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Bespoke 1-to-1 Mentorship

1-to-1 Mentorship.

The deepest, most personal way to work with me.
Every session is built around you, your discipline, your goals, your pace.
You learn to work the way top studios do, taught by someone who ran that floor for 20+ years.

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Who you will be working with

Cristian Spagnuolo, VFX and CG Supervisor. Over 20 years supervising on real productions, and still working on them.

Autodesk Certified Professional, Maya and 3ds Max Autodesk Approved Instructor
Studios I have worked at, among others
DNEG MPC Framestore Mill Film Pixomondo L'Atelier Animation Mels Studios Mokko Studio
Partners on my production work
Reallusion Faceform 3D.sk Volinga XGrids Dash

Partners on my production work. Not sponsors of this program.

Why 1-to-1

Not a fixed courseAll attention on your work.

This isn’t for casual learners. It’s for artists serious about getting hired.

Nothing here is off the shelf. Every session, every note, every assignment is built around your files, your gaps, and where you’re trying to get to, so it’s one of a kind, like you.

How the 1-to-1 works

Where you are nowA reel studios respond to.

Five honest steps.
No funnel tricks and no fixed syllabus, just the real process of working with me one on one.

01

Preliminary call

We start with a free call to get an honest read on your level, your discipline, and where you actually want to go. No pitch, no pressure. Just a real conversation about whether I can help you.

02

We build your path together

There is no fixed syllabus. We shape a plan around your discipline, your goals, and your pace, so every hour we spend is aimed at what you specifically need to grow.

03

Live 1-to-1 sessions

Three hours each, my full attention on you. We split the time between the thinking behind the work, the why, and hands-on practice on your own files, not generic exercises.

04

Real work and supervisor feedback

Every week you get assignments on your own shots, and I review them the way I review a shot in production. Direct, specific, and held to the standard a studio would expect.

05

You become hireable

You walk away with real work, a reel ready to put in front of studios, and the professional mindset that separates artists who get hired from artists who just know the buttons.

The program

How your mentorship could be.

This is just an example.
Every 1-to-1 is fully customizable and built around your needs, your level, and your goals.

01

Concept & Planning

  • Understanding project requirements
  • Selecting a suitable model based on the project needs
  • Brainstorming ideas and sketching initial concepts
  • Using AI tools to aid in concept creation
  • Identifying key references for your model
  • Using PureRef to gather high-quality references
  • Organizing and categorizing references for easy access
Concept and Planning
02

Blocking the Model in Maya

  • Intro to Maya & customization
  • Setting up a new project in Maya
  • Organizing your scene for efficiency
  • Best practices for naming objects and maintaining hierarchy
  • Tips and tricks for efficient scene management
  • Basic modelling techniques
  • Blocking out the basic shapes of your model
  • Planning the proper topology
Blocking the Model in Maya
03

Advanced Modeling Techniques

  • Autoretopo tool in Maya
  • Retopo in ZBrush
  • Maya modelling toolkit
  • Maya vs Topogun
  • Cloth and organic models with Marvelous Designer
  • Refine & detail complex models
Advanced Modeling Techniques
04

Introduction to ZBrush

  • Overview of the ZBrush interface
  • Customizing the workspace for efficiency
  • Navigating in 3D space: rotate, zoom, and pan
  • Understanding subtools and how to manage them
  • Common brushes (Standard, ClayBuildup, Move, DamStandard, etc.)
  • Using alphas to add detailed surface textures
  • Working with multiple subdivision levels for detailed sculpting
Introduction to ZBrush
05

UVs & UDIM Layout

  • Introduction to UV mapping concepts
  • Maya vs UV Layout vs Rizom UV
  • Techniques for creating efficient UV layouts
  • Choosing the best tool for your project needs
  • Unwrapping the UVs of your model and creating a UDIM layout
UVs and UDIM Layout
06

Intro to Substance Painter

  • Intro to the PBR workflow
  • Intro to Substance Painter
  • Customizing the workspace for efficiency
  • Navigating the 3D viewport: rotate, zoom, and pan
  • Understanding the Layers, Shelf, and Properties panels
  • Maps, masks and generators
  • Material vs Smart Material
  • Creating your first Smart Material
Intro to Substance Painter
07

Advanced Substance Painter

  • Creating a new project and understanding project settings
  • Importing a 3D model with UVs into Substance Painter
  • Understanding mesh maps (normal, AO, curvature, etc.)
  • Baking high-resolution details onto the low-resolution model
  • Painting with brushes and alphas to create textures
  • Using Smart Masks to add procedural wear and tear
  • Understanding Anchor Points
  • Adding detail with generators
  • Setting up export presets for different render/game engines
  • Exporting textures in various formats
Advanced Substance Painter
08

Intro to Lighting & Lookdev

  • Intro to the rendering engines (Arnold, V-Ray, RenderMan, Redshift, etc.)
  • Types of lights (point, directional, area, etc.)
  • Light properties and settings
  • How to create your own HDRI
  • Using the HDRI dome light
  • Creating and using a Turntable setup
Intro to Lighting and Lookdev
09

Advanced Lighting & Lookdev

  • Hypershade vs Node Editor
  • Procedural shading approach in Maya
  • Advanced shading networks
  • Lighting techniques in Maya
  • Render Layers and scene optimization
  • Standard and custom AOVs
  • Final render
Advanced Lighting and Lookdev
10

Compositing & Final Touches

  • Intro to Nuke and its node-based approach
  • Setting up a base comp for your asset
  • Creating your own comp “template”
  • Using the AOVs to improve and “fix” your asset
  • Refining and pushing your asset to the next level
  • Rendering out your comp
  • How to present your work
Compositing and Final Touches
11

AI Across the Pipeline: What It Is Actually For

  • Generative concepting and moodboards in minutes
  • AI-assisted previs and layout blocking
  • Faster roto, cleanup, and paint
  • Upscaling, denoising, and frame recovery
  • Generative fill for set extensions and patches
  • Look-dev assists and texture variation passes
  • Comp assists that cut manual busywork
AI across the pipeline: a ComfyUI script-to-storyboard workflow
12

How AI Enhances Your Workflow, Fundamentals First

  • Where AI saves real production time
  • How to judge and reject bad output
  • Keeping the artist in control of every shot
  • Integrating AI into a real pipeline, not bolting it on
  • Reading when a shot needs the human hand
  • Knowing when NOT to use AI at all
  • Building taste that no tool can replace
Enhancing a shot inside a ComfyUI workflow

Every live session runs about 3 hours, split between technical and practical work, so you apply what you just learned right away, with weekly assignments and regular reviews, plus two extra 2-hour sessions at the end to polish your projects and your reel.

What’s included

The ultimate way to learn.
Tailored, direct, uncompromised.

Every part of the 1-to-1 track is built to close the gap
between hobby work and hireable work.

  • Live private sessions, 3 hours each, fully tailored, split between technical and practical work.
  • Weekly assignments on your own files, so you apply everything to work that’s actually yours.
  • Two extra 2-hour review sessions at the end, to consolidate everything we’ve covered.
  • Dedicated support, direct access between sessions whenever you’re stuck.
  • VIP Discord channel, for daily back and forth between calls.
  • 100 GB private storage for your files and reviews.
  • Multiple portfolio reviews, so your reel is judged the way a studio would judge it.
FAQ

1-to-1 questions, answered.

The things people ask before booking a 1-to-1 call.
If yours is not here, that is what the call is for.

I mentor across the areas I have supervised in production over 20-plus years, from the foundations that apply to every discipline through to specialized craft. Rather than list a menu, bring your discipline and goals to the free call and I will tell you honestly where I can take you and where I cannot. If it is outside what I can properly guide, I will say so.

It works for beginners because it is built entirely around you. We start where you actually are and move at your pace, with no group to keep up with. If your foundations are not there yet, that is exactly what we build first.

Plan for the three-hour live session plus real time to work on your assignments during the week. The work between sessions is where most of the growth happens, so the more honest effort you put in, the faster you move. We will agree on a realistic rhythm on the call.

There is no rigid fixed length because the plan is bespoke to your goals. At the end there are two extra two-hour review sessions to consolidate everything and look hard at your reel. We set expectations on duration together during the free call.

You need a machine that can run the tools for your discipline at a workable level, and a stable connection for live sessions. Foundations matter more than tools, so we work with what serves your goals rather than chasing software for its own sake. Bring what you have to the call and we will confirm what is sensible.

We split the time between the thinking and the doing. Part of the session is the why behind the craft, how a supervisor reasons through a shot, and part is hands-on work on your own files with my full attention. The exact balance shifts depending on what you need that week.

Your own files and shots, wherever possible. Working on real material is what makes the feedback useful and what builds a reel you can actually use. Exercises only come in when they genuinely serve a specific skill you need to strengthen.

Sessions are live, so we agree on times that work for both of us before we start. I mentor artists in different time zones and we find a rhythm that is sustainable rather than exhausting. Bring your availability to the free call and we will sort it out there.

That is the point of the program. You work on real material throughout, and the two review sessions at the end are focused on getting your reel to a standard you can put in front of studios. A strong reel is a few strong pieces with intent, not a pile of average ones.

You leave with the work, the reel, and the mindset to keep going on your own. The final review sessions are built to send you off ready, not dependent. You also keep the professional habits and the way of thinking, which outlast any single project.

The 1-to-1 is fully bespoke, built around you alone, with my undivided attention and a plan shaped entirely to your discipline and pace. The group is a shared cohort path at a more accessible level, where the other artists become part of what drives you. If you want the most tailored, direct experience, 1-to-1 is it.

Yes. AI is integrated into every mentorship I run, treated as an enhancer to a strong artist, never a replacement for one. We build your fundamentals first, then use AI to work smarter, because a tool only helps someone who already understands the craft underneath it.

The 1-to-1 is fully bespoke, so the scope changes from student to student, which is why there is no single number on the page. We talk through your goals on the free call and I give you a clear, honest picture of what your path would involve. No surprises and no pressure.

No prices on this page on purpose. Mentorship is a career investment tailored to you, not a checkout.
Think of it like a bespoke suit, off-the-rack works for some people, but if you want it to fit you exactly, we talk first.
We cover it on the free call.

Last thing

Ready to go all in?

Thirty minutes, free, no pressure.
Tell me where you are and where you want to be,
and I will tell you honestly whether this is the right fit for you.

Book a free call