University Research
This screenshot presents the offer for a course in concept art for games development and film, the course is designed to prepare you for working within an advancing entertainment industry in which you will be taught by academics who are professionals in all aspects in concept art such as digital painting, 3D modelling, motion capture, as well as animation. It is stated that graduates from the course go on to find employment in well renowned companies with one of the most prominent and successful being Rock Star with many others including Naughty Dog. The course provides you with high quality equipment to work with so that you can get the best results and experience possible such as the provision of Wacom tablets, a motion capture studio, green screen studios, HD cameras as well as post-production suites. This course for concept art for games and film takes place at Staffordshire University.
Open Days 2020
21st March
22nd March
28th March
20th June
24th June
27th June
15th August
26th September
27th September
Qualifications
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) – BA (Hons)
UCAS Tariff – 112 points
Course Evaluation
This course is offering me the skills I need for 2D art by providing me with sessions taught by academics who are experienced in all the technical and creative skills needed to be a concept artist as well as handing out professional equipment to allow you to gain experience with the devices that you will have to be skilled with in order to fulfill your future job role. Due to the course being members of the games industry body TIGA as well as being partners with epic games, you are given access to some of the latest technology available in games development which will give me a chance to gain understanding of all the new functions featured in this sector as well as a chance to practice and improve the skills that I already possess. The course also offers me skills in a different industry as well most specifically the film industry which offers you the skills you need for a job in this industry by providing you with access to studios, high definition cameras, and green screen studios.
The most appealing factor to me about this course is the amount of equipment you are provided with access too with the most eye catching piece of equipment for myself being the Wacom graphics tablets as even though I already hold experience in using this device they have not always been of an appropriate size for myself and so with this course holding all of the latest advancements for games development I am able to realistically expect to be able to use a graphics tablet of a larger size than what I have previously utilised for my predecessing course work. Another aspect of this course that I view positively is the large amount of equipment we are given access to as this allows us to greatly expand our skills and mix all of our creative, artistic and technical abilities together so that we can become skilled in being a 2D or concept artist.
This course does not mention any GCSES in the qualifications section and so these are not required to progress onto this course despite the entry requirements of 112 UCAS points.
Teesside University
This course focuses on teaching you the skills necessary to progress into a career within concept art, the core subjects of this course involve you focusing on character design, environment design, key moment illustration for story telling as well as promotional art work. The full range of skills needed for a concept artist in the industry are taught through both traditional and digital drawing methods whilst you are also given the opportunity to develop skills in 3D modeling and animation all of which are relevant to the work of a concept artist in this industry. This course also gives you the opportunity to meet industry professional from companies such as Atomhawk, Dreamworks, and ubisoft who all provide you with valuable insight into their own field of expertise.
Open Days 2019
17th August
12th October
16th October
16th November
Entry Requirements
UCAS Points 96 – 112
Portfolio
Course Evaluation
The feature of this course that interests me the most is the duel focus on traditional and digital drawing techniques as these are two areas of art that I hold a great deal of interest in whilst also possessing decent skill in traditional drawing. This course is offering me the chance to improve my skills in these two areas by providing me with sessions that each focus on specific areas such as character and environment design which are two areas that I have a wish to improve my skills in and so this course presents me an ideal opportunity to further hone my skills and gain an understanding of how best to utilize both drawing techniques in the games industry. The area of this course that I like the most is one that I have already spoken of previously which is the duel focus on traditional and digital art techniques and this is because I hold a preference in traditional drawing and so this course should boost my skills in this form of art. The qualifications for this course do not mention any GCSES but do state the entry requirement of between 96 – 112 UCAS points as well as a portfolio set up for an interview.
There is nothing I dislike about this course from what I have found so far as all of the information on the subjects and focuses for these sessions greatly appeal to my artistic nature and offer me an opportunity to mix my skills whilst greatly expanding them.
South Thames College
My next choice of further education is South Thames college which holds a course focused on art and design, the assignments handed out on the course are pursued openly by the students who are encourage to experiment with multiple drawing techniques with the course designed to create a reflective and experimental approach to creative practice. Some project work is assigned to be carried it in small but groups although you are still left individually to practice and hone your own skills in art and design. This college gives you the chance to further your skills in life drawing whilst also gain experience in cooperating and working with other art and design students who you can share work flows with whilst taking part in a group project. This course also includes sessions focused on contextual study which requires the student to provide theory and history to support their practice by researching the topic their project is focused around.
Open Days
12 October
13 November
11 February
26 June
Entry Requirements
GCSE Maths and English
Portfolio
Course Evaluation
The main feature of this course that grabs my appeal the most is its focus on and emphasis on contemporary drawing as this is a skill set that I am hoping will get me a career in concept art, alongside this all the assignment briefs are open so students are free to work in their own art style without any limitations which suits me due to the fact that I have developed my own style that I am now accustomed to working with whenever I do project work which causes me to struggle when switching to material I am not familiar with. The course includes multiple modules all focused on allowing you to practice and hone your creative skills whilst also learning and studying new techniques which can also come from performing in a supportive manner to other students when assigned to group project work. Alot of the project work is required to be completed outside of college times though you are given class time alongside that, this is another factor that appeals to me due to my experience in working outside of college as the majority of all my drawings and independent projects have been done outside of class. Despite seeing this course as a potentially positive experience there is one issue that I will struggle with which is included in the entry requirements as the GCSE requirements include maths and english, despite having my english GCSE I have not attained my maths which presents a hurdle for my entry into university though I hope to overcome this by continuing to practice my skills in drawing up to a professional level. Although this adds some negativity to my choice I am overall pleased with how the experience sounds with 8 units in total focused around interesting and relevant subjects towards my chosen career path.
Level 3 Games Development Spencer Lee 