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Foundations of Animation & VFX: Digital Art and Illustration
New
Foundations of Animation & VFX: Digital Art and Illustration
Master Animation & VFX Foundations with Photoshop, Illustrator, Digital Art and Character Design
Created byMKCL India
Last updated 9/2026
English
What you'll learn
- Understand the fundamentals of Animation and VFX, including industry workflows, production pipelines, techniques, and career opportunities.
- Use Adobe Photoshop tools for selections, layers, masks, brushes, photo editing, restoration, retouching, and creative compositions.
- Create digital artwork using photo manipulation, matte painting, image compositing, surreal effects, and digital painting techniques.
- Use Adobe Illustrator to create vector graphics, illustrations, shapes, gradients, brushes, colour palettes, and perspective-based artwork.
- Design engaging characters by applying principles of facial features, expressions, emotions, hairstyles, posture, and body language.
- Apply layers, blend modes, masks, filters, and effects to build organized and efficient workflows for digital art and design projects.
- Understand copyright, intellectual property, and ethical practices related to character design, illustration, and professional creative work.
- Apply Photoshop and Illustrator skills to practical projects involving photo restoration, digital compositing, illustration, and character design.
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Course content
14 sections • 193 lectures • 14h 25m total length
Requirements
- No prior experience in Animation, VFX, Photoshop, or Illustrator is required. The course starts with foundational concepts and gradually develops practical skills.
- Basic computer skills such as using files, folders, applications, and a web browser will be helpful.
- Access to Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator is recommended for following the practical exercises. GIMP and Inkscape are listed as free alternatives.
- A computer or laptop running Windows 10 or later, or macOS, with a reliable internet connection is required for learning activities and software access.
- A graphics tablet and stylus are recommended but not mandatory, particularly for digital painting, illustration, and character design exercises.
- Most importantly, learners should have an interest in animation, VFX, digital art, illustration, and creative design and a willingness to practice hands-on creative exercises.
Description
This course contains the use of artificial intelligence.
Foundations of Animation & VFX: Digital Art and Illustration is a practical, beginner-friendly course designed to build essential creative and technical skills for learners interested in animation, visual effects, digital art, illustration, and character design.
The course begins with the fundamentals of Animation and VFX, introducing learners to the history of the industry, different animation and VFX techniques, production pipelines, industry structure, career opportunities, and emerging areas such as AR and VR.
Learners then develop practical skills using Adobe Photoshop, starting with selection, drawing, scaling, text, brush, layers, blend modes, masks, filters, and effects. The course progresses into photo restoration and professional retouching, including techniques for repairing damaged photographs, colour restoration, and wedding photography retouching.
A major section focuses on Digital Art and Compositing, where learners explore photo manipulation, combining multiple images, matte painting, fantasy compositions, surreal compositing, and digital painting. These skills help learners understand how individual visual elements can be transformed and combined to create compelling digital artwork.
The course also introduces Adobe Illustrator and vector illustration, covering raster versus vector graphics, essential Illustrator tools, shapes, gradients, colour palettes, layers, brushes, perspective, and advanced vector techniques. Learners progressively apply these skills to character design, including facial features, expressions, emotions, hairstyles, posture, and body language.
Finally, learners explore important ethical, copyright, and intellectual property considerations relevant to illustrators and creative professionals.
By the end of this course, learners will have developed a strong foundation in Animation, VFX, Photoshop, Illustrator, Digital Art, Compositing, Vector Illustration, and Character Design, preparing them to continue developing their skills for creative projects and further study in animation and VFX.
Who this course is for:
- Beginners interested in Animation and VFX who want to understand the fundamentals, industry workflows, production pipelines, and creative processes.
- Students and aspiring creative professionals who want to build foundational skills for further learning or a career in Animation, VFX, Digital Art, and Illustration.
- Aspiring graphic designers and digital artists who want practical experience using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator for creative projects.
- Learners interested in photo editing and digital compositing who want to develop skills in retouching, photo restoration, image manipulation, matte painting, and surreal compositions.
- Aspiring illustrators and character designers who want to learn vector illustration, shapes, brushes, perspective, facial expressions, character features, posture, and visual storytelling.
- Content creators and creative professionals who want to strengthen their skills in digital artwork, visual communication, and professional design workflows.
- Learners exploring careers in the creative industry who want exposure to Animation and VFX studios, production processes, industry roles, career opportunities, and emerging areas such as AR and VR.
- Anyone with a passion for creativity and visual storytelling who wants to build a structured foundation in Animation, VFX, Photoshop, Illustrator, Digital Art, and Character Design.