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Design · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Digital Illustration & Concept Art

This course focuses on the techniques required for entertainment design, specifically for film, animation, and video games. Students will transition from traditional drawing to digital painting, learning to visualize characters, environments, and props. The curriculum emphasizes world-building, lighting, material rendering, and the speed-painting workflows used in professional production pipelines.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Master digital painting software (Photoshop/Procreate) and custom brushes
  2. Understand atmospheric perspective, lighting, and color scripts
  3. Design unique characters and creatures with functional anatomy
  4. Create immersive environments and "Key Art" for storytelling
  5. Execute "Matte Painting" and photo-bashing techniques for realism
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01Intro to Digital Workspace: Brushes & Layers
  2. 02Value Studies & Notan Sketches
  3. 03Color Theory for Light & Shadow
  4. 04Material Rendering: Metal, Skin, Cloth
  5. 05Speed Painting & Thumb-nailing
  6. 06Character Design: Silhouettes & Shapes
  7. 07Character Design: Costume & Props
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Environment Design: Atmospheric Perspective
  10. 10Architecture & Hard Surface Rendering
  11. 11Creature Design: Evolutionary Function
  12. 12Prop & Vehicle Design
  13. 13Photo-bashing & Textures
  14. 14Composition for Key Art / Splash Art
  15. 15The Concept Art Portfolio
  16. 16Final Project: World-Building Bible

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: World-Building Bible

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney
  2. Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers by Marcos Mateu-Mestre
  3. The Skillful Huntsman by Khang Le, Mike Yamada, and Felix Yoon
  4. Beginner's Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop (3dtotal Publishing)
  5. Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist by James Gurney
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