Visual Storytelling with Tahir Tanis
$200.00
Select the spectate option for recordings from last term!
Let’s learn how to layer different artistic tools to tell visual stories with a strong sense of world building! Combining consistent and harmonious yet unexpected details is key to conveying narrative and environmental storytelling with images. In this course, we’ll develop and grow research and ideation skills to create intriguing illustrations alongside demos of key techniques and live feedback sessions.
We’ll cover:
- The importance of personal style
- Where to find inspiration for stories and how to use them in world building
- Developing a solid artistic foundation
- How to leverage tools and programs effectively
Date & Time: Sundays, starting February 2nd at 11:00 AM Eastern
Skill level: All skill levels welcome
Tiers: Receive feedback or spectate without homework feedback
Format: 4–5 hour live class each week with combination of lectures, demos, and feedback. Recordings are generally provided within a couple days of each live session.
Materials: Any digital or traditional mediums. Paintovers will be done digitally
Week 1: Coming up with a story, finding inspiration, setting up art direction
Week 2: Going over different techniques for composing images (sketching, photobashing, & 3D)
Week 3: Designing clothes in Marvelous Designer and environments in Blender
Week 4: Merging 2D and 3D references to create illustrations
Week 5: Setting the mood and adding color, finalizing images
Description
Tahir Tanis is an artist at Embark Studios. Previously, he worked as a senior concept artist at EA DICE from 2015–2019, and as a freelance concept artist at Axis Studios. You may recognize him from his work on games such as Battlefield V and ARC Raiders.
STUDENT EXPERIENCES
“Tahir seems very aware of where he’s at with his pieces often during the process, and that’s not something I do. Most importantly, when it’s time to switch from 3D to 2D and vice versa, to keep the process fun and not stagnating. I got painfully aware of how little I do that, so that’s my biggest takeaway.”
— Pietro Guglielmi
“I learned how to approach worldbuilding for my personal projects through writing and collecting references, without getting too lost in the details. Also, the most important thing I learned is how to use different programs and tools in a practical way and make the process easier for myself to achieve the desired product I want.
“I have been following Devin since my student years, and his books have profoundly changed my perspective. His logical approach taught me that there are no strict rules in art—or even in other fields. Underpaint Academy is a fantastic place. The main Discord channel is active and welcoming, accessible both before and after the course. The moderators are quick to assist whenever issues arise. The lecture durations were enough, with lessons lasting up to five and a half hours in the course I took. Overall, it was a great experience. Thank you, Underpaint Academy, for bringing in such unique and top-tier artists from the industry.”
— Siraç Coşkun
STUDENT WORK
