Motyf 2021 Workshop: 2D Concept Design for Imaginary Worlds

Workshop Leader: Paul Tobin, Senior Concept Artist and Art Director at Weta Workshop and Co-Supervisor at Weta Workshop School at Massey University

Description

This online workshop will introduce students to the fundamental conceptual and technical skills employed by Weta Workshop for creating Imaginary Worlds in 2D concept design. Students will receive a story-driven brief that they can then adapt for a genre of their choosing; Science-fiction, Fantasy, Steampunk etc. They will then be given the opportunity to choose design briefs from a variety of speciality concept design areas; Character, Costume, Creature, Prop, Vehicle, Environment and Key-scene Design. Instruction is tailored to each student's skill level, with Paul reviewing and drawing directly over a student's work throughout the five days.

Objectives

The aim of this workshop is to take the student through the primary concept design process, while allowing them the freedom to pursue different aspects of concept design. Key objectives for this workshop are understanding the role of design, how design relates to Story, Character and World and how to design for fabrication, 3D modelling and visual effects. From a technical perspective, students will be instructed on research and ideation methodologies along with core artistic and design techniques that explore concept design solutions for Imaginary Worlds.

Content

Course content will be delivered in the form of: 

• A story based brief which students will adapt and generate concept design solutions.

• Students will upload design work for feedback and draw-overs with one-to-one feedback with Paul via Teams or recorded screen capture.

• There will be some mini-lectures, demos, group discussion and case studies to break each day up from the concept designing.


Portfolio / Outcomes

Over the course of the workshop students will generate a body of concept design in response to the story brief, ranging from exploratory sketches and ideation through to full-colour designs. This work will ideally be complimented with a short written explanation of their final designs.

Required Tools, Materials, Equipment & Software

The Master Class will be run via MS Teams, with each student allocated a Google Drive folder that contains information on the brief and a drop box for uploading work for critique.

Students can work either traditionally or digitally but will be required to upload their designs through either a photo of their traditional work or a digital file.

Fees

Participation in this workshop is free for students and 350NZD (approx. 207EUR / 250USD / 940PLN) for professionals. Have questions? Please email our event organiser at exhibition2021@motyf-festival.com.

Professional tickets are on sale now. Student tickets will go on sale March 31, 2021 at 9:00PM (NZDT) / 9:00AM (CET).

Schedule

• Monday - Breaking down the Brief, Ideation, Research and Mood-Boards.
• Tuesday - Exploratory Concept Design focussing on a wide range of solutions.
• Wednesday - Choosing Design Leads, exploring iterations and refinement.
• Thursday - Finalizing Designs.
• Friday  –  Finalizing Designs and supporting material for presentation.

Workshop Leader

Paul Tobin is Senior Concept Artist and Art Director at Weta Workshop and Co-Supervisor at Weta Workshop School at Massey University

For the last eighteen years, Paul has been employed at Academy Award-winning Weta Workshop in Wellington, New Zealand. He has worked as an Art Director and Senior Concept Artist on film, television and game projects such as: The Hobbit trilogy, Avatar (+sequels), Shadow of Mordor, The Expanse and The Chronicles of Narnia. In addition to concept design, Paul is co-creator of Weta’s original IP Giant Killer Robots and is co-supervisor of the Weta Workshop School at Massey University, College of Creative Arts in Wellington.

Outside of Weta, Paul is involved with a number of on-going creative projects. He founded New Zealand’s first science fiction and fantasy artbook anthology White Cloud Worlds in 2010. This led to the creation of the entertainment industry convention Industry of Imagination (2016-17). In 2019 he co-founded a board game company called Arkus Games.

http://wetaworkshopschool.massey.ac.nz/

http://www.paultobinart.com/

https://arkusgames.com/

https://www.whitecloudworlds.com/

About Motyf 2021

This workshop is presented as part of the Motyf Festival 2021.

Motyf is an International Symposium and Media Art Exhibition that explores current and future forms of interactive and motion typography expressed through art, design, space and technology. The theme of the 2021 Festival is “Communicating Complexity” and will broadly explore how the elements and principles of visual, motion and interactive design can be leveraged within sequential, interactive, spatial or experiential works to authentically inform our understanding of society, elucidate complex concepts or aid in the communication of data. Please visit the Motyf 2021 Website for more information about our workshops, symposium and exhibition.