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Complete Drawing Course

Create Video Game Concept Art

GameDev.tv Team and Grant Abbitt

Even if you think you can't draw, don't have the time or talent - with our help you CAN DRAW.

This course focusses on practicing the fundamental concepts, but in a fun creative way. We'll draw characters, environments, objects, weapons, spaceships, game scenes and lots more. You'll be encouraged to draw without trying to be perfect. Learning to draw concept art is more about conveying your idea than it is about winning art awards.

Read more

Even if you think you can't draw, don't have the time or talent - with our help you CAN DRAW.

This course focusses on practicing the fundamental concepts, but in a fun creative way. We'll draw characters, environments, objects, weapons, spaceships, game scenes and lots more. You'll be encouraged to draw without trying to be perfect. Learning to draw concept art is more about conveying your idea than it is about winning art awards.

You can follow along with this course even if you don't have a fancy graphics tablet. Every lecture is suitable for people with paper-and-pencil, as well as those folks who have a digital drawing set up.

So what topics will we cover?

  • We’ll start with learning the basic fundamentals of Stroke, Shape, Size and Shade. Lot's of practice creating quirky video game objects such as weapons, cars, castles and more.

  • Then, while still learning the fundamentals, we'll have some fun creating characters, learning dimensions, posing and more.

  • Then on

  • We’ll teach you one and two point perspective, along with saturation techniques to give a sense of DEPTH.

  • Building on what we’ve learnt, we practice flowing shapes into one-another to create natural looking FORM.

  • Along the way you’ll learn

Each step of the way you'll be asked to use your creativity to draw things which are interesting to you, not just trying to replicate exactly what the instructor is drawing.

All with our secret sauce of regular challenges, and exquisitely paced learning.

At GameDev tv we’ve helped nearly 1m people get started in game development. With us you’ll be supported by a vibrant community of 1000s of other students, as well as a dedicated teaching assistant to help you.

You will get full lifetime access for a single one-off fee.

  • Build skill levels methodically while still producing exciting game art.

  • Simple step by step approach.

  • Learn about: Stroke, Shape, Depth, Form, Proportion, Texture and other advanced techniques.

  • Hours of content, along with practice materials, gives you the opportunity to become skilled without the monotony of practice.

Dive in now, you won't be disappointed.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • We’ll start with the basic fundamentals of stroke, shape, size and shade.
  • Lot's of practice creating quirky video game objects such as weapons, cars, castles and more.
  • Creating characters, learning dimensions, posing and more.
  • 3d shapes to build-up an isometric drawing, your first foray into the third dimension.
  • One and two point perspective, along with saturation techniques to give a sense of depth.
  • Practice flowing shapes into one-another to create natural looking form.
  • Along the way you’ll learn advanced techniques including pose, shading, lighting, stroke thickness and more.

Syllabus

Drawing Fundamentals

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Hello and welcome to the course. Details of what you can expect within the course

Read more

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Leaning about simple drawing such as using your shoulder and how to hold the pencil. Using traditional pencil and paper

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Learning the basic techniques and skills you need and finding out areas where you can quickly make improvements

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Lucy invites you to join us in our various community support forums in order to ask questions, connect with other students and share your progress.

In this video (objectives)…

  1. continuing our learning of strokes and the fundamental drawing methods we have a go at axes

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Continuing with the fundamentals we look at simple vehicles and building up a little detail

In this video (objectives)…

  1. A brief look at character creation this time around

In this video (objectives)…

  1. this is the first part of a final piece based on creating a fantasy castle

In this video (objectives)…

  1. learning the work flow of creating pieces we look at putting in our basic layout

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Continuing the workflow we look at adding details

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Continuing the workflow we start to add shading

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Finishing off our final piece

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Another brief intro into understanding distance by drawing the background of the Fantasy Castle

In this video (objectives)…

  1. simple round up of the section with some exercises to help you practice

Simple Characters

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating very basic characters from simple shapes

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating basic expressions for simple characters

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating character's with shading and a facial expressions

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating different types of hair for male and female characters

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating blocky stickmen for use in planning characters and compositions

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Using our skills at creating blocky stick men we will learn to pose them

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Tidying editing and adapting images in the initial stages of the workflow

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Tidying up images and adding detail to the ballet dancer

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Shading and finishing the ballet dancing character

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Round-up of section

Perspective

In this video (objectives)…

  1. A detailed look at different types of perspective

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Basic drawing in isometric perspective

In this video (objectives)…

  1. using our skills in isometric drawing we will put together a rocket launching diorama

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Developing our skills in 3D and moving away from using guides we try building a matraxian granande

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Working on understanding how smaller details work on 3d drawings

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Working a little faster now with our objects in 3d adding details and shading.

In this video (objectives)…

  1. A more complete challenge of objects in 3d with a treasure chest

Drawing out a space trench in 1 point perspective

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Adding a few more details to the shapes such as insets and extrusions within 1 point perspective

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Adding tougher more tricky shapes within 1 point perspective

Understanding the influence shading has on our perception of depth

More detailed shading of our space ship scene

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Section Round-up

Understanding 2 point perspective for drawing

In this video (objectives)…

  1. section round-up

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Understanding 2 point perspective and drawing a street

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Practicing 2 point perspective and pushing our skills to the next level

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Practicing 2 point perspective with a stylized medieval house

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating cars in 2 point perspective

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating post apocalyptic car thumbnails

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating a post apocalyptic Beatle tank

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating a spaceship in 2 point perspective and pushing the shapes even further off the grid

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating the big but slightly more complex shapes from our outlines

In this video (objectives)…

  1. adding details to the big shapes and a quick reminder of shading

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Section Round up

Proportions

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating the Curvy Bean man whilst learning proportions

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating the Curvy bean man in side view

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Creating the curvy bean female

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Using the curvy bean peoples for poses

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Moving on from curvy bean people we start to fill out the shape and create block people

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Completing our understanding of block people and filling out our characters we create block people in side view

In this video (objectives)…

  1. understanding simple front view and side view poses working on the first steps to complete characters

In this video (objectives)…

  1. understanding how to work with clothing on the first steps to complete characters

In this video (objectives)…

  1. understanding how to work on characters that twist on the first steps to complete characters

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Understanding the basics how foreshortening works and how it effects our proportions

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Section round-up

Landscapes

In this video (objectives)…

  1. section intro

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Begin to understand construction using simple 2 tone environment thumbnails

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Increasing our understanding of simple landscape drawing with 6 toned landscapes

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Now we start adding big shapes to our landscapes in the form of bigger trees, rocks and bushes

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Now adding some detail to the bigger shapes we have put into our landscape

In this video (objectives)…

  1. This time we are working on making the big shapes seem more 3d with the use of shading

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Now we are looking at big shapes in the foreground and how they work with 1 point perspective

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Understanding how 2 point perspective works with landscapes

In this video (objectives)…

  1. practicing thumbnails with landscapes and planning for a more finished piece

In this video (objectives)…

  1. making vehicle thumbnails for a Martian land vehicle

In this video (objectives)…

  1. understanding how to make reference images in front and side view

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Drawing in the main bounding box shapes for the vehicles in perspective

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Breaking up the bounding box into the smaller shapes

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Drawing in the fine detail of the martian vehicle

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Reminding ourselves of shading techniques by shading the Martian vehicle

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Integrating the Martian vehicle into the landscape by shading the landscape

Drawing Faces

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Section intro

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Drawing a face with the correct proportions in front view

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Drawing a male head in side view using the loomis method

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Drawing female faces and comparing features to male faces

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Once again comparing features between male and female faces but this time in side view

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Drawing the head shape in 3/4 view and beginning to understand how to draw the face from any angle

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Drawing the head shape from lots of different angles

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Drawing an indentation for the eyes is all important in setting up our head shapes. So we use the simple notch technique

In this video (objectives)…

  1. we look closer at understanding the structure of the face and I show you ways you can practice this vital element

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Filling in some details of the face but keeping it nice and simple

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Compelteing the face and head with some very simple shading and thinking about the planes of hte face

In this video (objectives)…

  1. Course round-up

Continuing Your GameDev Journey
Bonus Lecture

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Teaches fundamental drawing skills like stroke, shape, and shading, which are essential for creating video game concept art and assets
Starts with basic drawing techniques suitable for individuals with little to no prior experience, fostering a welcoming environment for newcomers
Emphasizes a fun and creative approach to learning, encouraging experimentation and personal expression over strict adherence to technical perfection
Covers perspective, depth, and form, which are crucial for creating believable and immersive game environments and characters
Suitable for both traditional and digital artists, allowing learners to use their preferred medium and tools, whether it's paper and pencil or a graphics tablet
Focuses on building skills methodically, providing a structured learning path that gradually introduces more advanced techniques without overwhelming beginners

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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 Complete Drawing Course: Create Video Game Concept Art with these activities:
Practice Basic Strokes and Shapes
Reinforce fundamental drawing skills like creating clean lines and basic shapes before starting the course. This will make it easier to grasp more complex concepts later on.
Browse courses on Stroke
Show steps
  • Practice drawing straight lines, circles, and squares.
  • Experiment with different pencil grips and pressures.
  • Fill multiple pages with basic shapes and strokes.
Review 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain'
Learn to perceive visual information differently to improve drawing accuracy. This book provides exercises to unlock your artistic potential.
View Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: The... on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the book and complete the drawing exercises.
  • Focus on the exercises that emphasize seeing shapes and lines.
Perspective Drawing Exercises
Practice one-point and two-point perspective to improve spatial awareness and create more believable environments. This will enhance your ability to draw game environments.
Show steps
  • Draw simple objects in one-point perspective.
  • Draw buildings and streets in two-point perspective.
  • Practice drawing complex shapes in perspective.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Create a Character Design Sheet
Design a character with multiple poses and expressions to solidify your understanding of proportions and anatomy. This will help you create compelling characters for your game concepts.
Show steps
  • Sketch a character in a neutral pose.
  • Draw the character in different action poses.
  • Create facial expressions to convey different emotions.
  • Add details like clothing and accessories.
Reference 'Figure Drawing: For All It's Worth'
Study human anatomy and proportions to improve character drawing skills. This book provides a solid foundation for creating realistic and dynamic figures.
View Melania on Amazon
Show steps
  • Study the sections on anatomy and proportions.
  • Practice drawing figures in different poses.
Develop a Small Game Concept
Apply the learned drawing techniques to create concept art for a small game. This will help you integrate all the skills learned in the course.
Show steps
  • Brainstorm a game idea with a simple premise.
  • Sketch character designs, environments, and props.
  • Create a mood board to establish the game's visual style.
  • Compile your artwork into a presentation.
Portfolio Update: Showcase Your Best Concept Art
Curate a portfolio showcasing your best concept art pieces created during and after the course. This will help you present your skills to potential employers or clients.
Show steps
  • Select your strongest pieces of concept art.
  • Organize your portfolio in a visually appealing way.
  • Write descriptions for each piece, highlighting your skills.
  • Share your portfolio online on platforms like ArtStation or Behance.

Career center

Learners who complete Complete Drawing Course: Create Video Game Concept Art will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Concept Artist
A concept artist creates visual representations of ideas for video games, movies, and other media. This role is all about turning initial concepts into compelling designs. This course provides a strong foundation in drawing fundamentals, character design, and environment creation that a concept artist uses daily. The course's focus on creating characters, objects, and environments, combined with lessons on perspective and shading, directly aligns with the skills needed for a concept artist. Someone pursuing this path should take this course because its emphasis on practical application is ideal for creating the kind of portfolio that will get them noticed.
See salaries and explore the career path for Concept Artist
Video Game Artist
A video game artist produces the visual elements within a video game, including characters, environments, and objects. This role involves bringing the game world to life through detailed artwork. A course that teaches drawing fundamentals, character design, and perspective is extremely useful for a video game artist. The course’s hands-on approach to creating game-related elements, such as weapons, vehicles, and characters, will help build skills relevant to this field. In particular, the lessons in creating game scenes using depth and form directly apply to the type of work a video game artist might do. This course can be helpful due to its practical training in the creation of game assets.
See salaries and explore the career path for Video Game Artist
Character Designer
Character designers specialize in creating the visual appearance of characters for various media, including video games and animation. Their work includes sketching, posing, and defining the visual style of characters. This course helps build a foundation for a character designer because it includes instruction on character proportions, posing, and creating expressions. The course's focus on practicing fundamental drawing skills and creating diverse characters with different poses will be applicable to the career. This course is useful for aspiring character designers as it provides a structured approach to developing the skills necessary for character design.
See salaries and explore the career path for Character Designer
Illustrator
An illustrator creates images for books, magazines, and other publications. Work typically involves interpreting text or concepts into visual forms. This course may be useful for an illustrator because it provides a foundation in drawing fundamentals like stroke, shape, depth, form, proportion, and texture. The course's lessons on creating various objects, characters, and environments could be useful for those seeking to illustrate different types of subjects. This course may be useful because it gives practical experience building drawing skills, such as perspective, which are key for an illustrator's work.
See salaries and explore the career path for Illustrator
Animator
An animator creates moving images for various media, including films, television, and video games. This role requires not only the ability to draw, but also a solid understanding of movement and timing. This course may be useful for an animator, as it provides instruction on character design, posing, and drawing objects. The course's practice in creating characters, including posing and understanding proportions, can help an animator. This course may be useful because it helps build a foundation in fundamental drawing skills, which is a necessary prerequisite for animation work.
See salaries and explore the career path for Animator
Storyboard Artist
A storyboard artist visualizes scripts for films, television, and video games. They create a series of panels that outline the narrative and action. This course may help someone becoming a storyboard artist because it provides a foundation in drawing and composition. The course’s focus on creating environments, characters, and scenes will be helpful in visualizing story elements. The course may be useful for anyone planning to do this work because lessons in perspective, depth, and form are valuable for crafting effective storyboards.
See salaries and explore the career path for Storyboard Artist
Texture Artist
A texture artist creates the surface details of 3D models in video games and movies. This role involves adding visual characteristics like color, patterns, and roughness to objects. This course may be useful because it provides instruction in drawing fundamentals, such as depth and form, which are important for understanding how textures work within a three dimensional space. The course's lessons on creating objects and shading may be helpful in the work of a texture artist by building a strong foundation. This course may be useful given its practical approach to drawing and building form.
See salaries and explore the career path for Texture Artist
Comic Book Artist
A comic book artist creates the visual elements of comic books, including character design, panel layouts, and backgrounds. Their work involves conveying a story through a series of images. This course may be helpful for a comic book artist since it teaches drawing fundamentals, character design, and perspective. The course's emphasis on creating characters, objects, and environments will help those in this role. The lessons in composition and depth, as well as the step by step approach may be helpful to a comic book artist wanting to build their skills.
See salaries and explore the career path for Comic Book Artist
Motion Graphics Designer
A motion graphics designer creates animated graphics for videos, websites, and other digital media. This role often combines design principles with animation skills. This course may be useful for a motion graphics designer because it provides a basic understanding of drawing shapes, characters, and objects, which can be helpful in creating visual elements. The course’s lessons on perspective, depth, and form may be applicable to creating interesting motion graphics. This course may be useful in helping build fundamental drawing skills for this position.
See salaries and explore the career path for Motion Graphics Designer
Matte Painter
A matte painter creates digital paintings of landscapes, sets, or backdrops, typically for films and television. This position requires both artistic and technical skills. This course may be useful to a matte painter because it provides instruction in drawing fundamentals, perspective, and environment creation. The course’s focus on creating natural-looking forms, as well as saturation techniques to give a sense of depth, align with the kind of work matte painters usually do. The course may be useful in providing a starting point to building the foundation skills necessary for matte painting.
See salaries and explore the career path for Matte Painter
Graphic designer
A graphic designer creates visual content for advertisements, websites, and marketing materials. Their work combines design principles and visual communication skills. This course may be useful to a graphic designer as it teaches basic drawing skills that can enhance visual creation. Concepts like shape, form, and perspective taught in the course may help a graphic designer in understanding and creating visual layouts. It is helpful because it provides a foundation in visual fundamentals which may be useful to a graphic designer.
See salaries and explore the career path for Graphic designer
Technical Artist
A technical artist bridges the gap between art and programming in video game development. This role involves optimizing art assets and creating tools for artists. This course may be useful for a technical artist because it helps build a foundational understanding of the artistic process and the creation of video game assets, such as characters and environments. The course's practical approach to drawing and creating game elements may help a technical artist understand the limitations and potential of art pipelines. The course may be useful as it gives the practical understanding of art creation that is useful for a technical artist to have.
See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Artist
User Interface Artist
A user interface artist designs the visual elements of user interfaces for software, websites, and video games. They need to combine design skills and an understanding of user experience. This course may be helpful to a user interface artist because it provides a foundation in visual design through drawing fundamentals. The lessons in creating shapes and understanding form may be useful in designing interface elements. The course may be useful because it introduces fundamental art principles that interface artists need to be aware of.
See salaries and explore the career path for User Interface Artist
Level Designer
A level designer creates the layout of levels in video games. They work with level architecture, gameplay elements, and visual aesthetics. This course may be useful to a level designer because it teaches fundamentals of drawing, perspective, and environment creation. The course's lessons on creating game scenes, plus the approach to depth and form, may be applicable to level design work. It may be useful to those interested in this work because it builds a foundation for understanding how visual elements can be used to affect player experience.
See salaries and explore the career path for Level Designer
Product Designer
A product designer creates the overall design and functionality of products, including physical goods and software. Their work integrates design, technology, and user needs. This course may be useful for product designers by increasing their visual communication capabilities. The course's focus on understanding form and shape may aid a product designer in better visualizing and communicating product concepts. The course may be useful to designers seeking to build their foundation in visual expression.
See salaries and explore the career path for Product Designer

Featured in The Course Notes

This course is mentioned in our blog, The Course Notes. Read one article that features Complete Drawing Course: Create Video Game Concept Art:
Visual Art in the Digital Age: Online Courses for Your Journey
22 minute read

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 Complete Drawing Course: Create Video Game Concept Art.
Cover image
Think and Grow Rich - English : For Personal Growth...
Save
Andrew Loomis's book classic guide to figure drawing. It covers anatomy, proportions, and posing in a clear and accessible way. is invaluable for anyone looking to improve their character design skills. It is commonly used as a textbook in art schools.
Melania
Hardcover
$$
From Here to the Great Unknown: Oprah's Book Club:...
Hardcover
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War
Hardcover
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The Message
Hardcover
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Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between...
Hardcover
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Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir
Hardcover
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The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of...
Hardcover
$$
Onyx Storm (Deluxe Limited Edition) (The Empyrean,...
Hardcover
$$
Spooky Cutie: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens...
Paperback
$
The Leaf Thief: (The Perfect Fall Book for Children...
Paperback
$$
DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN
Save
Classic for learning how to see and draw. It focuses on shifting your perception to a more visual, less symbolic mode of thinking. This is particularly helpful for concept art, where accurate representation is key. It great resource for beginners and experienced artists alike.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: The...
Paperback
$$
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Starter Kit:...
Paperback
$$
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook:...
Spiral-bound
$$
The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Paperback
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Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook:...
Paperback
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Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Paperback
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Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Paperback
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The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Paperback
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The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain...
Spiral-bound
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(中文) The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain...
Paperback
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Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: The...
Kindle Edition
$$

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Effort
13.5 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructors
GameDev.tv Team
Grant Abbitt
Language
English
Good to know
Teaches fundamental drawing skills like stroke, shape, and shading, which are essential for creating video game concept art and assets
Starts with basic drawing techniques suitable for individuals with little to no prior experience, fostering a welcoming environment for newcomers
Emphasizes a fun and creative approach to learning, encouraging experimentation and personal expression over strict adherence to technical perfection
Covers perspective, depth, and form, which are crucial for creating believable and immersive game environments and characters
Suitable for both traditional and digital artists, allowing learners to use their preferred medium and tools, whether it's paper and pencil or a graphics tablet
Focuses on building skills methodically, providing a structured learning path that gradually introduces more advanced techniques without overwhelming beginners
Featured in The Course Notes
Read one article that features this course, Complete Drawing Course: Create Video Game Concept Art from our blog, The Course Notes:
Visual Art in the Digital Age: Online Courses for Your Journey
22 minute read
Share and help others discover this course.
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