Concept Art Essentials

What's inside

Learning objectives

Core aspects of digital painting
Creating custom brushes

Painting a full conceptual artwork from scratch
Efficient photoshop techniques

Core aspects of digital painting
Creating custom brushes
Painting a full conceptual artwork from scratch
Efficient photoshop techniques

Syllabus

Class Overview

Introduction

Curriculum Overview

My Learning Approach

To follow along, download the base texture for our first custom brush.

Caution!

Make sure you are not selecting any other tool or brush after you made your settings (in lecture 12), otherwise all the settings will be lost as they are only applied if you make a copy of the brush.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Uses Photoshop, which is a standard tool in the digital art and concept art industries, and teaches learners how to use it efficiently

Focuses on creating custom brushes, which allows artists to develop a unique style and workflow in digital painting

Emphasizes a real-time, step-by-step approach, which can be beneficial for learners who prefer a detailed and immersive learning experience

Requires learners to download a base texture, which may pose a barrier to entry for those without reliable internet access or storage space

Teaches techniques for spotting flaws by mirroring the image, which is a useful method for improving composition and overall visual appeal

Reviews summary

Digital painting essentials for beginners

Based on the course structure and objectives provided, this course appears designed to guide learners through the fundamentals of digital painting for concept art, starting from scratch. The syllabus highlights a focus on creating custom brushes, learning efficient Photoshop techniques, and painting a full conceptual artwork in a 100% realtime approach. This method is likely intended to provide clear, follow-along demonstrations for beginners. It aims to help students progress beyond the beginner stage and complete a significant project. While no student reviews were provided for analysis, the content suggests it covers core aspects of digital painting relevant to aspiring concept artists.

Relies heavily on Adobe Photoshop.

"It appears you will need Adobe Photoshop software to follow along with this course."

"The techniques taught seem specific to Photoshop's brush and layer systems."

"Requires having access to or purchasing a Photoshop subscription."

Learn by creating a complete artwork.

"Painting a full artwork from start to finish seems like a great, practical way to apply learning."

"Having a complete piece as the final outcome is a very motivating goal."

"Applying all the techniques taught to one major project should really solidify understanding."

Good for those starting digital painting.

"As someone new to digital painting, this course seems structured to cover the essentials from scratch."

"It looks like it aims to help beginners get past the initial stage effectively."

"The title and description suggest a solid introduction for absolute newcomers to the tools and process."

See the entire process step-by-step.

"Following along the realtime process seems really natural and helpful for learning pace."

"I appreciate seeing exactly how long things might take without cuts or time-lapses."

"The unfiltered approach to demos makes it much easier for me as a beginner to understand the workflow."

May not cover advanced techniques.

"Based on the syllabus 'essentials' focus, it might be basic for intermediate artists."

"Could potentially be supplemented for more advanced theory or niche techniques."

"Focuses on core aspects, suggesting less emphasis on complex or experimental methods."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Concept Art Essentials | Digital Painting From Scratch with these activities:

Practice Basic Photoshop Techniques

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Reviewing fundamental Photoshop techniques will ensure a smoother learning experience in the course.

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Review basic selection tools and techniques.
Practice using layers and masks.
Experiment with adjustment layers for color correction.

Review 'Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter' by James Gurney

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Understanding color and light is crucial for creating compelling concept art.

View Dinotopia: Journey To Chandara (Calla Editions) on Amazon

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Read the chapters on color temperature and value.
Study the examples of how light affects different surfaces.
Apply the concepts learned to a simple digital painting exercise.

Brush Creation Exercises

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Practicing brush creation will reinforce the custom brush creation techniques taught in the course.

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Create brushes with different textures.
Experiment with different brush settings.
Create brushes for specific purposes, like foliage or metal.

Four other activities

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Help other students in the discussion forums

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Helping others will reinforce your own understanding of the course material.

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Regularly check the discussion forums for questions.
Provide helpful and constructive answers to student questions.
Share your own experiences and insights.

Create a Brush Pack

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Creating a brush pack will help solidify your understanding of brush customization and its impact on digital painting.

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Design and create a set of custom brushes.
Organize the brushes into a cohesive pack.
Write a short description for each brush.
Share the brush pack with other students for feedback.

Concept Art Portfolio Piece

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Developing a portfolio piece will allow you to apply the skills learned in the course to a larger, more complex project.

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Choose a theme or subject for your concept art.
Create several sketches and refine your composition.
Paint the final concept art piece, focusing on details and perspective.
Present your work in a professional manner.

Review 'Digital Painting Techniques: Volume 4' by 3DTotal Publishing

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Studying different digital painting techniques will broaden your artistic skillset.

View Digital Art Masters: on Amazon

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Browse the book and identify techniques that interest you.
Select one or two techniques to try out.
Follow the steps outlined in the book to replicate the technique.

Career center

Learners who complete Concept Art Essentials | Digital Painting From Scratch will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Concept Artist

A concept artist visualizes ideas for characters, creatures, environments, and props used in games, film, television, and other media. This course helps build a foundation in digital painting techniques and creating custom brushes, essential tools for a concept artist. By learning to create a full conceptual artwork from scratch, you can develop the skills needed to effectively communicate design ideas and bring creative visions to life. The course's focus on efficient Photoshop techniques is directly applicable to the digital workflows commonly used in concept art. The course may be particularly useful in preparing a portfolio, as it teaches digital painting from scratch.

See salaries and explore the career path for Concept Artist

Concept Illustrator

A concept illustrator creates images for a variety of purposes, often blending illustration and concept art techniques. This course may be extremely helpful for a concept illustrator, providing training in digital painting, working in Photoshop, and creating artwork from the ground up. The emphasis of this course on customizing brushes perfectly prepares one for work as a concept illustrator.

See salaries and explore the career path for Concept Illustrator

Digital Artist

Digital artists create artwork using computer software and digital tools. This course directly supports the skills needed to create compelling digital art through its focus on digital painting and conceptual artwork. You will learn to create custom brushes and efficiently use Photoshop, allowing you to create detailed and visually appealing artwork. The course's emphasis on creating a full conceptual artwork from scratch helps you develop your skills in visualizing and executing art concepts. If you are a digital artist, you will find this course to be a solid starting point to deepen your knowledge.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Artist

Character Designer

Character designers create the visual appearance of characters for video games, animation, and other media. This course directly supports the skills needed to create compelling character designs through its focus on digital painting and conceptual artwork. Learning to create custom brushes and efficiently use Photoshop are essential for character designers, allowing them to create detailed and visually appealing character concepts. This course's emphasis on creating a full conceptual artwork from scratch helps aspiring character designers develop their skills in visualizing and executing character designs. You may find the sections on Adding Details 1 and Adding Details II particularly helpful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Character Designer

Game Artist

A game artist creates visual assets for video games, including characters, environments, and user interface elements. This course directly supports the skills needed to create high-quality game art through its focus on digital painting and conceptual artwork. The ability to create custom brushes and efficiently use Photoshop are essential for game artists, allowing them to create detailed and visually appealing game assets. The course's emphasis on creating a full conceptual artwork from scratch helps aspiring game artists develop their skills in visualizing and executing game art concepts. As a game artist, you may find the lessons on Spotting Flaws to be especially relevant.

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Texture Artist

A texture artist creates the surface details and visual properties of 3D models used in video games, film, and animation. This course helps build a foundation in creating custom brushes from textures, an essential skill for texture artists. By learning to prepare and customize textures, you can develop the skills needed to create realistic and visually appealing materials for 3D models. The course's emphasis on efficient Photoshop techniques is directly applicable to the digital workflows commonly used in texture art. You may find the "Creating a Custom Brush from Your Own Texture" section to be especially helpful.

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Visual Development Artist

Visual development artists contribute to the overall look and feel of a project, such as an animated film or video game. This course may be useful for visual development artists who seek to enhance their digital painting skills and explore new techniques for creating compelling concept art. This course's emphasis on creating custom brushes and painting a full conceptual artwork from scratch aligns well with the needs of visual development artists. The course's focus on efficient Photoshop techniques helps streamline workflows. Visual development artists may find the "Adding Details" lessons to be particularly relevant.

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Illustrator

Illustrators create images for various media, including books, magazines, websites, and advertising. This course may be useful for illustrators who seek to enhance their digital painting skills and explore new techniques for creating compelling visuals. The course's emphasis on creating custom brushes and painting a full conceptual artwork from scratch aligns well with the needs of illustrators who work digitally. The focus on efficient Photoshop techniques can help illustrators streamline their workflow and produce high-quality illustrations more efficiently. The "Adding Details" lessons might be particularly relevant.

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Matte Painter

Matte painters create realistic or fantastical backgrounds and environments for films, television shows, and video games. This course may be useful for matte painters by providing training in digital painting techniques and Photoshop. The course's emphasis on creating custom brushes and painting a full conceptual artwork from scratch aligns well with the needs of matte painters who need to create detailed and believable environments. You will also find the sections on readability, perspective, and adding details to be useful. The course's hands-on approach and real-time instruction can help you develop the practical skills to excel in matte painting.

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Freelance Artist

Freelance artists work independently, taking on projects for various clients. This course may be useful for freelance artists who seek to enhance their digital painting skills and explore new techniques for creating compelling visuals. This course's emphasis on creating custom brushes and painting a full conceptual artwork from scratch may be useful to freelance artists. The focus on efficient Photoshop techniques can help freelance artists streamline their workflow and produce high-quality work. The course may be particularly useful in preparing a portfolio.

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Art teacher

Art teachers educate students of all ages in various art forms, including painting, drawing, and sculpture. This course may be useful for art teachers who teach digital painting, allowing them to enhance their knowledge of this art form and explore new techniques to share with their students. The course's focus on creating custom brushes and painting a full conceptual artwork from scratch aligns well with the needs of art teachers who want to expand their digital art skills. The sections on specific techniques may be especially helpful.

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Storyboard Artist

Storyboard artists create visual representations of scenes for films, television shows, and commercials. Storyboard artists often need to quickly generate images that communicate layout and storytelling, and this course may be helpful. The course's focus on digital painting and efficient Photoshop techniques can help develop skills in creating visual representations of scenes. The lessons on "Creating Composition Sketches" and "Selecting and Refining the Sketch" will be helpful.

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Art Director

The art director is responsible for the visual style and images of various projects, such as magazines, newspapers, product packaging, and film and television productions. While this role often requires an advanced degree, this course may be helpful for building a foundation in digital painting. You may use the skills of digital painting and quickly creating custom brushes to clearly and quickly communicate your vision to your team. It may also be helpful for providing feedback on artwork.

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Animator

Animators create moving images using computer software or traditional techniques for films, television shows, video games, and websites. While this course does not directly teach animation, it does help you to build a foundation in digital art skills. Animators need strong art skills to create compelling character designs and environments, and this course will help you to do that. The sections on Creating Custom Brushes and Perspective may be useful.

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Production Designer

The production designer is responsible for the overall visual look and aesthetic of a film or television production, including the sets, costumes, and props. While an advanced degree is often required for this role, this course may be helpful for understanding the digital artwork creation process. This can enable the production designer to be more effective at communicating creative concepts to the design team. You may find the information on Composition and Spotting Flaws to be useful.

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Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Concept Art Essentials | Digital Painting From Scratch.

Dinotopia: Journey To Chandara

Save

Must-read for any digital artist looking to improve their understanding of color and light. It explains complex concepts in an accessible way, using real-world examples and illustrations. It is particularly useful for the 'Adding Colors!' and 'Paint Color Accents' sections of the course, providing a strong foundation for creating realistic and visually appealing artwork. This book is commonly used by both academic institutions and industry professionals.

Dinotopia: Journey To Chandara (Calla Editions)

Hardcover

Digital Art Masters:

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Showcases a variety of digital painting techniques used by professional artists. It provides insights into different workflows and approaches to creating concept art. It is more valuable as additional reading to expand your knowledge of different techniques. This book adds breadth to the existing course by exposing students to a wider range of styles and methods.