On the first day of the workshop, Finnian will go over many techniques based on his long experience designing for feature films, AAA games and animation. We will start with shape design- how to create unique and interesting shapes that will make your art work stand out for being original. After exploring form language, we will delve into composition, color, and lighting techniques that Finnian uses to create immersive compositions, and go through examples of how best to use references for creating stunning designs. Several mini-demos will be carried out to represent how an artist can accurately judge their works in progress, and where to improve them.

On the second day of the workshop, we will start producing sketches in good stride- incorporating several softwares, from Virtual Reality, to 3D programs and finally painting, to generate many ideas. We will explore texture creation, modeling organics, and dive into thought provoking compositions- taking our initial 3D designs and then painting over them to create a batch of variations and directions, as if we were working for a feature film.

On the third day, we will choose to polish one or two of our compositions, exploring techniques for finishing imagery, and adding the final touches to take a good image, to an amazing image. While going through critiques and assessing images by the students, we will also cover some business related matters- how to market yourself in an industry that keeps expanding, and the best practices to ensure an artist can make a good living and have a stable career. Throughout the workshop, students may ask their own questions and have direct answers, and will receive feedback.

Recommended materials.PC and tablet with Photoshop, Blender/Cinema 4D (Or a similar package) – VR tools like Oculus are encouraged but not necessary. The workshop can be done with any of these programs since the theory can be applied in the same way to any modeling or rendering platform.