Introduction to Digital Sculpting and 3D Printing - adult education class

Turn your creative ideas into reality with this fun and hands-on introduction to 3D sculpting and 3D printing course.

Over eight evening sessions, you will learn step by step how to create a digitally sculpted 3D figure — such as a keyring charm of a character or of yourself — using Blender, a powerful, free 3D creation suite used by artists worldwide to digitally sculpt, animate, render, and more.

Led by professional 3D artist Gabriel Monteiro, whose work ranges from playful characters to detailed digital sculptures, this course is designed for complete beginners. In a relaxed, no-pressure environment, you will explore the core tools and techniques available in Blender, from shaping and refining your model to preparing it for 3D printing.

By the end of the course, you will have designed your own small figure key fob, ready to be printed using a 3D printing service if you want to. However, for many people the act of designing a 3D digital sculpture is also a fulfilling activity, and it can be useful to help visualise ideas.

This course is perfect for creative individuals and anyone curious about digital art, making, or design. You will gain a solid foundation in 3D creation, as well as practical tips on file preparation for 3D printing.

Each session features 90 minutes of instruction followed by 30 minutes of independent project work.

Indicative syllabus (may be subject to minor modification)

• Week 1: Introduction to Blender
• Week 2: Introduction to meshes & basic sculpting
• Week 3: Core sculpting principles
• Week 4: Mesh density & structure prep
• Week 5: Form refinement & feature definition
• Week 6: Keychain attachment & hard-surface modeling
• Week 7: 3D print preparation & simple posing
• Week 8: Presentation, export & wrap-up

The maximum group size for this course is 16 students.

All welcome!

Reading material or special equipment needed (if any)

There is no course textbook. Suggestions for optional reading may be given in class, or please ask the tutor. 

Blender can either be downloaded or used web-based. We have PCs available in the classroom. If you prefer bringing your laptop to class please note the system requirements for using Blender as given on their website. At the start of each class, template files will be provided by the tutor to avoid any version conflicts.

Term dates

•  Summer Term: week beginning 27 April 2026 until week ending 19 June 2026

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the academic content or teaching of this course, please contact the Programme Manager for Imperial after:hours, Dr Michael Paraskos at m.paraskos@imperial.ac.uk

If you have any questions about enrolment please contact the Imperial after:hours Administrator, Christian Jacobi at c.jacobi@imperial.ac.uk

Class Recordings

These classes are not recorded

Attendance Certificate

Successful completion of this course leads to the award of an Imperial College attendance certificate

Terms and conditions apply to all enrolments to this course. Please read them before enrolment