This week, ending 7/11/2015, we have a tutorial review of James Paicks’: “Environment Design Basics Series 1-4 Bundle”.
Source: Video
Topic: Environment Design
Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate
Software Used: Photoshop
Web Address: http://gumroad.com/jamespaick
Paid/Unpaid: $16
Tutorial presentation: (Quality)
This tutorial has clean audio and displays a crisp image. Steps were very easy to follow as James drew and the resolution on screen was high enough to read his notes. The Bundle is broken into 4 parts that include:
- composition and value,
- perspective layout,
- focal point and contrast,
- lighting and texture.
The tutorial also comes with all original hi-res demos as PSD files and various notes. Layers are labeled and organized for ease of use and reference.
Educational value: (How well the Information is presented, length of material and depth, pacing, etc.)
These easy to follow tutorials run at an average of 1hr long (per video). James Paick does a great job explaining basic design concepts while provides several examples to illustrate these principles. He even creates real-time demos in order to reinforce his talking points.
Instructor Insight: (How unique is the advice, process, and techniques offered by the instructor)
James introduces the aspect ratio before he starts to work with dynamic composition for games and film. He stresses the importance of value range and how to work with it, how to use and lay out a perspective grid when working on an environment, how to create with shape, and how to effectively use lighting and texturing. The extra notes provided with the tutorials can be used as a cheat sheet for artists who are starting out with environment design.
The final verdict:
We think that James Paicks’: “Environment Design Basics Series 1-4 Bundle” series is a must have for anyone who is starting out as an environment artist. James does an excellent job of introducing and explaining the foundations of environment design through real-time demos and more. He is clearly knowledgeable of the subject matter and even though not all the material presented was given as bonus material, there are enough notes to give the bundle series an added value for beginning and intermediate artists.
You can purchase the “Environment Design Basics Series 1-4 Bundle” series and more from James Paick here: http://gumroad.com/jamespaick
Want to help us grow our resources section? If a resource has helped you greatly please e-mail it to me or any suggestions to: me@eliottlillyart.com. I will be keeping this list updated as I discover new entries. Thank you–
