MONTREAL WORKSHOP CURRICULUM (3rd Draft- REVISED!! May/26)

[Layil]

ConceptArt.org and Massive Black Inc.
Present:

The 7th International ConceptArt Workshop:
2006 in Montreal!

Montreal Curriculum V3.0

DR1= Digital Room One
DR2= Digital Room Two
DR3= Digital Room Three
TR= Traditional Room

Day 1


10:00 am- DS1: Grand Entrance, Meet and Greet: The Grand Entrance of the MB team and the experienced workshop instructors! See the latest work, hear the stories and get a feel for the next few days… who’s ready to rock!?

Group WORKSHOP THUNDERDOME Topic Announcement: Sharpen your pencils folks!


11:00-2:00 –

DR1: The Art of the Quick Sketch: Idea Development and Brainstorming
The initial development of an idea can sometimes be the hardest. Hear the instructors talk about their methods for breaking through that blank page, how to avoid clichés and create something truly original.
Instructors: Dan Milligan


DR2: Euro Style Speedpainting Jam
Watch these digital mavericks do their thing on the big screen. Each has a different approach and techniques. Watch closely and learn a thing or two!
Instructors: HPX, Nox, Aleksi


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO!
Petey will demonstrate the new Mudbox software application which makes for artistic and intuitive 3d sculpting a reality. For those of you who are looking to mix 2d and 3d techniques in your concept design or artwork, this should not be missed. This will be a 4 day demo, so you can wander in and out as it progresses.

As Petey takes breaks, there will be a rotating cast of instructors jamming freestyle at this Demo Station. Keep an eye out!
Instructors: Petey Konig (Smellybug) and others.


TR: Gesture Drawing from the Figure to Create Dynamic Characters
Using a model as a base, the instructors will discuss their techniques for drawing the human figure and adapting it to create interesting and new character and creature concepts. Nude models will be available doing dynamic gesture poses- get out your sketchbook and draw along!
Instructors: Android, Marko, Wes



2:00- 3:00 – LUNCH!!

3:00-5:30 –

DR1: Intro to Character Design Tag Team
Further developing on the previous lecture, the instructors will go into more detail about what makes a good character or creature concept. Check out their unique approaches as they collaborate on a design.
Instructors: Marko, Android,


DR2: Idea Development for Environment Design
Beginning with the basics, how to create believable environment designs. Fundamental technique will be discussed, such as use of reference, basic perspective and practical design sense.
Instructors: Aleksi, Coro Kaufman


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO! Continued….


TR: Creative Sketchbooks- Brainstorming and Using Life as Inspiration.
Do you carry a sketchbook everywhere you go? You should!!
The real world around us is the basis for all concept design work. Drawing from your environment is fundamental to your progression as an artist. Take a look at some stunning instructor sketchbooks and hear them talk about how they use this useful tool to inspire themselves in their designs.
Instructors: Wes Burt, Marko Djurdjevic and others


Ongoing:
Nude Figure Models in the Traditional Room- Short poses.
Instructor Sketchbooks will be out for your viewing.







5:30-8:00


DR1: Into to Multimedia Creature Design
Monsters, and Robots and Bugs, oh my! Creepy crawlies are an essential part of the gaming world- watch how the instructors use reference and their imaginations to create believable, functional creatures and robots.
Instructors: Vyle, Android Jones, Black Frog


DR2: Mastering Graphic Elements and Design
Graphic design is an often-overlooked element in production illustration. See these design masters put their skills to use in their concepts, creating dynamism and style with placement and contrast on a page. Dramatic Composition and use of graphics in illustration will be discussed as well.
Instructors: Coro, HPX, Marko


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO! Continued….


TRS: Drawing Form and Light- a Three Hour Process.
Using a model as a base, the instructors will explain the theory of light on form, shadow placement and design. Watch them complete a detailed drawing with their medium of choice over a three-hour period.
Instructors: Carl Dobsky, Shawn Barber, James Kei



Ongoing:
Nude Figure Models in the Traditional Room- Short poses.
Instructor Sketchbooks will be out for your viewing.

SIDEBAR: Review of the first day’s Milestone: THUMBNAIL CRITS!
Instructor: Marko and others


8:30 – 11:00 PM- First night out, go see the city and hang out!.



11 PM-????? THE BIG NIGHT OUT- Location to be announced!




Day 2-


12:00 – 3:00-

DR1: Refining the Concept- The Next Step
Mirroring their studio pipeline, the instructors will further develop one of the sketches done the previous day, making three rough versions of it, exploring use of design, functionality and aesthetics. Pay attention, cause you’ll be doing this later!
Instructors: Wes Burt, Marko Djurdjevic

DR2: Creative Imagery- Lighting and Composition to Create Mood.
Production art is often called in to define the “Mood” of an idea. Instructors will demonstrate their thought processes on the use of lighting and composition to tell a story and create a distinct mood in a piece.
Instructors: James Kei, Coro


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO! Continued….


TR: Painting and Drawing Better Heads and Faces- The Portrait Break Down
Instructors will go over the basics of head construction and facial types. Using the model, they will demo a portrait painting or drawing and discuss applying these same techniques to create believable characters from imagination.
Instructors: Carl Dobsky, Shawn Barber, James Kei, Andrew Jones


Ongoing:
Nude Figure Models in the Traditional Room- medium length poses.
Instructor Sketchbooks will be out for your viewing.


3:00- 4:00- LUNCH!!


4:00- 6:30-

DR1: Weapon and Tech Design 101
Watch Photoshop whizzes blast through gun demos and weapons designs… tips on making a functional gun and rendering it to realism by those who know.
Instructors: Coro, Noxizmad,

DR2: From Commission to Completion: The Basics of Freelance Illustration.
Instructors with many years of pro illustrator experience reveal their step by step working methods:
1. getting a job/ advertising.
2. developing ideas appropriate for a book cover.
3. creating/submitting sketches for approval.
4. acquiring reference.
5. starting the painting.
Their painting demonstration will be ongoing through the workshop in the Traditional Room. Go check it out and see what they’re talking about!
Instructors: Shawn Barber and Daniel Dossantos


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO! Continued….


TR: Figure Drawing Class: Movement and Anatomy
Understanding the structure of the human form is essential to the successful reproduction of a figure, whether it be from life of imagination. Learn from the instructors as they break down the figure, making sense of the most complex machine on earth. They say once you can draw people, you can draw anything….. Instructors will be drawing from multiple male and female models.
Instructors: Andrew Jones, Jason Manley, Carl Dobsky.


Ongoing:
Instructor Sketchbooks will be out for your viewing.
Illustration in Oil from Reference- Shawn Barber and Dan Dossantos continue their Illustrations, explaining their process and materials as they go.




6:30-9:00-

DR1: Visual Development and Storytelling: The Storyboard
Dan can spend all day talking about what he loves to do. He will cover shot development, story, technique, and help you improve your ideas on how to achieve appropriate and quality storyboard images. We really do expect this lecture to last all day. If we tried to stop Dan from talking about this, he would just tell everyone to follow him back to the hotel. Since we love him so much we will be sure he has a spot to discuss and draw. Dan's lectures are as funny and informative as one can hope for. You are guaranteed to learn from him. We do!
Instructors: Dan Milligan, others?


DR2: BIOWARE Presents: Fran, Matt and Sasha of Bioware get together to give you a glimpse behind the wizard's curtain... watch how these three team members rock out on a world design- characters, enviro and tech- fleshing out a world of their choosing and showing you how its done. Not to be missed!
Instructors: Fran Gaulin, Matt Rhodes and Sasha Beliave.


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO! Continued….


TR: Multiple Figure Composition: Placing Figures in Space
Drawing one figure is one thing, but try doing two or more at once? Draftsmanship masters tackle this compositional conundrum, explaining proportion and balance in an image using available models… pay attention, cause they’ll be doing a Long Pose demo next, using these very techniques!
Instructors: Carl Dobsky, James Kei



Ongoing:
Instructor Sketchbooks will be out for your viewing.
Illustration in Oil from Reference- Shawn Barber and Dan DosSantos finish their Illustrations, explaining their process and materials as they go.


SIDEBAR: Review of the second day’s Milestone: 1st Pass refinements- 3 roughs



Day 3


11:00-2:00 –

DR1: Color and the Theory of Light
Effective techniques for understanding color in an easy-to-use fashion will be shared. Participants will leave the lecture and demo with a better understanding of light and how to use it in their images...whether they be 3d artists, texture painters, lighters, or concept artists.
Instructors: Jason Manley, Andrew Jones, Nox


DR2: Advanced Environment Design: Making it Believable
Tired of making the same boring dull environments? Watch as the instructors demonstrate how to do Narrative Imagery in environments. Hear discussion on the creation of "Character Specific Environments". See how an environment can tell the narrative of the world and suggest depth by using symbolism and leaving visual cues. Hear how this can be done in a structured way that will make sense to the viewers. Bring your game levels or film environments to the next step!
Instructors: Aleksi, HPX, Black Frog


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO! Continued….


TR: Life Painting Long Pose- Multiple Figures Begins...
Watch and get to know today's oil painting masters as they create and share their ideas on learning, painting, and creating imagery using an understanding of the visual world. The artists will be painting from the models using the techniques discussed the two previous days. This demonstration continues the rest of the workshop as it will be a multiple session painting process that is shared.
Instructors: Coro, Carl Dobsky, Dan Dosantos, Shawn Barber

ALSO: Clothed/ Costumed Figure Models in the Traditional Room- short poses.

Ongoing:
Instructor Sketchbooks will be out for your viewing.


2:00-3:00- LUNCH!!!


3:00-5:30-

DR1: The Full Color Pass- Solidifying the Design and Detailing
So you’ve worked out your ideas in thumbnails and done three rough comps… once you’ve chosen your final design, now what? Instructors will show you their techniques for pushing a design beyond a cliché into something truly memorable.
Instructors: Android, James Kei,


DR2: Visual Symbolism- Making Meaningful Images
How to tell a story using a single image: load your images with symbolism and meaning, bring a background and history to a character or place, make images that get a reaction…
Instructors: Barontieri, Vyle


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO! Continued….


TR: Costume Design and Drawing the Clothed Figure
Enough naked people! Anatomy studies aside, it is invaluable to learn how to clothe the figure, a topic often overlooked in arts education but essential if you are planning to be a professional concept artist or illustrator. Watch how the instructors create interesting and functional costumes, how to render textures, drape and movement in fabrics. These guys whip out dozens of these a week, so watch closely and learn a thing or two! Clothed and costumed models will be available for sketching.
Instructors: Marko Djurdjevic, Coro, Matt Rhodes





Ongoing:
Instructor Sketchbooks will be out for your viewing.
The Long Pose Oil Painting continues….
Clothed/ Costumed Figure Models in the Traditional Room- short poses.


5:30- 8:00-

DR1: Painter and Zbrush Demos- Program Tips and Tricks
Watch the pros at work on the tools of the trade. Instructors demo two of the major design programs used in the concept industry today. Take notes! This is invaluable stuff…
Instructors: Android Jones


DR2: Digital Collaborations: Integrating Styles and Working as a Team
Teamwork is one of the key areas we face as concept artists when working on large projects. Watch these artists create multiple images of unified look and feel with each artist contributing to the process. See how concept design can improve when working as a team.
Instructors: Wes Burt, James Kei, Nox, Vyle, Barontieri


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO! Continued….


TR: The Long Pose Oil Painting continues….
Clothed/ Costumed Figure Models in the Traditional Room- medium poses.

SIDEBAR: Review of the third day’s Milestone: 2nd Pass – the homestretch!

Ongoing:
Instructor Sketchbooks will be out for your viewing..



Day 4-



10:00-1:00

DR1: A Crash Course in the Business of Art and Entertainment from an Artist's Perspective- Hear discussion regarding the many paths to choose when being an artist. Hear game pro's discuss their industry, Fine Artist's discuss their success in galleries and share tips, and hear Illustrators discuss the illustration business. These guys have been there and done that. There will be a large group of companies in attendance. Be sure to pick the brains of the people around you. For all you know, you are standing between a Lead Artist from Blizzard and a Character Artist from EA. There are a lot of very very talented and experienced people in attendance. Take time on this day to discuss biz and learn how to make it or even make it big as an artist.
Instructor: Jason Manley, Shawn Barber, Black Frog, Dan DosSantos


DR2: Instructor Free Jam – Eye candy while you stand in line!
Instructors: Vyle, Barontieri, Aleksi, Sasha, Fran and Matt

Portfolio Reviews and Hiring- As stated, multiple companies are coming to hire and review portfolios in order to give input.. Bring your reels in DVD or CD format as well as hard copies. VHS reels are not viewable at this time. Bring your best works. Bring the works you want input on. Please try to put on a good presentation for yourself. This may be the workshop...but this is the real deal!


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO! Continued….


TR: The Long Pose Oil Painting continues….
Clothed/ Costumed Figure Models in the Traditional Room- medium poses.


Ongoing:
Instructor Sketchbooks will be out for your viewing.


1:00-2:00 LUNCH!


2:00-5:00-

DR1: Art Battle- Thunderdome PRO- 1 topic, a bunch of instructors, 1 winner!
Instructors will battle head to head in a tournement of speed and skill. A concept will be chosen by the artists and shared with the attendees. The instructors will be knocking out their ideas. The crowd will judge. Who will be crowned Champion??? It should be an interesting battle indeed. Which instructors will step up to compete? Find out at the workshop!
Instructors: Whoever doesn’t chicken out!


DR2: Instructor Free Jam – Eye candy while you stand in line!
Portfolio Reviews and Hiring Continued….


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO! Continued….


TR: The Long Pose Oil Painting FINISHES
Clothed/ Costumed Figure Models- medium poses.



5:00-8:00

DR1: The Last Hurrah! Instructors and students will view the Final THUNDERDOME Images from everyone, winners will be picked and prizes given out, Raffle ticket drawing, etc etc….

DR2: Portfolio Reviews and Hiring Continued….


DR3: Best Kept Secret… the MUDBOX DEMO! Continued….

TR: Live Models available for sketching.


Time to say goodbye!!
See you in ROME!!!

[magicgoo]

Question: Are the different rooms holding their sessions at the same time? If so, could we leave one room and wander into another?

[Layil]

Yes, the three rooms are going simultaneously, and you are free to wander where ever you please.... these workshops are very loose and free flowing and you are encouraged to learn however works best for you. Most people wander from one lecture to the other, as their interests and skill levels dictate.

[GreenTopaz]

Not to sound like a total art n00b, but how do I make a portfolio reel on cd/dvd? I woulda thought that meant just stickin my stuff in files on a disk, but 'reel' makes it sound like a slideshow and I dunno how to do that...

sorry, I know it's a bit of a silly question :d

[rogfa]

I think the reel is intended for people who have 3D work to show, like animations and to do turn arounds on models and so forth. A printed portfolio is probably best for drawn artwork.

[marco nelor]

allright , any rooms left open for grabs? i finally can come to montreal, but now i need to find a place to stay. sorry im late!

[OBX]

is there a printer friendly version of this yet?

[neoknocker]

Originally Posted by OBX

is there a printer friendly version of this yet?

Select the info with your mouse and afterwards choose Print Selection.

[Shelly Wan]

This third draft is a dream come true for me! thank you Layil so much!

[Icon]

I can't express how excited I am!
I'm so ready for this!!

[Goldorak]

Compiled a chart from the info available in this thread.
Please let me know if you find typos or if something needs to be updated.


8:30 – 11:00 PM- First night out, go see the city and hang out!.
11 PM-????? THE BIG NIGHT OUT- Location to be announced!

[cartoonfox]

Holy shit, that's awesome!!!
Thanks so much for doing that Goldorak!! : ]


peace

[Pixeldragoon]

You forgot the big suprise on the first night =X

[cartoonfox]

But then It wouldn't be a suprise...

[Goldorak]

Edit: There, happy? It's fixed!

[Ham-e]

Thanks for that chart Goldorak! nice work will help me plan my days

[Erilaz]

Ah... so many awesome streams of art going on. My brain will explode. Thanks for the chart Goldorak, and huge thanks to Layil for keeping us up to date!

[Layil]

awsome dude, thanks, i may even use this at the workshop...

[oglu]

hey dudes...
wat is going on with the mudbox..?
infos please...

[elvis75k]

yes. please give us some info!
I haven't join montreal: 1975 euros just for the fly is a little too much .

thanks mates..

[Flood]

Originally Posted by oglu

hey dudes...
wat is going on with the mudbox..?
infos please...

There was soooo much going on at once I only periodically got sit in on the Mudbox demo but Peter was turning out some killer stuff.

Others got a bunch of questions in they might be able to flesh it out for you better.

I'll no doubt bombard Peter with questions tomorrow when my feet touch the ground again.

Outside of that the day didn't really follow the listed schedule but actually surpassed what I was expecting.

The end of the day was really brutal as all you had to do was stand in the middle of the space and swivel your head from left to right and be bombarded from all sides with artists like Vyle,Android,The Black Frog,Shawn Barber,Carl Dobsky,Coro,Marko,Jason Chan and on and on just going at it.

The Massive Black crew just battered and deep fried my brain in killer art.
I'm so inspired I'm actually paralyzed, so many cool techniques to try so little time.

I probably wont live to day 4 at this rate.

[arkain]

are we starting at 12 tommorow or its a mistake ?

since all the other days start at 10 or 11 why 12 tommorow ?

if anyone can answer would be nice

today was a blast btw!!!

[Qitsune]

Jason said 12. Mostly because ppl are going to get wasted at Foufs tonite.

[arkain]

ah ok thnx alot qitsune

[Flood]

Originally Posted by qitsune

Jason said 12. Mostly because ppl are going to get wasted at Foufs tonite.

Bingo.

I'd even say 12 is probably optimisic knowing the effect Fouf has on people.

[kokoko]

maybe some peopple will get drunk and need all the morning to wake up lol

Personnaly I was a little bit disapointed by the sessions today, the sound was not really great, and we really had to figure out WHY artists were using thier techniques, what were their basic intentions making a character etc...some time it was just not explained at all...


I really liked the jason manley presentation, he really explained a lot of things and gave a lot of advices about environement/production workflow etc etc..
REALLY NICE and usefull !

I cant wait for tomorow ! let s go painting all night !!

[Flood]

Originally Posted by kokoko

maybe some peopple will get drunk and need all the morning to wake up lol

Personnaly I was a little bit disapointed by the sessions today, the sound was not really great, and we really had to figure out WHY artists were using thier techniques, what were their basic intentions making a character etc...some time it was just not explained at all...


I really liked the jason manley presentation, he really explained a lot of things and gave a lot of advices about environement/production workflow etc etc..
REALLY NICE and usefull !

I cant wait for tomorow ! let s go painting all night !!

The sound was my only gripe.

If you weren't in the first two rows all you heard was feedback and echos.
As for the artists views and reasoning I just picked their brain if I had a question.

Jasons presentation was really fantastic for industry info though.
Dan was another fountain of knowledge today.

So many brains to pick so little time.

[Goldorak]

Well, the place is dark with not much ambient light available because of the projectors in use...
No use for the flash because it reflects on the screen and makes it blank.

[AngryScientist]

[piffle]

Yesterday, it was way too dark and noisy to hear what the painters had to say and see what they were doing.

Should be moved to a closed, brighter area, of which there are two-the sketchbooks area or that room to the side where there is some sort of demo going on. If not, can someone get the painters microphones and figure out how to project what they're doing on a screen?

Also, one of the first sessions didn't happen. I heard it was because the model didn't show up.

As others have noted, the environments session was good.