Visual Development: Illustrate Imaginary Settings
A course by Lara Pickle , Visual Development Artist
Learn the creative process behind illustrating visual environments for storytelling, from the initial idea to the final composition
Visual development involves building the aesthetic and atmosphere of imaginary worlds for media projects, from video games to animation. Larisa Bumb, better known as Lara Pickle on social media, is an illustrator specializing in this form of story-driven art. Her quirky, cartoon-style designs can be seen in animated shows like Nickelodeon’s Pony and Netflix’s Dead End: Paranormal Park.
In this online course, discover the creative process behind illustrating visual environments. Lara teaches you how to develop concept-based compositions from start to finish and convey ideas through lines, colors, and texture. Explore your imagination and design artwork that sets the tone for a story.
What will you learn in this online course?
19 lessons & 27 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (74)
- 6,292 students
- 19 lessons (4h 29m)
- 27 additional resources (6 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish (Latam), French, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe PhotoshopWhat is this course's project?
Illustrate a room based on a character concept and prompt.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Artists, illustrators, designers, animators, and anyone who wants to learn more about visual development for storytelling.
Requirements and materials
Basic drawing skills and familiarity with Photoshop are required.
In terms of materials, you need a computer with access to Photoshop. A graphics tablet and stylus are also recommended.
Reviews
Lara Pickle
A course by Lara Pickle
Larisa Bumb, better known as Lara Pickle, is a Spanish-Romanian visual development artist based in the UK. Inspired by the cartoons of her childhood, she always knew she wanted to draw for a living. Although she studied animation, she found that her passion lay elsewhere in the industry. She loves the behind-the-scenes work of developing characters and the environments they live in, as it gives her the freedom to explore her imagination and tell stories through her art.
Over the course of her career, Lara has developed designs for animated shows like Nickelodeon’s Pony, Netflix’s Dead End: Paranormal Park, Nella the Princess Knight, and Powerbirds, as well as the musical P.S. I’m a Terrible Person and the comic Kajko and Kokosz. She has also published her own graphic novel Estoy fatal, gracias.
Content
-
U1
Introduction
-
About Me
-
Influences
-
-
U2
Preparing the Project
-
What is Visual Development?
-
Key Elements of Visual Development
-
The Brief
-
-
U3
Creating the Room
-
Initial Research and Inspiration 1
-
Initial Research and Inspiration 2
-
Thumbnails and Sketches 1
-
Thumbnails and Sketches 2
-
Thumbnails and Sketches 3
-
The Design 1
-
The Design 2
-
The Design 3
-
Painting and Lighting 1
-
Painting and Lighting 2
-
Painting and Lighting 3
-
Painting and Lighting 4
-
-
U4
Additional Tips
-
Presenting Your Work
-
Final Advice
-
-
FP
Final project
-
Visual Development: Illustrate Imaginary Settings
-
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
PlusIf 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
Visual development for animation focuses on creating the overall look, feel, and mood of animated projects, including backgrounds, environments, and color schemes, while concept art is more about quickly visualizing key ideas for characters, props, or settings. Both support storytelling but serve distinct roles.
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate-level artists who want to expand their skills in visual storytelling, background painting, and environment design for animation, games, and theatre.
You should have a basic understanding of digital art tools like Photoshop or Procreate, and some experience with drawing or painting. Familiarity with layers and digital brushwork will help you get the most from the lessons.
You’ll learn visual development workflows, color theory, composition, mood board creation, digital painting techniques, storytelling with light and color, and how to design environments that reflect character and narrative for animation, games, and theatre.
Storytelling shapes every aspect of background and environment design, guiding choices in color, composition, lighting, and props to support narrative, evoke emotion, and reveal character traits visually.
Yes, you’ll learn how to curate, annotate, and structure mood boards and reference images in Photoshop or Procreate to inform and inspire your visual development projects.
The course explores both texturized digital painting and clean vector illustration methods, teaching how to choose and apply each style for different visual storytelling needs.
Adobe Photoshop
Ame el curso <3 explica muy bien e inspira un monton !
muy bueno! explica bastante bien
Well written course and a lot of extra material that's been incredibly useful (like the Marco Bucci youtube series). Highly recommended!
¡Muy buen curso!
Este curso es grandioso.