Concept Art

Lay the foundations for your career with art fundamentals such as perspective and anatomy. Learn analytical and observational drawing skills that will empower you to draw and design from imagination. Then jump into digital painting techniques while learning how to effortlessly navigate industry-standard, 2D and 3D software.

Build on your drawing skills with the principles of design. Learn how to shape to a character’s personality, use colour theory to set the mood for any scene and tell a story through smartly detailed environments and believable assets that will immerse your audience. Then show off during a large-scale, personal project in Campaign Design.

Get ready for the industry at ADA. Prepare with our industry-level briefs, fast but realistically paced assignments and one-on-one feedback sessions with your lecturer. Learn professional practice, time-management, quoting and invoicing, implementing client feedback and most importantly how to get the job done.

Theory & Conceptual Skills

This module is designed to introduce students to concept art and the entertainment design industry. In this module students will learn to distinguish between concept art and production art and gain understanding into how concept art is used in the industry. The module will lay the foundations for the advanced conceptual skills students will need later in the programme, as well as broaden their design thinking through an understanding of narrative and world building.

Perspective

In this module students will develop their understanding of different perspectives that concept artists are expected to have mastery of. This includes isometric perspective, as well as onepoint-, two-point-, and three-point-perspective. An understanding of perspective is essential for the designs students will develop throughout the course of the year, and these skills will become invaluable building blocks for every assignment to come.

Drawing & Anatomy

In this module students will get the chance to put their newfound understanding of perspective to the test. They will gain understanding into the fundamentals of anatomy, including how to break complex shapes –like the human body- up into simple shapes that can be represented in different poses and perspectives with more ease. Additionally, this module will develop the drawing skills of students through advanced line art techniques, that will allow them to create effective anatomy studies, and serve them throughout the rest of their art careers.

Digital Painting

Digital Painting is not only a useful skill for artists but expected in the concept art industry. In this module students will learn how to capitalise on the tools that digital painting software offers, and how to implement these tools in a way that advances their art and design skills. The module covers the basics of digital painting and rendering, brushwork, and how to represent forms, textures and materials effectively.

Asset Design

The Asset Design module is the first of the design-orientated modules of the programme. Here student will get to implement their hard-earned fundamental skills, as well as advance and showcase their design capabilities. The asset design module focuses on the conceptualisation, design and execution of inanimate objects, ranging from simple handheld devices tocomplex vehicle and structure designs. The module aims toequip students with the skills to be able to execute their ideas as effectively as possible.

Character & Creature Design

In this module, students will explore the different techniques and work processes employed to design visually appealing characters and creatures for film, game and animation. They explore tools used for conceptualising, designing and executing both stylised and realistic characters and creatures, and learn to master shape language, colour theory and rendering styles that go along with the design and execution processes.

Environment Design

In this module students will walk through the process of designing environments for the entertainment design industry. This process starts with thumbnailing, designing with shapes, and 3D frameworks,and progresses all the way through to complete, rendered environments. Renders are achieved through combining photo content, 3D bases, and digital painting skills.

Illustration

Production Art touches on the tools needed to create complex, detailed, high-end illustrations. Students will use the knowledge they have gained about characters, environments and assets, and combine that knowledge into one cohesive illustration. This illustration will allow them to press their understanding of composition, lighting and rendering to new heights.

Campaign Design

The Campaign Design module combines all the skill taught throughout the year and requires students to do world building and designs for a cohesive campaign. This includes designing characters, creatures, assets and environments with a cohesive aesthetic and style, and presenting them as the beginnings of a film, game or animation project for the entertainment design industry. Here students get to combine their own creativity, with the high-level skill they have acquired over the course of the year to create a structured and complete representation of their skills as concept artists.

Business Practice

Here students are equipped with business-orientated skills that will allow them to conduct themselves as professionals after the completion of the programme. This includes instruction on essential skills from setting up and sending quotes and invoices,to the assembly of a portfolio that showcases their best work from the year. This portfolio will serve as tool that can be used to gain potential clients or placement in the industry. Following their portfolio creation, learners are given the opportunity to participate in the Student Showcase event, which highlights and displays graduating student work to both industry leaders, family and friends. As industry leaders are herewith able to interact with and evaluate both the students and their work, many graduates receive their first job offers as a result of this event.