Course Overview

• 

  Robert Chang

  Robert "Lunatique" Chang is an artist, writer / director, composer / songwriter, and photographer whose work has been featured in...

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• What you'll learn

  
  

   

  This workshop contains four main components:

  1. Critical foundations of visual art

  2. Advanced creative concepts

  3. Common pitfalls, career development, and creative fulfillment

  4. Powerfully flexible digital workflow and advanced techniques.

  The foundation component will cover the essential foundations of visual art that all competent artists must grasp--such as composition, lighting, values, color, etc, and explores depths not easily found in other instructional materials/courses. Students will discover that what they thought they already knew from books and classes were merely the tip of the iceberg, and there’s so much still beyond their initial understanding. Other important topics include how to depict natural and expressive characters through psychological and physiological analysis, and an extensive section that covers a wide-range of drawing and painting techniques.

  The advanced component tackles highly complex and sophisticated subjects that often confound even professional artists, and are rarely taught or properly explained in-depth by instructors and authors--subjects like the anatomy of visual vocabulary, the components of stylization, creating appropriate styles for specific intellectual properties, reconciling aesthetics and taste, adapting the techniques of good fiction writers for visual narratives, how to inject your emotions and intellect into your work even when doing commercial work for clients/companies, effective surface treatment for intended purpose, manipulating values for stylization, and more.

  The third component of the course will guide students through the methodologies and creative approaches of advanced artists and visual storytellers, important career development tips, the quest for creative and personal fulfillment, and steer students away from all the common pitfalls that both advanced and novice artists often fall into--pitfalls that can sometimes destroy careers and the passion to create. Learn how to face insecurity, self-loathing, lack of discipline and motivation, lack of focus and decisiveness in your creative choices, loss of proper perspective in the relationship between your dreams and your life, and emotional baggage that can cripple you and prevent a fulfilling life of creativity and passion.

  The fourth component of the course is a full arsenal of secret weapons that advanced professionals use on a daily basis; Workflow that allows them amazing flexibility, astounding speed, and absolute control. These are highly practical and productive techniques that once the students learn them, will never want to live without ever again.

  In Rob's own words: "While putting together the material for this workshop, I came to the realization that the entire course is essentially the absolute distillation of the most essential things I have ever learned as an artist to date, and if I could travel back in time and spend eight weeks with my younger self, these are the very things I'd want him to learn."

  Related Links

  Robert Chang's Official Website
  Robert Chang's Portfolio
  CGNetworks feature article from January 2003
  D'artiste Digital Painting

  About Robert Chang >>

  
  Testimonials

  #1 - 2010 March - May

  Bradley Machamer

  The way that you talk about what you do, and how you teach; the energy and the effort that you have put into this workshop, and into all of us is incredible - your teaching is far beyond anything I have ever seen before, and I feel so blessed to be one of your students, and to be able to interact and learn with everyone.

  Won Suk Heo

  It has been said already, but I want to say again that Robert has inspired me to be more than just a better artist, but to be a better human being as well. He showed by example the kind of person I want to be: totally dedicated and helpful to others, strive for excellence yet remain humble, and have a broad vision and enjoy everything life has to offer. So thank you Robert. I had very high expectations for this workshop, and it surpassed them in ways I didn't even think of.

  Trevor Crandall

  Really, I think I could ramble on for quite a few pages about how much I got out of this workshop. But instead I will say this. I've spent a ton of time and money on learning and getting to where want to be artistically and professionally over the last 8 years. In doing so, I've developed a very low tolerance for bullshit when it comes to people wasting my precious time or taking advantage of my hard earned money. That being said, this class was probably one of the best investments of my time and money thus far, and it will be paying dividends for many years to come.

  Del Melchionda

  I think Rob has a very unique, very holistic approach to art and creativity, one I've never really seen or heard before from a teacher or professor. He makes you think about the why, not just the how. And this is something that often gets shunted aside with the heavy focus digital art has on technique and tools.

  #2 - 2010 June - August

  Denise Gross

  I can tell you that I already, just from last week's videos, feel that I have learned more about painting than I have from any other course I have taken. And I have taken alot. This is by far the best painting and process instruction I have ever had. Thank you so much for not only putting the time into this but also for actually allowing us to see the process of every step. It is great!!!!

  #3 - 2010 August - October

  Ricardo Roberto van Duuren

  The workshop met all my expectations and more. I had already heard about it and from the posts you wrote on cgtalk I already knew you are knowledgable and have excellent teaching skills. The combination is rare I think. At least, most teachers I met either didn't knew enough to answer any question I had, or lacked the teaching skills to explain things to someone who's as stubborn as me. I don't believe people unless they can convince me with facts and adequate information. I (and many others) aren't convinced by 'I'm the teacher, so just believe me on this'. The fact that you managed to convince me on matters I thought otherwise about says enough I think.

  If I haven't said it before (I'm known to be sparse with compliments and 'thank you's'): Thank you! I will forever remember this workshop as a turning point in my life.

  #4 - 2010 October - December

  Philipp Otterbach

  What i can say for sure, is, that i definitely got what i had come for and that was a refresher on the essential principles that are the foundation of good artwork and a roadmap on how to improve. This and your personal insights in what being a creative person means, the techniques you use and the structured way of how you tackle creative endeavors was so incredibly interesting and inspiring. This is the third CGSociety workshop i participated in and all three were great learning experiences, that were well worth the money they cost, but this one really sticks out, because of how essential and meaningful the stuff taught here is to all kinds of creative processes.

  #5 - 2011 January - March

  Mauricio Flores

  Through these eight weeks I almost felt like a little boy inside a toy store, the majority of the material provided resulted fresh and fascinating, I always thought of myself as an intermediate level artist but this workshop pulled my pants down leaving me in a shameful but also exciting position, because the moment I started to apply the concepts learned, my worked began to improve, and hell did I loved that smile on my face.

  Hector Eduardo

  I wanna thank you so much Rob for your always caring and delightful teaching. You really have known how to keep us motivated throughout out this awesome ride. Thank you for being such a passionate teacher. Now, I'm more than happy to join the others as saying this workshop met and far exceeded my expectations. I can't thank you enough Rob for your passionate way of teaching and your honest caring for our growth.

  #6 - 2011 May - July

  Suresh V. Selvaraj

  You've now set an impossibly high bar for all my future teachers. Early in my career, I learnt the difference between someone who is very knowledgeable and someone who is both very knowledgeable and capable of imparting that knowledge. Most people consider anyone knowledgeable can teach, but teaching is a completely different skill and its crucial from a student's PoV. You're one of the rare few who has both. And because of your storytelling background, you also seem to know how to have a good flow through the whole course. But more importantly, you seem to actually *care* about the students, which definitely comes through in your comments and critiques. So, hats off to that!

  Luis Gama

  You know those times in life when you think about your choices at a given time, were they good, were they bad? Who would i be if turned left on that road instead of right? Well, now i look back and i`m so happy that i make the turn into this workshop. I was lost. Without any clue of how to achieve my goals, overwhelmed with information, overwhelmed by amazing work being posted everyday, and absolutely no idea how to get there. Every Monday morning i felt like a kid unwrapping the Christmas presents while i was reading through the notes, even the anticipation " New notes tomorrow...sweeet!". Everything was so well organized, written and exemplified for our needs as an artist, the assignments so well planned to push you further, step, by step, with precise feedback.

  Enric Guillem

  Truth be told, the contents of this workshop are something far from my early expectations and my happiness goes beyond my wildest imagination. Why? Because this course doesn't teach, this course is a testimony of wisdom passed to the students by a kind and hard working soul. During my school and university days, I was able to notice improvements by little bits but here it's the first time that I've experienced such a brutal change in a very short time. The best way I find to explain is comparing to Matrix as I finally can understand Neo when he claims: I know Kungfu =)

  Know that I'm not an ass-kisser and that I mean what I say, so get ready: you're one of the best teachers I've ever had. Period. Your dedication, generosity and kindness are amazing and there's not a day where I felt that you failed us. Are you sure you're human and not an angel?

  Nele Klumpe

  Before I enrolled in this workshop I felt like I needed to get to the next level. I was improving, yes, but not as fast as I would have liked to. But the problem was more that I had immense problems in the process of creating an image as well as several problems with self doubts. Now I think that I'm ready to take the next step. It's like someone showed me the direction, where to go, whereas before I couldn't see through the fog.

  Sarah Bloch

  I can't tell you enough how lucky I feel that I could be part of this workshop. It's truely a blessing and it just crossed my path when I needed it more than anything. That was one of my best decisions to participate in this course! One of those decisions that – when thinking back – you just think "wow, that really changed something in my life!".

  #7 - 2011 June - August

  Hassan Javaid

  This workshop has changed me, in a very significant way. I appreciate the wealth of knowledge that I've received in it, and honestly, I've learned more in these few weeks than I have in 2 years at college, so yeah, its amazing...

  Either way, Thank you Robert, I really mean it, this workshop was probably one of the best things that have happened to me, and the knowledge alone is worth more than I could ever wish for.

  #8 - 2011 September - November

  Leandro Reis

  I can tell you, I've seen a lot of tutorials, seen a lot of works, but your workshop helped me see exactly the process needed in order to develop and grow as an artist. It's not about the technical skills, that, every single tutorial tries to teach you, it's all about the vision and the challenge. It's how you perceive and find new things, the way you deconstruct and try to understand them and to connect the dots on all that you've seen and try to create rules and destilate what you know into the canvas. The discoveries have been, simply put, magical.

  #9 - 2011  November -  2012 January

  David Coacci

  Like Charles said, the past few months have gone by way too quickly, and I can say they've been some of the most memorable of my life. I can't recall the last time I actually wanted to do homework. Crazy.

  #11 - 2012 April - June

  LeRoy Corbie

  Previously I have invested time and money in many art courses, however, none of then offered the scope that I already see in this workshop. I now realize how little I really learnt from all those courses and tutorials.

   

  Click here for more Testimonials

• Week by week outline

  
  

   

  Please Note: The heart and soul of this workshop is the mentoring of the students by the instructor, through direct interaction, in-depth critiques and discussions, answering of difficult and complex questions asked by students, and careful monitoring of the students’ growth and development so the mentoring can be catered to each student’s specific needs and personality. This is the most important aspect of the workshop, and it is what made this workshop so popular.

  The lecture notes and videos are the two other aspects of the workshop, and they tackle different areas of each week's focus. The videos are mostly supplemental and aimed mainly at beginners, while the lecture notes are the main focus and contain the most sophisticated and advanced concepts. The interaction between students and instructor in the form of in-depth, thoughtful critiques for the assignments, is what takes the lessons from theory to execution, and in turn, allow the students to really absorb the knowledge and utilize them effectively.

  Students will be given assignments each week that push them to think creatively, experiment, and try different approaches to solve problems and find the most effective way to communicate their visual ideas. Through extensive feedback and thoughtful critiques, the students will make great strides in ways they could not have on their own without a mentor to guide them through the journey.

   

   

  Week One: The Engine behind the image

  Lecture notes content (text and images):

  In the first week, students will learn about the heart of an image—what makes some images evocative and exciting while others uninspired and lifeless. Students will learn to understand different types of images such as visualization, decorative, straightforward and abstract narratives, and subcategories like voyeuristic, exhibitive, simple action, and cause & effect. Students will also learn the different purposes each serves, and learn to utilize the same storytelling techniques that good fiction writers use to make their images more compelling and entertaining. The complex subject of taste will also be analyzed and discussed, bringing to light both practical and philosophical issues that all artists must face during their artistic existence.

  Week one will also demonstrate how students can inject life and personality into images of inanimate objects and scenes containing cars, products, and interiors, thus turning sterile images of artificial objects into expressive ones with emotional resonance. To wrap up week one, Rob will bust some common myths, address typical misguided mentalities, correct popular misinformation, set the record straight about some popular controversies in the digital art community, and even demonstrate his secret weapon for preventing carpel tunnel syndrome when working very long hours repeatedly, as well as explore the importance of effective time-management and how to combat lack of motivation.

  Video content overview:

  Demonstration of the sketching and drawing phase, and how to use digital tools to speed up your workflow and to maintain maximum flexibility.

  Video topics covered:
  

  • -Countering eye fatigue
  • -Going from sketch to drawing
  • -Flexible and efficient layer organization
  • -Effective brush settings for drawing and painting
  • -Using appropriate brush sizes.
  • -Importance of horizontal flip
  • -Sketch refinement with color variants
  • -Transform vs. Erasing
  • -Blocking in general colors and lighting

   

  Week Two: Dissecting and Creating Effective Composition

  Lecture notes content (text and images):

  For many artists, effective composition is something that eludes them. Week Two will cover various aspects of composition such as dividing up a space, choosing focal areas, uses of variations, selective detail, overlapping, framing, balance, repetition, diagonals, contrast, negative space, leading the eye, spatial depth...etc. In conjunction, perspective, camera angles, and focal lengths will also be explored to further enhance and strengthen students' ability to construct effective composition. Other topics also covered include accidental distractions and manipulation of the horizon, as well as how to create emotional intimacy with effective choice of composition, how to establish the desired psychic distance between the viewer and your characters, and how to create visual drama by using uncommon camera angles appropriately.

  Video content overview:

  Organizing and managing workflow.

  Video topics covered:
  

  • -Maintaining layer flexibility for drastic changes
  • -Layer security
  • -Dealing with the "wrong layer"
  • -Finding stray pixels
  • -Precise shapes and edges
  • -Visualize everything in perspective
  • -Final phase painting demonstration

   

  Week Three: Effective Lighting and Manipulating Values

  Lecture notes content (text and images):

  Lighting is one of the most powerful tools for establishing the mood of an image, and it is also responsible for the sense of dimensionality in images. In week three, students will be exploring the various ways to design and construct lighting setups (dramatic, soft, low key, high key, 3-point lighting, and beyond) and learn about light quality, light type, light direction, and how to utilize them to portray different types of moods and atmosphere. The relationship between light and shadow, and the complexities of ambient light and bounced light will also be covered, as well as the varying light behaviours in relation to surface properties and viewing angles, how light falloff behaves when considering distance vs. angle, and how light sources appear in various conditions. In addition, Students will learn about the deceptive values of colors and how it can make their images too flat and uninteresting, the importance of value coherency, how and when to manipulate values for stylization purposes, and how to design their images with tonal composition for maximum readability and overall coherency.

  Video content overview:
  Maximum creative control of lighting for your images.
  
  Video topics covered:

  • -Blocking in fast lighting
  • -Using gradations as foundation
  • -Experimenting with lighting schemes
  • -Adapting useful 3D workflow for 2D artworks
  • -Maintaining lighting flexibility and control
  • -Nulling lighting the easy way
  • -How to check values
  • -Final phase painting demonstration (continued)

   

  Week Four: Demystifying Colors and Using Them with Confidence

  Lecture notes content (text and images):

  Color theory is a very complex subject, and by deconstructing the technical and artistic reasons behind color choices, students will gain insight into how colors can be deployed for specific creative effects, and how to determine the appropriate colors to use in any given situation. Students will learn about color temperature, the effects of chroma, color relativity, color contrast, color emotion…etc, and the laws of physics that play a vital role in understanding the nature of colors such as mixtures of colored light sources and how various colors behave under different colored lights. In addition, students will also learn about the common mistakes that artists make when dealing with colors, how to avoid those mistakes, and how they can be bolder with colors and use them in unconventional ways to achieve unexpected and refreshing results.

  Video content overview:

  Wielding colors with confidence and absolute control

  Video topics covered:
  

  • -Adding punch with colored light sources
  • -Altering color of light sources
  • -Simplifying colors of reference images
  • -Selective color Changes
  • -Altering color details
  • -Isolated saturation
  • -Harmonizing chaotic colors
  • -Final phase painting demonstration (continued)

   

  Week Five: Surface Treatment (line quality, brushwork, textures, edges, and details)

  Lecture notes content (text and images):

  Week five will cover the topic that stomps many artists as much as colors do—the surface treatment. Students will explore important aspects of surface treatment such as how to depict weight, distance, size, and lighting with just contour lines, various painting techniques and brushwork such as bristle marks, impastos, splatters, dry brush/scumbling, stamping, washes, scribbling, etc, when to use smudging/blending and when not to, how to avoid the dreaded “smudge-a-titus” syndrome, understanding the differences between traditional mediums vs. digital and how to utilize them each effectively. Other topics includes the importance of edge dynamics, how to create textures quickly and creatively, the proper use of textures, matching brushwork to specific surface types, how to use selective detail, when to rendering against or along forms, using appropriate brush sizes for different situations, the struggle between painting smooth/clean vs. expressive brushwork, the misconception of what “speedpainting” is and isn’t, understanding brush economy and speed vs. deliberate expressiveness, and how to gauge the amount of detail an image actually needs for the purpose it serves.

  Video content overview:

  Essential drawing and painting techniques

  Video topics covered:
  

  • -Achieving organic, expressive lines
  • -Hatching approaches
  • -Differences between brush engines of 2D applications
  • -The pros and cons of blending, and various approaches
  • -The "clean and smooth" look vs. expressive brushwork
  • -Effective brush marks for different surface types
  • -Creative and effective custom brush settings
  • -Extremely fast and effective texture painting
  • -Texturing with photos
  • -Determining appropriate level of detail
  • -Dealing with foliage and hair

   

  Week Six: Expressive characters, Stylization, and Aesthetics

  Lecture notes content (text and images):

  Week six will deal with iconic shapes, psychological and physiological analysis of expressive body language and facial expressions, the complexities of multi-layered emotions, when to exaggerate or pull back an expression/pose, and part two of the complex matter of taste that focuses on the dangers of unchecked self-indulgence. Students will also dive into the sophisticated subject of stylization and the wide range of possibilities, understanding the building blocks of visual vocabulary, and learn to create the right stylization for any given project (anime, realism, comic book, etc), as well as learn about the detriment of inappropriate stylization and the negative impact it has on intellectual properties. The matter of aesthetics will also be discussed, covering the inner workings of both masculine and feminine beauty, why many competent artists fail at depicting attractive people but do fine at everything else, and the various considerations that artists must be aware of when dealing with aesthetics such as personal biases, cultural biases, and global standards.

  Video content overview:
  Hair, fabric, and stylization concerns.

  Video topics covered:
  

  • -Dealing with hair and fabric
  • -Experimenting with stylization
  • -Final phase painting demonstration (continued)

   

  Week Seven: Essential Tips and Common Pitfalls

  Lecture notes content (text and images):

  Week seven will cover cautionary advice that will help steer students away from common pitfalls that many artists, novice or veterans alike, often fall victim to—both emotional/personal ones as well as career-related ones. Rob will also teach students how to troubleshoot their own work without always relying on external help, clarify important creative philosophies and why they matter in one’s artistic growth, and list all the critical things students must do in order to become better artists, including a comprehensive strategy guide for learning, practicing, and growing in the most effective way possible that will take anyone from total beginner all the way to advanced professional, while avoiding wasting years of precious time when using ineffective methods and being a victim of bad habits. To top week seven off, Rob will also conduct a no-holds barred Q&A session with the students, where no questions will be left unanswered—be it techniques, workflow, valuable tips & tricks of the trade, career development considerations, facing industry/office politics, dealing with clients, bosses, subordinates, and co-workers, and how to achieve personal and professional fulfillment while managing disappointments, failures, and unfulfilled goals and dreams.

  Video content overview:
  Is it really finished? Maximize the impact of your image.

  Video topics covered:
  

  • -Maximize your dynamic range
  • -Final color tweaks
  • -Effective sharpening
  • -Use composite layers
  • -Step-by-step walkthroughs
  • -Final phase painting demonstration (continued)

   

  Week Eight: Critique and Reworking

  Lecture notes content (text and images):

  The final week is for revisions and improvements to students’ final projects—an opportunity for students to implement changes to their work after receiving critique and feedback. Week eight is vital, as students will discover just how much they have absorbed throughout the course, where their work has improved, and what areas they must continue to work hard on. At the end of week eight, Rob will assess the students and do his best to make sure that they have learned all they need in order to become self-reliant, so they will be able to continue on their own after the workshop and achieve their individual goals.

  Video topics covered:
  

  • Final phase painting demonstration (continued)

   

  Please note: You can discuss and ask questions about this workshop in this forum.

• Student requirements

  
  

   

  Level of Ability

  The course was designed to address the needs of a wide-range of skill and experience levels, and past students have ranged from advanced artists already working as art directors, all the way to total beginners. For the more advanced artists, it will teach them much deeper level of the foundations than they already know, as well as teach them advanced concepts in creativity, expressiveness, aesthetics, and execution. For beginners, it will teach them efficient learning and practicing methods as well as the critical foundations of visual art, thus preventing them from going down the wrong path early on in their artistic journey.

  Students need to be familiar with web navigation and browsing, as well as email.

  Students need to be familiar with using a bulletin board system (such as CGTalk.com), and how to prepare images for posting on the web (resize, jpeg compression).

  Software and Hardware Requirements

  Students are required to be comfortable with at least one 2D application such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, PainTool Sai, Artrage, Open Canvas, Gimp, Dogwaffle…etc. As long as the application has basic Photoshop-like features like layers, layer blend modes, brush setting controls, basic image editing tools…etc, the student should be able to execute the class assignments. Student may choose to execute all the class assignments with traditional analog drawing and painting tools, but many of the valuable techniques and workflow taught are for digital tools. There are a significant number of Photoshop-specific tips and tricks taught in the workshop due to its ubiquitousness and status as the industry standard.

  Students must have access to a computer (PC or Mac) with the necessary hardware to run his 2D drawing/painting software of choice.

  A digital tablet such as Wacom Intuos, Graphire, Bamboo, or equivalent is highly recommended. This course will be unnecessarily difficult (or even impossible) for students without a tablet and using only a mouse.

  A web browser and broadband Internet connection is mandatory for this workshop

  Portfolio Submission

  Students do not have to submit a portfolio in order to be qualified for enrollment; however, at the beginning of the workshop, students will be asked to post examples of their work (or links to their online portfolios) so the instructor could assess their strengths and weakness, thus cater to each student’s individual needs. If a student does not have any examples of work to show, that is fine too—the instructor will simply base his assessment on the assignments the student hands in.

  Other Requirements

  Students must be fluent in English, as they will have to read course material, watch instructional videos, and write in English throughout the course.