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Designing Monsters: Ice Age

Name: Designing Monsters: Ice Age
Author: Scott Flanders

Course by Scott Flanders

Full course

$79

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Full course

Unleash your inner creature designer in a focused 6-week workshop exploring a theme of ice age horror.

$79

Lessons

so far

Duration

15h 28m

so far

Skill Level

Int. & Adv.

Views

8.8K

overview

NOTE: This workshop has ended. These are the recordings from the workshop.

The Ice Age Has Arrived

Join me over the course of this 6 week workshop as we focus on creature designs through the process of sketching, silhouettes, shapecarving, lateral iteration, photobashing, AND even some traditional sculpting! The goal with this workshop is to help you design monsters that feel functional, informed, and impactful. Even a bit horrifying.

In this workshop you’ll get lectures, demos, and structured homework that walk you through the process of designing your creature. Shape design, animal anatomy, storytelling, gameplay functionality, and iteration. I made this workshop with a focus on pushing your creative decision making and to help you to design monsters based on compelling ideas, and convincing structure.

Students will have permanent access to all Lessons and downloads from this workshop, as well as permanent access to the Shapecarver Discord.

Let's make some monsters.

What you will learn

1Week 1 - Intro to Paleo Art, Pleistocene Megafauna, and Moodboards

Learn about some of the greatest paleo-artists in history. Their work is a valuable reference for all of us, and will help to inspire our Ice Age monster designs. We'll also learn about Ice Age megafauna that you can study and use as reference. These are the building blocks from which you will construct your Ice Age monstrosity.

2Week 2 - Designing with Silhouette, Shapecarving, Photobashing, and Lateral Iteration

Try a unique approach to photobashing that is fast, fun, and which builds upon your shapecarving techniques. Learn how to explore ideas quickly and efficiently, while creating a visually exciting array of options. Presenting your ideas effectively is just as dependent on style and emotional impact, as it is about problem solving.

3Week 3 - Building Armatures, Posing, Gesture, and the Anatomical Block-in

A structurally sound armature can make a big difference when it comes to sculpting monsters. You'll learn all about the materials and techniques which are necessary in order to construct a sturdy scaffolding for your creature sculpture. Then we'll use our moodboards, sketches, and artwork to guide us as we begin to build out mutated BUT convincing anatomical forms. You'll also learn more about clay and other sculpting materials.

4Week 4 - Developing Secondary Forms, Blending, Detailing, and Refining

You won't want to miss this segment. These are some of the most important steps for making your sculpture feel detailed and finished. I'll even show you how to make your own detailing tools so you can render your sculptures to whatever level of finish you desire.

5Week 5 - Finishing Your Creature Sculpture

We'll be dedicating our meeting this week to troubleshooting and addressing feedback. Sculpting traditionally is a challenging but incredibly rewarding process, and we will need this session to insure we all create successful sculptures.

6Week 6 - Painting & Presentation

I'll show you a some easy techniques for painting, and finishing your ice age monster, so you can proudly display it at home in your studio.

7BONUS - Sculpting + Photobashing

Watch what happens when we use our own sculptures in combination with the photobashing techniques covered earlier in the workshop!

Premium Benefits

Money Back Guarantee

Contact support@proko.com within 30 days. We usually don't ask questions, but a request is subject to review if over 25% of content was downloaded. This is to protect our instructors from dishonest wardrobing and ensure a happy and thriving community.

Unexpiring Access

You will be given unexpiring access to this product.

Exclusive Content

Only premium students get to watch the majority of instruction contained in this course. Little to no free content is provided.

Assignments

A variety of exercises to help you practice what you've learned. After you do the assignments, you can post them in the community for feedback and see what other students are posting.

Visibility

You'll get priority in the discussion boards, so your questions and images get more visibility!

Assignment Demonstrations

The instructor includes demonstrations that show how to do an assignment or how to use the information taught in the lessons. Most of us are visual learners (we’re artists!), so hearing it explained is not enough. We have to see it many times.

Examples

Watch video demos from the instructor. Most of us are visual learners (we’re artists!), so reading about it or hearing it explained is not enough. We have to see it!

Demonstrations

Watch video demos with educational commentary from the instructor. Most of us are visual learners (we’re artists!), so reading about it or hearing it explained is not enough. We have to see it!

Download Photos

Save photos directly to your phone, tablet, or PC for offline personal use.

Downloads

Includes content that the student can download for offline viewing.

What others are saying

Joey Ro

“Scott has an ability to put himself in his students' shoes and teach from a perspective that makes understanding and retaining the information much easier, and is suitable for artists of any skill level. I've participated in 3 or 4 workshops now. I learn and pick up something new every time. Scott is really great at knowing where to push his students to allow them to really grow. I've seen it in my own work as well as some of my classmates. The classes are well structured and the community aspect of the class really helps with making the workshops feel like a team project. These workshops have helped grow my skills and speed and efficiency of my workflow. Highly recommend it.”

Kira

"I took a whole year’s worth of Scott’s workshops, and I have got to say… It was a phenomenal experience! The lessons I received pushed me and my work to whole new levels and the feedback I received from Scott and my peers solidified my understanding of where I am at in the industry, artistically, and where to go from there. I couldn't recommend them enough, just take one… and you’ll want more :)"

Michael Mendiola

"Participating in Scott’s workshops has been a key pillar in my growth as an artist. His ability to clearly explain design and foundational concepts has helped me level up in both my daily work and creative practice. The assignments are straightforward but thoughtfully designed, often centered around exciting subject matter. Most importantly, Scott’s feedback is excellent—insightful and always nudging you in the right direction. Doing the work is essential, and it’s absolutely worth it."

Erik Oehlke

"I highly recommend Scott Flanders’ Design Workshops. Scott is a helpful, patient, and fun teacher, and his classes have taught me a lot about the art process. If you stick to the class schedule and put in the work, you’ll make fast progress and really grow as an artist. Whether you're taking the course at the audit or critique level, I think it’s well worth it. Another big plus is the access to the Discord community. It’s honestly my favorite online art group—it feels like a tight-knit community where everyone supports each other and wants to see each other succeed."

Jake Dota

“Working with Scott helped me tune into myself and what personal strategies I need to take to be an effective creator. Further more you’ll hear his opinions about design and nature and how that informs his choices in the design process.”

Cody

“Are you ready to have fun with art again? Scott’s workshops have been a game changer for me and such an enjoyable experience. They have significantly increased my understanding of design theory and shape language. Through Scott’s insightful teaching methods, I’ve learned to push my design ideas using language, rough sketches, and well-curated references, making sure that my concepts are developed the way I want them to be.  The fun collaborative group environment in these workshops has broadened my horizons as well, helping me come up with ideas I might not have explored by myself.  Scott’s focus on understanding personal preferences in art and design has also been great. They have helped me to quickly iterate on concepts and confidently present finalized designs. His years of teaching and working in the industry really shows through in the workshops with his unique approach to guiding designers through their creative process.”

Andrew

“As an aspiring artist, I struggled a lot with finding the right path, what to look at, what to study. With that being said I’ve been taking classes with Scott for around a year now, and my growth has been nothing short of exponential. If y’all have the chance, PLEASE, take his classes. Aside from being a great artist, he really takes the time to care and teach the essential tools of trade, all while inspiring you to continue drawing and to really trust the process! I owe a lot to his teachings, as if it weren’t for the constant feedback and encouragement, I wouldn’t be the artist I am today. Anyways give him a shot, you won’t regret it!”

Everett Arce

“I’ve taken three of Scott’s courses; kitbashing, monster design, and creature design. When I first got to study with him, in his kitbashing course he gave a clean cut overview of his design process that helped me adjust the way I think about design. When he talks about the early phases he makes sure that we develop a thorough understanding of the goal , the expectations of the intended audience, and how to subvert their expectations. This intentionality in the beginning of the process pressed me to be more decisive and better researched with my choices. Scott’s experience as a teacher, and industry professional helped me better understand the skill sets I needed to focus on refining and clarified my own strengths. I'm glad I’ve gotten to study with him as much as I have and highly recommend him as an instructor. Scott’s a rad dude, he’s a great communicator, and his experience working in concept art for video games informs every lesson.”

Marius

“Scott introduces you to he's work-process which is solid. Scotts work speaks for it self, he creates strong visuals in yet a simple way with a simple palette, and that is a result of he's understanding of shape, design, visualizing and symbolism. He's workshops gives you a solid platform for you to evolve. If you put in the effort, he will help you. As an instructor he is calm, precise, constructive, supporting and very passionate. His workshops are for me an "Arts and craft boost" because they give me confidence and triggers my passion for creating characters, creatures and worlds.”

Fernando Soares

“I’ve attended three of Scott’s workshops in the audit and critique groups. They’ve been one of the most effective ways to learn that I’ve found, outside of his mentorship, and that’s because Scott focuses on creating a collaborative space that simulates working in a studio. This has helped me a lot to develop my portfolio, better prepare for opportunities, and even gave me a better mindset to give feedback to my team when I’ve worked as a Lead. So if you’re looking to improve your skills in creating cool characters, creatures, and monsters with badass shapes, Scott is THE teacher for you.”

F.A.Q.

How long will I be able to access these Lessons?

Forever!

You will be able to access this course including all of the Lessons, Downloads, and other resources - whenever you like.

When will the Lessons for this Course be completed?

New Lessons will be published each week.

This is an ongoing Live workshop event that is in progress right now. The Live workshop is set to run for 6 weeks, after which time all of the lectures, demos, assignments, and critiques will live on as Lessons published here on Proko.com.

This course features a new collaborative format. One which brings students the high quality and accessibility of the Proko platform, while maintaining the uniquely creative and authentic experience of participating in one of Scott's design workshops.

We hope you enjoy it.

What programs do I need for this workshop?

You may use any software that works for you, and 3d is encouraged.

Keep in mind that you can apply these lessons to create monsters in any program or medium.

What's the difference between Participation and Audit?

Along with complete access to all published Lessons and downloads, the Participation Seat gives you access to the Live component of this workshop, during which time you will be able to get to know the instructor and ask them questions directly. Your homework will be featured in the published Lessons, and most importantly you will receive feedback directly from the instructor.

An Audit Seat grants you access to the Lessons here on Proko.com, but you will not be able to join in on the Live meetings to ask questions, and your artwork will not receive critique or featured in the published Lessons.

How do I participate in the Live workshop meetings?

When you buy the Participation Seat, we'll send you a private Discord link where the class will be held.

Are there any downloads included with this workshop?

Absolutely. This workshop includes:

A narrated Timelapse Tutorial video featuring our theme of ice age horror. The video is 24 minutes in length.
Some of my Monstrous Artwork you can look at for examples.
Photoshop Tool Presets I use for all of my monster design work.
A chilling Texture Overlay to help reinforce tone and setting for your designs.
A massive bone pits worth of Photo Reference gathered from my recent trip the Tar Pits at La Brea.