Fundamentals for Creative Environment Design

Master class

Fundamentals for Creative Environment Design

Dates:

April 23rd - June 20th, 2013 + 1 extra week for content review

Fees:

$599

Pre-reqs:

Digital Painting 1 and Environment Sketching or good drawing and digital painting foundations.

Materials:

Photoshop or Painter

Course Description:

Previously called Environment Design 1 (Digital Painting), this class guides conceptual designers in the feature film, and game industry in skillful illustration and design to create unique and compelling environments. This requires a dynamic understanding of industrial design and illustration skills to cohesively understand how things are built; to visually communicate this through drawings and show narrative aspects of the design. This new course offers an introduction to the conceptual process of Environment Design for video games. Students will create original design solutions through silhouettes, sketches and renderings to support a comprehensive story. Students will obtain a solid understanding of how to create original environments utilizing the Wacom tablet, create layouts digitally, a put together a visually compelling Environment Design Portfolio.

Weekly individual feedback format: video-critique.

Course Outline

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• Week 1: Introduction to perspective, composition, thumbnailing and value.
  Homework: film study – choose a visually striking film and create 10 graphic thumbnails. Examples will be provided in the lecture.
• Week 2: Continued study into thumbnailing, striking unique and compelling compositions.
  Homework: Creating original compositions from your own story or existing intellectual property. Examples will be shown in the lecture.
• Week 3: Researching design from previous layout artists and background painters. Study on photography using reference properly to solidify concepts.
  Homework: Continue creating original compositions from intellectual creation.
• Week 4: Cinematography – Learning to become more disciplined in making lighting and camera choices when designing compelling images for your environments.
  Homework: Working with a cinematographer eye using the camera as a character to better emphasize your shot.
• Week 5: Form language study – Learning how forms and shapes help solidify a sense of unity in defining your concept design.
  Homework: Continue compositions with cinematic shot choices.
• Week 6: Texture and surfacing – Learn different ways to create texture by color, variation, unity, repetition, breaking, smooth surfaces, rough surfaces, patterns and details.
  Homework: Finishing compositions chosen into colors.
• Week 7: Packaging – A class discussion on finalizing a design package, such as final pitch artwork and presentation.
  Homework: Finishing compositions cont.
• Week 8: Putting it all together - seamlessly designing using photography, drawing. Formulate a personal process for creating a strong workflow.
  Homework: 5 final paintings completed.
  
  Note: Each lecture will be reflected in the homework assignments.