In this short course, you'll build your understanding of concept art and illustration essentials and see what it takes to make a career of your craft. Be mentored and inspired by an industry expert with years of experience.
Why study digital painting with us:
You'll explore how to design characters and props for film, video games, and publishing using specialized software, Adobe Photoshop. Basic drawing skills are required. Traditional artists welcome!
Industry Certificate
3 months
20 hrs weekly
Beginner
December 2nd, 2024
January 6th, 2025
February 3rd, 2025
Weekly live online classes
Video lectures
Mentor feedback
Access to vibrant community
Begin your concept art journey by establishing a solid understanding of line work, color, value, and lighting and how they help bring your art to life. Delve into visual design basics and build a strong foundation in character and narrative design to create visually compelling art. Through hands-on projects, you'll take your ideas from reference gathering, thumbnailing, and sketching all the way to polished, rendered artwork that showcases your unique creative vision!
*This course is equivalent to the first term of the Concept Art & Digital Illustration Foundations course. If you choose to continue your learning journey, you'll be eligible to join the Foundations course in Term 2 (and already be one-third of the way through your studies!).
This short course is equivalent to term one of the Foundations course. On completion of the Essentials course, if you decide to progress further with your studies, you'll enroll straight into term two of the corresponding Foundations course which means you'll already be one-third of the way through your studies! Continue your learning journey towards an exciting career in the industry by enrolling into the Foundations Career Track.
Receive personalized guidance and feedback directly from industry experts with years of film, games, and publishing experience.
Brandon brings almost 20 years of experience as a video game concept artist with a long client list that includes EA, Activision, Capcom, Gree, and Disney Interactive.
Manager of Digital Painting
Known for Resident Evil
Eric is an illustrator/concept artist for film, TV, advertising, publishing, comics and games. Clients include Wizards of the Coast (Magic: The Gathering), Weta Workshop, Marvel, Upper Deck, Scholastic and Disney.
Mentor of Illustration
Known for Magic: The Gathering
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Minecraft Dungeons
Award-winning artist Tyler has worked with major clients like Cryptozoic and Blizzard on titles including Heroes of the Storm, Warhammer, Rift, Star Wars, Hex, Warcraft, and RWBY.
Mentor of Concept Art & Illustration
Known for Hearthstone
Jonathan currently works as a Concept Artist at Square Enix. He has a passion for narrative arts and loves creating worlds, characters, and the stories they can tell.
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Humza has worked for EA, Microsoft, Activision, LucasArts, Wargaming, Ubisoft, Fischer Price, Hasbro, Mattel. Credits include: Call of Duty, The Division 2, and the Sims.
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Award-winning artist Mike has worked with clients such as Marvel, Hasbro, Dimension Films, HBO, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros, Mattel, DC Comics and Cartoon Network.
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Black Panther
Now art director at Phoenix One, Bernie created creatures, characters, weapons and FX concepts for cinematic trailers for World of Warcraft and more while at Blizzard.
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for World of Warcraft
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Ghost Force
Peter is a freelance concept artist and has worked at DNEG as an in-house concept artist on diverse projects for film and TV. He has a particular passion for designing dark horror creatures.
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Annihilation
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Halo Infinite
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Brother in Arms 3
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Illustrations for children's market
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Kitti Katz
Drawing Skills
For this course, basic drawing competency is required. If you are unsure if you qualify, please contact our admissions team.
Age Minimum
The general minimum age to be able to enroll in our industry certificate courses is 16. We require parent or guardian consent during the enrollment process for applicants under 18.
Students under 16 will require a further assessment before they can officially enrol. This may include an interview with a course advisor and the creation of a study plan to ensure they have considered how they will manage a college-level workload.
English Proficiency
We expect our students to have a good understanding of written and spoken English. There’s no specific ’level'; however, you must be able to understand video tutorials in English (no subtitles) and speak with your mentor in English during your live Q&A session.
Computer Literacy
To be successful in this program, you will need basic computer skills and a computer that meets the minimum specifications (see next question).
Software:
You will purchase Photoshop (photography plan only) for the length of your studies.
Hardware:
You will need a computer that meets the minimum system requirements for Photoshop, and a graphics tablet (see digital painting software and equipment).
Please note: As the software we use is regularly updated, please check the specs against the latest available version at the time of enrollment.
This short course will get you started on your creative journey, but in a competitive industry, we advise continuing your studies with the full career track.
The concept art career track includes the Concept Art Foundations and either the Concept Art Specialization or Digital Illustrator Specialization. It is designed to better prepare you for a job in the industry and help increase your employment opportunities.
The career track ensures you build strong foundational skills before moving on to more complex techniques and workflows. You will also dedicate time to career development and preparing a polished portfolio while you gain invaluable industry insights.
Some of the junior digital painting jobs you could pursue after completing the full study pathway include:
Discover more about these digital painting jobs, tips, and salary expectations on our careers page:
These courses helped me learn much faster than in any other school or classroom.
I spent so much time trying to learn on my own using free resources - which worked up until a point. But it's that extra push a mentor will give you that really ties it all together. I couldn’t be more grateful for all the support this community and my mentor Eric Wilkerson have given me. Taking a rough concept to a fully-rendered illustration is something I never could have done before, and now I finally have the skills to make it happen.
The community is welcoming and helpful.
I couldn't be happier with my time at CG Spectrum. Communication with the mentors is really easy and they push you to achieve the best. I really enjoyed my experience. I would totally recommend.
It was literally the absolute best thing that has ever happened to my career and professional life.
I feel like I’ve improved not only as an artist but as a professional as a whole, as the classes integrate every single detail of the artist life. The doors really open for us all and there’s nothing I’d change.
Thank you CG Spectrum for giving me exactly what I needed to get started in this competitive industry.
I started the Concept Art & Illustration Course to create a stunning portfolio to apply for an internship. Without CG Spectrum I would never have been able to create a portfolio on a level that got me an amazing internship in Beijing.
Highly recommend this school!
My teachers were very helpful and I have learned so much about the industry. The highlight I think is the community they nurture—I have great relationships with other students, alumni, and mentors from my time at CG Spectrum.
Results of this course exceeded my expectations.
Eric Wilkerson is by far my favorite art teacher. He is patient, super helpful and encouraging. I had some self-discipline challenges but when I started the course, but he immediately set me on the right path and I started drawing and learning every single day.
They give you the right tools for the right job.
I enrolled in the Concept Art and Illustration course without any art background (theoretical and practical). Thanks to my enthusiastic mentors, Eric Wilkerson and Brian Huang, and knowledgeable fellas in group chat, I was able to improve my skills in a short time.
Experienced, successful and friendly mentors.
CG Spectrum has pushed me closer to my dream of being a concept artist. The mentors are amazing, which really is their unique selling point! Very glad to have taken both the illustration and concept art course, and the advanced concept art course.
The staff are really awesome. They genuinely care and they work very hard for you.
There are plenty of extra curriculars on offer. You can drop in on fundamentals classes every week. The Technical Assistants run friendly competitions. They have workshops and Q&As with big-name studios like Industrial Light and Magic. You get out what you put in, but they do their best to make a lot of good available to you while you're there.
It's one of the best discoveries of my life.
Never been so happy to study before. I've learnt so much in such a short time, and not only with the awesome mentors here, but thanks to this big community too! Thanks, CG Spectrum!
I learned so much in 9 months that my personal efforts at learning beforehand paled.
My experience with my mentor was fantastic. His own expertise was clear in how cleanly he was able to analyze my artwork and offer advice ranging from creating an effective composition, adding storytelling elements to an image, effective ways to paint over line work, simple brushes to generate quick and useful effects, and even just using the lasso tool in simple ways to expedite workflow.
Study options for all skill levels, from short introduction courses, specialized industry tracks, and accredited programs