Industry overview

Learn illustration online with award-winning artists

Ready to turn your creative passion into a career? Start your journey with career training and mentorship from industry pros!

Take your first steps towards becoming an illustrator with this intensive digital illustration study pathway. Focused on creating art for the film, game and publishing industries, you'll learn how to create splash art for games, movie posters, comic book covers, trading card illustrations and more!

Why learn illustration online at CG Spectrum:

  • Progress faster with mentorship from world-class illustrators
  • Get support and industry insights in our online community 
  • 1-on-1 or small group classes (max 4 students)
  • Flexible schedules and 100% online. Learn from anywhere!

 

tylerjames-murkymisterslippy-02

CG Spectrum graduates can be found working at film and game studios all over the world

(SizeLimitingPyMap: {form_id=baeff122-67bd-4941-a8ee-c7d340d0c526, form_type=HUBSPOT, gotowebinar_webinar_key=null, message=Thanks for submitting the form., redirect_id=159486888982, redirect_url=null, response_type=redirect})

bg-31fe888fe5

To be the best, learn illustration from the best

Progress faster with an award-winning illustrator as your mentor, and graduate with the skills to pursue your dream career. See how our courses work in the video below.

how-it-works-concept-art-illustration-01
Flexible scheduling

Plan studies around your work and family commitments

Industry mentors

Learn from experts who have worked on major films and games

Job-ready skills

Build practical job skills studios are hiring for

Payment plans

Pursue your passion and start working sooner

Learn digital illustration with specialized courses

Get more out of your education! Industry-approved curriculum, live weekly sessions with your mentor, personalized feedback on your work, plus a supportive online community cheering you on. 

Digital Illustration Course Pathway

CG Spectrum's online illustration courses are a complete study pathway to help you become an illustrator for films, games, and publishing! Learn how to plan, develop and present compelling industry-standard artwork, acquire critical job skills, and graduate with strong portfolio. 

3 MONTHS

Course summary:

Both illustration and concept art are built on solid art fundamentals, so you'll start your journey by establishing a solid understanding of color, value, and light. 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. Apply your new skills to design a character, and learn how to professionally polish and present your work.

Note: This short course is also the first term of the Foundations of Concept Art & Digital Illustration Course, so you’ll be one-third of the way through if you choose to continue!

6-9 MONTHS

Course summary:

Continue your illustration course by looking at 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.

Next, you'll learn the fundamentals of environment and set design by starting with perspective drawing: the key to creating solid 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.

Note: The Introduction to Concept Art & Digital Illustration Certificate is embedded in this course. If you complete the 3-month introductory course, you'll be one-third of the way through this course.

9 MONTHS

Course summary:

The advanced illustration course is where you take your art fundamentals to the next level, and explore your career options as an illustrator. 

Discover how to convey a compelling story through your artwork. Learn art history and examine how famous artists approached paint handling and gesture. Explore advanced painting techniques to mimic traditional media, and practice fine art portraiture and digital painting. Then experiment with composition to guide viewers to the action, and see how light, color and shape enhance your story.

The end goal of a successful illustration is to accurately tell a story and sell a product. Explore various commercial markets and learn about creating comic book covers, trading card gaming art and marketing art for film and video games. 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.

Your final term is dedicated to career development and portfolio preparation so you graduate ready for your career as a digital illustrator!

illustration-how-it-works-mobile-bg
Meet Your Mentor

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. 

eric-wilkerson-lp-headshot
Student Showcase

Student work that speaks for itself

With a focus on illustration portfolio preparation, we help students build their competitive edge with high quality work that gets noticed. 

illustration-reel-thumbnail