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Concept Artist Specialization

Study concept art online and unlock a career as an artist in the film and games industry
Overview

Concept art course run by top artists

Get job-ready with expert career training and mentorship

Focused on career outcomes, the Concept Artist Specialization takes your artistic skills to a professional level. Whether you want to freelance as an independent artist, or work at a major film or game studio, you'll learn job skills, master complex techniques and learn to communicate through art, creating compelling work that captivates and inspires.

Why study concept art at CG Spectrum:

  • Specialized focus on concept art for film, games & publishing
  • Be mentored by award-winning artists
  • Extra career support to get you in front of employers
  • Private 1-on-1 or small group classes (max 4 students)

[more]More[/more]

Get your skills to industry standard with advanced concept art training. With a seasoned concept artist as your mentor, you'll gain valuable insights into the film and games industry, build job skills, and graduate with a solid portfolio to impress employers.

Meet your mentor online for weekly classes, get personalized video critiques of your work, and 1-on-1 career support to get you ready to hit the ground running after graduation!

 

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Qualification

Certificate

Study duration

36 weeks

Commitment

20 hrs weekly

Skill level

Advanced

Prerequisites

Concept Art Foundations course or portfolio submission

Delivery

Weekly online classes, feedback and support

Software

Photoshop, ZBrush, Blender

Start date

Nov 6, 2023
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Why study with us

Learn concept art from professional film and video game artists

Whether straight out of high school, changing careers, or upgrading skills, our specialized expert-led concept art training helps you build practical job skills and a competitive edge

Flexible Scheduling

Plan your studies around your work and family commitments

Industry Mentors

Learn from mentors who have worked on major films and games

Job-Ready Skills

Build practical, relevant job skills that studios are looking for.

Payment Plans

Options to help you pursue your passion and start working sooner.
Curriculum

An industry-approved curriculum to launch your career as a concept artist

Term 1: 12 weeks

Characters, Creatures & Enhanced Workflow Techniques

In the creature and character design term, you’ll use anatomy, posing skills, personality and character traits, plus the environment to inform your designs. Create backstories for your characters and experiment with color, posing and lighting to engage your audience in the story. 

How to:

  • Learn to create polished concept art
  • Design incredible creatures and characters
  • Use story and posing to drive action
  • Build professional model sheets
  1. Character Design: Villains 01
  2. Character Design: Villains 02
  3. Character Design: Heroes 01
  4. Character Design: Heroes 02
  5. Character Design: Creatures 01
  6. Character Design: Creatures 02
  7. Matte Painting - Photobashing 01
  8. Matte Painting - Photobashing 02
  9. Environment Paintover 01: Design and Texture
  10. Environment Paintover 02: Polish
  11. Prop Paintover
  12. Zbrush Character Paintover
Term 2: 12 weeks

Introduction to 3D Concept Art

Speed up your workflow using 3d sculpting and kitbashing techniques to quickly block out, light, and render your concept art. You'll create dynamic compositions using Zbrush and Blender to develop your concept art skills further and learn industry-standard workflows. Starting out by sculpting basic forms to generate quick renders, capturing detail, and lighting, you'll move on to more complex models such as the human form and complex environments. Finish with several pieces of original 3D concept art for your portfolio.

How to:

  • Use Photoshop, Zbrush, and Blender to enhance your concept art workflows
  • Gather strong reference material and create quick thumbnail sketches
  • Set up camera angles and lighting to capture detail and textures
  • Polish your work to a professional level using the latest studio techniques
  1. Zbrush Mini UI Navigation and Tools
  2. Zbrush Adding Objects
  3. Sculpting, Painting and Rendering a Character
  4. Applying Lessons 01 - Sculpting
  5. Applying Lessons 02 - Paintover 
  6. Refining Concept Painting 
  7. Introduction to Blender and Scene Brainstorming
  8. Scene Layout and Terrain Creation
  9. Importing Models and HDRI Lighting
  10. Compositing and Photoshop Methods for Environments
  11. Photoshop Paintover 01
  12. Photoshop Paintover 02
Term 3: 12 weeks

Mentored Studio: Concept Art

This final term is dedicated to getting you job-ready! With your mentor’s guidance, you’ll polish your best art for your portfolio and learn how to develop your competitive edge, market yourself, and make the best possible impression in front of employers. You'll also receive additional 1-on-1 career support, portfolio reviews, and industry insights from CG Spectrum's Career Coach.

How to:

  • Polish your portfolio to impress employers
  • Be more confident with negotiation
  • Network and self-promote effectively
  • Tap into the hidden job market 
  1. Career Pathways
  2. Industry Overview
  3. Portfolio Upgrade
  4. Networking and Online Presence
  5. Resume and Cover Letter
  6. Job Hunting
  7. Freelance Work
  8. Interviews and Pitching
  9. Personal Projects and Challenges
  10. Working in a Studio
  11. Contracts and Negotiations
  12. Personal Roadblocks
Course structure

Your pathway to the industry

Dive right into the full study pathway and be industry ready in 18 months.

Pathway illustration for Digital Painting (Full pathway)
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Mentors

Get direct access to highly acclaimed film & game concept artists

To be the best, it helps to learn from the best. All concept art classes are taught by industry mentors who have worked with major game developers, film studios and publishing giants.

Brandon Reimchen's Work
Brandon Reimchen

Brandon Reimchen

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.

Read full bio

Manager of Digital Painting

Known for Resident Evil

Felix Bauer-Schichtegroll's Work
Felix Bauer-Schichtegroll

Felix Bauer-Schichtegroll

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Battlefield V

Imery Watson's Work
Imery Watson

Imery Watson

Imery's first job out of school was on the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 20 years on he's still working as concept designer and art director with top clients like Universal, Paramount, Warner Brothers, and Disney.

Read full bio

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Warner Bros, Universal, Disney

John McCambridge's Work
John McCambridge

John McCambridge

John is a Lead Concept Artist and Freelance Illustrator for video games. He’s worked on video games, RPG books, and board games such as Bulletstorm, RuneScape, Saga: Rage of Vikings, and Elysium.

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Game of Thrones (publication)

Florian Escuer's Work
Florian Escuer

Florian Escuer

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Ghost Force

David Malan's Work
David Malan

David Malan

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Disney Infinity

Humza Khan's Work
Humza Khan

Humza Khan

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.

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Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

Aleksei Shatunov's Work
Aleksei Shatunov

Aleksei Shatunov

Since 2017, Aleksei has worked for studios like Marvel, Upper Deck, and Ringtail studios, creating illustrations, background 2D paintings, environment art, concept art, promo art, game assets, and more.

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Aeon Must Die

Mike Thompson's Work
Mike Thompson

Mike Thompson

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.

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Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Black Panther

Subroto Bhaumik 's Work
Subroto Bhaumik

Subroto Bhaumik

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for X-Men: Dark Phoenix

Fang Jing's Work
Fang Jing

Fang Jing

Possessing a degree in concept art, Fang has produced many concept designs for projects including Minecraft Dungeons and Prison Architect. She currently works at Sony Playstation Studios.

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Minecraft Dungeons

Tyler James's Work
Tyler James

Tyler James

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.

Read full bio

Mentor of Concept Art & Illustration

Known for Hearthstone

Bernie Kang's Work
Bernie Kang

Bernie Kang

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.

Read full bio

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for World of Warcraft

Kinman Chan's Work
Kinman Chan

Kinman Chan

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Nilah Magruder's Work
Nilah Magruder

Nilah Magruder

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Book & Comic Illustration

Dio Lee's Work
Dio Lee

Dio Lee

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Halo Infinite

Catalin Laie's Work
Catalin Laie

Catalin Laie

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Brother in Arms 3

Mike Meredith's Work
Mike Meredith

Mike Meredith

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Illustrations for children's market

Mike Yamada's Work
Mike Yamada

Mike Yamada

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Wreck it Ralph 2

Joel Carpenter's Work
Joel Carpenter

Joel Carpenter

Mentor of Concept Art

Known for Kitti Katz
Pricing

Small Class

The most affordable way to learn from top industry mentors in a fun, collaborative environment, while still getting plenty of personalized feedback.

  • Max. 4 students per course
  • Affordable high-quality education
  • Network while you learn
Pricing

1-on-1 Private

Progress faster and enjoy more flexiblity with private mentorship. Ideal for busy schedules, career-changers, or artists upgrading skills or changing specialties.

  • Maximum level of mentor interaction
  • Greater flexibility to schedule classes
  • Customized learning experience

 

Monthly
$1,185 USD

(9 x payments)

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Per Term
$3,200 USD

(3 x payments)

Most popular

Save 20%

Upfront
$8,532 USD

(1 x payment)

Monthly
$1,750 USD

(9 x payments)

Save 10%

Per Term
$4,725 USD

(3 x payments)

Most popular

Save 20%

Upfront
$12,600 USD

(1 x payment)

Frequently asked questions

Got questions? We've got answers.

Aside from basic computer skills and a computer that meets the minimum specifications (see next question), this course requires the successful completion of the Concept Art Foundations or portfolio submission demonstrating professional experience and an accompanying reel/resume.

You must know the difference between concept art and illustration and demonstrate competent use of perspective, anatomy, colour and colourization in Photoshop, linework, composition and iterative design. We do not cover any of these skills in the advanced concept art course.

Software:

You will purchase Photoshop (photography plan only) and ZBrush for the length of your studies and be reimbursed for the cost by CG Spectrum. Blender is used for the 3D concept art term. This software is free to download and use.

Hardware:

You will need a computer that meets the minimum system requirements for Photoshop, ZBrush, and Blender and a graphics tablet (see digital painting software and equipment).

What concept art careers can I explore post-graduation?

On completion of the Advanced Concept Art Course you will have greater confidence in your abilities and a portfolio to show employers.

You will also have personalized career services with our Career Development Manager which can help when applying for junior concept art jobs such as:

Discover more about these jobs, tips, and salary expectations on our careers page:
Student Showcase

High quality student work that speaks for itself

With a focus on portfolio preparation, we help students build their competitive edge with high quality work that gets noticed. See what they are creating.

katerina fragkou advanced concept art
joel adams advanced concept art copy 4
charlie tien advanced concept art copy 3
jackson caspersz advanced concept art
winston byrd advanced concept art copy
mark bustin advanced concept art copy 2

Studios that hire our students

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I honestly couldn’t have had a better experience with the classes.

I got an hour each week of dedicated one on one time with the mentor. He would give me critiques and paint overs of my work. The paint overs from a professional are the biggest benefit in my opinion. Not only are the classes immensely helpful, the staff are quick to answer emails and they even went out of their way to send my certificates to colleges here in the USA, which helped me get accepted to some of the top art schools on the east coast. 

Brandon J
Brandon J
Concept Art

I have nothing but great memories of CG Spectrum!

I was a bit unsure when I signed up for the concept art course because I had no prior experience, but it changed my life. I had a great mentor, Brandon, who would always push me to do better and I learned valuable things in each class. Now I'm closer to my dream job.

Erika H
Erika H
Concept Art

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. 

Victoria P
Victoria P
Concept Art & Illustration