Concept Art
World-Building Series
Submission Link
Due Dates: Pt 1 - 8/5, Pt 2 8/13, Pt 3 8/27 Pt 4 9/11
Due Dates: Pt 1 - 8/5, Pt 2 8/13, Pt 3 8/27 Pt 4 9/11
ASSIGNMENT
Project Description
Students will design a fictional world and produce a 3-piece concept art series that reflects professional practices in film, animation, and game design. The series must demonstrate strong visual storytelling, consistent design, and advanced digital techniques
A strong set could be:
Establishing View — “The Big Picture”
A wide shot showing the overall environment.
Establishes the landscape, architecture, climate, and overall mood.
Example: A futuristic city viewed from a distant mountain.
Location View — “A Place in the World”
A closer view of an important location.
Shows what it is like to actually exist in this world.
Example: A marketplace, school, village, spaceship interior, or abandoned temple.
Everyday Life View — “People in the World”
Shows characters interacting with the environment.
Helps communicate the culture, technology, clothing, transportation, or activities of the world.
Example: People shopping in an alien marketplace.
Landmark View — “Something Unique”
Focuses on a major landmark, structure, creature, or technological feature that makes the world distinctive.
Example: A giant floating city, magical tree, massive robot, or portal.
Story/Cinematic View — “Something Is Happening”
A dramatic scene that tells a story within the world.
Uses composition, lighting, and character interaction to create a narrative.
Example: A character discovering a forbidden location or escaping during an invasion.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Develop a cohesive fictional world with consistent visual elements
Apply advanced lighting and atmospheric techniques in digital artwork
Create characters that visually belong within a designed environment
Use composition strategies to communicate a clear narrative moment
Demonstrate professional workflow (thumbnailing, iteration, critique, revision)
Present work in a polished, industry-style format
Essential Questions
How do artists visually communicate a story without words?
What makes a fictional world feel believable and cohesive?
How do lighting and atmosphere impact emotion in an image?
How do concept artists develop and refine ideas over time?
Big Ideas
Artists communicate stories through visual design.
World-building requires consistency across multiple artworks.
Lighting, color, and composition create mood and meaning.
Professional artists develop ideas through iterative processes.
Vocabulary
Concept Art – Artwork created to visually develop ideas for films, games, or animations before final production.
World-Building – The process of creating a believable fictional setting, including its environment, culture, and rules.
Visual Language – The consistent use of colors, shapes, and design elements to communicate ideas and create a unified look.
Composition – The arrangement of visual elements in an artwork to guide the viewer’s eye and create balance.
Silhouette – The outline of a character or object; strong silhouettes make designs easily recognizable.
Turnaround – A full view of a character from multiple angles (front, side, back) to show complete design.
Expression Sheet – A collection of a character’s facial expressions used to show personality and emotion.
Atmosphere – The overall mood or feeling of an artwork, often created through lighting, color, and effects.
Lighting – How light interacts with objects in an artwork to create depth, focus, and mood.
Ambient Light – General light that fills a scene
Directional Light – Light coming from a specific source (like the sun)
Rim Light – Light outlining the edge of a subject to separate it from the background
Color Palette – A limited selection of colors used consistently throughout a project.
Value – The lightness or darkness of a color.
Depth – The illusion of space in an artwork, often created using foreground, midground, and background.
Foreground – The part of the image closest to the viewer.
Midground – The middle area of the image.
Background – The part of the image farthest from the viewer.
Focal Point – The area of an artwork that draws the viewer’s attention first.
Narrative – The story being told through the artwork.
Iteration – The process of repeatedly improving a piece through revisions and feedback.
Cinematic Composition – A style of composition inspired by film, using dramatic angles, lighting, and framing to tell a story.
Students complete the “How Would You Improve It?” bell ringer by analyzing a poor logo, advertisement, or photograph. Students identify three improvements and explain why each change would make the design more effective.
Opening
Students analyze professional concept art and identify how environment, character, composition, and visual details communicate information about an imaginary world.
Students Will...
Identify characteristics of effective world-building.
Generate multiple fictional-world concepts.
Begin developing an original world concept.
Analyze how designers communicate ideas visually.
Teacher Will...
Introduce the World-Building Series and final expectations.
Show examples of professional concept art.
Model brainstorming and visual research.
Introduce the world-building worksheet.
Work Session
Brainstorm 3–5 fictional-world ideas.
Select a promising concept.
Begin the world-building worksheet.
Research visual references.
Closing/Debrief
Students share one element that makes their world unique.
Students identify one question they still need to solve.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.1.a, CR.1.b, CR.1.c, CR.1.d; VAHSAD.CN.2.b, CN.2.c
Example References:
Concept Questions
Opening
Students examine how setting, culture, technology, climate, and time period affect the appearance of a fictional world.
Students Will...
Establish the setting, time period, culture, technology, and environment.
Define the mood and visual direction of their world.
Identify visual references that support their concept.
Teacher Will...
Model how seemingly unrelated world elements can work together.
Demonstrate effective visual research.
Conference with students to test whether their concepts are cohesive.
Work Session
Complete the world-building worksheet.
Gather reference images.
Establish mood, color direction, and visual style.
Refine the initial concept.
Closing/Debrief
Students identify three visual rules their world will follow.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.1.b, CR.1.d; VAHSAD.CR.4.b; VAHSAD.CN.2.c
Opening
Students compare concept art from different films, games, or animations and identify recurring visual elements.
Students Will...
Develop a consistent visual language.
Identify recurring shapes, colors, materials, architecture, clothing, and technology.
Create a visual reference board.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate how visual language creates consistency.
Discuss shape language, color, texture, and repetition.
Model creation of a professional reference board.
Work Session
Collect and organize reference imagery.
Develop architecture, clothing, objects, symbols, landscapes, and technology.
Establish design rules for the fictional world.
Closing/Debrief
Students identify one visual element that should appear consistently throughout the final series.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.1.b, CR.1.c; VAHSAD.CR.4.b; VAHSAD.CN.1.e, CN.2.b
Example Reference:
ArtStation
Opening
Students consider how changing the location, camera angle, or scale can reveal different information about the same fictional world.
Students Will...
Develop 3–5 possible views of their world.
Explore differences in environment, culture, and atmosphere.
Determine which views best communicate their concept.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate establishing, location, everyday-life, landmark, and cinematic views.
Model quick environmental sketches.
Help students evaluate which views provide the strongest visual storytelling.
Work Session
Students develop quick sketches for:
Establishing View
Location View
Everyday Life View
Landmark View
Story/Cinematic View
Closing/Debrief
Students select the strongest views and explain why.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.1.a, CR.1.d; VAHSAD.CR.4.a, CR.4.b; VAHSAD.CR.6.c
Opening
Students analyze professional thumbnails and identify how artists test composition before committing to a final image.
Students Will...
Create 8–12 thumbnail sketches.
Experiment with viewpoints, camera angles, scale, and composition.
Identify strong focal points and visual hierarchy.
Select their strongest concepts.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate thumbnailing.
Model how to evaluate composition quickly.
Provide individual feedback and approve selected concepts.
Work Session
Create 8–12 thumbnails.
Explore multiple compositions.
Select strongest concepts.
Prepare Pt. 1 Concept submission.
Closing/Debrief
Students explain which thumbnail communicates their idea most effectively and why.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.1.a, CR.1.d; VAHSAD.CR.4.b; VAHSAD.CR.6.c; VAHSAD.CN.2.c
Checkpoint: Pt. 1 — Concept
Opening
Students identify the difference between a thumbnail and a refined concept sketch.
Students Will...
Develop selected thumbnails into detailed concept sketches.
Establish perspective and depth.
Develop foreground, midground, and background.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate perspective and spatial organization.
Model refining a thumbnail into a larger sketch.
Provide targeted individual feedback.
Work Session
Refine selected concepts.
Establish perspective.
Develop major structures and environmental elements.
Build depth through foreground, midground, and background.
Closing/Debrief
Students identify the strongest compositional decision they made today.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.2.c, CR.2.d; VAHSAD.CR.4.a, CR.4.b
Opening
Students examine how architecture, landscape, and environmental details communicate the history and culture of a fictional world.
Students Will...
Develop detailed environment studies.
Apply perspective and depth.
Integrate established world-building elements.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate environmental perspective.
Model creating believable structures and landscapes.
Conference with students about consistency.
Work Session
Develop environmental studies.
Add architecture, landscapes, structures, and environmental details.
Apply perspective and depth.
Closing/Debrief
Students identify one environmental detail that communicates something about their fictional world's culture or history.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.2.c, CR.4.a, CR.4.b; VAHSAD.CN.1.g
Opening
Students compare images with different lighting and color schemes and describe how the mood changes.
Students Will...
Develop 3–4 color palettes.
Experiment with lighting.
Explore warm/cool relationships.
Select a final color direction.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate value, atmospheric perspective, and lighting.
Explain ambient, directional, and rim lighting.
Model color-palette development.
Work Session
Create 3–4 palette studies.
Create lighting studies.
Test different moods.
Select the strongest color/lighting direction.
Closing/Debrief
Students explain how their chosen palette supports the mood of their world.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.4.b; VAHSAD.CR.2.d; VAHSAD.CN.2.d
Opening
Students analyze cinematic compositions and identify focal point, hierarchy, framing, and camera angle.
Students Will...
Develop additional composition studies.
Establish focal points.
Experiment with camera angles and cropping.
Use composition to communicate narrative.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate cinematic composition.
Model focal-point placement and visual hierarchy.
Provide composition feedback.
Work Session
Create additional composition studies.
Test camera angles and crops.
Refine focal points.
Select final composition.
Closing/Debrief
Students describe what they want the viewer to notice first and why.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.4.b; VAHSAD.CR.6.c; VAHSAD.CN.2.d
Opening
Students review their approved concept, color palette, and composition before beginning final production.
Students Will...
Begin their final environment artwork in Procreate.
Establish major shapes and perspective.
Block in foreground, midground, and background.
Establish initial color and lighting.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate an efficient digital painting workflow.
Model layer organization and blocking.
Conduct brief production conferences.
Work Session
Begin final environment.
Establish major forms.
Block in color.
Establish lighting direction.
Closing/Debrief
Students save/export their progress and identify their next production goal.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.2.a, CR.2.c, CR.2.d; VAHSAD.CR.4.a
Opening
Students evaluate their environment for perspective, depth, and consistency with their established world.
Students Will...
Develop architecture, objects, textures, and details.
Refine perspective and depth.
Develop lighting and atmospheric effects.
Teacher Will...
Model advanced rendering techniques.
Provide individual conferences.
Help students identify areas requiring revision.
Work Session
Continue rendering.
Add structures, objects, textures, and environmental details.
Refine perspective.
Develop atmosphere.
Closing/Debrief
Students identify one area that is successful and one area requiring revision.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.2.d, CR.4.a, CR.4.b, CR.5.c
Opening
Students conduct a value and focal-point check of their environment.
Students Will...
Strengthen values and lighting.
Develop texture and atmosphere.
Add secondary details.
Refine the focal point.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate advanced lighting and atmospheric techniques.
Provide targeted feedback.
Model how to avoid over-rendering areas that do not support the focal point.
Work Session
Continue rendering.
Strengthen values.
Refine lighting.
Add textures and secondary details.
Closing/Debrief
Students explain how their lighting directs the viewer's attention.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.2.d, CR.4.b; VAHSAD.CR.5.c, CR.6.d
Opening
Students prepare their environment for peer critique by identifying one strength and one area they want feedback on.
Students Will...
Complete the environment.
Participate in peer critique.
Identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Apply feedback through revision.
Teacher Will...
Facilitate structured critique.
Model constructive professional feedback.
Conference with students regarding revisions.
Work Session
Complete environment artwork.
Participate in peer critique.
Record feedback.
Begin revisions.
Closing/Debrief
Students identify the most useful feedback they received and explain how they will use it.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.5.b, CR.5.d; VAHSAD.CR.6.b; VAHSAD.RE.2, RE.3.a
Opening
Students analyze character silhouettes and identify how shape, clothing, accessories, and proportion communicate personality.
Students Will...
Develop a character that belongs within their fictional world.
Create multiple character thumbnails.
Explore silhouette, proportion, clothing, accessories, and personality.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate character-design workflow.
Model silhouette development.
Explain how character design should reflect the established world.
Work Session
Create multiple character thumbnails.
Explore silhouettes and clothing.
Develop accessories and personality.
Select and refine the strongest concept.
Closing/Debrief
Students explain how their character visually belongs in their fictional world.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.1.a, CR.1.d; VAHSAD.CR.4.a, CR.4.b; VAHSAD.CN.2.b
Opening
Students compare their character design against their world-building visual language.
Students Will...
Complete their character design.
Create a turnaround, expression sheet, or pose sheet.
Refine proportion, clothing, and visual details.
Maintain consistency with the fictional world.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate character refinement.
Provide feedback on proportion, silhouette, and visual consistency.
Help students determine which supporting character sheet best communicates the design.
Work Session
Finalize character.
Develop turnaround/expression/pose sheet.
Refine details.
Prepare character for integration into the narrative piece.
Closing/Debrief
Students identify one design choice that communicates their character's personality.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.2.d, CR.4.a, CR.4.b; VAHSAD.CR.5.c
Opening
Students analyze cinematic concept art and identify how composition, character interaction, lighting, and environment communicate a story without words.
Students Will...
Select an important story moment.
Create 3–5 composition thumbnails.
Combine character, environment, color, and lighting concepts.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate cinematic composition.
Model visual storytelling.
Help students evaluate whether the proposed scene communicates a clear narrative.
Work Session
Select a story moment.
Create 3–5 thumbnails.
Test camera angles, character placement, lighting, and focal point.
Select final composition.
Closing/Debrief
Students describe what happened immediately before and after their selected moment.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.1.a, CR.1.d; VAHSAD.CR.6.c; VAHSAD.CN.2.c, CN.2.d
Opening
Students review their approved composition and identify the focal point before beginning final production.
Students Will...
Begin the final cinematic illustration.
Establish composition and major shapes.
Place character and environment.
Establish perspective, scale, and focal point.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate an efficient production workflow.
Model establishing major shapes before rendering.
Conduct quick individual conferences.
Work Session
Begin final narrative artwork.
Establish environment and character placement.
Block in major shapes.
Establish perspective and lighting.
Closing/Debrief
Students evaluate whether the composition clearly communicates the intended story moment.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.2.a, CR.2.c, CR.2.d; VAHSAD.CR.4.b
Opening
Students conduct a self-assessment focused on composition, character/environment interaction, lighting, and narrative clarity.
Students Will...
Continue rendering the final illustration.
Develop lighting, atmosphere, textures, and details.
Refine character/environment interaction.
Strengthen visual storytelling.
Teacher Will...
Demonstrate advanced rendering and atmospheric techniques.
Conduct individual teacher conferences.
Provide feedback based on professional design practices.
Work Session
Continue rendering.
Refine character/environment interaction.
Develop lighting and atmosphere.
Strengthen the focal point and narrative.
Closing/Debrief
Students record one revision they will make during the next class.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.2.d; VAHSAD.CR.5.b, CR.5.c; VAHSAD.CR.6.d
Opening
Students complete a professional pre-submission checklist evaluating craftsmanship, composition, color, lighting, narrative, and consistency.
Students Will...
Complete the final narrative artwork.
Revise work using feedback.
Organize all three pieces as a cohesive series.
Prepare professional presentation files.
Teacher Will...
Conduct final conferences.
Provide targeted revision feedback.
Demonstrate file organization and presentation preparation.
Verify completion of project requirements.
Work Session
Complete final artwork.
Clean up details, values, color, and lighting.
Revise based on feedback.
Organize:
Environment
Character
Narrative piece
Supporting sketches/process
Closing/Debrief
Students identify the most significant change made during revision and explain why it improved the work.
Standards:
VAHSAD.CR.5.b, CR.5.c, CR.5.d; VAHSAD.CR.6.a, CR.6.d; VAHSAD.PR.1.a
Checkpoint: Pt. 3 — WIP / Final Preparation
Opening
Students prepare their completed three-piece series for presentation and review the criteria for professional presentation.
Students Will...
Present their completed fictional world.
Explain their world-building, character, environment, color, and narrative choices.
Discuss artistic influences.
Participate in critique.
Complete a written reflection.
Teacher Will...
Facilitate student presentations and critique.
Prompt students to discuss design decisions and problem-solving.
Assess the final series using project criteria.
Model professional critique and reflection.
Work Session
Present completed series.
Participate in peer critique.
Complete written reflection.
Submit final project.
Closing/Debrief
Students respond to:
What design decision was most successful?
What changed from your original concept?
How did feedback influence your final work?
What would you improve if you had additional time?
Standards:
VAHSAD.PR.1, PR.1.a, PR.1.b; VAHSAD.RE.1, RE.2, RE.3.a; VAHSAD.CR.6.a, CR.6.b
Because students only meet every other day, I would avoid making the project dependent on students completing substantial work outside of class. Instead, each class should end with a specific continuation goal, such as:
Complete remaining thumbnail sketches.
Gather additional visual references.
Finish the current section of the world-building worksheet.
Refine the approved concept.
Continue rendering the environment.
Prepare questions for the next teacher conference.
VAHSAD.CR.1 – Visualize and generate ideas for creating applied design art products and/or designs.
VAHSAD.CR.1.a: Use open-ended inquiry, consider multiple options, weigh consequences, and assess results.
VAHSAD.CR.1.b: Investigate and research themes, interests, materials, and methods.
VAHSAD.CR.1.c: Recognize a range of contemporary and traditional designers’ works.
VAHSAD.CR.1.d: Plan and generate ideas using appropriate industry practices and methodology.
VAHSAD.CR.2 – Choose from a range of materials and methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices to plan and create applied design art products and designs.
VAHSAD.CR.2.a: Utilize industry-standard software and hardware.
VAHSAD.CR.2.c: Demonstrate knowledge of the design process.
VAHSAD.CR.2.d: Integrate tools, materials, and techniques effectively to create and revise art products, prototypes, and/or models.
VAHSAD.CR.4 – Apply design skills and the elements and principles of design.
VAHSAD.CR.4.a: Employ basic drawing and three-dimensional modeling/prototyping design skills to shape investigations of applied design products and/or designs.
VAHSAD.CR.4.b: Consider the elements and principles of design when planning applied design art products and/or designs.
VAHSAD.CR.5 – Reflect on, revise, and refine applied design art products and/or designs considering relevant traditional and contemporary practices.
VAHSAD.CR.5.b: Document processes through research, reflection, collaboration, and critique.
VAHSAD.CR.5.c: Revise, consolidate, and synthesize content as the process unfolds to develop personal style.
VAHSAD.CR.5.d: Revise work based on feedback.
VAHSAD.CR.6 – Keep an ongoing visual and verbal record to explore and develop applied design art products and/or designs.
VAHSAD.CR.6.a: Self-assess and write reflections on work, research, idea generation, skills, and progress.
VAHSAD.CR.6.b: Reflect and analyze work through self-assessment and critique.
VAHSAD.CR.6.c: Practice and plan layout/composition, storyboards, and artistic research.
VAHSAD.CR.6.d: Evaluate choices of media, technique, and process to edit, revise, and modify applied design work.
VAHSAD.PR.1 – Plan, prepare, and present applied design art products and/or designs for exhibition in school, a virtual environment, and/or portfolio presentation.
VAHSAD.PR.1.a: Consider evolving technologies when preparing work for presentation.
VAHSAD.PR.1.b: Create an oral and/or written support statement explaining the applied design work.
VAHSAD.RE.1 – Reflect on the context of personal applied design art products and/or designs in relationship to community, culture, and the world.
VAHSAD.RE.2 – Critique personal applied design art products and/or designs and the work of others, individually and collaboratively, using a variety of approaches.
VAHSAD.RE.2.b: Understand the relationships between traditional and applied arts.
VAHSAD.RE.2.c: Understand the ethics and responsibility associated with applied design art products and/or designs, including copyright, fair use, and trademark.
VAHSAD.RE.3 – Engage in the process of art criticism to make meaning and increase visual literacy.
VAHSAD.RE.3.a: Formulate written and/or oral responses to works of art through various approaches.
VAHSAD.CN.1 – Develop personal artistic voice through connecting uses of art within a variety of cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts.
VAHSAD.CN.1.e: Identify specific knowledge and skills from other disciplines that inform the planning and execution of applied design art products and/or designs.
VAHSAD.CN.1.f: Explain how applied design art products and/or designs can influence or impact the user and society.
VAHSAD.CN.1.g: Explain how users, culture, and audience affect the direction of applied design art products and/or designs.
VAHSAD.CN.2 – Develop life skills through the study and production of applied design art products and/or designs.
VAHSAD.CN.2.b: Use creativity and imagination in planning and development of products.
VAHSAD.CN.2.c: Use critical thinking and problem-solving strategies to conceive of and develop ideas.
VAHSAD.CN.2.d: Communicate meaning and ideas through visual representations, technology, and presentation.