Game Art short course

Course details

Location

London campus or live online

Start date

23rd September 2024

Duration

12 or 18 weeks

Contact Time

5 days per week

Entry Requirements

  • Be over 18

  • Have a good understanding of written and spoken English

  • Feel comfortable using a computer

Fees

12 weeks - London campus: £11,950 

12 weeks - Live online: £9,350

18 weeks - London campus: £16,850 

18 weeks - Live online: £13,200

Apply now

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Course overview

Turn your gaming passion into a career. 

Our short courses give you the opportunity to study the first 12 or 18 weeks of our MA Game Art degree. This option is suited to students who want intensive training without academic qualifications. You’ll complete the first 2-3 modules of this programme and learn the principles behind game art, gaining a full understanding of the games production pipeline with techniques such as interactivity with 3D and animation workflows. Our Game Art courses focus on developing your Artist skills and creativity to equip you with the core skills in practices such as environment art and digital sculpting.

Why choose this course 

  • Designed with industry - our advisory board of experts, from the likes of Creative Assembly and Improbable, help develop and keep this degree relevant.

  • Learn from expert Tutor, Christian Avigni, who has over 10 years of experience.

  • Get to grips with the software used in industry, including Unreal Engine, Maya and SpeedTree.

  • Work on industry-standard briefs and experience real-life scenarios, just like in a professional studio.

  • Receive feedback from industry professionals - an opportunity to level-up your work and build connections, ready to embark on your creative career. Previous studio partners for our game art course have included Creative Assembly, Climax Studios and Media Molecule.

  • Aftercare package - we'll help you polish your portfolio and find the right job, with access to our studios and showreel clinics for 12 months.

Meet your tutor, Christian Avigni

Christian has been teaching new creative talent for more than 10 years, working worldwide at places including Alpha Channel, as well as in house training for numerous companies in the area of digital art.

Christian has a wealth of experience, creating game assets for the next generation consoles such as the racing game Pacer, and writing numerous published books about Unreal Engine including; UDK Basics, Level Design and Documentation and UDK Games scenarios integration. He is also an Unreal Authorized Instructor and currently working on two game projects using Unreal Engine 5.

Please note tutors are subject to change.

Course modules

These modules are common with the first 12-18 weeks of our MA Game Art course. 

  • Art direction 

  • Introduction to modelling 

  • Introduction to Unreal Engine 5 

  • Modularity

  • Texturing and materials 

  • Introduction to lighting 

  • Introduction to blueprints 

  • Introduction to digital sculpting

  • Advanced modelling 

  • Advanced Unreal Engine 5 

  • Baked and procedural textures 

  • Advanced materials 

  • Advanced lighting

  • Foliage and SpeedTree 

  • Introduction to FX 

  • Particles in Niagara 

  • Blueprints

  • Photogrammetry 

  • Virtual cinematography 

  • Materials for FX 

For more details about modules, see the programme and module specifications.

More information

Minimum requirements

We welcome and encourage applications from students with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

To study this short course, you must:

  • Be over 18

  • Have a good understanding of written and spoken English

  • Feel comfortable using a computer.

If you’d like to discuss your circumstances before applying, contact us!

Non-UK students

We accept international students for our short courses, with no difference in course fees or administration costs. 

The Standard Visitor visa allows students to come to the UK to study for a course of up to six months at an accredited institution. Depending on your nationality, you may need to apply for a standard visitor visa prior to departure from your home country. For more information visit:  

Contact us on admissions@escapestudios.ac.uk or +44 (0) 204 570 5091 for any questions.

We can provide remote access to our workstations during teaching time. Due to availability restrictions, we highly advise you to have your own set up at home to study in your own time.

More things you’ll need:

  • A strong internet connection

  • Cloud storage or external hard drive to back up your work, 1TB+ recommended

  • A three-button mouse or graphics tablet. Please note, the Wacom Intuos Pro range of tablets have the best support for our remote desktop software and provide the best experience.

  • A computer microphone (and optionally a webcam)

  • Note-taking materials.

If you have any questions about learning online or if you need help with what to buy, get in touch at hello@escapestudios.ac.uk.

To apply, complete the relevant online application form linked below:

Our Admissions Team will get in touch to take you through the next steps.

If you have any questions about your application, your portfolio or our entry requirements, get in touch!

As part of the application process, you will need to agree to our terms and conditions for your place on the course to be secured.

Fees 

12 weeks - London campus: £11,950 

12 weeks - Live online: £9,350

18 weeks - London campus: £16,850 

18 weeks - Live online: £13,200

Payment plans

We offer a range of payment plan options for all courses. Following an initial deposit at registration stage, your chosen payment plan will break down your remaining fees into equal instalments, to be paid over the course length.

Visit our admissions page for any questions about fees, funding and payment plans.

Students on the September 2024 intake of this course will receive feedback from Creative Assembly, one of our industry partners, and a multi-award winning BAFTA UK games studio behind Total War, Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2.

  • Unreal Engine 5  

  • ZBrush  

  • Maya 

  • SpeedTree 

  • Quixel Mixer 

  • Substance Painter 

  • Substance Designer 

  • Substance Sampler

  • Reality Capture (18 weeks only)

  • Photoshop (18 weeks only)

  • DarkTable (18 weeks only)

“London is now the largest cluster for games studios in Europe. In the next three years, Games London is expected to bring in a further £45m for games businesses and create an extra 270 jobs.” (source Film London)

You’ll leave with an Escape Studios Certificate of Achievement, along with strong creative and technical skills and some great pieces of work for your portfolio, which you can add to with help from our Aftercare programme. Ready to apply for jobs in the industry!

Some of the opportunities you can consider once you’ve finished your studies include: 

  • Game Artist 

  • Environment Artist 

  • Prop Artist 

  • Material Artist 

  • FX Artist 

  • Level Artist 

  • Lighting Artist 

  • Foliage Artist 

  • Technical Artist 

  • Visualisation Artist 

  • Real-Time Generalist 

  • Real-Time Generalist in Virtual Production 

  • Real-Time FX Artist 

  • Real-Time Cinematic Artist 

  • Unreal Engine Artist 

  • Producer 

Our students have gone to work as both specialist and generalist artists in studios creating games and real-time graphics, including PlayStation London Studio, Rare, Rockstar, Ubisoft and Improbable. Those not only apply to video games but are also used in VFX (film and TV production, virtual production), real-time immersive media (augmented reality, theme parks, rides, entertainment), cinematics, architecture visualisation, VR visualisation, simulations for medical professions and the automotive and engineering industries. Read some of our games Escapee success stories

Check out our Careers Guide for more information about career opportunities and progression routes.

Why Escape Studios?

1st place Rookies award icon for immersive media production excellenceTop 10 Creative school in the UK Rookies awardThird place Rookies award icon for visual effects production excellence3rd place Rookies award icon for animation careers review school rankingsTransparent white Houdini certified school logoRookies award icon for global school ranking 2022Transparent white TIGA member logoTransparent white Unreal Engine authorised instructor logo

To be a part of PlayStation and working on their next-gen games has been a thrilling experience! It feels so surreal to be working amongst such talented people, producing games that both myself and friends will love.

Katerina Zacharakis, Game Art Escapee
Producer, PlayStation