Digital Painting
Learn the essential tips, tricks and techniques of Photoshop to create realistic and visually appealing digital paintings!
Student Artwork by Daniel Jervis
Digital Painting
NEW format: Pre-recorded demos & live feedback
Digital Painting will be offered in a new format featuring both pre-recorded lessons and demos from your instructor as well as LIVE feedback sessions each week!
Each pre-recorded lesson will be available one week before the live feedback session. You’ll be able to watch these at your own leisure and practice the skills and theory you learn from each video! Then, once a week, you will join your instructor and up to 9 other students for live personalized feedback on your artwork.
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Digital Painting is offered in a format featuring both pre-recorded lessons and demos from your instructor as well as LIVE feedback sessions each week!
In this class, you will learn the fundamentals of painting in Photoshop from a top-industry artist who will also teach you some tips and tricks that even many advanced digital artists don't know!
The beauty of digital painting is its greater speed, control, and ease of experimentation and this is why it is essential for today's industry artists. Through demonstration and one-on-one coaching, our instructor will teach you an efficient step-by-step method to realize your concepts in Photoshop. Emphasis is placed on composition, perspective, value, colour and lighting.
By the end of this course, you will have become proficient with a streamlined method and set of tools for creating incredible digital artworks. From digital thumbnailing and rendering techniques to custom brushes and adjustment layers, you will have gained control over the most essential tools of Photoshop and have the skills to create beautiful digital paintings!
- Course Type Online Concept Art Classes
- Duration 10 weeks
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Skill Level
Level 2 Level 2
Second level classes are for students who have a good foundation in the basics of realistic drawing (such as perspective, proportion, shading and colour theory) and already know how to use Photoshop, but need more in-depth knowledge to create professional and complex artwork.
This level is about expanding knowledge, strengthening skills, and transitioning to the world of concept art and illustration.
- Language English
You can now combine 3, 4 or 5 classes to avail a 5, 10 or 15% discount on your purchase!
Schedule
Note: This class will be offered online only
Recorded Class Release Date - Starts: Wednesday, January 1st and will be released once a week every Wednesday
Live Feedback Session Starts: Wednesday, January 8th and is once a week from 5 PM to 6 PM, Eastern Savings Time (EST or UTC-5h) - English - Nino Vecia
Duration: 10 weeks
Please note that our classes times are listed as EST (GMT-5) but that starting on Sunday, March 9th, 2025, all class times will go into EDT (GMT-4)
If you are not able to make it to the live class (due to time zone differences) not to worry; the live feedback sessions will also be recorded, so you’ll be able to see what critiques you were given at a later time!
It should be noted that students should set aside a minimum of 3 hours per week to complete assignments for this class. Students may even require a bit more time (4-5 hours per week) depending on how quickly they can work through assignments.
Prerequisites
Skill requirements
To enroll in this course you should have:
- Some intermediate drawing and basic digital painting skills (use of proper perspective, proportions, shading and colour).
- Proficiency in all basic Photoshop tools.
- Ideally completed our Intro to Digital Painting and Analytical Sketching classes or have equivalent practice/experience.
If you are unsure of your skill level, please contact [email protected] for additional guidance.
Language and age requirements
You should have at least intermediate level English to take this class. Please be advised that there could be artistic nudity in our classes. Students should be 14 years old to enroll.
Minimum Artistic Skills Required
Your current skill level should roughly be on par with the artwork featured here before taking this class. If you are still unsure, please send an email to [email protected]; we will be happy to assess your artwork!
Required Materials
Material List:
- A desktop computer or laptop with Photoshop installed*
- A graphic tablet with pressure sensitivity (from brands such as Wacom, Huion, or Xencelabs), OR a tablet-laptop hybrid (also with Photoshop installed) with pressure sensitivity (such as the Wacom Cintiq Companion or Microsoft Surface Pro).
Important note:
Please note that the vast majority of our digital classes are taught using Adobe Photoshop and that this is also the recommended program for students to use. You may consult our FAQ for more information on other software which may be potentially used for class, however, please note that no technical assistance will be provided by instructors on the use of alternative painting software as they may not be familiar with the program.
Please ensure that all of your hardware and software are functioning properly before the start of the term; there will not be any time to resolve technical issues in class.
*Please consult our Tech Requirements below for more precise computer specifications.
Tech Requirements for Attending Syn Studio Online Classes
Minimum Requirements
- A strong uninterrupted broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE) connection with a minimum 600kbps bandwidth (up/down).
- A Laptop/Desktop computer equipped with a single core processor (at least 1 GHZ processing speed) or a smartphone/tablet with equivalent processing capabilities
- Good speakers/earphones to listen to the classes
- Browser - IE7+, Safari 5+, Firefox, Chrome
- Operating System - Windows XP, Mac OS 10.6, Linux distro based on 3.0 kernel, Android 5.0, iOS 10
Syn Studio Recommendations
- A strong uninterrupted broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE) connection with a minimum 1.5Mbps bandwidth (up/down). You can also connect to the internet directly using your ethernet cable to improve your experience.
- Laptop/Desktop computer equipped with a dual core processor with at least 2 GHZ processing speed and a 4 GB RAM
- High Quality speakers/earphones to listen to the classes
- Browser & Operating System - We recommend using the latest version of the browser and operating system for an optimal online classroom experience.
Course Outline
*Please note that the following outline is subject to change slightly at the teacher's discretion.
FORMAT FEATURES:
- Pre-recorded sessions and demos will be released at the beginning of every week
- Students review the coursework, learn and complete assignments during the week at their own leisure
- Then, once a week, you will join your instructor and up to 9 other students for live personalized feedback on your artwork.
Week 1 | Bargue Plates - Learn to breakdown and measure complex shapes by replicating a
Bargue Plate
Week 2 | Plaster Casts - Understand the basics of light and form and apply it by painting a
Plaster Cast
Week 3 | Master Studies - Learn from the masters, we'll breakdown their paintings and gain
knowledge about some of their decision making
Week 4 | Material Studies - Focusing on textures, reflections and values, we'll learn the defining characteristics of what makes up a material
Week 5 | Digital Plein Air - You'll learn to simplify and breakdown landscapes, while pushing the
colours to make a more interesting digital plein air painting
Week 6 | Human Figure - Understand how to use basic structures to start the form of the
human figure, and bring it all the way into colour
Week 7 | Concepts from Chaos - Creating concepts can be difficult, but you'll learn how to use
photos to generate chaos and create interesting ideas
Week 8 | Advanced Tools - Using more advanced tools, we'll touch up on some techniques to
help speed up your painting process
Week 9 | Final Painting - Using all the previous techniques you've learned so far, you'll be
getting started on your final painting
Week 10 | Finishing Touches- You'll be shown techniques on how to put the finishing touches
on your final piece
Testimonials
Registration
You can now combine 3, 4 or 5 classes to avail a 5, 10 or 15% discount on your purchase!
Please choose your 1-hour LIVE feedback session from the dropdown list below.
Note: During this session, you and up to 9 other students will receive individual feedback from the instructor
You will soon receive an email receipt for your purchase.
Please bring a photo ID for the first day of class.
Your transaction was not completed. Please try again. If the problem persists, please email us at [email protected] or call us at 514-998-7625
Questions and Assistance
Feel free to send us an email at [email protected] or give us a call at 514-998-7625
Please consult our FAQ; most of the commonly asked questions are answered in detail there. If you cannot find the answer to your question, please feel free to fill out the form below, or, send an email to [email protected]