Digital Illustrator Specialization
Student work by Oliver Harbour
Illustration course run by top artists
Start your career with expert career training and mentorship
Discover how to create professionally polished art for films, video games and publishing! With mentorship from an established artist and a curriculum focused on job outcomes, the Digital Illustrator Specialization helps you build critical job skills and a portfolio to impress employers.
Why study digital illustration at CG Spectrum:
- Be mentored by award-winning artists
- Specialized focus on art for film, games & publishing
- Extra career support to get you job-ready
- Choose 1-on-1 or small group classes (max 4 students)
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As a professional illustrator, your job is equal parts Director, Concept Artist, Painter, Cinematographer, and 3D Modeler. At CG Spectrum you’ll get hands-on experience putting these skills together to create the illusion of space in a 2D narrative moment.
You'll master complex illustration techniques and learn how to communicate effectively through art, creating compelling work that captivates and inspires. Meet your mentor online for weekly classes, get personalized video critiques of your work, and graduate with a portfolio of original creations!
Your pathway to the industry
Dive right into the full study pathway and be industry ready in 18 months.
Eric Wilkerson
Clients include Wizards of the Coast (Magic: The Gathering), Weta Workshop, Marvel, Upper Deck, Dark Horse Comics, Scholastic and Disney Publishing.
Eric is a New York Times bestselling Illustrator, 2020 Chesley Award Winner for best hardback book cover scifi illustration, 2019 Chesley Award finalist and has been featured in multiple volumes of Spectrum Fantastic Art, Expose, and Imagine FX. He was also a finalist in the ARC International Salon. Over the past decade he's created art for film, TV, advertising, publishing, animation, comics, video games and even costume design.
I have never experienced such an explosive evolution in my art since attending CG Spectrum.
I have learnt an incredible amount, not only from my amazing mentor Eric Wilkerson but from the entire CGS community. Being part of such an amazing program has opened my eyes to techniques that have streamlined my process and increased my confidence tenfold. I highly recommend the Advanced Illustration Course. Buckle up, and knuckle down – this could be the course that changes everything for you.
Not just for people wanting to break into the industry, it's also for professionals already in it.
I am a concept artist at Paradox Interactive in Sweden, and I wanted to expand my illustration skills, so I decided to take the Digital Illustration Course. I am loving it!! If you're a professional and want to learn a new skill, I would say go ahead! Expand your set of skills!
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.
Thanks to CG Spectrum, I am a lot closer to my dream of being a concept artist.
The curriculum structure is very reasonable, with both academic basic theories and useful suggestions for career paths. Thanks to my mentors, Brian Huang and Victoria Sarkissian, who not only taught me drawing skills and design techniques, but more importantly, they also gave me the confidence to continue working hard.
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.
This school WILL put you on the right path.
The knowledge and skills have helped me grow tremendously as an artist. I took both the Intro and Advanced courses with Brandon, and cannot speak highly enough of him. Not only does he genuinely care about his students, but he has years of experience that are invaluable. The courses are not easy, but designed to constantly push you in many ways. I recommend this school if you are willing to put in the time and effort, it is worth it!
Eric Wilkerson is truly an excellent mentor.
It is a pleasure to be in his class. Firstly, he is so knowledgeable and his tutorials are packed with valuable information. Secondly, he is very patient and always takes time to find the best solution for problems his students encounter. On top of that, he is an AMAZING artist!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
