Conceptual Design is a CTE course, developed mainly for Juniors and Seniors, encompassing both technical and aesthetic facets of the illustrative design process. This is the first stage of visual production in the creation of Video Games, Animated films and Live Action Films. Concept Artists take stories and descriptions from writers and begin to visually realize the characters, environments, creatures and props. This class covers the process of concept design from the basic skills of illustration needed to draw people, environments and creatures, to final rendered digital artwork, while at the same time focusing on an understanding of applicable visual art principles.
Each unit focuses on three parts: 1. Developing and practicing the skills to execute a design, 2. Learning about an artistic principal to apply to the design process. 3. A project that demonstrates the understanding and application of the principals and skill learned in the Unit. Students then analyze, compare, and reflect on how they have applied these learned principals and skills to their artwork in class critiques and written reflections.