Arcane University: Concept Art Theory and Tutorials
Here you will find external resources on a variety of 2D subjects for beginners and experienced artists alike.
Concept art is all about creating designs that work - but how do you know what works? Why does it work? There are things you need to know if you want to create good concepts. Below you will find links to various places where you can expand your knowledge.
Contents
Definitions
Not sure what we mean by rendering, orthos, turnarounds and other weird concept art words? Consult our list of definitions.
Digital Libraries
Extensive video libraries that cover a multitude of subjects with short videos. If you watch all of these you will be more than ready to apply for a project. Depending on your skill level you may want to watch all of them or pick out specific ones.
- CTRLpaint.com introduction to the fundamentals of drawing and concept art
- Proko.com anatomy and portraits
- Schoolism.com [PAID] classes with lesson plans.
Books
For those who learn by reading rather than watching. These may be available at your local library.
- Andrew Loomis
- Color and Light by James Gurney - Super Recommended!
- Drawing with the Right side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
- How to Draw: Drawing and Sketching Objects and Environments by Scott Robertson
- Framed Drawing Techniques by Marcos Mateu-Mestre
- Framed Perspective Vol. 1 by Marcos Mateu-Mestre
- Framed Perspective Vol. 2 by Marcos Mateu-Mestre
Fundamentals
Fundamentals are essential and required knowledge for anyone who wants to create good designs.
- What are art fundamentals? by Concept Art Empire. Read this first!
If you have little to no experience in drawing, you'll most likely be directed to Drawabox for your first assignment in the Arcane University. The assingment is to complete the Drawabox Lessons 0 to 7. This is a great place to grasp form, shape, construction and mastering lines. Please feel free to check in with us after finishing a lesson!
- Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Shapes by Blender
- The Core by Nathan Fowkes
- The Beginning Artist’s Guide to Perspective Drawing by Artists Network
- 10 Minutes to Better Painting by Marco Bucci
- How to Draw Form: Basics for Drawing Characters in 3D
- Cloth and Drapery
- Primitive Painting by James Patel
- Landscapes and Environments by John Burton
- Environmental Composition - Basics for camera placement in Perspective by FZD
- Perspective webinar by Marshall Vandruff
Concept Art
Resources specifically aimed at bettering your Concept Art skills. Highly recommended!
- CTRLpaint’s Concept Art PlayBook mini course in how you might draw various assets in concept art.
- Coherent Shape Language For Character Design How to create good, harmonious designs that fit by Polycosm
- Shape Language Tips and Tricks By the Walt Disney Family Musem
- How Can a Character's Personality be Conveyed Visually, through Shape by Hanna Ekstrom
- Character design with Wouter Tulp, hosted by Bobby Chiu Mini series on character design, full class on Schoolism.
- Environment Design by Robert Neag, the workshop is still a work in progress (dec. 2020) and the workshops are live in the Ethan Becker Discord. But the homework and the information are extremely valuable. Assignments
Traditional Medium
Resources specifically for the artists working with traditional mediums such as pen and paper.
- Draw A Box Lessons by Irshad Karim
- Traditional Mediums by FZD
Tools
- File:Joosts Colour Wheel Visualiser (1).zip a tool to let you study the colour composition of a picture
Further Learning
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.” – Michel Legrand
- FZD Design talks about concept art in the industry.
- How to Think when you Draw: 200 Quick and Easy Tutorials
--- More about Anatomy (essentials for rendering)---
- Basic head drawing part 1 by Steve Huston. (New Masters Academy)
--- More about Values (essentials for rendering)---
- Essentials of Realism by Jonathan Hardesty (Paid)
- Learn to see like a painter by Marcco Bucci (and the rest of his content)
- Ambient Occlusion (and Ambient Light) for Painters by Marcco Bucci
- Understanding Shadow Colors (Ambient Light Part 2) by Marcco Bucci
- Portrait Painting of Marie - Jonathan Hardesty Live Painting Demo
- Art Fundamentals: Values by Clint Cearley (and the rest of his content)
- Digital Painting: Understanding values by James Douglas
- Edges in Painting - Digital Painting 3 by James Douglas
- Top 5 Shading Mistakes by Stan Prokopenko
- How Painters Use Squinting by Sycra (and the rest of his content)
- Understanding Colour and Value by Sycra
- Free Composition Lessons by Chris Legaspi
- Nathan Fawkes Collection by Nathan Fowkes
- Intro to Digital Painting by FZD
--- More about Color and Light (essentials for rendering)---
- Painting with Light and Color by Dice Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo (PAID)
- All Schoolism Content by Nathan Fowkes (PAID)
- Understanding Colour by Blenderguru
- Again, the book Colour and Light by James Gurney.
--- More about Composition and Design ---
- Understanding Composition by Blenderguru
