Student Work: Ahmed Albastaki
Focused on the film, game and publishing industries, you'll learn how to create art for games, movie posters, comic book covers, trading card illustrations and more. Besides mastering expert illustration techniques from industry-pros, you'll also learn critical job skills such as how to market yourself and build lasting client relationships.
Why study digital illustration at CG Spectrum:
CG Spectrum's online concept art courses offer a complete study pathway to get you industry-ready. Receive a high quality education led by artists who worked with clients like Marvel and Blizzard Entertainment.
Expand your digital painting skill set, learn best practices and professional lighting techniques. These courses are designed to give you the necessary skill set to prepare you for your illustration career.
Dive into the world of concept art and illustration! Choose this course if you want to pick up a new hobby and play around with Photoshop to create your own original art.
Dive right into the full study pathway and be industry ready in 18 months.
Not quite ready to commit? Start with the intro course and graduate with the option to continue to term 2 of the foundations course.
Delivery
Online classes, feedback and support
Software
Adobe Photoshop
Classes
1-on-1 or small group classes
Community
Lifetime access to online community of mentors, alumni and students
Get expert feedback and support from your industry mentor in a live Q&A call each week. All CGS mentors are established artists with years of experience creating art for films and games at top studios.
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.
Read full bioMentor of Illustration
Known for Magic: The Gathering
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
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Game of Thrones (publication)
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 & Illustration
Known for Hearthstone
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Minecraft Dungeons
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
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
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Disney Infinity
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Aeon Must Die
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
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Ghost Force
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
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Battlefield V
Mentor of Concept Art
Known for Book & Comic Illustration
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 Wreck it Ralph 2
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!
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!
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!
Our students create quality work that speaks for itself. We provide you with the tools and resources to help you build a portfolio that gets noticed.
We’re proud to say that the majority of our advanced graduates are now working in the highly competitive film and games industry.
Our courses and in-house career services are created to give you the essential skills to be job-ready after graduation. Still wondering if CG Spectrum is right for you? Chat with our student ambassadors.
Get a more hands-on education with mentorship from top film and game experts, an industry-approved curriculum and a thriving creative community cheering you on.
By giving you access to the most talented artists in the industry, we help you to become well connected, trained and prepared for life beyond school.
What you get when studying at CG Spectrum:
Progress faster with expert feedback from your mentor and join an inspiring and supportive online community of industry experts and peers.
Our mission is to make sure our students are best prepared for a successful career when they graduate.
We strive to provide affordable, high quality and personalized education and believe in the power of learning first-hand from industry experts who already established a fantastic career.
What makes CG Spectrum unique:
As an online school with students and mentors in 90+ countries, we're proud to bring the industry to you – wherever you are in the world!
Discover free digital illustration resources and articles to inspire you on your journey into the film and games industry.
Is digital illustration in demand?
Highly skilled illustrators are in demand due to the ever-growing gaming and movie industry. These industries are always looking for talented individuals to work on a variety of projects. Outside of the film and video games industry, illustrators are also hired to create trading card game art, book or comic book cover illustrations, movie posters and more.
These roles are extremely competitive (just head to ArtStation to see the standard of work top illustrators are producing!), so if you want to make it as a digital illustrator, you have to put in the work!
How do I become a digital illustrator?
Firstly, you need to develop your skills and expand your portfolio. This can be done by taking an illustration course, studying the work of other artists, and practicing as much as possible.
Secondly, you need to network and build relationships with people in the industry. This will give you the opportunity to learn about new projects, get your foot in the door, and show off your skills.
Finally, you need to be patient and persistent. It takes time and hard work to succeed in any field, but if you're passionate about art and willing to put in the effort, then a career as a digital illustrator could be right for you.
Can I learn digital art if I can’t draw?
For CG Spectrum's digital painting courses, basic drawing competency is required, as these are not drawing courses. If you are unsure if you qualify, please contact our admissions team.
Alongside basic drawing skills, you will also need basic computer skills as you will be using Photoshop and other software to learn how to create digital art.
What digital illustration careers can I explore post graduation?
Our complete digital illustration study pathway (from introduction to advanced) gives you a solid foundation in digital illustration, as well as concept art (knowing both can open up additional career opportunities). You'll also have free access to career services including portfolio/CV reviews, application help, a jobs database, interview preparation and more.
Depending on your level of commitment, skills, and the quality of your portfolio, you should meet the minimum requirements to start applying for junior digital painting jobs such as:
Discover more about these digital painting jobs, tips, and salary expectations on our careers page:
What do you learn in digital illustration?
CG Spectrum's digital illustration course pathway covers everything you'll need to know to create professionally polished art for the film, video game and publishing industries.
You'll start with the basics: understanding color, value, light, perspective drawing and anatomy. You'll then illustrate your own characters by applying life drawing and dynamic posing techniques to create appealing art. The course moves on to environment art and matte painting.
Finally, you'll learn art history, and experiment with composition to guide viewers to the action and enhance your story.
The end goal of a successful illustration is to accurately tell a story and sell a product. You'll explore various commercial markets and learn about creating book covers, card gaming art and marketing art for film and games. You'll also experiment with hand painting, photo-bashing and 3D paint-overs.
Assignments are treated like real commissions with hard deadlines so you learn to work under pressure.
How long will it take to learn digital illustration?
How long it takes to learn digital illustration depends on a few factors, including your natural ability and how much time you're willing to dedicate to learning.
It's possible to become proficient in digital illustration within a few months. But to make a career out of it and produce an exceptional portfolio that meets industry standards, it will take longer. For even the best artists, art is a lifelong learning journey.
Our digital illustration study pathway is a total of 18 months, and is focused on creating a job-worthy portfolio. On completion of the full pathway, you will be ready to start applying for junior jobs. (Some of our most dedicated students have found work before graduating!)
One of the major benefits of our courses is having an industry mentor guiding you every step of the way, and sharing insider's knowledge based on their own experience as a successful working artist.
Can you do digital illustration on a laptop?
Yes! You can do digital illustration on a laptop. Though some artists prefer to work with a larger screen.
For our courses we recommend having a computer that meets the minimum system requirements for Photoshop, and a graphics tablet (see digital painting software and equipment).