Some Recent Work!

Come Learn How to Create Compelling Worlds at the OneFantasticWeekend Workshop

Imagine you had a job where you not only had to come up with ideas for stuff, but you had to come up with GREAT ideas on nearly a daily basis in order to keep your job. That is the job of a concept artist and oftentimes an illustrator. Doesn't sound easy does it?

Now imagine that instead of working for someone else, you worked for yourself? Not only do your ideas have to be great, they have to be THE BEST and they have to be UNIQUE.

But how do you learn to develop ideas? Let's say you can paint circles around everyone in your field - that's great! You can sell an idea like nobody's business and that's a big leg up.

But if your ideas are the same tired tropes everyone has seen a million times, then it may not matter how shiny your image is - the next person down the line that has a better or more unique idea may win out, despite not being able to paint as well as you do.

I see a lot of tutorials online about how to paint and draw, but rarely do I see tutorials on idea development or world-building in general. But I do believe it is a skill that can be taught, or at least coaxed out of the willing by giving students tools that are unique to creating compelling concepts.

But before you set pen or pencil to paper to come up with great ideas, the most important thing is attaining a certain MINDSET that allows your creativity to flourish, to allow the ideas to find you, rather than you having to struggle to manifest them out of thin air.

I have taught these principles at colleges and in my own online tutorials, and now I will be doing it again at One Fantastic Weekend, a workshop for artists and illustrators that will focus on aspects of the job beyond just the technical ability to render a scene. At the workshop, I will work closely with the students to help each of them look within to find the ultimate source of inspiration for their visual worlds.

Throughout 4-day course, I will introduce students to methods for developing, iterating and refining ideas, making them better, and making them YOURS by applying my 6 "Mantras" of World-building, the first of which I will share with you here:

"In order to create compelling worlds, you must have a passion for your own"

Sign-up for the workshop ends on September 21st, so there isn't much time left! If you want to learn more about world-building, concept art and the business and life of being an illustrator or creative professional, then you should come to our workshop. It promises to be a unique experience unlike any other art-related workshop out there.

For more information, visit: http://www.onefantasticweekend.com/

And if you are still on the fence, here are testimonials from just a few of my former world-building students:

"I gotta say, one of my favorite things I took from the course are the mantras. The mantras are my constant reminder for keeping a fresh mind during the creation process. World-Building can be as fun as you dare make it to be. And Sean's course provided valuable philosophies and techniques that I will forever apply in my art."

- Ritchie Ramirez, Fall Seminar Student http://ritchramirez.squarespace.com

"Sean Murray's course is full of inspiring and challenging assignments. He really encouraged me to dig deeply for solutions to creative problems, rather than going with the first sketch or first impression."
- Paige Carpenter, Fall Seminar Student http://www.paigecarpenter.com/

"Sean Murray's World-building for Illustrators and Concept Artists is an excellent course. The assignments and feedback helped me get a grasp on many of the different elements of the world I was creating, while at the same time allowing me to make some interesting work for my portfolio. It's pretty much a must-take course if you're into worldbuilding, and even if you're not there's still a ton to learn. And it's been the most fun course I've taken yet!"

- Eva Toker, Fall Seminar Student - www.evamariatoker.com


See you at the workshop!

-Sean