Learn Maciej Kuciara’s full futuristic character design workflow from loose sketches to polished renders. Build speed, consistency, and clear design thinking as you tackle creative challenges alongside his professional process.
$44
$26
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A guided path through every stage of the course, broken down into focused lessons you can work through at your own pace.
Lesson 1
Starting with a sample creative brief and reference collection, Maciej will walk you through the early stages of a futuristic character design, including project-planning and software choices. You will learn his process for creating thumbnails from shapes, form, and lighting, as well as iterating on initial designs.
Lesson 2
By building upon your thumbnail sketches, you'll be able to make complicated choices with little consequence. Maciej will show you his best practices for honing in on a preliminary idea with very little time invested.
Lesson 3
It's possible to create complex designs using some of the most primitive objects, and Maciej is going to show you how. By using 3D modeling tools, we will dive into making design choices on top of a posed character. We'll also draw quick notes on top of our 3D sketches to solve possible problems before they become roadblocks.
Lesson 4
Maciej will show you how to take your 3D sketch from the previous lesson to the next level using Fusion 360. You will also learn some kitbashing do’s and don’ts when it comes to testing your initial designs, by creating simple lighting keyframes.
Lesson 5
Unfinished designs and missing details can easily break the impression of high quality. While continuing working with Fusion 360, Maciej will discuss the rewards and pitfalls of pushing the limits of your designs. We will also explore how Marvelous Designer can simplify your creation process and save you time in the long run.
Lesson 6
Making a great design is one thing. Selling it is an entirely different story. In this lesson, you will Learn how to finesse your design with great composition and lighting. Maciej will also explore how the pipeline discussed thus far will help you create high quality iterations in no time.
Lesson 7
Modularity is a bliss. Maciej will start with in-depth breakdown of shaders and quick mapping. From here, Maciej will break down and explain render passes inside of Octane to use in your final illustration.
Lesson 8
How do you decide when your painting is really done? Maciej will show you the importance of touch-up details which can make or break the final result of your painting, including special effects and color grading.
Maciej Kuciara is a digital artist, director, and co-founder of Learn Squared whose work has defined the look of major films and games for nearly two decades. A self-taught artist, he blends cutting-edge 3D techniques with traditional craft to create bold visual worlds seen in The Last of Us, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers, and Ghost in the Shell. His experimental film project Shibuya earned an Emmy for Outstanding Innovation in Emerging Media, cementing his reputation as one of the industry's most forward-thinking creators.
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$44
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Buy 5 of our character courses together in a bundle to learn the entire pipeline and save an additional 10% during checkout. Five courses for a low price. You have no more excuses!
tons of workflow crap and programs i would have never thought of trying.... PEEP DATTT!!!1
Designer
My career as a concept artist started after taking these courses. Much of what I learned I applied to my portfolio and in a couple months ... I got my first job.
Concept Artist & Illustrator
Learn Squared gives me the freedom and flexibility to learn from the best in the industry at my own pace.
Freelance Concept Artist
Join a devoted community of over 20,000 students from around the world.
Here's a full list of all the videos in this course.
Starting with a sample creative brief and reference collection, Maciej will walk you through the early stages of a futuristic character design, including project-planning and software choices. You will learn his process for creating thumbnails from shapes, form, and lighting, as well as iterating on initial designs.
By building upon your thumbnail sketches, you'll be able to make complicated choices with little consequence. Maciej will show you his best practices for honing in on a preliminary idea with very little time invested.
It's possible to create complex designs using some of the most primitive objects, and Maciej is going to show you how. By using 3D modeling tools, we will dive into making design choices on top of a posed character. We'll also draw quick notes on top of our 3D sketches to solve possible problems before they become roadblocks.
Maciej will show you how to take your 3D sketch from the previous lesson to the next level using Fusion 360. You will also learn some kitbashing do’s and don’ts when it comes to testing your initial designs, by creating simple lighting keyframes.
Unfinished designs and missing details can easily break the impression of high quality. While continuing working with Fusion 360, Maciej will discuss the rewards and pitfalls of pushing the limits of your designs. We will also explore how Marvelous Designer can simplify your creation process and save you time in the long run.
Making a great design is one thing. Selling it is an entirely different story. In this lesson, you will Learn how to finesse your design with great composition and lighting. Maciej will also explore how the pipeline discussed thus far will help you create high quality iterations in no time.
Modularity is a bliss. Maciej will start with in-depth breakdown of shaders and quick mapping. From here, Maciej will break down and explain render passes inside of Octane to use in your final illustration.
How do you decide when your painting is really done? Maciej will show you the importance of touch-up details which can make or break the final result of your painting, including special effects and color grading.
Check out some of the amazing work Futuristic Character Design students have created by doing their homework.
