[Course]conceptartist,kevingnutzmans Details
Intro
Class Intro
Concept Artist, Kevin Gnutzmans
Let's build solid storytelling fundamentals
to create intricate, tethered compositions.
to create intricate, tethered compositions.
Smart Artists Are Building Story Empires
Remember when everyone thought digital art would "kill" traditional painting? Plot twist: the most successful artists today blend both worlds seamlessly.
There's a growing group of illustrators who've discovered something delightful—3D doesn't replace your painterly skills, it actually makes them more valuable.
There's a growing group of illustrators who've discovered something delightful—3D doesn't replace your painterly skills, it actually makes them more valuable.
In this class, we are using Blender like a super-powered sketch pad, then bringing all their traditional magic to the paint-over stage. The result? Stories that feel hand-crafted but iterate at lightning speed, and clients who can't get enough of that "How did you do this so fast?" workflow.
Think of this as adding rocket fuel to your existing artistic superpowers. Your eye for color, your instinct for atmosphere, your love of the painting process—none of that changes. You just get to be more strategic about where you spend your creative energy. It's like having a really good assistant who handles the technical setup so you can focus on the magic.
The best part? While other artists are still debating whether this approach is "real art," you'll be building the portfolio that lands the dream projects.
Think of this as adding rocket fuel to your existing artistic superpowers. Your eye for color, your instinct for atmosphere, your love of the painting process—none of that changes. You just get to be more strategic about where you spend your creative energy. It's like having a really good assistant who handles the technical setup so you can focus on the magic.
The best part? While other artists are still debating whether this approach is "real art," you'll be building the portfolio that lands the dream projects.
Class Preview
Still Not Sure?
Check Out Kevin's Class Preview!
Chapter 09
Playing with color and
light to tell a story
1. Color and Emotion
2. Assigning meaning to color
3. Color Psychology
Class Perks
Special Gift from Kevin Gnutzmans
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Signature Paint-Over Brush Collection18 custom Photoshop brushes crafted for warm, atmospheric storytelling -
The Course Demo Asset LibraryAll 3D models and props built during lessons, ready to paint over -
Warm Light Color Harmony Sets15 custom Photoshop swatches for cozy, atmospheric storytelling
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Go-To Blender Lighting Presets8 warm lighting setups that create the perfect paint-over base -
Painterly Effects Layer CollectionPre-painted atmospheric elements as layered PSD files -
Studio Scene Templates6 pre-lit Blender environments optimized for warm, story-driven illustration
Recommendation
Who should take this class?
Traditional Illustrators Ready to Level Up
Learn the 3D-assisted workflow that lets you iterate faster and think bigger. Stop being limited by drawing speed—start building visual worlds.
Aspiring Concept Artists & Entertainment Industry Hopefuls
"You know your portfolio needs more than pretty pictures—it needs story."
Freelancers Who Want to Charge Premium Rates
Differentiate yourself from the competition by offering story-driven illustration series instead of one-off commissions. Build the skills that command higher project fees.
Expert Concept Artist Kevin Gnutzmans's Portfolio
Why Take This Class?
Stop Drawing. Start Storytelling.
You've been making beautiful illustrations, but they feel disconnected and random. Clients scroll past them. Employers can't see the bigger picture. You know your technical skills are solid, but something's missing—that spark that makes people stop, lean in, and care about what you've created. The problem isn't your talent; it's that you're thinking like an illustrator when the industry needs visual storytellers who can build worlds across multiple scenes.
This course gives you the unfair advantage studios don't want you to know about. While other artists struggle with single illustrations, you'll master the 3D-assisted pipeline that lets you rapidly develop complete story sequences—the same workflow used at Pixar, Marvel, and top game studios. In 18 hours, you'll transform from someone who draws pretty pictures to someone who crafts visual narratives that land jobs, win clients, and build lasting creative careers. Stop competing on technique alone. Start dominating with stories that stick.
12 Class Exercises
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Story Sprint Outline -
Reference Treasure-Hunt -
Camera-Angle Boards(6 thumbnails, 3 angles × 2 lenses.)
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Value-Mood Scale / Relight a scene in two key rangesn -
Color-Key Triptych -
Rapid Storyboards(8-panel board of your three key scenes.)
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Block-Out Practice -
3D Thumbnail Shoot -
Atmospheric Pass(Add fog or volumetrics to one shot.)
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Detail & Material Pass -
Render & Relay -
FX Polish Sprint
Final Products
Sequenced, Fully Rendered Illustration/Intro
Sequenced, Fully Rendered Illustration/Build-Up
Sequenced, Fully Rendered Illustration/Climax
Sequenced, Fully Rendered Illustration/Ending
Instructor
Concept Artist
Kevin Gnutzmans
Kevin is a Brazilian artist working in the entertainment industry both in games and animation. He
has worked with Supercell, Riot Games, Wizards of the Coast, VOLTA, Passion Pictures and many
more.
He loves to paint and draw almost everything, but his works are more environment/visual dev
focused.
He loves to use Blender in my creative process, but sometimes just paint without blocking in 3D.
His favorite subject to paint is magical/fantasy/colorful places that I wish I existed in real life
Concept Artist,
Kevin Gnutzmans
[Current]
Freelance Concept Artist
[Previous]
Freelance Concept Artist for Supercell
Freelance Concept Artist for Riot Games
Freelance Concept Artist for Wizard of the Coast
Freelance Concept Artist for VOLTA
Freelance Concept Artist for Passion Pictures
Projects & Awards
Has Worked On
- League Of Leagends [Concept and Background]
- Arcane [Concept and Background]
- Palia [Concept and Background]
- Star Guardians [Concept and Background]
- Elderwood [Concept and Background]
etc.
Highlights
Class Highlights
Hybrid 3D-to-2D Workflow
"Use Blender as Your Concept Tool, Not Just Final Art" Most illustration courses teach either traditional 2D methods OR 3D modeling separately. This course uniquely positions Blender as a rapid thumbnailing and composition tool first, then teaches how to paint over 3D renders in Photoshop.
Meaningful Composition
"Every Tool Serves the Narrative" Instead of teaching Blender and Photoshop as separate technical subjects, everything is filtered through storytelling fundamentals. Every good illustration, picture or movie needs a good composition. It is the solid fundation that hold a image together. Without composition we cannot 'see' the art.
Production-Ready Pipeline
This curriculum takes students through the complete professional pipeline—from initial story beats and mood boards, through 3D thumbnailing and modeling, to final paint-over and effects. You'll walk away with both a finished portfolio piece and a repeatable workflow they can use in industry or freelance work.
Class Details
You'll Learn
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Build Your Own Visual Story UniverseDevelop a sequential narrative that showcases your storytelling skills and sets your portfolio apart from the competition. Bring your ideas down to vision and organize even before the first stroke on the canvas. -
Learn the Secret Workflow Studios Don't TeachValue and Emotion.
The most important foundatoin when it comes to creating art. Values control emotion, and emotion controls the audience. -
Sketch More Ideas in the Time It Takes Others to Draw 3Lightning-Fast Iteration with 3D Thumbnailing. Never get stuck on "getting it right the first time" again. Test camera angles, lighting, and compositions at the speed of thought.
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Zero 3D Experience? No Problem.Beginner-Friendly Blender Made Simple Learn only what you need for illustration—no overwhelming technical jargon. If you can use Photoshop, you can master this workflow. The basics of Blender is here. -
Graduate with a Portfolio That Gets You HiredMultiple Professional Pieces + Proven Process Walk away with finished illustrations AND a repeatable workflow that clients and employers actually want to see. The painting process over 3D will successfuly land you into the safe zone. -
One Framework, Infinite StoriesAdapt This Process to Any Genre or Style Fantasy, sci-fi, slice-of-life—whatever you want to create, this story-first pipeline adapts. Build the foundation for a lifelong creative career.
Interview with
Concept Artist Kevin Gnutzmans
Question.01
Is there a specific reason why you chose this specific topic/themes?
The reason I chose this topic is because I strongly believe that learning how to tell a story is THE
most important skill an entertainment artist need.
It doesn't matter that much if you know how to paint something super realistic, or model the most complex 3D model ever, if you cannot connect with your audience through emotion and story, nobody is going to care about what you have to say.
Learning that changed my whole career, that's why I like to teach others how to use the tools available not only to create something beautiful, but also something that connects with people in a emotional level.
It doesn't matter that much if you know how to paint something super realistic, or model the most complex 3D model ever, if you cannot connect with your audience through emotion and story, nobody is going to care about what you have to say.
Learning that changed my whole career, that's why I like to teach others how to use the tools available not only to create something beautiful, but also something that connects with people in a emotional level.
Question.02
Please share your thoughts on the industry's job market and what you see in the industry's
future.
The entertainment industry is an everchanging industry, and in the last few years we see more and
more of different technologies changing the way we create.
One of the most recent ones was the introduction of 3D in the pipeline of 2D artists. No matter what you do, whether you work as a concept artist for games, visual development artist for movies or work doing Illustrations, learning how to use 3D will give you the power to explore much more and much faster than you would usually do.
With 3D your creative horizon will expand, and you will see a new world of creative possibilities.
One of the most recent ones was the introduction of 3D in the pipeline of 2D artists. No matter what you do, whether you work as a concept artist for games, visual development artist for movies or work doing Illustrations, learning how to use 3D will give you the power to explore much more and much faster than you would usually do.
With 3D your creative horizon will expand, and you will see a new world of creative possibilities.
Question.03
Could you please share how you started your journey in the industry?
I started my journey like most of artist: drawing while in class in school. Math books were filled with
drawings and dumb animations I use to do. Back then I started my passion for animation and
games. Watching animes was something I did thorough my whole teenager years.
When the time to pick a profession came, I was afraid to become an artist, especially because in Brazil we don’t have a big entertainment industry so for the first few years I studied engineering. The art calling was too strong for me to keep ignoring so I quit engineering and decided to pursue art. In Brazil we didn't have an actual college degree on art for games and movies, so I had to do the next best thing: Graphic Design.
In college I met a bunch of people that wanted to do the same thing, and because of them I learned about the Art Fundamentals. Things like composition, values, design were all new to me and I started to study all these things mostly online with art courses.
My works started to get better and better, and I slowly built an online following. With time I started to get my first job opportunities, they were initially simple freelance gigs that allowed me to make a little bit of money and get some experience while still have time to keep studying and learning. As time went by, art directors started to notice my work online and that lead me to greater opportunities.
When the time to pick a profession came, I was afraid to become an artist, especially because in Brazil we don’t have a big entertainment industry so for the first few years I studied engineering. The art calling was too strong for me to keep ignoring so I quit engineering and decided to pursue art. In Brazil we didn't have an actual college degree on art for games and movies, so I had to do the next best thing: Graphic Design.
In college I met a bunch of people that wanted to do the same thing, and because of them I learned about the Art Fundamentals. Things like composition, values, design were all new to me and I started to study all these things mostly online with art courses.
My works started to get better and better, and I slowly built an online following. With time I started to get my first job opportunities, they were initially simple freelance gigs that allowed me to make a little bit of money and get some experience while still have time to keep studying and learning. As time went by, art directors started to notice my work online and that lead me to greater opportunities.
Required Programs
This course will use Photoshop and Blender
Please purchase and install these program(s) for an optimized chapter experience.
*These programs and/or materials will not be provided with the chapter.
