ONLINE CONCEPT ART CLASSES PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT AND VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY WITH THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO SUCCEED AS DIGITAL ARTISTS.
Concept art easily represents one of the fastest growing corners of the visual arts industry. As the demand for high-caliber films, movies, video games, and television continues to increase at a rapid pace, the need for skilled artists will only climb. While the concept industry remains highly competitive, the opportunities continue to grow exponentially for skilled digital artists. So if you find yourself accelerating with photoshop, 2D digital painting, character design, or creating storyboards for fantastical worlds, you may want to seriously consider the value of turning this passion into a career.
HOW IS CONCEPT ART DIFFERENT FROM ILLUSTRATION?
While Illustration lays the foundation for many careers in the visual arts world, concept art often revolves around project-based jobs involving larger teams and operational pipelines that are sometimes critical to the overall success of the project. There is an incredibly wide spectrum of opportunities for artists who specialize in this profession.
As a creature, character, or environment designer, drawing skills remain incredibly important, but it is also important that you can articulate the technical function and purpose of your designs in the world you are building. As a concept artist, you will learn how to work with other artists and how the digital pipeline works at video game arts studios.
A FULLY ONLINE CONCEPT ART PROGRAM & INDUSTRY MENTORSHIP
Our concept art program consists of four online concept art courses, providing ambitious art students with a step-by-step guide to develop their creative skills and learn from industry professionals.
This program offers learn-by-doing classes in a mentorship-style environment that is delivered live and is fully interactive. Not only will you learn the ins-and-outs of how a studio works and how to leverage your skills to be a valuable asset, but these courses also teach you how to refine your abilities as a drawer and illustrator through outside the classroom activities such as weekly figure drawing, on-demand class content, guest speakers, and more.
BUILD A SHOW-STOPPING CONCEPT ART PORTFOLIO FOR STUDIOS
At the end of the day, one of the most important assets to a concept artist is their portfolio and practical understanding of the industry. With this in mind, each course in the concept art program is designed to prepare your portfolio to grab the attention of decision makers at major studios. Whether you are just getting started or have some serious talent right out the gate, these classes will equip you with all the necessary tools. Each course is delivered over a 10 week period.
COURSE 1: Intro. to Concept Design
For beginners, the Intro. to Concept Design, taught by Hi-Rez Character Artist, Jon Neimeister is a foundation-building online experience that covers the basics of character, creature and environment design. This course is designed to prepare you for Advanced Concept Design.
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COURSE 2: Advanced Concept Design
Advanced Concept Design, is a fast-paced course for students who have completed the intro. Course or who have advanced skills and experience with designing creatures, characters, and environments. As a student in the advanced course, you will study under Viviane Kosty, a seriously talented concept artist currently working at Hi-Rez Studios. This class builds off the foundation of the previous course and prepares students to merge character or creature concepts within an environment. In addition, students continue to broaden comprehension and application as visual storytellers, as they work towards developing and refining a portfolio. Learn More
COURSE 3: Worldbuilding
Worldbuilding is the third online course in this program and is instructed by freelance concept artist, Lake Hurwitz. The lectures, demonstrations, and assignments in the Worldbuilding course challenges students to apply their design based on the terms and rules of the universe they are designing. During this course, students learn how to apply previously learned design techniques and knowledge and how to contextualize their creations within the world they are building. Learn More >
COURSE 4: Career Development
Career Development is designed as a repeatable course and can be taken multiple times by the same student. As a highly specialized course, students benefit from fully personalized coaching on the work, portfolio, networking, and entrepreneurship. Once your portfolio is complete, the career development course acts as a professional compass for the entertainment and game arts industry. Learn More
Award-winning Visual Artists and Working Professionals as Mentors
Mentorship is an invaluable part of online learning in the concept art program. While most online concept art schools, offer pre-recorded and recycled information, at Visual Arts Passage every class is delivered entirely live and online by art mentors. Not only do you gain access to some of the most valuable wisdom, tools, and resources available, but our courses offer students the chance to build real relationships with artists in the field. Networking is an important step towards career development and as a student, you will be connecting with dozens of fellow classmates all while learning the ins-and-outs of the concept art industry from your mentor.
The online classes are kept to an average 10 to 1 student to mentor ratio, which means instructors provide everyone with fully personalized feedback and critiques that are relevant to each student’s career interests, style, and goals. Art education shouldn’t be delivered with a one-size fits all approach, and the mentorship programs at Visual Arts Passage are custom-tailored to every student.
JON NEIMEISTER
Intro. to Concept Design
VIVIANE KOSTY
Advanced Concept Design
LAKE HURWITZ
Worldbuilding & Career Development
INDUSTRY-VETTED GUEST SPEAKERS
Each semester, the concept art program curates 3 to 5 highly-skilled working professionals to present highly-topical and relevant lectures, demonstrations, tutorials and group critiques. All students in the concept art program are invited to attend the guest speaker events.
The featured artists have worked for studios such as Industrial Light and Magic, Magic: The Gathering, Netflix, HBO, Marvel Studios, MTV, and countless others. Students are invited to stream video, chat, and ask questions during these events. These industry-geared online courses allow students to tap directly into the film, television, and gaming industry. Some of the biggest names in the digital and traditional arts have attended, including but not limited to Iain McCaig Karla Ortiz, Wesley Burt, Jason Felix, Jay Machado, Ben Erdt, Kieran Yanner, Bill Sienkiewicz, Luca Nemolato, and Andy Park.