Digital Figure Painting
Learn to digitally paint the head and body to bring your human characters to life!
Teacher Artwork by Sunshine Kim
Would you like Syn Studio to offer this course?
Vote for the course using this form, and if it is offered once we have received enough votes, you will get a $150 discount if you confirm your registration!
Digital Figure Painting
Understanding the fundamentals of digital figure painting is a key element to bringing characters life and vibrancy, and can bring concepts or illustrations to a polished and professional level.
Through demonstrations and exercises focusing on understanding the basics of colour, values and material studies, our instructor will guide you in rendering the head, body and clothing of a character. You will also be instructed on topics such as clothing drapery, lighting scenarios, painting skin tones and shape design. By the end of this course, you will have a completely rendered character from imagination.
- Course Type Inactive Classes
- Duration 10 weeks
-
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
Schedule
Note: This class will be offered online only
Term: TBD
Class Timings: TBD
Date of first class: TBD
Duration: 10 weeks
Please note that our classes times are listed as EDT (GMT-4) but that starting on Sunday, November 5th, 2023, 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.
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.
*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 Intro to Digital Painting, Drawing the Human Form, 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).
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
Introduction: Understanding Light and Shadow with only using two values, black and white. Students will focus on exercises that cover value structure and value control
Week 2
Learn about the fundamentals of composition and colour theory, and how lighting colour and composition can help tell a story in your work.
Week 3
Explore how to digitally paint different types of materials with a focus on fabrics, materials and organic elements that are commonly used in character design.
Week 4
Strengthen your understanding of the human skull as well as the basics of the facial features and proportions of the human head.
Week 5
Learn how to paint different skin tones, and how to depict them realistically in different lights and different times of day
Week 6
This week, we focus on body structure by examining the bones and muscles of the human figure and how to efficiently simplify it.
Week 7
Practicing gesture figure drawing is a key element to becoming proficient in being able to quickly apply anatomy to memory.
Week 8
Learn about costume for characters by studying shape design, drapery and its unique folds.
Week 9 and 10
By putting everything together, create a unique character in your final project, and get the chance to ask questions with industry guest speakers.
Testimonials
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]