Creating Creature Concepts for VFX 2025

Learn how to design creature concepts for VFX

Creating Creature Concepts for VFX is a live/online course where students will be taught how to approach the creation of a creature concept, ready to be passed on to other filmmaking departments.

For those that cannot make the live/online sessions, they will be recorded and uploaded to the CAVE platform, so you’ll be able to work through the teaching at your own pace.

Working from an original script provided by CAVE Academy, in this course Paul Mellender will teach you his process to create memorable creature concepts.

The course will kick off with a read-through of the script, allowing everyone involved to get clarity on the requirements of the creature concept. We’ll then create an initial set of sketches and week-by-week, we’ll evolve the design to be fit-for-purpose.

This means making sure the design is not only suitable for the narrative but also that we’ve provided enough information for the departments that will continue to build the digital asset (Modelling, Surfacing, Rigging and Animation).

We’ll then focus on creating a character blueprint allowing us to provide everyone involved with the creature a document that they can reference for the remainder of the project.

This course is part of our Spring 2025 Programme where we’ll also be studying Modelling Surfacing and Production.

Course Breakdown

The course will be split into 2 main stages: Learning and Application. This will allow you to learn the workflows, the tools and experiment, before moving on to the main assigment to demonstrate your understanding and application of the learning.

Learning (Weeks 01 – 04): Throughout this stage of the course, Paul will run a series of live demonstrations to give you clarity on the workflows, tools and his approach to concept modelling and creating clean topology.

Application (Weeks 05 – 08): At this stage, the focus will be on you to create a production-ready asset. Paul will be supervising you along the way through live catch-ups and feedback sessions.

Course Details

Type: Online
Level: Intermediate
Format: Online Zoom meetings
Duration: 08 Weeks
Schedule: 03rd February 2025 – 28th March 2025
Workshop Session: Tuesdays, 4pm - 6pm GMT
Feedback Session: Fridays, 4pm - 6pm GMT
Tools: TBC
Prerequisites: Anatomy Fundamentals 1001
Course Access Time: Lifetime

Lessons in this course

Week 01. Breaking Down the Script and Initial Sketches

We'll kick things off by analysing the script and having a discussion with the director to best define the intended direction for the look and feel of the creature. Following on from this, we'll create a series of initial sketches to which we'll then review with teh director.
Available on: 2025.02.03 9:00 am
Week 02. Refining our Concept for the Modelling, Rigging and Animation Departments

Now that we've got the primary idea signed off by the client, let's look at refining our concept in order to provide the modelling team with a clear visual guide to help them visualise the creature in 3D. We'll also want to make sure there is enough information that both Rigging and Animation are able to test our design is suitable for shot-work.
Available on: 2025.02.10 9:00 am
Week 03. Refining our Concept for the Surfacing Team

In this lesson, we'll look at defining the texture and materials for our concept in order to support the Surfacing team.
Available on: 2025.02.17 9:00 am
Week 04. Creating a Character Design Blueprint

Now that we've had our concept reviewed and approved by the downstream departments, let's create a character design blueprint to lock things down.
Available on: 2025.02.24 9:00 am
Week 05. Assignment and Feedback I

Now, that we've covered the tools and workflows for creating creature concepts, it's over to you. This is the start of your 4 week assignment to create a production-ready concept, where you'll be supervised by Paul.
Available on: 2025.03.03 9:00 am
Week 06. Assignment and Feedback II

This lesson, we'll be catching up with you to see how you are progressing with your concept creation assignment.
Available on: 2025.03.10 9:00 am
Week 07. Assignment and Feedback III

In this lesson, we'll review your progress on your assignment.
Available on: 2025.03.17 9:00 am
Week 08. Final Review

For our final lesson, we'll be taking a deep-dive into your assignment and reviewing your concepts to see if they are ready to progress to the next stage of the asset creation process.
Available on: 2025.03.24 9:00 am

Course Information

Course Type: Live, Online Zoom meetings
Schedule: 03rd February 2025 – 28th March 2025
Workshop Session: Tuesdays, 4pm - 6pm GMT
Feedback Session: Fridays, 4pm - 6pm GMT

Tutor: Paul Mellender

Artist...and that should be enough, wouldn't you agree?

Traditional artist, digital artist and CG generalist, with over 30 years professional experience. Over 30 years. Oh man. Has it been that long? Anyway, back to the dry description...sorry for the interruption. Experience across a wide spectrum of industries from film to fine art portraiture. That is always puzzling-what exactly is meant by "fine". That sounds kinda hoaxy...sorry off track. Where was I? Ah! Nimble and adept in various styles and techniques, I still can't help but feel awkward and disingenuous. Look. Let's get down to brass tacks: I'm an artist. This description won't mean nearly as much as looking at my work. It has all the clues and information about my abilities and history on clear display. I'm a terrible salesman, but I love facts and demonstration. What I do is evident and probably doesn't need spin and inflation. If you are curious about my experience in games, film, illustration, concept art or my capabilities, feel free to ask, or have a look at my work. I can't tell better than my work. Have a good one.

Early Bird Offer: save 20%

Enrol before 20th January: £224.99 (Standard Course Fee: £279.99)

Enrol on Course

FAQs

How will this course be delivered?

This course will be delivered live and online via Zoom. Each week, we'll run 1 workshop session and 1 feedback/review session. On occasions, you may be presented with some pre-recorded content (for example, if we are on an external shoot) but for the most part, the primary content will be delivered live.
What day and time is the live workshop?

For this course, the workshop will be delivered on Tuesdays between 4pm - 6pm, GMT.
What day and time is the live feedback/review session?

For this course, the feedback/Q&A session will be on Fridays, 4pm - 6pm, GMT.
If I cannot make the live sessions, will they be recorded and made available for viewing later on?

Yes. All live sessions will be recorded and made available on the course lesson page. This usually takes us around 24hrs to edit and upload the video recordings.
Can we pay in instalments?

Yes, depending on the length of the course, you can pay an initial deposit and then spread the remainder of the cost over a series of months. If you are enrolling on multiple courses, we'd be more than happy to create a custom payment plan for you.
Is there a discount if we purchase multiple line/online courses?

Yes, we are happy to offer a 10% discount per course for enrolling on 2 courses, and a 20% discount per course when enrolling on 3 or more courses. Please get in touch for more info.
Will we have lifetime access to the recorded course content?

Yes, you will have lifetime access to the course content via our CAVE platform.
Will we be required to complete exercises?

Each week, we'll be setting an exercise. You will be treated as adults, so it will be on you to complete the exercises. We understand that time is precious and you may have other commitments, which result in you missing an exercise or possibly falling behind. If so, do get in touch and we'll be more than happy to support you in catching up and developing your skills. We will be using SyncSketch for the review sessions, of which you will be able to access as a CAVE Academy student.
Will there be a final assignment?

Each course will have a slightly different outcome but overall, yes, you will be tasked with creating an 'output' for each course. For Modelling, this may be a final model plus model turntable renders. For a Concept Art based course, this might be a series of production quality images. For every course, you will have an output for your portfolio (should your work be signed off by the tutor).
Will any support be provided outside of the live sessions?

Yes - we use Discord for out of class discussions and if you have any other issues, you are more than welcome to send us an email directly. And if required, we'd be more than happy to catch up via a one-to-one Zoom session.
Will there be any support after the course has finished?

We'll be more than happy to continue supporting students after the duration of the course as they work on their final assignment.
Will data be provided for the courses?

Yes - we'll be providing data where required and dependent on the course. The majority of our course content is project-based and created using CAVE IP (scripts, concepts, models, textures, HDRIs, video footage, etc.) of which you will have access to. Please note that the data should not be shared externally for any purpose.
Will software be provided for the course?

Where possible, we will provide software at student rates. For example, for any students enrolled on our live/online courses, we can provide access to the Adobe and Substance Suite, and students are able to access the Foundry products at student rates (95% discount). We will also be providing access to Flow Production Tracking (ShotGrid) and SyncSketch. We are in discussion with Maxon and Autodesk for student licences but currently cannot provide these apps.

Creating Creature Concepts for VFX 2025

This live/online course will push your Creature Concept skills through a series of practical lessons and supervised exercises.