Video + Guide
Use shape paths, Points Follow Nulls, parented hands, Trim Paths, and Turbulent Displace to animate simple riggable limbs in After Effects.
Workshop
Design tutorials, creative projects, build logs, and practical notes by Ben Lords
Learn by seeing how creative work gets made: in-depth tutorials, behind-the-scenes build logs, gear notes, and resources across design, animation, photography, web, and game dev.
Explore by Topic
Latest
Video + Guide
Video + Guide
The fast fix for hiding Illustrator’s Perspective Grid when it appears by accident, including the Shift + P shortcut, the close X, and the menu fallback.
Video + Guide
A quick Photoshop compositing workflow for placing an object into a photo, masking foreground details, refining edges, and adding a believable reflection.
Video + Guide
A 31-day Inktober recap with every sketchbook drawing, the tools I used, and the lessons that came from making ink art every day for a month.
Video + Guide
A nostalgic Nintendo gift idea: clean up used DS Lites, organize the childhood games they already owned, and design custom cartridge labels that make each handheld feel personal.
Video + Guide
A natural Photoshop frequency separation workflow for separating skin texture from color, retouching carefully, and keeping portraits from looking plastic.
Video + Guide
A deeper Procreate beginner guide covering canvas settings, brushes, Apple Pencil behavior, drawing guides, gestures, selections, layers, masks, groups, and shortcuts.
Video + Guide
Create comic-style shading in Illustrator with pixel halftones, classic dot halftones, and editable blended line shading using built-in effects and vector tools.
Video + Guide
A practical iPad drawing surface review comparing textured screen protectors, drawing gloves, Pencil feel, screen clarity, and nib wear.
Video + Guide
A practical After Effects smoke guide covering overlapping shape puffs, effect-driven smoke columns, reusable precomps, and settings to keep nearby.
Video + Guide
A beginner Procreate animation guide covering Animation Assist, frame layers, onion skins, hold duration, playback modes, frame rate, and export settings.
Video + Guide
A fast Procreate gestures guide for drawing, layers, canvas movement, QuickShape, Apple Pencil controls, and everyday workflow shortcuts.
Video + Guide
Create custom Illustrator pattern brushes for repeating artwork, character details, decorative borders, and paths that need to follow a drawn shape.
Video + Guide
A practical After Effects texture lesson for making typography feel printed, embedded, animated, and naturally blended into paper.
Video + Guide
A practical Procreate selection and transform workflow for editing artwork faster while keeping edges cleaner and avoiding unnecessary redraws.
Video + Guide
A frame-by-frame Procreate water animation guide covering timing, spacing, squash and stretch, droplets, and final shading polish.
Video + Guide
Five less-common Illustrator workflow tips for faster vector drawing, cleaner paths, repeated transforms, and better layer control.
Nothing is published for that filter yet.
From Ben Lords
Creative Work, Shared Plainly
Workshop is where I collect the creative things I want to share. I share what I learn while designing, animating, taking photos, and building for games and the web. Some posts are tutorials, some are build logs, and some are just notes about what I’m learning as I go.
01 Why Workshop?
The name stuck because the work is practical and still in progress. I love sharing what I learn with other creative people, and my years as a college professor made that instinct stronger. This is where I can pass along useful lessons, build logs, notes, or resources for people who care about making things they actually enjoy.
02 Are the tutorials free?
Yes. Articles and guides are public and indexable. Bonus downloads may use an email signup later.
03 Do the articles include videos?
Some lessons will include YouTube companion videos, timestamps, and written guides.
04 What is your professional background?
I work across design, animation, photography, web, and marketing, and previously taught college design and animation courses where I wrote award-winning curriculum. Workshop draws from that mix of client work, teaching, and personal projects.