Course Detail: PCSE-164 - CHARACTER CONCEPT ART AND VISUAL DEVELOPMENT


Do you ever get lost in a book, imagining what the characters and their world look like? This is your chance to bring those ideas to life. You'll design characters for a movie, video game, or animated series, complete with a backstory and a full visual look. If you love movies, video games, or cartoons and are always picturing new worlds in your mind, this is the perfect concentration for you.


Students will come away from this class understanding the process of creating every aspect of Concept Design for film including character development, prop design, environment building and key frame creation. 


After completing this course, students are expected to be able to:

  1. Draw volumetrically and in perspective.

  2. Paint & draw digitally.

  3. Create lighting to suggest mood and direction.

  4. Show the evolution of concept ideas through various sketches, brainstorming, mind-mapping, visual mood boards and thumbnails.

  5. Create an original character that shows correct anatomy and proportion.

  6. Demonstrate an understanding of art & design principles through the use of light, color, proportion, perspective, balance, value and shading in character and environment designs. 

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More information about the Precollege Summer Experience.

A $300 deposit is required to reserve a spot in PCSE programs. Once you select "Resident" or "Commuter" tuition, you will be able to make a "Minimum Payment" in your shopping cart. A minimum payment of $300 is required, however, additional amounts can be paid. 

$3,995 Resident
$3,645 Commuter

July 12 - 31, 2026

Course Resources
More Precollege Summer Experience Information

 Session Information: 26SU-PCSE-164-TRA

Schedule: Every week on weekdays, starting on 07/13/26 and ending on 07/31/26
Times: 09:00am-09:00pm EDT

Instructors

Name Additional Resources
David Swartz
Teaching Assistant

Facility Detail

Taubman Center for Design Education
T*612
460 West Baltimore
Detroit, MI 48202
T*612

Cancellation Policy

A cancellation charge of $300.00 will be assessed on cancellations occurring within 50 days of the start of this session.