Concept Design Academy

Last call for Spring 2012 Enrollment~!!

2012-01-30T00:40:00.000-08:00

Last chance to enroll before the enrollment locks. We got last minute cancellation openings on some of the more popular classes. Sign up while it is still available~!!

Semester starts on Saturday, Feb 4th. 2012.

(Enrollment status based on Jan. 30th at 4:30PM)

"Adv. Entertainment Project" with Andy Chung~!! (with student art samples)

2012-01-20T07:28:00.000-08:00

(*** Just uploaded a ton of new artworks. Make sure to scroll down to see all the new stuff. Enjoy~!! ***)

Andy Chung and Darren Quach is teaming up this term for a special project class combining their many years of design experiences.

Bellow are some of the in class demos Andy did last term and samples of the student works.

(For samples of Darren's work, you can find them here. Check it out~)

Portfolio submission is still open. Don't miss out on this rare opportunity as Darren and Andy do not teach every term~

Intermediate artists are welcome to come try it out. :)

Andy's Vehicle Demo:

Andy's Interior Demo:

Bellow are some of the student work from Andy's Fall 2011 class. Assignment "Project Freedom":

Aaron Lam

Amanda Li

Angela Sung

Claudio Carbone

Mark Taihei

Mio Del Rosario

Peter Lee

Rob Sevilla

Zen Wang

"Advanced Vis Com" with Darren Quach~!!

2012-01-20T07:04:00.000-08:00

There are still spaces left and it is not too late to submit your portfolio~!!

Intermediate artists are welcome to come try it out. :)

Here are some samples of Darren's recent production art & in class demos:

Production Art:

Resistance 3

Ratchet & Clank
Teaching Demos:

"Landscape Painting" with Leighton Hickman - 1 spot remaining~!!

2012-01-20T05:06:00.001-08:00

This is a great foundation class for any environment artist who wish to improve on their lighting and color sense.

PS - Here are some photos from last semester's class, enjoy :)
(Photos by Fred Palacio & Ousmane Diop)

Arboretum:

El Matador Beach:
Griffith Park:
Velasquez Rocks:

"Creature Design" with Jerad Marantz~!!

2012-01-16T01:28:00.000-08:00

"Modo for Concept Design" with Vaughan Ling~!! - 3 spots left

2012-01-14T00:47:00.001-08:00

With its robust modeling tools, Modo is becoming many concept artists' tool of choice when designing hard surface objects.

Vaughan Ling, the vehicle design/modeler for the upcoming "Tron: Uprising" will teach this introductory class on how to use Modo as a powerful aid in vehicle design.

Currently there are only a few spots available for the class, so sign up soon before it gets fill up :)

"Zbrush Character Creation" with Bryan Wynia~!! - 3 spots left

2012-01-13T23:55:00.000-08:00

A great class for all character and creature designers to add this important tool to their design arsenal.

Sign up soon as space is limited~!!

Here are some new sculpts from Bryan. Enjoy :)

Thanks for your time :)

"MetamorFX" - Art of Constantine Sekeris available for pre-order~!!

2012-01-07T23:35:00.000-08:00

Our good friend & former instructor, Constantine Sekeris is releasing his new book "MetamorFX" on July 15th at Comic Con 2012 through Design Studio Press.

Constantine have worked on numerous creature and costume designs for films such as "Blade 2", "The League of Extraordinary Gentleman", "Fantastic Four", "Constantine", "Where the Wild Things Are?", "Hell boy 2", "The Incredible Hulk", "X-men: Last Stand", "Thor", upcoming films like "G.I. Joe 2", "Star Trek Sequel", "Ender's Game", and many, many more.

This is a rare book that specializes in the field of practical & digital creature design. It is filled with great step by step illustrations and useful techniques he has gathered through years of experience in the industry. This is a must buy book for any artists interested in the field of creature design (or is a huge fan of his work like me.).

To pre-order, you can find the book available on Amazon here.

Thanks for your time :)

Best,
Kevin

CDA Spring 2012 enrollment starts now~!!

2012-01-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone~!!

Our Spring 2012 enrollment starts on Jan. 6th, 2012 at 12AM.

For enrollment instructions, visit our registration & policy page at:
http://www.conceptdesignacad.com/3215.html

Thanks for your time and hope to see you next term~!!

Spring 2012 Enrollment Status (updated on 1/31/12 12:20PM)

2012-01-05T08:00:00.001-08:00

(*** Click on class title for art & class descriptions ***)

Available:

Animal Anatomy with Jonathan Kuo - 4 spots left
Landscape Painting with Leighton Hickman - 1 spot left
Modo for Concept Design with Vaughan Ling - 3 spots left
Zbrush Character Creation with Bryan Wynia - 3 spots left

Adv. Entertainment Project with A. Chung & D. Quach - 3 spots left
Adv. Vis Com with Darren Quach - 4 spots left

Character Design for Visual FX with Christian Alzmann
Story Illustration with Chris Appelhans
Environment Design for Animation with Nathan Fowkes

Full:
Analytical Figure Drawing (Sun) with Kevin Chen - Full
Analytical Figure Drawing (Fri) with Kevin Chen - Full
Character Design 2 with C. Arellano - Full
Cinematic Storyboard with Jay Oliva - Full
Creature Design with Jerad Marantz - Full
Environment Design with James Paick - Full
Figure Invention for Animation with Radford Sechrist - Full
Head & Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen - Full
Intro to Character Design with Shiyoon Kim - Full
Intro to Digital Painting with Jason Scheier - Full
Intro to Perspective with Robert St. Pierre - Full
Sketching for Environment with Ed Li - Full
Story Dev for Animation with Radford Sechrist - Full
Vis Com 1: Dynamic Sketching with Peter Han - Full
Vis. Dev. for Animation with M. Yamada & V. Ying - Full

(*** For all FULL classes or workshops, there is a waiting list available. Sign up if you wish to be notified when there are any last minute openings from cancellations. Thanks. ***)

Spring 2012 Schedule Preview~!!

2011-12-25T10:28:00.000-08:00

Enrollment starts on Jan. 6th 2012. Class number will required for all enrollment and will released on the website on the same day.

Merry Christmas everyone~!!

Spring 2012 term schedule is coming soon~!!

2011-12-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

(Illustration by Victoria Ying)

Our upcoming Spring term 2012 schedule is coming up soon at the end of Dec.

The new semester start date is scheduled to be on Feb. 4th, 2012.

The enrollment start time is still TBA, but will be around the beginning of Jan.

If you would be interested to receive our schedule as soon as it is released, please sign up for our e-mail list to receive the schedule as soon as it is released.

To sign up for e-mailing list, just e-mail us at contact@conceptdesignacad.com with your name and request to be added on the list.

Thanks and hope to see you next term~!!

Kevin

PS - here is a sneak peek of the new classes & teachers coming up in Spring term:

10 week classes:
Modo for Concept Design with Vaughan Ling
Intro to Character Design with Shiyoon Kim
Vis Dev for Animation with Mike Yamada and Victoria Ying
Intro to Perspective with Robert St. Pierre
Adv. Entertainment Project with Darren Quach & Andy Chung

Confirmed Workshops Teachers:
Feb - Christian Alzmann (Visual Effects Art Director at ILM)
March - Chris Appelhans (Visual Development Artist)
April - Nathan Fowkes (Visual Development Artist)

Happy Thanksgiving~!!

2011-11-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a great Thanksgiving weekend :)

"Digital Painting" workshop with Robh Ruppel~!!

2011-11-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Our last workshop for 2011:

Date - Dec. 10th 2011
Time - 2~7 PM
Tuition - $120

All spots filled, e-mail us if you wish to be contacted for any last minute cancellation openings :)

Demo Images from Kekai's "Fantasy Illustration" Workshop

2011-11-05T01:39:00.000-07:00

Final Image:
Step by Step:

"Fantasy Illustration" with Kekai Kotaki on Nov. 12~!!

2011-10-23T02:15:00.000-07:00

*** Update - Currently full, but accepting waiting list for any last minute cancellations. ***

Here are some more samples of Kekai's recent artworks:

Demos & Photos from Gouache Landscape Painting Workshop - Fall 2011

2011-10-23T02:14:00.000-07:00

Day 1, in door slide lecture:

Day 2 photos from Vasquez Rocks:
On site demos:

Day 3, Laguna Beach photos:
On site Demo:
(Photos by Sherwin Abesamis & Fred Palacio)

CDA Live Demos at Bluecanvas Launch Event~!!

2011-10-12T04:08:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This Thursday (Oct. 13), Radford Sechrist and Kevin Chen will be doing live demos at the Bluecanvas live event from 6~11PM. This is a free event in junction with the LA Art Walk in Downtown Los Angeles. For more information, visit Bluecanvas website for event details:
http://www.bluecanvas.com/launch-event

Hope to see you there~!!

(Update - Bellow are the photos from the event. Enjoy~!!)

Second floor - Live demo room:

Our Models for the event, Tiffany & Larva:

Rad doing some great story sketches inspired by the poses:

Kevin's figure quick sketches:

Artworks displays from the 1st floor art gallery:

Thanks to everyone that came by and hope you all had a great time~!! :)

"Gouache Landscape Painting" with Mike Hernandez

2011-10-06T02:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Mike Hernandez will be returning to CDA for a 3 day landscape painting workshop on Oct 21, 22 and 23.

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to learn from one of the best teachers on this subject.

To sign up, please contact the school at contact@conceptdesignacad.com
or 818-669-4657.

Thanks for your time :)

"LASCAPES" - Vol. 1

2011-09-27T02:22:00.000-07:00

Our good friend and CDA student, Jason Elvrom just released his new book "LASCAPES - Vol. 1".

It's a wonderful book showing beautiful paintings of locations in LA that we often don't get a chance to slow down and appreciate the charm. A great coffee table book for landscape lovers and for budding landscape artists looking for fun places to explore.

For sale now on the Blurb website. Check it out~!! :)

"Landscape Painting" with Leighton Hickman

2011-09-21T11:26:00.001-07:00

"Story Development for Animation" with Rad Sechrist

2011-09-19T11:52:00.001-07:00

Click on the image bellow to check out Rad's story sequence from the movie, "Megamind":
To view some more of Rad's storyboard samples, you can check out his hilarious short story his did for his friend, "Francesco goes to Hollywood~!!":
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
You can also find some great story structure notes on his "Rad's How To" blog:
Basic Story Structure Notes

Enjoy your visit~!!

"Zbrush Character Creation" with Josh Herman - Full

2011-09-19T11:50:00.001-07:00

Landscape Painting Workshop with Bill Perkins at 3 Kicks Studio~!!

2011-09-17T01:40:00.000-07:00

Date - Sept. 24 & 25, 2011
Price - $280 + $10 registration fee

Contact 3 Kicks Studio at 3kicksfineartstudio@gmail.com or call 626-466-5043 to enroll.

CDA at CDW Australia workshop 2011~!!

2011-09-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, Carlo and I was invited as the guest lecturers for the CDW Australia workshop in Adelaide.

It was a great experience meeting all the friendly people and shared some really fun times with the local artists.

Above is the highlights from the event. In Jan. 2012, both James Paick and I will be heading to Melbourne to do a second workshop.

Make sure to stay tuned and hopefully you will be able to join us next year :)
http://www.conceptdesignworkshop.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CDWA/171936559497512

Enjoy the video~!!

"Animal Anatomy" with Jonathan Kuo

2011-09-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

This is a great foundation class for anyone interested in character design and creature design.

It is also a great alternative class to anyone on the waiting list for Analytical Figure Drawing and Vis Com 1 as it breaks down form and gesture in the same manor and technique.

Sign up soon as space is limited~!!

PS - Bellow are some of the in class demo sketches to help give you an good idea about the class:

"Figure Invention for Animation" with Rad Sechrist

2011-09-12T21:19:00.000-07:00

"Creature Design" with Jeard Marantz

2011-09-12T21:17:00.001-07:00

"Vehicle & Props" with Brian Yam - Full

2011-09-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

SP09 Advanced Vis Com Student Works

2011-09-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Great news~!! Andy Chung is coming back to teach Adv. Vis Com for the Fall 2011 term~!!

I thought the best way to introduce his class is by showing the student's finals from the last class he taught in Spring 2009 semester.

It was a really great term with hard work from everyone. Andy is an amazing teacher who gives great feedback from his years of experience. We are very lucky to have him back.

Sign up soon as the class size is very limited to 10 spots (Portfolio review required. Submission deadline on 9/12)~!!

*** Andy teaches only once every few years, so take advantage of it as he will be gone next semester~!! ***

(Click on student names to view more of their current works on their websites)

Lim Hur:
Stephanie Liaw:
Darren Quach:
Mark Taihei:
Mio Del Rosario:
David Kang:
Caleb Gresham:
Ben Mauro:
Enjoy~!!

Fall 2011 Enrollment Status (updated on 11/16/11 9:00PM)

2011-09-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

(*** Click on class title for art & class descriptions ***)

Available:
- none -

Full:
Adv. Vis Com with Andy Chung - Full
Analytical Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen (Fri) - Full
Analytical Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen (Sun) - Full
Animal Anatomy with Jonathan Kuo - Locked
Character Design 2 with C. Arellano - Full
Cinematic Storyboard with Jay Oliva - Full
Color and Lighting with Bill Perkins - Full
Creature Design with Jerad Marantz - Full
Environment Design with James Paick - Full
Figure Invention for Animation with Radford Sechrist - Full
Head & Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen - Full
Intro to Character Design with David Colman - Full
Intro to Digital Painting with Jason Scheier - Full
Landscape Painting with Leighton Hickman - Locked
Sketching for Environment with R. St Pierre & M. Yamada - Full
Story Dev for Animation with Radford Sechrist - Full
Vehicles & Props with Brian Yam - Full
Vis Com 1: Dynamic Sketching with Peter Han - Full
Zbrush Character Creation with Josh Herman - Full

Gouache Landscape Painting with Mike Hernandez - Full
Fantasy Illustration with Kekai Kotaki - Full
Digital Painting with Robh Ruppel - Full

(*** For all FULL classes or workshops, there is a waiting list available. Sign up if you wish to be notified when there are any last minute openings from cancellations. Thanks. ***)

CDA Fall 2011 enrollment starts now~!!

2011-09-01T14:02:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

The Fall schedule have just been updated on the CDA website and the enrollment have officially been started on Sept 2nd at 12AM. We have some great classes and workshops coming up next term and hope to see you guys soon in a month.

Best,
Kevin

Fall 2011 Term starting in Oct 1st~!!

2011-08-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Just want to let you know that the Fall 2011 term will be starting on Oct. 1. 2011.

The enrollment start date will be on Sept. 2, 2011.

If you are interested to enroll, I would strongly recommend to sign up for our e-mail list to receive our complete Fall schedule (with required class number) as soon as it is released.

E-mail list members will also be receiving information about early enrollment opportunities.

To sign up, just e-mail us at contact@conceptdesignacad.com and ask to be added into the e-mail list.

Thanks again for your support and hope to see you next semester :)

Best,
Kevin Chen

David Colman's New Book~!!

2011-08-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

For more info, check out David's blog at http://davidcolman.blogspot.com/

Images from Jaime Jones' "Digital Illustration Workshop"

2011-08-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

Workshop demo image:
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for attending the workshop last month. Bellow are the step by step images from Jaime's in class demo.

Hope you all had a great time and see you soon at the next event :)

Best,
Kevin

Update - Here are some photos from the event :)

Visual Storytelling Workshop with Sam Michlap (Aug 6th)~!!

2011-07-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

Date - Saturday, Aug 6th
Time - 2~7PM
Tuition - $120

Sam Michlap, the Production Designer at Dreamworks Animation is coming to CDA for a one day workshop on Visual Storytelling.

Sam worked on numerous films such as "The Lion King", "Hunchback of Notre Dame", " The Prince of Egypt", "The Road to El Dorado", "Sinbad", "Shark's Tale" & more recently "Monsters vs Aliens".

This is a not to be missed event for anyone interested in perusing a career in animation or visual development for film production.

For more of Sam's work, you can visit his site at:
http://samuel-michlap.blogspot.com/

To sign up, you can e-mail us at contact@conceptdesignacad.com to reserve your spot.

Thanks for your time and hope to see you at the workshop~!!

*** Update - Here are some photos from the event. Sam brought a lot of his original paintings from Prince of Egypt and Sinbad, which were a real treat to see in person. Thanks for the great workshop Sam~!!

CAC July Workshop with Glen Vilppu~!!

2011-07-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

Organized by California Art Club, master artist Glen Vilppu will be doing a 5 days Figure Drawing workshop at Concept Design Academy from July 25~29, 10~4PM.

Glenn Vilppu is considered one of today’s foremost draftsmen and instructors in drawing and painting. Trained in the classical techniques of the Renaissance masters, Glenn understands the fundamental language of drawing and is renowned for his ability to communicate and inspire students. He teaches students to understand the construction of the human figure, beginning with the structure of the subject, the bones, then adding the muscles and finally the flesh. This intensive week long workshop will address the fundamentals of drawing the human figure.

Tuition is $425 for CAC Members and $475 for non-members. (Non-refundable 50% deposit due on registration)

Class size is limited to 16 students.

To sign up, visit the California Art Club Website bellow or call 626-583-9009.
http://www.californiaartclub.org/master-artist-workshops/

Update - Here is a photo from the events. Thanks to everyone who came to the event :)

"Film Character Design" with Charlie Wen

2011-06-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

Date - June 18th
Time - 2~7PM
Tuition - $120

To sign up, e-mail us at contact@conceptdesignacad.com to reserve your spot.

Bellow are some more Charlie's costume concepts from the film "Thor":

(*** Update - Bellow are some demo images from the workshop, enjoy~!! ***)

Thumbnail demo:
Color Character Illustration demo:

Here are some pictures from the event:

"Advanced Vis Com" with Darren Quach~!!

2011-05-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

NEW - "Animal Anatomy" with Jonny Kuo~!!

2011-05-27T05:25:00.001-07:00

This is a great foundational class for any one interested in creature design and would like to learn how to make their designs look functional from inside out. Semester start Saturday, June 4th~!!

"Zbrush Character Creation" with Bryan Wynia~!!

2011-05-27T05:20:00.000-07:00

Rockstar NYC looking for in house Illustrator

2011-05-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Rockstar Games is looking for highly talented artists to work out of its NYC based office.

The successful candidate will be working on a variety of exciting, creative, and cutting edge projects.

The ability to work quickly and efficiently as part of a team, take direction, and maintain a positive attitude under pressure is crucial.

For more information, visit their website at http://jobs.rockstargames.com/

Suckerpunch & Bulletstorm Concept Art~!!

2011-05-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some concept work Kevin have done for "Suckerpunch" & "Bulletstorm". Enjoy~!!

Suckerpunch:
Bulletstorm:

CDA Summer 2011 enrollment starts now~!!

2011-05-02T00:19:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

It is May 2nd and the Summer 2011 brochure is officially released today and ready for enrollment~!!

Please read through our enrollment instructions and school policy before you reserve your classes:
http://www.conceptdesignacad.com/3215.html

All sign-up are accepted by e-mail only and on a first come first serve basis.

Due to the heavy volume of e-mail, please allow us 3~4 days to process your reservation request.

Thanks for your interest and hope to see you next semester~!!

Kevin Chen

Summer 2011 Enrollment Status (updated 8/6/11 12AM)

2011-05-01T13:49:00.001-07:00

(*** Click on class title for art & class descriptions ***)

Available:
- none -

Full:
Adv. Entertainment Design with C. Arellano - Full
Adv. Storyboard with Jay Oliva - Full
Adv. Vis Com with Darren Quach - Locked
Analytical Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen (Sun) - Full
Analytical Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen (Tues) - Full
Animal Anatomy with Jonny Kuo - Locked
Character Design 2 with Kevin Chen - Full
Cinematic Storyboard with Jay Oliva - Full
Color and Lighting with Bill Perkins - Full
Creature Design with Jerad Marantz - Full
Environment Design with James Paick (Mon) - Full
Environment Design with James Paick (Wed) - Full
Figure Invention for Animation with Radford Sechrist - Full
Head & Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen - Full
Intro to Character Design with Shiyoon Kim - Full
Intro to Digital Painting with Jason Scheier - Full
Maya for Concept Design with Felix Jorge - Canceled
Sketching for Environment with Ed Li - Full
Story Dev for Animation with Radford Sechrist - Full
Vehicles & Props with Brian Yam - Full
Vis Comp 1: Dynamic Sketching with Peter Han - Full
Zbrush Character Creation with Bryan Wynia - Full

3 Day Composition Workshop with Marshall Vandruff - Locked
Digital Illustration with Jaime Jones - Full
Film Character Design with Charlie Wen - Full
Visual Storytelling with Sam Michlap - Locked

(*** For all FULL classes or workshops, there is a waiting list available. Sign up if you wish to be notified when there are any last minute openings from cancellations. Thanks. ***)

3 Day Composition Workshop with Marshall Vandruff on May 27, 28 & 29~!!

2011-04-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Marshall Vandruff's Composition Workshop is coming back to Concept Design Academy this May~!!

Fri. 27 - 7~11PM
Sat. 28 - 2~6PM
Sun. 29 - 2~6PM
Price - $280

Marshall is considered one of the best instructor on the subject by many artists in the industry. If you are interested on how to compose your image that works at a gut level, Marshall's workshop is not to be missed as he breaks down the visual language that we feel through imagery.

Strongly recommended. Sign up soon as spots are limited~!!

For sign up instructions, visit our website at www.conceptdesignacad.com or e-mail us at contact@conceptdesignacad.com

Thanks,
Kevin Chen

Illustration Workshop with Jon Foster - April 9 & 10~!!

2011-03-12T09:03:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Jon Foster will be flying in town on April 9 & 10 to do a 2 day workshop at Concept Design Academy.

For anyone who loves Sci Fi or Fantasy Illustrations, this is a must see event as Jon goes over his creation process in composing narrative illustrations through in class demonstrations and lectures.

Sign up soon as space is limited and hope to see you there~!!

Best,
Kevin

(Update - Here are some of the photos from the event. Thanks for coming~!!)

Visual Development Workshop with Nathan Fowkes~!! - Full

2011-03-02T03:06:00.001-08:00

(*** Update - Thanks for signing up~!! ***)

Date - March 12, 19, & 26
Time - 2~7PM
Cost - $360
(*** Portfolio review required ***)

There are still a few space left. E-mail us at contact@conceptdesignacad.com to sign up.

Here is a step by step image of Nathan's painting process:

Cheers~!!

(Update - Here is a photo from day of the workshop event)

Photos and Demo Images from "Sci Fi Mech Design" Workshop

2011-03-02T02:48:00.001-08:00

Thanks for coming~!!

*** Update - Check out the trailer for Khang's new game "Hawkins":

"Sci Fi Mech Design" with Khang Le on Feb. 26~!!

2011-02-17T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Khang Le's "Sci Fi Mech Design" workshop is coming up next Saturday, Feb. 26, 2~7PM.

To sign up, e-mail us at contact@conceptdesignacad.com

Hope to see you there~!!

Here is one of the demos that Khang did on the last vehicle design workshop at CDA:

"Figure Painting" with Bill Perkins starts on Feb 10th~!!

2011-02-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

We will be taking enrollment up to Wednesday, Feb. 16th, before the second class meeting.

This is a great class for beginners and intermediate artists alike to further improve their value and color skills.

To enroll, e-mail us at contact@conceptdesignacad.com to reserve your spot.

Thanks!!

(*** Update - Bellow are some of Bill's in-class demo and notes from last term. Enjoy~!! ***)

Last Call for Enrollment~!! - Advanced & Digital Courses

2011-02-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

The first day of the Spring semester will be starting this weekend, Feb 5th. Here are some of the last openings available. Sign up soon and hope to see you in class~!!

Last Call for Enrollment~!! - Intermediate Design Courses

2011-02-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

Last Call for Enrollment~!! - Foundational Courses

2011-02-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

"Head & Figure Drawing" - Last 3 spots remaining~!!

2011-02-01T06:18:00.000-08:00

Last call for sign up for "Head & Figure Drawing" with Kevin Chen.

Class will be starting this Sunday with only 3 spots remaining.

This is a great class for anyone interested in learning how to capture likeness and is a great transition class to figure or character painting.

Sign up soon while the spots are still open~ Thanks!!

Bellow are some in-class demo samples from the class, enjoy~!!

Last call for sign up - "Zbrush Character Creation"~!!

2011-01-27T01:49:00.001-08:00

Bryan is coming back for another term to teach his "Zbrush Character Creation" class at CDA.

For those students who have signed up for the class, here is a hint on this quarter's theme...."We who are about to die salute you~!!"

There is still a few spaces left in the class so make sure to sign up soon :)

For more of Bryan's work, please visit his blog site at http://bryanwynia.blogspot.com/

Hope to see you in class~!!

(Update - Here is a recent cover illustration Bryan did for the "Famous Monsters of Filmland" Magazine. Enjoy~!!)

"Sci Fi Mech Design" with Khang Le~!!

2011-01-19T01:55:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Khang Le is coming back to CDA to teach another Mech Design workshop. This is a great workshop for anyone who wants see his unique approach to design and his efficient working process.

Date - Feb 26
Time - 2~7PM
Price - $120

Khang's workshop usually sells out fairly quickly, so sign up soon while the spaces are still available.

Please check out the flyer bellow for more details and descriptions.

Best,
Kevin

"Advance Entertainment Design" - In Class Demos

2011-01-17T18:16:00.000-08:00

(*** Update - the class project have just been announced: "Redesigning Avatar". Sign up soon to join the fun :) ***)

Here is three new in class demos from Carlo Arellano's "Advanced Entertainment Design" class. The enrollment is still open, so sign up soon~!!

"Advanced Entertainment Design" with Carlo Arellano~!!

2011-01-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

Sign up soon as space is limited. First portfolio review deadline on Jan. 14th, 2011.

For more of Carlo's artworks, you can visit his portfolio site at:
http://carloportfolio.blogspot.com/
or his blog site at:
http://chainsawart.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your time :)
Kevin Chen

CDA Spring 2011 enrollment starts now~!!

2011-01-03T23:48:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

It is Jan. 4th and the Spring 2011 brochure is officially released today and ready for enrollment~!!

Please read through our enrollment instructions and school policy before you reserve your classes:
http://www.conceptdesignacad.com/3215.html

All sign-up are accepted by e-mail only and on a first come first serve basis.

Due to the heavy volume of e-mail, please allow us 3~4 days to process your reservation request.

Thanks for your interest and hope to see you next semester~!!

Kevin Chen

Spring 2011 Enrollment Status (updated 4/10/11 12AM)

2011-01-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

(*** Click on class title for art & class descriptions ***)

Available:
- none -

Full:
Adv. Entertainment Design with C. Arellano - Locked
Adv. Vis Com with Darren Quach - Full
Analytical Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen - Full
Animal Anatomy with Joe Weatherly - Locked
Cinematic Storyboard with Jay Oliva - Full
Creature Design with Jerad Marantz - Full
Digital Illustration with Robert Mckinnon - Full
Environment Design with James Paick (Mon) - Full
Environment Design with James Paick (Wed) - Full
Figure Invention for Animation with Radford Sechrist - Full
Figure Painting with Bill Perkins - Locked
Head & Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen - Locked
Intro to Character Design with Kevin Chen - Full
Landscape Painting with Jackson Sze - Locked
Maya for Concept Design with Felix Jorge - Locked
Sketching for Environment with Ed Li - Full
Story Dev for Animation with Radford Sechrist - Full
Vehicle & Mechs with Paul Christopher - Locked
Vis Comp 1: Dynamic Sketching with Peter Han - Full
Zbrush Character Creation with Bryan Wynia - Locked

Sci Fi Mech Design with Khang Le - Full
Visual Development with Nathan Fowkes - Full
Illustration Workshop with Jon Foster - Full

(*** For all FULL classes or workshops, there is a waiting list available. Sign up if you wish to be notified when there are any last minute openings from cancellations. Thanks. ***)

Happy 2011~!!

2011-01-01T02:32:00.000-08:00

(Above: 100th year of R.O.C. from Taipei, Taiwan)

We wish you happiness and an exciting new year to come ~!!

Cheers,
Kevin

TRON: Legacy - Artist Panel & Book Signing at Gallery Nucleus~!!

2010-12-13T21:59:00.000-08:00

December 18, 2010
Opening Reception / Dec 18, 2:00PM - 5:00PM

Gallery Nucleus welcomes some of the amazing talents to present and discuss their contributions to the new film. Following the presentation, there will be a Q&A session and book signing. This is a rare opportunity to get an insider's look at the production of an epic film.

Presenters Include:
- Dylan Cole
- David Levy
- Neville Page
- Ben Proctor
- Phil Saunders
(more to be announced)

For more info visit Gallery Nucleus website at:
http://www.gallerynucleus.com/event/288

"Character Design for Animation" with Shane Prigmore~!! - Full

2010-11-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone~!!

Just want to post a reminder that Shane Prigmore's "Character Design for Animation" workshop is coming up on Dec. 4th.

Currently, there is 0 spot remaining, so contact us if you wish to be added on to the waiting list for any last minute openings.

To sign up, you can e-mail us at contact@conceptdesignacad.com to reserve a waiting list spot.

In the meantime, have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with your family~!!

Best,
Kevin

PS - you can find more samples of Shane's recent works on Dreamworks' new books: "Moonshine" & "Mega Mind".

CTN Expo on Nov 19~21~!!

2010-11-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

If you love animation and is currently in the LA area, you don't want to miss out on this special event.

CTN Expo is returning to Burbank again from Nov 19~21, 2010.

For more info, click on the link bellow to visit their site:
http://www.ctnanimationexpo.com/

If you are a student or educator, remember to check for their student and educator discount to receive 10% off your entrance price. Just follow this link for your school's discount code:
http://www.ctn-x10.com/hub/sales/registration/CTNX_2010_Education_Discount_Code.html

Professional Discount Here:
http://www.ctn-x10.com/hub/sales/registration/CTNX2010_Production_Studio_Codes.html

It is like a comic con focused for the animation industry. This year they will have Moebius making a special appearance at the event.

Make sure to check it out and hope to see you there :)

"Color Design for Entertainment" with Nathan Fowkes on Nov. 13th~!!

2010-10-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

All spots taken, thanks for signing up~!!

See you on Nov. 13th :)

Here are some more samples of Nathan's work:

Shrek Forever After

Sinbad

How to Train Your Dragon

Rough Color Comps

Update - Here are some photos from the event. Thanks for coming~!!

America's Grandeur: Landscapes of Clyde Aspevig

2010-10-19T04:23:00.000-07:00

Great news for those of you who love landscape painting. Santa Barbara Historical Museum will host an exhibition of new paintings by Clyde Aspevig this Saturday~!!

The exhibition will open on October 22nd and conclude on January 31st, 2011. There will be an opening reception on October 22nd at 6:00 PM - the cost for admission is $75.00 per ticket.

Clyde will do an art demonstration on October 23rd at 2:00 PM at the museum. The cost of each demonstration ticket is $50.00. Those interested in attending will need to contact the museum for tickets as soon as possible as attendance is limited.

For more information or to make reservations to attend these events please contact the museum.

Santa Barbara Historical Museum
136 East De La Guerra Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Telephone (805) 966-1601
www.santabarbaramuseum.com

To see more of Clyde's work, you can visit his site at http://www.clydeaspevig.com/index.html

"Environment & Lighting" with Khang Le this Saturday~!!

2010-10-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for coming to the workshop last weekend.

For those of you that couldn't make it to the event, here are the 2 demo images from the workshop. Enjoy~!!

James Gurney Workshop on Sunday, Oct 10th~!!

2010-10-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

James Gurey, the creator of Dinotopia will be doing an 1 day/ 3 part workshop at Atelier Marchant on Oct. 10th, 2010 from 1~5PM.

Tuition is $30 per part or $65 for the entire 3 lectures.

For more information, please visit http://ateliermarchant.blogspot.com/ or e-mail marchantatelier@gmail.com to register!

"Digital Illustration" with Robert McKinnon~!!

2010-09-28T03:12:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This is the last week and a half of enrollment before "Digital Illustration" starts on Friday, Oct. 8.

For more samples of Robert's work, please visit his site at http://robertmckinnon.blogspot.com/

Bellow are some of Robert's recent artworks. Enjoy~!!

Best,
Kevin

"Intro to Character Design" with David Colman - Last 2 spots~!!

2010-09-25T00:12:00.000-07:00

Last 2 spots remaining for this great introductory class to character design. Sign up soon before the enrollment deadline :)

Best,
Kevin

"Zbrush Character Creation" with Bryan Wynia~!!

2010-09-22T10:51:00.001-07:00

Only 3 spots left. Sign up soon while it is still available :)

CDA

"Landscape Painting" with Jackson Sze~!!

2010-09-20T00:27:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Its Fall and its time for landscape painting again. This semester, Jackson Sze will be returning to CDA to teaching the “Landscape Painting” class on Sunday mornings.

The Class is going to be slightly modified from the last time Jackson has taught it. There’s going to be an emphasis on creating convincing colors out of your head off-site as well. This should help students apply color theory to their entertainment work.

Thanks for your time and hope you can join us~!!

Best,

Kevin Chen

Concept Design Academy

PS – here are some samples of Jackson’s professional work to help illustrate how the skills learned from landscape painting can be applied to design work. For more samples, please visit Jackson’s site at: http://jacksonsze.blogspot.com/

"Creature Design" with Jerad Marantz

2010-09-12T01:28:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Jerad Marantz is the lead concept artist at Aaron Sims Studio. His recent film projects include “I am Legend”, “Clash of the Titans”, “Green Lantern”, & “Suckerpunch”.

This class focuses on the design & creation process used in a life action film and game production. Topics such as anatomy, thumbnails, posing, digital painting, photo manipulation are covered in the many in class demostrations.

Don’t miss out on this great class as spaces are filling up soon.

For more of Jerad’s artworks, please visit his site at http://jeradsmarantz.blogspot.com/

To sign up, please e-mail us at contact@conceptdesignacad.com

Thanks for your time and hope to see you in class :)

Best,

Kevin Chen

PS – here are some more samples of Jerad’s recent works. Enjoy~!!

New Artwork from Carlo Arellano

2010-09-10T04:22:00.000-07:00

Carlo had just posted this new image along with the new project description for next semester. Check it out:
http://chainsawart.blogspot.com/2010/09/cda-fall-class.html

"Advanced Entertainment Design" with Carlo Arellano

2010-09-09T02:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Just as a reminder, our “Advanced Entertainment Design” is still open for enrollment and the portfolio review deadline is coming up next week on Sept 15th.

The advance class focuses on the cross training between Character, Creature, Tech and Environment Design. The goal is to create a cohesive visual style that is unique and enhances the storytelling/game play of the project.

If this is a class you are interested in, please reserve ASAP as the spaces are limited.

For more samples of Carlo’s previous class demos, you can visit his older class blogs at:
http://humanandmechssp08.blogspot.com/

Thanks again for your time and hope to see you next term~!!

Best,
Kevin Chen

(*** Update - here are some more of Carlo's demos & art works from previous classes. Enjoy :) )

"Animal Anatomy" with Joe Weatherly~!!

2010-09-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

(*** UPDATE - Please visit our new class with Jonathan Kuo at http://conceptdesignacad.blogspot.com/2011/09/animal-anatomy-with-jonathon-kuo.html ***)

Joe Weatherly, the author of "The Weatherly Guide to Drawing Animals" is coming to join us at CDA for a 10 week course on "Animal Anatomy".

This course is designed for the beginning and intermediate artists, who wish to get into the character/creature design field. To be a good character/creature designer, a solid understanding of various anatomy types are crucial tools used everyday on the job.

In this class, you will study various animals for how they have evolved in different movements and functions. This class will cover the major mammal and bird groups by studying their skeleton and muscle structures comparatively.

Sign up soon as the spaces are limited and hope to see you in class :)

Best,
Kevin Chen

Here are a few more drawing samples from Joe.

"Vehicle & Mechs" with Paul Christopher~!!

2010-09-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Paul Christopher has returned to CDA this Fall of another semester of "Vehicle & Mechs" class. This is a great course for anyone who wish to expand on their design vocabulary and themes. Line work and idea exploration is greatly stress through out the term in creating unique solutions to the design problems . Sign up soon as spaces are limited.

For more samples of Paul's work, please visit his site at:
http://paulchristopherart.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your time~!!

(*** Update - Here are some more demos & artworks from Paul. Enjoy :) )

CDA Fall 2010 enrollment starts now~!!

2010-09-01T00:16:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

It is Sept. 1st and the Summer 2010 brochure is officially released today and ready for enrollment~!!

Please read through our enrollment instructions and school policy before you reserve your classes:
http://www.conceptdesignacad.com/3215.html

All sign-up are accepted by e-mail only and on a first come first serve basis.

Due to the heavy volume of e-mail, please allow us 3~4 days to process your reservation request.

Thanks for your interest and hope to see you next semester~!!

Kevin Chen

Fall 2010 Enrollment Status (updated 11/28/10)

2010-08-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

(*** Click on class title for art & class descriptions ***)

Available:
- None -

Full:
Adv. Entertainment Design with C. Arellano - Locked
Adv. Environment Design with James Paick - Full
Analytical Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen - Full
Animal Anatomy with Joe Weatherly - Locked
Character Design 2 with Kevin Chen - Full
Cinematic Storyboard with Jay Oliva - Full
Creature Design with Jerad Marantz - Locked
Digital Illustration with Robert Mckinnon - Locked
Environment Design with James Paick - Full
Environment Design with Rodney Fuentebella - Full
Figure Invention for Animation with Radford Sechrist - Full
Figure Painting with Bill Perkins - Full
Head & Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen - Full
Intro to Character Design with David Colman -- Full
Landscape Painting with Jackson Sze - Locked
Sketching for Environment with Ed Li - Full
Story Dev for Animation with Radford Sechrist - Full
Vehicle & Mechs with Paul Christopher - Locked
Vis Comp 1: Dynamic Sketching with Peter Han - Full
Zbrush Character Creation with Bryan Wynia - Locked

Environment & Lighting with Khang Le - Full
Character Design for Animation with Shane Prigmore - Full
Color Design for Entertainment with Nathan Fowkes
- Full

(*** For all FULL classes or workshops, there is a waiting list available. Sign up if you wish to be notified when there are any last minute openings from cancellations. Thanks. ***)

Moonshine Show @ Gallery Nucleus - This Saturday~!!

2010-08-12T11:57:00.001-07:00

Moonshine @ Gallery Nucleus
August 14, 2010 - September 6, 2010
Opening Reception / Aug 14, 7:00PM - 11:00PM

From forty-five talented and prolific DreamWorks Studio art directors, production and character designers, and visual development artists, Moonshine features personal artwork that is made during the precious little times of day when the contributors are not working on stunning upcoming movies such as Puss in Boots, Shrek Forever After, The Croods, Kung Fu Panda 2, MegaMind, The Guardians of Childhood, Scared Shrekless, and Kung Fu Panda Holiday.

OPENING RECEPTION DETAILS/SPECIALS

-$2 admission ticket = one raffle ticket (additional raffle tickets $1 each)
-Pre-order the MOONSHINE book on opening night, and get 10% off PLUS an additional raffle ticket.
-Prizes include a private tour of Dreamworks Animation Studio (1 winner + 3 guests), special Moonshine shirts, DreamWorks apparel and accessories, and Nicolas Marlet's original sketch found inside his sketchbook.
-Complimentary refreshments and moonshine!

*Closing Reception/Book Signing will take place on Friday, September 3rd (7pm - 10pm).

Ian McCaig Free Workshop - This Saturday at AI Inland ~!!

2010-08-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Location:The Art Institute of California INLAND EMPIRE - Room 126

Time:12:00PM Saturday, August 14th

RSVP as space is limited - 909-915-2100

(Suggestions - AI Inland is a bit far, so it is best to carpool with friends for a fun drive. If you have the whole day open, visit Gallery Nucleus afterward to attend their new "Moonshine" show opening :) )

Gouache Landscape Painting with Mike Hernandez in Aug~!!

2010-08-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Mike Hernandez will be returning to CDA for a 3 day landscape painting workshop on Aug 20, 21 and 22.

This class will have a heavy emphasis on color, lighting and composition as well as some discussion on theory.

For more of Mike's work, visit his blog at http://mikehernandez.blogspot.com/

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to learn from one of the best teachers on this subject.

To sign up, please contact the school at contact@conceptdesignacad.com
or 818-669-4657.

Thanks for your time :)

(*** Update - Here are some photos from the workshop. Enjoy~!! :) ***)

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

New Thor & Captain America Illustrations~!!

2010-07-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't seen the new images. Charlie Wen & Ryan Meinerding's new illustrations for Marvel's new films was released during the Comic-Con week. Charlie will be there at the Marvel booth this Saturday for signing (not sure what time). Make sure to visit if you are at the con~!!

Film Production Illustration Workshop with Steve Jung this Saturday~!!

2010-07-10T20:48:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Steve Jung is coming to CDA to do a workshop on the topic of “Film Production Illustration” this coming Saturday.

Date – July 17th
Time – 2~7PM
Price - $120

Steve’s past projects include “Tron Legacy”, “Transformer 2″, “Gatchaman”, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle” and “Darkwatch”

For more of his work, you can visit his site at http://www.stevejung.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=4

This is a great workshop for anyone interested in concept design for film or the process of creating a digital illustration for pre-production.

To sign up, just e-mail us at contact@conceptdesignacad.com to reserve your spot.
Space is limited, so sign up soon while the seats are still available~!!

Best,
Concept Design Academy

*** Update - Here are some more examples from Steve's portfolio

(*** Update- Here is Steve's demo sketches from the workshop. Enjoy~!!***)

Last call for Stephan Mariniere workshop~!!

2010-06-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

Stephan's workshop is coming up on June 26 & 27, Saturday and Sunday.

All spots are taken, thanks for signing up :)

(*** Update - Here are some photos from the event. Demo art coming soon. ***)

Here is one of the demo from the workshop:

ID Software is hiring concept artist

2010-06-16T18:33:00.001-07:00

The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gérôme at the Getty~!!

2010-06-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

Getty is having an exhibit of one of my favorite artist, Jean-Leon Gerome at the Getty from June 15 ~ Sept 12.
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/gerome/
This show is not to be missed especially if you happen to be in town for the summer.

Hope to see you there :)

New teacher announcement - Leighton Hickman~!!

2010-05-01T21:19:00.001-07:00

We have a new teacher for the new Summer semester: Leighton Hickman.
http://leightonhickman.blogspot.com/

Leighton is a Visual Development artist currently working at Dreamworks Animation. He is joining us this term to sub-in for Jackson Sze's "Gouache Landscape Painting" class.

Leighton will be working in oils for this course, but he is open for more experienced painters to bring in their medium of choice. If you are a beginning painter, he will assign you an oil material list for the term.

The class will be focused on the understanding of natural lighting, color, and designing in broad forms rather than details. At the end of the term, the class will be using their favorite outdoor study as an inspiration for their final project (incorporate what you have learned into your work).

Catch this opportunity soon and have fun painting this summer :)