Character Concept Design

Learn how to design characters for games and film!

Skill Level: Intermediate

Duration: 8 weeks

Begins: April 11th, 2023

Lessons: Live online with feedback
Price: $749

Instructor: Diana Cearley

THIS CLASS IS FOR:

OVERVIEW

SCHEDULE

Those who want to...

Build skills to create characters for games and film
Learn industry-standard workflow for character concepts
Effectively use references to improve their characters
Create new images for your gallery
Improve faster with tailored feedback from a professional

Learning on your own is full of trial and error, often making it slow and frustrating. This class is streamlined to teach you how to design full-body character concept art for games and film as quickly, simply and enjoyably as possible. Students give positive feedback about the easy to follow process and guided step-by-step teaching. You'll be taken through a professional workflow from sketching and gathering references to finishing the image and layout presentation.

Diana brings her extensive experience teaching character design at Syn Studio Concept Art School with live teaching, demonstrations, paint-alongs, and personalized feedback on your assignments. This class will focus on human characters for an existing I.P. in the genre of your choice.

Tuesdays 6pm - 8:30pm (GMT)

April 11th - June 6th (no class May 9th)

HOW THE CLASSES WORK

WATCH THE LESSON

Catch the weekly teaching in the live Zoom session or watch the recorded lesson later. Review of homework will be provided during the 2.5hr lesson time. Lessons will come with assignments and opportunity to ask questions.

COMPLETE THE HOMEWORK

Practice what you learned from the lesson with the provided assignments then upload no later than 12 hours before the next class. Allocate 15 hours per week to complete the homework to reach a satisfactory level.

RECEIVE FEEDBACK

The instructor will review your previous homework and give suggestions for improvements during the following week's lesson. Feedback may include a drawover, paintover, or discussion (situation dependent).

INSTRUCTOR

Diana has created concept art and illustrations for various video game, comic book, tabletop and publishing clients including Hex Entertainment, Aethera RPG and has also been featured in ImagineFX, Infected by Art, and is an illustrator for Magic: The Gathering. Diana has previously served as an instructor of digital painting, life drawing, character design, as well as the Director of Studies at Syn Studio Concept Art School.

DIANA CEARLEY

Co-Founder and Senior Instructor

INDUSTRY SKILLS

This class is designed to build necessary skills for those aiming to be professional concept artists. As such, this class will require moderate intensity and focus from the student to complete. The teaching and skills being taught will only be gained with hours of intentional practice on the homework assignments and following the processes that will be exampled. Serious art students should find the class and homework enjoyable, educational, and challenging. Hobbyists are welcome but they will likely find the homework assignments more intensive and regimented than they are used to.

INTERMEDIATE

This class is intermediate difficulty, meaning that students should already have foundational drawing skills and knowledge of basic shading, as they will not be covered. This class will focus on design which is an advanced skill and not suitable for beginners. Students should have experience with digital painting prior to class. Note, Diana will be using Photoshop but you may use the art program of your choice. For a guide of the tiers, go here: Tier Examples

If you are unsure if you have the skill necessary for this class, please contact Diana at diana@swatchesacademy.com and include a link to your online gallery, and we will let you know.

EXTRAS

Students will also receive access to a variety of resources and upcoming events!

DISCORD: You will have access to two private class Discord rooms on the Swatches server (https://discord.gg/KsVYfge) where you can socialize with your classmates whether through messages and images or video chat.

PDFs: In addition to the recorded lessons, every week you'll also receive a PDF copy of the class presentation for future referencing and saving.

PORTFOLIOS: Receive free access to two upcoming live presentation on portfolios: Concept Art Portfolio (June 13) and Illustration Portfolio (June 15th). For Concept Art Portfolio you'll join Diana Cearley for a presentation where she'll address a variety of topics on building a concept art portfolio including choosing a direction when you're starting out, personal artwork vs professional artwork, what to do if you aren't finding work, and practical info on types of files to use and how many images to include.

For Illustration Portfolio you'll join Clint Cearley as he addresses common issues on building an illustration portfolio such as what skill level you should be at before looking for work, how to build a starter portfolio that can get you work earlier than most, what kind of images should and shouldn't be included.

CAREER: Students who complete their assignments on time and finish the class (whether joining live or absent), will be invited to attend a bonus Career Discussion (June 11th) with Clint and Diana Cearley. This will be a practical and candid discussion on making a living as an illustrator and concept artist in the today's industry. Topics such as income, finding clients, and pitfalls to avoid, will be covered. Questions will be welcomed.

FAQ: Read the most frequently asked questions about classes here.

STUDENT GALLERY

Student work created in this class:

"Industry professionals who will meet you at eye level and will take the time to answer any question, provide their knowledge and an industry proven workflow which will give you any tools you need to complete the course with portfolio ready illustrations. What do you want more?!"