This course introduces students to the fundamentals of designing organic visual environments, providing an essential foundation for the creation and conceptualization of fully developed 360?degree spaces. Through different 2D styles and techniques, the course teaches how to understand and organize space, fill it coherently, and build visual worlds capable of integrating characters and objects. Students will learn to transform an initial idea into a defined and expressive environment, developing both creativity and the structural skills needed to design visually solid and functional settings.
Titular Professors
The aim of the course is to equip students with the ability to understand and apply the fundamentals of visual environment design, developing the capacity to conceptualize and build complete spaces through thumbnails, initial and final sketches, as well as 2D digital painting techniques. Throughout the course, students will learn to structure composition, define perspective and depth, strengthen spatial coherence and lighting, and apply color, texture, and atmosphere to achieve a solid and expressive visual environment. Additionally, the course seeks to help students develop their own artistic judgment, refine the final polish of their pieces, and prepare their work to professional standards for presentation or portfolio use.
Topic 1. Environment thumbnails. Study of composition using line and shape techniques to establish the main masses, visual rhythms, and overall structure of the scene.
Topic 2. Initial sketches. Study of form and placement of the key elements of the environment through preliminary sketches that define perspective, depth, and basic spatial relationships.
Topic 3. Development of final sketches. Refinement of the environment’s structure and details through more advanced sketches that strengthen spatial coherence, lighting, and the formal clarity of the scene.
Topic 4. 2D digital painting. Application of various color and lighting techniques in digital painting to add volume, atmosphere, texture, and ambience to the final environment.
Topic 5. Final polish and presentation. Final process of refinement, color adjustments, integration of details, and professional preparation of the image for presentation or inclusion in a portfolio.
The course is developed through a continuous project in which the student builds, class by class, a complete visual environment, applying the theories taught immediately. Each session introduces a fundamental concept of environment design —composition, perspective, form, colour, lighting, and finishing— and, during the same class, students apply it directly to their own project, promoting progressive and cumulative learning. This approach allows students to assimilate the theoretical and practical aspects of environment creation in an integrated way, understanding not only the foundations of visual design but also the sequential logic behind the professional development of an illustrated image. The central project of the course, Development of an Environment in 2D Technique, is structured in three phases:
Phase 1: Design, research, sketch creation, and visual development of the individual elements of the environment.
Phase 2: Construction of the basic environment and development of the final sketches.
Phase 3: Application of digital painting and creation of the final rendering of the image.
This course, which is primarily practical in nature, is assessed through the punctual and appropriate submission of the assignments corresponding to each stage of the creative process, taking into account the student’s engagement and the evolution of their work from the first thumbnails to the final presentation of the image. The first phase evaluates the ability to propose solid compositions through thumbnails and initial sketches that demonstrate an understanding of the overall structure of the environment. The second phase focuses on the development and refinement of the final sketches, paying attention to spatial coherence, the use of perspective, and formal clarity. The final phase assesses the application of color, digital techniques (photobashing), finishing details, and the professional presentation of the final work, considering both technical quality and the visual cohesion of the complete project.
In duly justified exceptional cases.
Evaluation criteria for all sessions: If the conditions for passing the evaluation are not met, the maximum grade will be a 4. The student is entitled to a review of the grade on the day stipulated by the professor. During the review, the student's grade may be increased or decreased. Use of AI tools: If AI tools are used in any activity, a paragraph should be indicated stating what AI was used for and what indications were used to obtain the results. Failure to do so is a violation of academic honesty policies.
Robertson, Scott. (2013). How to Draw: Drawing and Sketching Objects and Environments
Gurney, James. (2009). Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist: Volume 1
Robertson, Scott. (2017). How to Render HC: The Fundamentals of Light, Shadow and Reflectivity
Gurney, James. (2010). Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Volume 2)
Supplementary material will be provided in class.