Digital Illustration – Onsite
Mastering Digital Painting: From Theory to Practice
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Teacher Artwork by Charles Vinh
Digital Illustration - Mastering the Fundamentals of Painting
This class will be held onsite at the following location:
Cestar Collège - Syn Studio
3440 Ontario St E, Montreal, QC H1W 1P9
Join experienced artist Charles Vinh as they elevate your painting skills in this comprehensive digital painting course. Drawing on the best lessons of courses he has taught in the past, Charles will deepen your understanding of painting theory and techniques. In Part 1, you will explore tonality, colors, light, contrasts, composition, symbols in design, thumbnails, rendering techniques, edge control, and finishing touches. These foundational concepts will equip you with essential skills to enhance your artwork.
In Part 2, you will transition from theory to practice, applying your newly acquired knowledge to still-life setups provided in class during the final three weeks. Throughout the course, Charles will share valuable insights and techniques from their own journey, helping you overcome challenges and refine your personal style. By the end, you will have the confidence and skills to create dynamic and detailed digital paintings and illustrations, unlocking your full potential as a digital artist. Join Charles in this comprehensive digital painting class and transform your creative process!
- Course Type Syn Studio Onsite 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 and French
Please note that our onsite classes are not subject to our multiclass discount. These classes must be purchased separately from any Online Art Classes you may wish to take.
Sign up before November 9th to save $100 on eligible classes!
Schedule
Note: This class will be offered onsite and is not recorded. Please arrive on time to your class.
Language: Bilingual
Term: Winter 2025
Class Timings: Wednesdays from 1 PM to 4 PM, Eastern Savings Time (EST or UTC-5h)
Date of first class: January 8th
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)
This class will be held onsite at the following location:
Cestar Collège - Syn Studio
3440 Ontario St E, Montreal, QC H1W 1P9
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:
- A foundation in the basics of realistic drawing, such as basic perspective, proportions and shading.
- Ideally completed our Analytical Sketching, Fundamentals of Perspective, Intro to Digital Painting class 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 or French to take this class. Please be advised that there could be artistic nudity in our classes. Students should be 14 years old to enroll.
Required Materials
Material List:
- A 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).
Optional
- A sketchbook
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.
Course Outline
*Please note that the following outline is subject to change slightly at the teacher's discretion.
Week 1 - COLOUR - Part 1
-Tonality: See colours in gray scale.
-Examine the issue of contrast in several colour examples.
-Learn how to control and use tonality effectively.
-Learn to use 3-tone process in Tonal studies.
-Understanding how to work with complex colors for attractive effect.
-Exercise in class: Tone adjustment using provided images.
( Home assignment: on Complex colours )
Week 2 - COLOUR - Part 2
-Reviews of student home work
-Intensity
-Colour mixing: How to darken & lighten following the ‘Rainbow effect’ theory.
-The 4 basic forms & shading
-Rendering Approach 1: Colorizing the grayscale artwork
-Exercise in- Class: Color mixing& Intensity
( Home assignment: Colorizing grayscale)
Week 3 - COLOUR - Part 3
-Reviews of student home work
-Optical illusion, a look on green, white, black
COMPOSITION DESIGN - Part 1
-Basic composition rules, picture area, depth
-Distribution of masses 60-30-10
-Rendering Approach 2: Using Dark mass and middle tone mass
-Exercise in-class
( Home assignment: approach2)
Week 4 - COMPOSITION DESIGN - Part 2
-Reviews of student home work
-Eye reading
-Movement lines
-Silhouettes
-Symbols and secret geometry in design
-Unity in variety
-Variety in Unity rule
-Different kinds of contrasts
-Exercise
Week 5 - COLOUR - Part 4
-Reviews of student home work
-Understanding Cool & warm colours notion
-Colour harmony
-Mood
-Close look on Light & Colours: warm
-Cool, night & day
-Shadow masse
-Setup 1: Still life- under warm light
Home assignment
Week 6
-Reviews of student home work
-Lighting: Directional-Ambient light
-Finishing stage-Edges, high lights
-Keep working on still life- warm light
Week 7
-Reviews of student progress of Still Life 1
-Color of highlights
-Light in night, dark scenes
-Setup1: Finishing Still Life 1 - warm light
Week 8
-Reviews of student final works: Still Life 1
-Working on new Still Life 2-cool light
-Analyze& understanding: Drapery (folds, textures, light and shadow...)
Week9
-Review work in progress Still Life 2
-How to work with References and models
Week 10
-Review work in progress- Still Life 2
-How to create: Atmosphere-mood-time of the day-weather in painting
-Working and finishing Still life 2 -cool light
-Review & Analysis of common errors based on student examples from
other previous courses.
-Final check list
Registration
Please note that our onsite classes are not subject to our multiclass discount. These classes must be purchased separately from any Online Art Classes you may wish to take.
Sign up before November 9th to save $100 on eligible classes!
You will soon receive an email receipt for your purchase.
Please bring a photo ID for the first day of class.
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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]