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If I were learning technical art, where would I start?

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James Marland

Proposed by Jan Mróz

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Description

If I were learning technical art, where would I start? is James Marland's September 2026 post at jamesmarland.co.uk/blog/learning-resources. It orders a path through a community graphics resource database instead of dumping unordered bookmarks on newcomers.

Marland explains domain, format, and level tags, then proposes visual math with 3Blue1Brown and Desmos, pipeline literacy via Render Hell and later Fabian Giesen, shader playgrounds including The Book of Shaders and ShaderToy, and profiling with RenderDoc before optimization essays. He warns against starting with pbrt or GPU Gems too early.

The essay also lists gaps the graphics catalog does not cover, such as Houdini HDAs, pipeline Python, rigging, and team documentation common in tech art jobs.

The article is free in the browser and references community submissions that keep the underlying database current.

Known among technical artists as a practical roadmap tying catalog filters to study order, not as a standalone rendering textbook.