Concept Art for Animation: Designing Magical Environments

A course by Tory Polska , Visual Development Artist

Visual Development Artist. Kyiv, Ukraine.
Joined August 2020

Turn your creative ideas into captivating concepts by bringing fantasy images to life in Photoshop

100% positive reviews (61)
2,377 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Turn your creative ideas into captivating concepts by bringing fantasy images to life in Photoshop

Through digital concept art, you can design believable worlds for movies and TV, which help tell stories about a character’s journey. When visual development artist Tory Polska realized that the magic we see on screens was made by people, she knew she wanted to be a part of it. She has worked with clients like Netflix and DreamWorks, and is passionate about evoking that same sense of wonder in the audience through her work.

In this course, Tory teaches you to research and design visual concepts for animated worlds. Learn how to turn your creative ideas into beautiful and meaningful images that enrich a story using Photoshop. Breathe life into fantasy environments with the magic of animation.

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What will you learn in this online course?

25 lessons & 28 downloads

Idea Generation 1
14 minutes, 5 seconds
Idea Generation 2
14 minutes, 37 seconds
Stylization Principles 1
17 minutes, 56 seconds
Stylization Principles 2
14 minutes, 6 seconds
Sketching Ideas 1
19 minutes, 22 seconds
Refining Sketches
18 minutes, 48 seconds
  • 100% positive reviews (61)
  • 2,377 students
  • 25 lessons (5h 29m)
  • 28 additional resources (11 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Develop a lineup of sketches along with a refined concept for your own animated fantasy scene.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

This course is for artists, digital painters, and illustrators who want to develop their visual ideas and design compelling worlds.

Requirements and materials

Basic digital drawings skills and knowledge of Adobe Photoshop are required.

You will also need access to a computer and tablet with Photoshop installed.


Reviews

2,377 Students
61 Reviews
100% Positive ratings

Tory Polska

A course by Tory Polska

Teacher Plus
Visual Development Artist

Tory Polska is a visual development artist from Ukraine. Growing up, she was always interested in drawing, but began studying marketing on account of her love for math. A year later, she was let go from the course, which allowed her to find and follow her true passion—animation. Inspired by the artists behind the creation of her favorite animated movies, she decided to pursue a creative career of her own, completing a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and later learning to work in 3D in particular.

Now, Tory specializes in the development of believable visual worlds for TV and film. She has worked for studios including Netflix and DreamWorks TV, as well as on international projects like Catsaway. She also spoke at the TEDxKyiv about how animation affects people, and has had her work exhibited at the London Transport Museum.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Preparation and Theory

    • What Is Visual Development?
    • Working With References
    • Idea Generation 1
    • Idea Generation 2
    • Stylization Principles 1
    • Stylization Principles 2
    • Workspace and Tools
  • U3

    Setting the Assignment

    • The Brief
    • Creating Reference Boards 1
    • Creating Reference Boards 2
    • Analyzing Your References
  • U4

    Designing

    • Sketching Ideas 1
    • Sketching Ideas 2
    • Sketching Ideas 3
    • Refining Sketches
    • The Final Design
    • Adding Context and Setting the Mood 1
    • Adding Context and Setting the Mood 2
    • Adding Context and Setting the Mood 3
    • Adding Context and Setting the Mood 4
    • Final Touches
  • U5

    Building a Portfolio

    • Project Presentation
    • Final Considerations
  • FP

    Final project

    • Concept Art for Animation: Designing Magical Environments

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Concept Art for Animation: Designing Magical Environments. Illustration, 3D, and Animation course by Tory Polska

Concept Art for Animation: Designing Magical Environments

A course by Tory Polska
Visual Development Artist. Kyiv, Ukraine.
Joined August 2020
  • 100% positive reviews (61)
  • 2,377 students