Narrative Environment Design - with Lizzie Nichols
This course will cover the process of creating an environment concept design portfolio piece, from rough thumbnails through to final layout. Students will gain an understanding of the fundamentals of environmental design, from research and reference to ideation to finalizing a layout piece with value and tone.Â
Live Class Schedule (Zoom): January 24th, 31st, and February 7th, 14th from 1:00 – 3:00 pm EST.
Live via Zoom
Rewatch Often
Weekly
Drawing & Composition
Week 1: Story & Composition Every environment begins with a simple idea. We will practice brainstorming world concepts and sketching small thumbnails to find a clear and engaging layout for your scene.
Week 2: Perspective & Structure We will review our thumbnail sketches and refine them further. We will look at the practical side of drawing by exploring how linear perspective can help give your buildings and spaces a sense of depth.
Week 3: Light & Atmosphere This week focuses on using light and shadow to create a specific mood. We will practice using light and dark values to help your environments feel more immersive.
Week 4: Details & Production In our final week, we will work on the finishing touches that make a space feel lived-in. We will also introduce production callouts to help inform the rest of the creative pipeline.
Lizzie Nichols is a visual development artist at Skydance Animation. She has worked for Sony Pictures Animation, DreamWorks Television Animation, RGH Entertainment, Rough Draft Studios, and Walt Disney Imagineering. Her freelance clients have included Disney Television and Cartoon Network. Her credits include Hotel Transylvania 4, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, Smurfs: The Lost Village, The Emoji Movie, Hotel Transylvania 2, Hotel Transylvania 3, Home (TV Series), Futurama, and Generator Rex. She is an environment and prop designer and painter.
She is originally from Connecticut and received a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 2003. She graduated from Art Center College of Design in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Entertainment Design.
In her free time she enjoys rock climbing, urban sketching, and hanging out with her dog Zenith and cat Zero.
This is a digital class, so students should have either: a computer with drawing/painting software installed (Adobe Photoshop, Affinity, ArtStudio Pro or similar) and a Cintiq or other drawing tablet, OR an iPad or similar tablet with drawing/painting software intstalled (ArtStudio Pro or Procreate recommended) and a basic knowledge of the software’s drawing and painting tools.
About the Instructor
Lizzie Nichols
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