Improve your understanding and skill to render great materials in your art! Taught by MTG and D&D illustrator Clint Cearley, the Materials Course gives you the breakdown of the factors that make materials look authentic. A common problem in material rendering is everything sharing a similar plastic-like appearance which is a major point this course examples and addresses. With this knowledge you'll understand how to mentally approach the topic in your art, know what to look for in your references, and you’ll be better equipped to create believable materials without direct reference.

This course is designed for the self-study artist. Each lesson is a 1080p video and comes with homework assignments and a homework review video where Clint critiques a student’s completed homework. It is intended for the artist to watch the video lesson, complete the homework assignments, then watch the homework review video to aid in the self-critique of their assignments. The course is also aimed for artists that have foundational drawing skills and a working understanding of basic perspective.

“Clint's videos are amazing, discussing about something that is often overlooked by others which is important… I always feel at sync with the topic he is discussing and he hammers the nail where it hits the mark and needed the most attention for a stronger foundation.” -Marfrey

Aimed for Intermediate skill level; Beginners will likely find it difficult; Experienced illustrators may find some helpful tips and useful exercises. These first eight lessons of the course focus on the fundamental factors of materials.

Lesson 1: Thinking in 3D (14min) 2D shapes vs 3D forms, form family, simple forms make complex forms, recognizing simple forms in complex subjects 7 Homework pages, 25min Homework Review video

Lesson 2: Shading (50min) Shading process overview, observation vs imagination, ambient light, occlusion shadows, bounce light, shading demo. 4 Homework pages, 22min Homework Review video

Lesson 3: Bounce Color (38min) Color transfer, influence of bounce color, influence on shadows, color relativity, colors under tinted light, bounce color demo. 4 Homework pages, 27min Homework Review video

Lesson 4: Light Proximity and Focus (19min) The 5 aspects of light, proximity and shadow direction, proximity and lighting intensity, focus/spread of light, light influencing mood 3 Homework pages, 20min Homework Review video

Lesson 5: Glossiness (26min) The Core Issue, smoothness and glossiness, range of glossiness, glossiness and value changes, assigning glossiness levels, glossiness demo. 3 Homework pages, 14min Homework Review video

Lesson 6: Highlights (28min) Light and highlights, highlights and glossiness, highlight pattern, highlight placement, highlight organic form demo. 4 Homework pages, 13min Homework Review video

Lesson 7: Reflections (50min) Glossy vs mirroring, reflection mapping cylinders/cones/cubes/spheres, reflection mapping to complex forms, real vs illustrative, angular reflection 7 Homework pages, 23min Homework Review video

Lesson 8: Opacity (32min) Scattering and pooling, transparency and angular reflection, cylinder demo, translucency demo, hollow vs solid spheres 3 Homework pages, 22min Homework Review video

Get more improvement with less struggle in the live online classes with feedback! Your MTG artist instructors will answer your questions and help you level up your art skills in 8-weeks, SwatchesAcademy.com