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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.

Shape your concept art skills into a career-starting package, with a custom-tailored mentorship that meets where you are.

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.

Key Takeaways From The 10 Week Course

  • Storytelling in Design

  • Concept Art Power Principles

  • Rendering, Brushwork, and Polish

  • Navigating Creative Space

  • Exploration and Triage

  • Working With a Concept Team

  • What Goes on the T-Shirt

  • Making a Character Feel Real Using Traits and Obligations

  • What Art Directors Want

  • Portfolio Theory

Enrollment Closes

April 21

Semester Dates

April 23 – June 25, 2023

Length

10 weeks (23 Live Classes)

Live Classes

Sundays, 10am – 1pm PT

Pricing

$1199

Course Outline

  • Week 1

    1

    Exploration

  • Week 2

    2

    Semiotics and Symbolism

  • Week 3

    3

    Polishing a Design to Final Part I

  • Week 4

    4

    Guest Speaker 1

  • Week 5

    5

    Character Traits and Storytelling

  • Week 6

    6

    Concept Art Power Principles

  • Week 7

    7

    Guest Speaker #2

  • Week 8

    8

    Polishing a Design to Final Part II

  • Week 9

    9

    Guest Speaker #3

  • Week 10

    10

    Final Review

Professional portrait headshot of artist, Lake Hurwitz

Meet Your Mentor: Lake Hurwitz

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.

Lake’s Art:

Connect with industry leading guest artists

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.

UPCOMING GUEST SPEAKERS

BUILD YOUR SKILLS: STUDENT WORK

Assignment: Main Characters

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.

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What makes this Mentorship unique?

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.

Live Classes

Every class is delivered live and is fully interactive with lectures, demos, critiques, and guest speakers. Consider this your front row seat.

Connect on Discord

Connect with instructors and classmate between classes. You can ask questions, share work, and work with students across other programs. Prepare for non-stop inspiration.

laptop image of zoom art class for illustrators and concept artists

Study Hall

Meet every Wednesday at 5pm PT with Passage Mentors in between classes to ask questions, network, access bonus content, and supercharge your learning experience.

guest speaker events with comic book artist, Afua Richardsons

Guest Speakers

Students are invited to attend 6 Guest Speaker events. These lectures & demonstrations are led by the biggest names in the industry.

Enrollment Closes

April 21

$1199

Payment Installments Available

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Need Some Guidance?

We can help you with any questions related to enrollment, portfolio development, and the student experience.