I'd agree with this if this was a business effort trying to get a polished product out the door. But this something he's doing for fun. And drawing is fun. If you can't draw well, do what the south park guys  & the guy that draws Dilbert did; make it cheesy on purpose. Remember, if you can't do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly.

I've been using Java for ~10 years so I'm comfortable there but I have never done anything in 3D. I don't know where to begin! I've downloaded & installed jmonkey3 & blender but don't really know what to do with them. There are tutorials on specific elements of 3D game creation & the tools themselves but nothing outlining the whole process. What's a prospective Java 3D game programmer to do?  Are there any good books or tutorials that begin at the beginning and end with a 3D character walking down a virtual road (or something) ?
Where do I learn the basics?