Student work by Danny McMullen
Turn your artistic skills into a career as you discover how to create professionally polished art for the film, video game and publishing industries. You'll be mentored by highly experienced artists who have worked with some of the world's biggest film and game clients.
Why study concept art & illustration at CG Spectrum:
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At CG Spectrum digital painting school, you’ll get hands-on experience creating compelling concepts and narrative images for the entertainment industry. Learn how to work with client briefs and deliver high quality work that keeps clients coming back.
On graduation, you can choose to specialize in either concept art or illustration and continue with the Advanced Diploma course.
Diploma
9 months
20 hrs weekly
Intermediate
Basic drawing skills & min. computer specs
Weekly online classes, feedback and support
Adobe Photoshop
May 4, 2021
Our specialized expert-led digital painting programs prepare you for an exciting and rewarding career in the industry. Unleash your creative potential while building practical job skills.
Plan your studies around your work and family commitments
Learn from experts who have worked on major films and games
Build practical and relevant job skills that studios are looking for
Pursue your passion and start working sooner with flexible payments
Start your illustration and concept art for beginners course by establishing a solid understanding of color, value, and light. Then you'll look at how physical attributes affect design choices by learning perspective drawing and anatomy. Discuss indirect versus direct design briefs, plus how to develop ideas based on the information you’re given. Experiment with various image formats and learn how to professionally polish and present your work.
Along the way you'll explore Photoshop’s powerful interface and tools, and learn time-saving shortcuts from your mentor.
Learn how to:
The second term of the concept art course begins with lessons on how light and color affect mood, before moving on to the creation of stylized materials and textures. You'll find out how to develop an artistic style, and apply life drawing and dynamic posing techniques to create and present appealing art.
Learn how to:
Learn the fundamentals of environment and set design by starting with perspective drawing: the key to creating solid concept art. Discover how to visualize environments by building matte paintings from scratch using photo-bashing techniques plus the paint-over method to acquire lighting and perspective information from pre-rendered assets.
Learn how to:
To be the best, learn from the best. All digital painting classes are taught by industry mentors who have worked with major game developers, film studios and publishing giants.
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 bioManager of Digital Painting
Known for Resident Evil
Vicki's worked as an artist at companies like Turbine/WB Games, Proleteriat Inc., and Moonshot Games. Titles include: Infinite Crisis, Game of Thrones: Conquest, and Spellbreak.
Read full bioMentor of Concept Art
Known for Spellbreak
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.
Read full bioMentor of Concept Art
Known for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
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 bioMentor of Concept Art
Known for Warner Bros, Universal, Disney
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.
Read full bioMentor of Concept Art
Known for Black Panther
Triple-A game concept artist Esther has worked on titles like Forza 6, Destiny 2, Call of Duty Black Ops 4, and Back 4 Blood while at studios like Turn10, 2K Games, High Moon, and Turtle Rock Studios.
Read full bioMentor of Concept Art
Known for Back 4 Blood
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 bioMentor of Concept Art
Known for World of Warcraft
Eric Wilkerson is an illustrator/concept artist for film, TV, advertising, publishing, comics and games. Clients include Weta Workshop, Marvel, Upper Deck, Scholastic and Disney.
Read full bioMentor of Illustration
Known for Upper Deck: Ultra Spider-Man m
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 bioMentor of Concept Art
Known for World of Warcraft TCG
Art director and concept artist who has worked on PC/mobile games at studios such as Blizzard. Brian's work has influenced games like World of Warcraft, Starcraft II and Diablo 3.
Read full bioMentor of Concept Art
Known for Star Craft II
The most affordable way to learn from top industry mentors in a fun, collaborative environment, while still getting plenty of personalized feedback.
Progress faster and enjoy more flexiblity with private mentorship. Ideal for busy schedules, career-changers, or artists upgrading skills or changing specialties.
(9 x payments)
Save 10%
(3 x payments)
Save 25%
(1 x payment)
(9 x payments)
Save 10%
(3 x payments)
Save 25%
(1 x payment)
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.
Our commitment to job-outcomes and focus on career development has helped graduates find work at studios all over the world.
Thank you CG Spectrum for giving me exactly what I needed to get started in this competitive industry.
I started the Concept Art & Illustration Diploma at CG Spectrum in order to create a stunning portfolio to apply for an internship. As soon as I had my first lesson, I knew this was the best way to go. The weekly tasks were challenging, but with the excellent feedback from my amazing mentor, I was able to accomplish them. I was able to raise my skills to a professional level. My incredible mentor gave me valuable insights into the industry and guided me throughout the year. Without CG Spectrum I would never have been able to create a portfolio on a level that got me an amazing internship in Beijing.
Loving every minute of it.
As an aspiring Concept Artist, it's been amazing to have an industry professional as a mentor. Brandon Reimchen has not only been able to teach me new skills and techniques in regards to my art, but also how to apply my craft in a client-based situation. Having one on one feedback has been so helpful, for example submitting in a concept and receiving back a paint over and a 30-minute video of well thought out and detailed constructive feedback. I've learned so much these past 6 months and have gained much more motivation to work hard for my dream job.
CG Spectrum isn't only for people wanting to break into the industry, it's for professionals in the industry as well.
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 Diploma. And I am loving it!! It is exactly what I needed, and my mentor Eric is modifying the feedback sessions to suit my needs. If you are a professional and want to learn a new skill, I would say go ahead! Expand your set of skills! I am already thinking of 2D animation after I am done with illustration.
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!
We've built our courses based on industry input and focus on teaching skills studios are hiring for. The courses below form a complete study pathway designed to fast track your education so you can land your first job sooner.
Once you have completed the diploma, you may choose to specialize in either advanced concept art or advanced illustration (both options shown below).
Each course can also be taken separately depending on your skill level and career goals.
Overview:
The Introduction to Concept Art & Illustration Certificate teaches you solid foundations, giving you an idea of what it takes to pursue a career in this field.
This course serves as the first term of the Concept Art & Illustration Diploma, so you’ll already be one-third of the way through the diploma if you choose to continue your journey.
Prerequisites:
Course Summary:
Overview:
The Concept Art & Illustration Diploma develops your skill level further with more complex techniques and a focus on producing the quality expected in film and game production.
Prerequisites:
Course Summary:
Overview:
The Advanced Concept Art Diploma takes your skills to an industry-standard level, with the final term focusing on career development and building your professional portfolio.
All diploma and advanced diploma students receive additional 1-on-1 career support, portfolio reviews, and industry insights from CG Spectrum's Career Development Manager.
Prerequisites:
Course Summary:
Overview:
The Advanced Digital Illustration Diploma takes your skills to an industry-standard level, with the final term focusing on career development and building your professional portfolio.
All diploma and advanced diploma students receive additional 1-on-1 career support, portfolio reviews, and industry insights from CG Spectrum's Career Development Manager.
Prerequisites:
Course Summary:
Study options for all skill levels, from short introduction courses to full industry diploma programs