Character Design Program — Course 3 & 4
Character Design Portfolio
Instructed by Lake Hurwitz, Principal Franchise Development Concept Artist at Wizards of the Coast
Not sure if this is the right course for you? Book a consultation now.
If character design is your language, this course is your dictionary. From asset development to portfolio theory, you’ll learn what art directors want to see and how to deliver it, quickly and consistently. Character Design Portfolio will unlock the tools you need to develop profound ideas and execute on them to spec.
Your mentor, the Principal Concept Artist for Franchise Development at Wizards of the Coast, will give custom tailored guidance and feedback on your work based on your professional goals and ambitions.
Classes are hosted weekly, live and online. Your mentor will lecture on technique, skill, and the history of concept design. Added to that, you’ll join in for demonstrations, critiques, and Q&A sessions, with weekly homework assignments.
10 weeks (23 Live Classes)
Sundays, 10am – 1pm PT
$1199
Lake Hurwitz has been creating entertainment franchise artwork for 10+ years. Before that, he attended both Ringling College of Art and Design as well as the infamous Safehouse Atelier. He specializes in audience-focused design, and his personal work primarily explores surreal fantasy.
He has worked on massive properties including Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: the Gathering, NERF, the Transformers film series, Call of Duty, and Star Citizen. Lake currently works full-time as the Principal Visual Development Artist for the Franchise Development team at Wizards of the Coast.
Each semester features 6 guest artists who have risen to the top of their industry, giving you access to their craft, process, and industry wisdom.
Ask questions, join the discussion, and gain industry knowledge from high-caliber artists.
BUILD YOUR SKILLS: STUDENT WORK
In the second assignment of this course, students will design the main characters for a project collaboratively as a group. Using an understanding of genre, audience, and media, students will develop their designs toward industry-ready portfolio work.
As a mentorship student, you will gain access to a vast wealth of resources to better your understanding and improve your skills. You will be paired with a high-caliber professional, who will be with you every step of the way.
Every class is delivered live and is fully interactive with lectures, demos, critiques, and guest speakers. Consider this your front row seat.
Even though our courses are the best value, with the high caliber instruction and personalized mentoring, there are finance options available to make the mentorship program financially possible for as many artists as possible. Select Shop Pay or Affirm at checkout to view options.
Character Design Portfolio is the third course in the Character Design Program and it's the perfect course for advanced students who have begun to build out their skills in character, creature, and environment design. The course is a 10-week long workshop to continue building and polishing your portfolio to prepare it for the industry.
We recommend this course for students who have already attended Advanced Concept Design or for artists who are already working at an advanced level.
We recommend against jumping straight to Character Design Portfolio, but for some advanced artists, this is feasible. We recommend booking a portfolio review here, but there is no technical requirement to attend a more advanced course.
The Mentorship program is a "get out of it, what you put in" experience. That being said, our courses are structured to accommodate individuals with a busy schedule. We recommend setting aside a minimum of 3 hours for your live course and 2 hours to complete assignments and course work. We highly encourage students to commit more time if their schedule allows.
We encourage students to attend the livestream whenever their schedule permits, however, this is not required nor is it essential to fully benefit from the personalized coaching and mentoring offered by this course. Every class we host is recorded and available on-demand after the broadcast. You will still receive personalized feedback on work submitted before the livestream.
Yes! This course is designed truly as a mentorship course. Your mentor will review work you submit for the course and provide feedback during or after class to help you progress, improve and develop your skills and portfolio.
Yes, all classes are available for download during your enrollment as a mentorship program student.
We recommend students enroll in only one mentorship course per semester. We highly recommend taking mini-courses, such as Color Theory or Figure Drawing in addition to Mentorship courses.
As a repeatable course, Character Design Portfolio is designed to be taken more than once. Returning students will focus predominantly on continued development of their portfolio, with a strong focus on career strategy and networking. Character Design Portfolio offers return students with all the resources they need to maintain a competitive edge.
We can help you with any questions related to enrollment, portfolio development, and the student experience.