Welcome to your Concept Art course

Welcome to the Concept Art MA. Throughout the year we are going to take a deep dive into concept art. Whether you are character, creature, vehicle or environment focused I look forward to seeing you produce your best work to date.

Course delivery

Sessions are held in person and consist of a blend of lectures that discuss design principles in tandem with supervision to apply that theory to your own work. The structure is designed to mirror the art direction given by a studio, but still within the structure of a learning environment.

Semester one activities

Your first modules are ‘Pipeline and Technical Development’ and ‘Adoption of Set Style’ - Both modules are designed to familiarise you with the technical aspects of the concept art pipeline and the expectations that a studio might place on you in terms of art style. Both act as a strong foundation as you progress through the MA.

Pre-learning

As you have been accepted on to the MA you will have already displayed a good level of artistic fundamental skill. However, as art is something we all must practise consistently it is recommended that you build good artistic habits. The following resources are all artists talking about their work or their industry.

Podcasts/videos:

The Draftsmen

Steven Zapata

Blogs

James Gurney

Books

Skillful Huntsman, The: Visual Development of a Grimm Tale at Art Center College of Design (Available through our library)

Explore the game ‘artbooks’ in the library – They are all full of inspiration of examples of professional work.

Websites

https://bethatartist.com/2025/05/10/concept-artist-career-progression-framework/

Equipment and software

Software link:

https://staffsuniversity.sharepoint.com/sites/software/SitePages/Home.aspx

Whilst there is no specific software explicitly required to create concept art, it is useful to develop skills in at least one 3D software alongside a 2D. On the course we are agnostic as to which you choose as for our purposes we are interested in visual development rather than ‘game ready’ assets.

For 2D you will have access to Photoshop as to mirror the industry, however Clipstudio, Krita, Procreate are acceptable alternatives if you prefer to use on your own devices.

For 3D we tend to use Zbrush or Blender, but 3D coat is also an acceptable alternative. You will have access to these during your time on the course.

Groups and societies

Life Drawing Society - https://www.staffsunion.com/activities/society/lds/

Although life drawing is not something that is covered in the course structure – as an external form of engagement with artistic practice, it is highly recommended that you considering joining the Life Drawing Society.

Meet the team

Dr Kieran Hicks

Course Director

Dr Kieran Hicks is a game design lecturer, they are the director of the DEMI research centre. Their research explores games from user-based and design-based lenses, using games as a tool to engage diverse groups in beneficial activity.

Kieran's profile

Tom Rush

Lecturer

I'm a lecturer in Concept Art for Games and Film BA and the Course Leader for the Concept Art MA. My specialism is traditional and digital sculpture, I've produced many examples of professional 2D design work, all with an emphasis on creature design.

Tom's profile

Anthony Martin

Senior Lecturer

Anthony is a digital artist, animator and VFX technical director with over 20 years of industry experience. His current area of interest is the creation of realistic environments using a combination of 3D and 2D techniques

Anthony's profile

Joseph Gronow

Lecturer

Joe is a concept art lecturer specialising in fundamental drawing and painting skills. He likes to blend traditional expertise with digital media.

Joseph's profile

What to expect on Welcome Week

We're so excited for you to join us on campus and to welcome you to where you matter. During your welcome week you'll be able to meet our friendly student services teams, connect with new friends, join societies, explore on-campus venues attend club nights and much more.