Character Design Program — Course 1
Fundamentals of Character Design
Instructed by Jon Neimeister
Not sure if this is the right course for you? Book a consultation now.
Become a highly efficient and effective concept artist.
The ability to design your own original and compelling character is an invaluable professional asset for concept artists that requires an advanced understanding of design, shape, details, and process. This course teaches all of the above and more. Fundamentals of Character Design gives you the tools and resources to make strong functional characters for a broad variety of industries and use cases.
Learn how to create images that look incredible and meet real-world production requirements from an artist who’s worked on Game of Thrones, League of Legends, and more. Fundamentals of Character Design demystifies the ins-and-outs of concept design and gives you the foundational skills to build an effective and head-turning concept art portfolio.
Along with that, your industry mentor will give you the information and abilities every concept artist must hone. You’ll sit in for guest lectures from three industry-acclaimed artists with decades of combined drawing experience.
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
10 weeks (23 Live Classes)
Live Classes
Sundays, 10am – 1pm PT
Pricing
$1199
Course Outline
Meet the Class Mentor Jon Neimeister
Jon is an illustrator / concept artist in the games industry specializing in highly polished marketing art. He is currently a senior artist on SMITE by Hi-Rez studios, and has worked on many iconic IPs such as League of Legends, Hearthstone, Pathfinder, Game of Thrones, Dragon Age, and more.
With a passion for games and the stories they can tell, Jon pursued artistic development as a means to show fantastic ideas in a believable way, creating characters and images that become a gateway to new worlds and make the impossible seem real.
In his free time, he enjoys dabbling in fine art, music production, and meme making.
Award-winning Guest Speakers
Every semester, Visual Arts Passage invites 7 guest speakers to connect and share wisdom with all students. These industry leaders answer student questions, complete in-depth demonstrations, review work, and more.
UPCOMING GUEST SPEAKERS
Deputy Editor, Juxtapoz Magazine
STUDENT WORK
Assignment: Final Concept Design
Submit your finals based on designs created during your 10 week course. Final concept sheets should include all views you’ve drawn, callouts of important details, “cut-out” views of elements that will be visible sometimes but are sometimes hidden by other elements like hair or capes, and complete color layout with either callouts or a material map.
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
Study Hall
Guest Speakers
Student Testimonials
This has been the best investment I have ever made in my art development. I took the Concept Art 101 course and the mentor and lectures were unbelievable. You get tons of current industry information, make fantastic contacts. The value and quality of the mentorship alone is positively priceless. The advice for portfolio development to get you in the industry (or closer to it) is second to none. Seriously, VAP is an enormous value, from experienced artists to aspiring. Worth the price of admission and more
From the eye-opening weekly talks with mentors to the motivating (and encouraging) classwork, I say my money was well spent. Thanks to my two semesters in their Concept Art program I have the confidence and momentum to push myself further and achieve better growth.
I’ve been through a few other online courses before, but VAP is the first to really impress me. It’s apparent that they really do see students as unique individuals with their own goals and needs. On top of that, there’s several candid talks with industry professionals and of course the great feedback on assignments!
Payment Plans 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
Is this course right for me?
Introduction to Concept Design is the first course in our Concept Art Program. It's the perfect course for beginner to intermediate artists. Even relatively experienced illustrators gain a wealth of information from this learn-by-doing, assignment and coaching-based course.
Can I skip the first class in the program and jump ahead to more advanced courses?
In most instances, we recommend starting with the first course in the program. If you are an experienced artist, with substantial training or skills, you do have the option to test into more advanced courses. If you need help determining if you should skip the first course in the program, please send a link to you work to hello@visualartspassage.com and explain which advanced course you hope to attend.
What is the time commitment?
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.
Do I have to attend the livestream or can I attend by only watching the recorded content?
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.
Will I receive actual feedback from the instructing artist?
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.
Can I download the recordings of class?
Yes, all classes are available for download during your enrollment as a mentorship program student.
Can I take this course at the same time as other Illustration Program courses?
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.
Need Some Guidance?
We can help you with any questions related to enrollment, portfolio development, and the student experience.