Intro to Environment Design
Learn an array of tools and techniques to create immersive and visually-appealing environments.
Student Artwork by Samuel Couture
Intro to Environment Design
In this course, you’ll learn a structured, step-by-step process for creating visually-striking environments tailored to any story or genre. With your instructor acting as an art director, and through assignments mirroring real-world productions, you’ll explore how to develop various concept iterations that use core design principles to convey mood and narrative.
Throughout the term, you’ll gain experience designing environment concept art that enhances the world and the characters it supports. You’ll also learn how to guide the viewer’s eye using levels of detail, lighting and composition which work together to create visual storytelling.
By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped to create professional environment designs for games, film, or television, and will have developed a stronger, more confident workflow.
- Course Type Online Concept Art Classes
- Duration 10 weeks
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Skill Level
Level 3 Level 3
These courses are for people who can already draw and paint realistically and can create complete digital illustrations.
Level 3 classes will help students to give a new edge to their images, properly render their digital work, and bring them closer to a professional level.
- Language English
You can now combine 3, 4 or 5 classes to avail a 5, 10 or 15% discount on your purchase!
Our Online Courses are now priced in Canadian Dollars to provide you with quality artistic training at affordable prices.
Schedule
Note: This class will be offered online only
Term: Summer 2025
Class Timings: Thursdays from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT or UTC-4h)
Date of first class: July 3rd
Duration: 10 weeks
Please note that our classes times are listed as EDT (GMT-4) but that starting on Sunday, November 2nd, 2025, all class times will go into EST (GMT-5)
If you are unable to attend the class during the times listed above, you will still have access to video recordings of the class lectures and will still receive personalized feedback from your instructor.
*Please note that this class' duration is subject to change (to either 1.5 hours or 2 hours) depending on the number of enrolled students.
These shorter class formats are conducted with more of a personalized mentorship style, allowing students to have more time devoted to their assignments' critiques and the ability to ask more questions in class, while still maintaining all of the theory and planned curriculum for the regular class length.
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 Digital Painting, Fundamentals of Perspective, 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.
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).
- PureRef (free software)
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.
Week 1
Learn how to design your environment based on the constraints of production you are working with so your concepts will fit with the story, characters and art direction.
Weeks 2&3
Understand the importance of themes in the design process so you can create environments that emphasize the full potential of the characters and enhance the overall story.
Week 4
Learn to avoid the common pitfalls during the design process so you can create designs that are not only functional but also visually spectacular.
Week 5
Gain proficiency in the top down navigational design method for games so you can create designs that maximise game play opportunities and optimize the player experience.
Week 6
Develop the skills required to plan and set up navigational landmarks so you can create locations that your audience can easily navigate and understand.
Week 7
Acquire a powerful iterative method so you can improve your design through feedback and speed up the time to completion.
Week 8
Learn the skills required to effectively use lighting and mood in your design so you can direct the player along the golden path.
Weeks 9&10
Become proficient in implementing focused detail so you can direct the audience’s attention to critical locations in your environment. Get invaluable advice on your term work from an additional senior artist so you can further improve your designs and develop them into stunning portfolio pieces.
Testimonials
Registration
You can now combine 3, 4 or 5 classes to avail a 5, 10 or 15% discount on your purchase!
Our Online Courses are now priced in Canadian Dollars to provide you with quality artistic training at affordable prices.
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]