Make no bones about it (Pun intended), learning 3D animation can be as an expensive hobby as it can be an intimidating one, and even if Blender is free, it can still cost to learn even the basic levels of the program. Teachers need their income too you know, and it's always a good idea as well as the height of good appreciation to compensate them for their time and effort. There are plenty of Books on Amazon about Blender for the beginner intermediate and expert users, as well as many DVD and Video tutorials on the market, but these can cost anywhere between $10 and $50. Very affordable to some, but to many of us with next to nothing, a costly venture when every penny counts and all you have to break the monotony is a computer and your internet connection. So where can you go if for now you need a free option?
Well the good news is there are plenty of websites and video tutorials out there to help you get started, or to focus on that one piece you're struggling with and here I will show you the resources I use to get me started or to help me in a bind.
Ira Krakow's channel
Smile Wide's absolute beginner video
If your a beginner, then I recommend these YouTube Channels to familiarize yourself with the aspects of Blender. Yes I know you'll probably want to throw yourself right in there and animate something, but believe me one look at the Blender Interface will give you that "WTF" moment. Trust me, it''s well worth it, and even though it looks complicated, one run through one these videos and you'll relise just how easy it is to get to grips with.
Blender Cookie is my main source of Blender experience, I have always been intermediate in 3D work, but Blender was a whole new experience for me, and here their videos tutorials work well for the beginner familiar with the interface to the intermediate looking to improve their skills. In fact I can recommend no better site for free Video Tutorials on Blender than Blender Cookie, thus it ranks as my number one site. When they throw in the odd freebie here and there, it makes it so much more useful a site to be.
David Allen Ward has created a fantastic YouTube series covering the entire aspects behind character creation, rigging and animation. he's also released the entire series on DVD, which in all honesty is worth paying for in appreciation for his efforts behind the series. This is by no means an easy feat to achieve but in the end many people want to do Character animation, and if your willing to put in the hard work, David Ward has given you all the tools and know how to achieve just that.
Nion's YouTube Channel is a fantastic place to get you started in more complex effects, but made so easy even a child could do it, (trust me, mine does thanks to this channel). Most everything I needed has been covered here, and it's a channel I seriously urge you not to overlook
CGTuts has a fantastic Blender tutorial section, not least of which I think most of you will enjoy particalry, on how to model, UV and Texture a complete manga character.
These are the major sites I have focused on for my work, but none of these could have been possible to know about without two more sources, the wonderful BlenderNation, which will keep as up to date with the latest happenings in the Blender Community as well as it;s own links to extremely useful and quality tutorials and the Blender Artists forum, a fantastic community of Blender artists from the hobbyist to the profesional who are always willing to support and help you with any questions you may have.
What with thhe release of Blender 2.5, the interface change will have you running around in circles for a short time, but with a community as widespread and supportive as the Blender community, I can more or less guarantee that if you keep your eyes open this wont be the case for long. So what are you waiting for? I've given you no excuses now not to throw yourself into the Blender experience. The only thing holding you back now is yourself.
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