Sketching for Concept Art
Improve your ideation and sketching process and learn to effectively bring your ideas to life!
Teacher Artwork by Colin Quigley
Sketching for Concept Art
In this course, you will learn to deconstruct the world through sketching and effectively brainstorm and find creative solutions for any design problem you may encounter. Throughout the term, you will learn to carefully observe, research, analyze and see the world like a professional concept artist!
In addition to gaining the ability to rapidly and efficiently sketch various concepts informed by observations, you will be able to approach visual problems from different perspectives and generate multiple solutions so you can easily overcome any creative block that may hamper your design process. You will also become an expert adapting your ideas to suit specific design requirements so you can deliver quality concept art to a production team. Finally you will learn to edit and focus on the most effective elements of your sketch that best communicate your concept and create maximum visual impact.
By the end of this course, you will have all the necessary skills to create inspired and original sketches from both observation and your imagination. You will have gained the ability to always find new sources of inspiration so you can enhance your creativity and deliver high quality original concepts.
- Course Type Online Concept Art 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
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
Term: Winter 2025
Class Timings: Sundays from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM, Eastern Savings Time (EST or UTC-5h)
Date of first class: January 12th
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 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 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
You need to have a desktop computer or laptop with Photoshop installed and a graphic tablet sensitive to pen pressure (such as a Wacom tablet). Or you need a tablet-computer with Photoshop installed that is sensitive to pen pressure (such as the Cintiq Companion).
Also, please bring a sketchbook and a HB pencil.
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.
Part 1: Understand how to build better references, generate more new ideas and maximize your creative output.
Become proficient in converting your ideas into quick functional sketches for concept design. Gain expertise in adapting these sketches to suit the design requirements of any concept art assignment. Learn how to sketch effectively to generate interesting ideas for Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and other themes.
Part 2: Gain a variety of powerful sketching techniques so you can focus on the elements that best communicate your concept and create maximum impact.
Testimonials
Registration
You can now combine 3, 4 or 5 classes to avail a 5, 10 or 15% discount on your purchase!
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]