Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Blender 3D Art & Animation - From Sketch to Scene Ready to bring your drawings to life? In this hands-on course, students will learn how to turn 2D sketches into fully realized 3D models using Blender - one of the most powerful (and free!) tools used in animation, game design, and digital art. Each session includes: Creative Builds - Model 3D objects from basic shapes to advanced scenes Visual Effects - Add texture, shading, and lighting to bring your art to life Real- World Use - Explore how Blender is used in gaming, animation & printing Tool Mastery - Learn Blender’s powerful modeling and scene- building features Tech Setup - Get support downloading and installing Blender on your device.
Want to give your digital artwork some dimension? In this hands-on course, your child dives into Blender to 3D model objects for video games, digital art, and even animation.
Working together on all kinds of projects, students learn the gamut of tools in Blender, including organic modeling, creating LODs for game asset pipelines, UV unwrapping, and building materials and texture maps.
Blender is one of the most powerful (and free!) tools used across gaming, animation, and design. Your child learns to export their work for 3D printing, web embedding, or game engines.
By the end, your child can take a flat idea and turn it into a fully realized 3D creation, ready for whatever they want to build next.
Blender is used by professional animators, game designers, and digital artists worldwide, and it is completely free. Your child learns a real tool with real career applications, not a watered-down kid version. Parents tell us their kids keep building on their own long after the course ends.
3D modeling is where artistic vision meets technical precision. Your child develops spatial thinking, attention to detail, and the patience to iterate on a design until it is right. Whether they are headed toward game design, architecture, or simply love creating, these skills set them apart.
YSA is a UC-registered online publisher and WASC-accredited Supplementary Education Center, which means our courses can count toward official college credit requirements. State schools can recognize the courses your student takes here, adding real legitimacy to your homeschooling journey or building on top of your student's existing transcript. That unlocks two ways to enroll: For Credit -- Your student earns official, accredited credit toward their transcript. For-credit students complete weekly assignments that build toward their transcript grade. Outside-of-class work ranges from 1-2 hours per week. Perfect for families who want documentation that reflects what their child is actually capable of -- to show the world how brilliant they are. For Enrichment -- Your student takes the very same course purely for the love of learning. No grades, no outside-of-class work, no credit attached. Just the content, the community, and the growth. Same course. Same mentor. Same experience in class. You choose what fits your family.
If you homeschool, this works seamlessly. If your student attends another school full time, we create a report card and transcript that we share with you, and you share with the school. It is up to your primary school to accept it and add it to your student's official transcript.
Learn to turn 2D sketches into fully realized 3D models using Blender, the same free tool professionals use 
Explore modeling, lighting, texturing, and even coding to manipulate 3D creations from scratch 
Share and refine work alongside peers who love digital art, game design, and bringing ideas to life on screen 
Build a portfolio of original 3D work they can use for game design, 3D printing, or digital art projects 
Hey there! I'm Alex! I've been a game developer for 10 years, and I've worked for Meta and Target. I've also developed a few games, including Totally Reliable Delivery Service (A multiplayer physics game about delivery packages poorly) and Ollie-Oop, a 3D platformer about a skateboarding dog named Ollie who goes on the adventure of his dreams! I was also a home school kid all through elementary school up until college. I love all kinds of video games, puzzles, escape rooms, mystery/detective movies, retro gaming, mechanical keyboards, cooking, and I love dogs!
WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING
Parents don't just see happier kids. They see sharper thinking, stronger friendships, and a child who actually wants to log on.
★★★★★
"My daughter modeled her own character in Blender and animated it walking across the screen. She spent the whole weekend showing relatives, and Alex is the reason she believes she can make things."
Audrey C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is on the spectrum and struggles to start open-ended projects. Alex broke Blender into small wins, and now he opens it on his own just to keep building."
Jennifer C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter modeled her own character in Blender and animated it walking across the screen. She spent the whole weekend showing relatives, and Alex is the reason she believes she can make things."
Audrey C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is on the spectrum and struggles to start open-ended projects. Alex broke Blender into small wins, and now he opens it on his own just to keep building."
Jennifer C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"We re-enrolled the moment we could. Alex is the reason my son looks forward to learning again."
Rebecca C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex mentors my daughter as a whole person, not just a test score, and it shows."
Karen C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"We re-enrolled the moment we could. Alex is the reason my son looks forward to learning again."
Rebecca C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex mentors my daughter as a whole person, not just a test score, and it shows."
Karen C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is quiet, but Alex drew him out with so much warmth. Now he raises his hand every session."
Holly C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex respects how my daughter thinks. Flexible, clear, and endlessly patient. Exactly what her brain needed."
Julia C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is quiet, but Alex drew him out with so much warmth. Now he raises his hand every session."
Holly C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex respects how my daughter thinks. Flexible, clear, and endlessly patient. Exactly what her brain needed."
Julia C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter modeled her own character in Blender and animated it walking across the screen. She spent the whole weekend showing relatives, and Alex is the reason she believes she can make things."
Audrey C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is on the spectrum and struggles to start open-ended projects. Alex broke Blender into small wins, and now he opens it on his own just to keep building."
Jennifer C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"We re-enrolled the moment we could. Alex is the reason my son looks forward to learning again."
Rebecca C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex mentors my daughter as a whole person, not just a test score, and it shows."
Karen C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is quiet, but Alex drew him out with so much warmth. Now he raises his hand every session."
Holly C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex respects how my daughter thinks. Flexible, clear, and endlessly patient. Exactly what her brain needed."
Julia C.
YSA parent
If you’re not 100% in love with the course, you have options depending on how you enrolled:
You can switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit or get a credit to use toward a future course.
You can either get credit toward a future course, switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit, or stop all future payments after a 30-day processing period.
No risk. No stress. Just the learning and belonging you have been looking for.
We can offer this because we know what we do works for thousands of other families. Kids become more self-confident. They find their people. And families tell us this is the place where their student finally feels welcome. We know it will work for your family, too.
All-Access Passes have separate terms and conditions. Please see the All-Access Pass pages.
It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway... to qualify for the satisfaction guarantee policy, you have to actually attend the classes. This is not a cancellation policy. It’s a satisfaction guarantee. You can’t be satisfied or dissatisfied if you don’t attend.
Young Scholars Academy is a virtual village that offers one-of-a-kind, engaging enrichment courses and community for 5-18-year-old bright, quirky kids to empower them to develop their strengths, make like-minded friends, cultivate life skills, build confidence, and feel great about themselves under the loving care of expert mentors. description2: >- Picture a place where your child fits in, is celebrated, mentored, and loves learning the unique content their beautiful brain craves. That happens every day at YSA for over 1,200+ families, and it can happen for your family, too.
WASC Accredited · 1,200+ Families · 93% Re-Enroll · 47+ States, 17 Countries, 6 Continents
Learn more about YSAQUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COURSE
Everything you need to know before enrolling your child.
Most online classes put 20-30 kids in a room with a teacher who reads slides. At YSA, your child joins a group of 8 or fewer students who think like they do, led by a mentor who was often once just like them. Cameras are optional. The content is chosen by passion, not grade level. And 93% of families re-enroll - because kids who have never liked school before fight to log on to YSA.
Yes. YSA families join from 47+ states and 17 countries across 6 continents. All you need is an internet connection. We schedule sections across multiple time zones so families worldwide can find a time that works.
Blender 3D: Game Design, Modeling & Animation meets once per week for 50 minutes, every week from August through December. Your child joins the same tight-knit group of up to 8 students and the same mentor all semester long. Same friends, same mentor, a new challenge every week.
Our gifted and 2e students experience such asynchronous development that hard age limits rarely tell the full story. If your student should be aged up or aged down, contact us at support@youngscholarsacademy.org or click the chat in the bottom right corner of the screen. We do this all the time.
Please don't confuse reactive distance learning with what happens at YSA. When a kid is engaged in a course they chose, with a mentor who gets them and peers who share their interests, the screen disappears. They're not on a screen. They're with their people. Parents tell us their children fight to log on to YSA.
If your child isn't loving a course by the end of the first week, swap into a different course. Same semester. No questions. Not the right fit within the first month? We'll stop payments, switch courses, or issue credit toward any future course. The credit never expires. And you keep every bonus you've received. Over 93% of YSA families don't just stay. They add more courses.
No. Cameras are always optional. Always. Many of our students start with cameras off and turn them on when they're comfortable. Our mentors engage every student equally, cameras on or off.
No. If you're here, you're in the right place. We don't require paperwork, evaluations, or labels. Whether your child has been formally identified as gifted or twice-exceptional, whether you suspect it but haven't pursued testing, or whether you just know your kid's brain works differently and nothing else has fit, they're welcome here.
Yes. YSA is an approved vendor with 10+ state ESA programs including Arizona ESA, Utah Fits All, ClassWallet, My Tech High, Florida Step Up, and others. Enroll directly to secure your child's spot, submit the invoice to your ESA, and your payment method is refunded when funds transfer. Many families pay zero out of pocket.
Click "See Available Times" on this page, pick the section that fits your schedule, and your child's spot is secured immediately. No phone call. No placement test. No prerequisite.
Right now, a kid who thinks like your kid is in a course they chose, with a mentor who was once just like them, surrounded by friends who don't think they're weird... they think they're interesting.
Your child is one click from finding out what that feels like.
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