getting schooled
Syn-chronised study Canada’s premier school of concept art, Syn Studio, will now be offering an industry-standard concept art diploma, taught by top-name artists
Canada’s Syn Studio is offering an industrystandard concept art diploma, taught by top-name artists, including Remko Troost and Donglu Yu.
Syn Studio was founded in 2007 by Anthony Walsh, who went in with the ethos that “great artists are not born, they are made.” Fast forward nine years and the school has gone from strength to strength, now adding to the mix an 18-month, full-time concept art diploma programme that’s led by leading industry professionals.
The concept art diploma is the first of its kind, and is designed to give students a solid foundation to become professional-level concept artists armed with the right skills, techniques and workflows.
“It was developed over the course of three years with help from top concept artists and educators, most notably Scott Robertson, who has personally trained some of the world’s most successful concept artists,” says Anthony. “Many people want to work as concept artists, so to beat the competition it’s very important to train with the right people,” he adds. “To graduate with cutting-edge skills, you need training from professionals working in the industry right now. We don’t hire full-time teachers and book their class schedules way in advance, because then they aren’t working in the industry any more.”
In the past year alone, the school has provided the platform for masterclasses taken by the likes of Remko Troost, Christian Robert de Massy, Donglu Yu and Jeong H Shin, among many more. These top tutors will act like the student’s art directors, Anthony says. “They require the students to use the same pipelines and procedures, submit the same set of production-ready assets and hold them to the same standards of quality and professionalism as they do in the industry” and this includes the 2D and 3D workflows that are increasingly being used in the industry today.
To qualify for the diploma, Anthony advises that you need to demonstrate through your portfolio, letter of intent and interview that you can draw well using basic principles including proportion, perspective and anatomy, can use value to convincingly show form and cast realistic shadows, use colour and understand colour theory, are comfortable painting digitally in Photoshop and can create original concepts that show potential for interesting design.
Many of Syn Studio’s previous students are now forging their way through the entertainment industry and living their dream, and with only 20 students per programme and 18 months of dedicated study time, its diploma offers a strong alternative to a three-year degree.
For more information and to apply, see
To graduate with cuttingedge skills, you need training from working professionals