Character Portraits
Jump into character rendering with portrait illustration!
Skill Level: Intermediate
Duration: 8 weeks
Begins: April 11, 2023
Lessons: Live online with feedback
Price: $749
Instructor: Clint Cearley
THIS CLASS IS FOR:
Those who want to...
• Increase the realism of their human characters
• Improve their rendering and understanding of skin and features
• Become less reliant on direct references
• Create new images for their gallery
• Improve faster with tailored feedback from a professional
OVERVIEW
SCHEDULE
Character portraits are a great hireable industry skill and stepping stone to full character illustrations but many artists struggle to execute them at a professional level. In this class we'll start by covering the components, such as rendering skin and features, then pull together the lessons into a finished character portrait.
Tuesdays 2pm - 4:30pm (GMT+1)
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
CLINT CEARLEY
Founder and Senior Instructor
Clint is an illustrator and concept artist who has worked on Magic: The Gathering, D&D, Smite, Artifact, and for companies such as ImagineFX, Simon & Schuster, and Scholastic. He also served as a Senior Art Supervisor with Blizzard. Trained in traditional and digital media, Clint has twenty years of experience teaching art and is the creator of the Swatches Youtube art channel.
INDUSTRY SKILLS
EXTRAS
This class will require moderate intensity and time 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. Students should have some experience with digital painting. Note, Clint 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 Clint at clint@swatchesacademy.com and include a link to your online gallery, and we will let you know.
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.
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.
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.
FAQ: Read the most frequently asked questions about classes here.
STUDENT GALLERY
Student work created in this class:
GOOD TO KNOW
Time: Based on student feedback, this class requires an average of 15hrs per week to accomplish the homework to a satisfactory level.
Subjects: The homework assignments are subject to change from term to term in order to keep things fresh and interesting. You may not practice the exact same exercises you see in the student gallery.
Setup: Students will need HD video streaming speed internet, Adobe Photoshop (or similar digital painting program), and a drawing pad and stylus (like Wacom or Gaomon). A microphone and webcam are also recommended if students plan on joining the Zoom lessons live.
