get this effect. Here are the settings I used to get the result below: ##### Multiple Strokes: - **Duplicates**: `3` is a good amount, and is default. - **Distance**: `0.01 meters` You'll generally need to make this quite small, as it's measured in real-world size. This controls the max offset. - **Offset**: `0` Offsets all lines in the same direction, inward or outward. We don't need this right now. ##### Noise: - **Position**: `0.15` This number should also be quite small. Controls the strength of the position offset. - **Strength**: `0.6` This, oddly, controls the opacity of the line via the noise pattern. - **Thickness**: `0.4` Controls how much the line thickness if affected by the noise pattern. - **UV**: `0` Unused. - **Noise Scale**: `0.7` Makes the overall noise pattern larger or smaller. - **Noise Offset**: `0` Shifts the position of the noise in the world to get different results. Changing this is optional. - **Noise Seed**: `0` Changes the base number for generating the noise. Changing this creates new patterns different from the default. Changing this is optional. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/84701226-2e43-401a-a896-1386a5827ff3) ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/55b9d0d7-1a97-4cfe-84f2-2b769ccd460d) > If you want to temporarily disable the gizmos and grid in the viewport to get a clean preview, simply toggle the 'Show Overlays' option at the top of the viewport., The dropdown menu also has some fun/useful settings to mess with! > > ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/c48678cb-fa20-47b7-8db6-a27710643d0d) If you'd like to quickly have more control over the line quality, you can add in a Generate 'Simplify' modifier to the Line Art object above the 'Noise' modifier. Change the Mode to 'Sample', which will generate new points on a grid, kind of like voxels. The length will change the grid divisions at real-world scale. I have set mine around `0.05 meters`. With this, you will also need to adjust the noise modifier, as higher Position values will make some very jagged lines. I have adjusted the position way down to `0.03`. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/bbb93e79-b4dc-4805-a5dd-6d415742135e) The difference is subtle, but you can really see the difference before you adjust your 'Noise' modifier settings. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/a73b3bfe-af5e-4138-bda9-5d535a388cfb) Changing your line art color is pretty simple. Select your lineart object and head over to the Material tab. There should already be a material called 'Black'. You could renmae this to something more general, such as 'Pencil' or 'Sketch', and changing the color in the Stroke menu will determine your main line art color. ![lineart color location](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/a9a2aab7-45a0-49c7-a241-f80ec979db1a) If you want your lines to multiply over the existing colors, or use another blend mode, you can easily control this in the Data tab, under Layers, then Blend Mode. ![line art blend mode location](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/549b8614-82bc-4680-940f-4205f0cd374f) ---

Flat Shading + Transparency

This is probably one of the easier parts, but it can still be a little confusing. For this example, we'll just make everything a solid color to keep it easy to follow. First, select both the building and ground objects (or any other mesh you've added in the scene). Go to the Materials tab and add a new material if there isn't one already. We can also just reuse the default 'Material'. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/f6a9d646-057e-4683-8512-77630c6110f0) Press `Ctrl+L` and choose 'Link Materials' to give everything the same material. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/6ee6558f-9ba7-4125-bcab-68c63f20f5e4) You can now rename this to whatever you want. I'm going to call it 'Paper', and change its shader type to Emission. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/63e7674a-1ed7-4b31-8746-d63ee6e0657b) At this point, if you set the viewport to 'Rendered' mode, assuming you're using EEVEE, you should now be able to set the mesh to any flat color you want! ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/e048468c-767b-46b5-aa09-f72fc5a1fd03) ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/6e088c19-0b7f-402c-85eb-6cf560357b7c) > Color Tip: If your colors feel a bit washed-out or just not right for some reason, check your Color Management in the Render tab. Only 'Standard' with 'No Look' will display your colors unaltered. > > ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/ac05e5b3-c238-4ce4-a55a-6b5990280ca0) Now, to make the background the same color as the object, you can simply hover over the object color in the Material tab and press `Ctrl+C` to copy, and `Ctrl+V` to paste it into the world color. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/06d132be-883d-45f8-8a0b-5913cfb73d81) ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/0e0a89ec-59a3-4d39-bd6b-9e32ab68df32) That's really bright and obnoxious! What if you don't want color? Good news! You can export just the line art if you want, and it only take a couple of settings! First, find the Film settings in the render tab, and choose 'Transparent'. That should immediately turn the background transparent if you're in rendered mode. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/62467147-ec8e-4d95-ac10-05552ffa7968) Next, go back to your object material and change its type to "Holdout". ![location of Holdout shader](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/253dfe3b-c1cb-4ec2-8a77-33cb71a5c5f8) Now you should only be able to see your line art! ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/2593e570-80e3-427c-8fe2-8c8b285eaeaf) If you hit `F12` on your keyboard to render it, it should come out transparent as well, just make sure you're saving it as a format that supports transparency, like `.png`, and that the output is set to `RGBA` to also export the alpha channel. ![output settings location](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/7b99110c-8fb8-441e-b95d-b8ce3f6b1f47) > To save an image you've just rendered, either set the output folder in the Output settings, or click the Image menu in the render window and choose 'Save As', where you can also choose your output settings. > > ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/6c70532e-0453-4db2-a089-b83c3d2a4b3e) ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/164b2e72-80c8-421b-a832-e78f2cf42e47) ---

Basic Toon Shading

This is where I may lose some of you, since we're going to be messing with shader nodes. Please note, this only works in EEVEE. There are toon shader packs you can find/buy that will work regardless of context. I'm gonna give you some guidance on how to make a very basic, feature-limited toon shader as a starting point. First, open your existing shader, or apply a new one to your objects. Set the material to use a Diffuse shader. Make sure you have a panel open for the Shader Editor. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/f9bd529e-1f29-4d6d-84e4-880698b28317) Now, ideally, we'll want to start with a purely black and white input. So, before we start editing the object material, we should set it to 100% white and edit the World shader by clicking the dropdown option in the Shader Editor. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/be810d71-9073-4300-a6f1-7c2d895dad90) Now, you can easily build this out from the menu, but we need to remove the existing Background Shader node, and add in a Mix Shader. In the Factor of the Mix Shader, attach a Light Path 'Is Camera Ray'. In the two remaining inputs, put in two new Background Shaders. The top Background Shader will control the shadow color, which we should set to 100% black. The other Background Shader will control the main background that you see.

The Light Path node is essentially just telling the renderer that any cast light (not entering the camera) should come from the first input, and any thing else should take on the color of the second input. Now, I'd change that Light object to a sun, and position it so that the shadows can be more easily seen. You may need to set the brightness at around `10.0` and angle down to minimize the softshadows. ![](https://api.grawlich.art/assets/a5513086-179f-4d9c-a1bf-d17f85aced3d) From here, you will need to add a 'Shader to RGB' node (only works in EEVEE), followed by a Color Ramp, set to 'Constant' interpolation and the white end set to position `0.5`. After that, add in an Invert Color node, because we'll need the shadow in the second position, incase you want to use a blend mode on it. Otherwise it will not work properly. Then, add in a Mix Color node. The Color ramp should plug into the Factor socket. The two remaining colors can be whatever you want. Just remember that the first color is your base color, and the second color is your shadow layer.

This is an extremely limited setup, but if you only need a flat color and shadow guides, this is a great starting point! I want to make more advanced shader guides at some point soon. --- Thanks for reading! At this point, you should be able to start tweaking things and making some cool references for your comics! I leave you with this unedited recording of me making adjustments to the guide scene!

✦ Directorium ✦

✦ Settings ✦

Blender For Comics! 3D Line Art & Shadows