Dynamic Sketching: Imaginative Design & Form with Andrew Mai
8-week, beginner-to-intermediate-level design class
Andrew Mai
Andrew Mai is a concept artist and environment designer from sunny Sydney, Australia. Andrew has a passionate interest in science fiction and global cultures. After drawing for years, his love for creating worlds lead him to work in animation, films and games from 2020. His clients include The Line, Flying Bark, Studio Yotta, and Animal Logic.
Outside of the studio, you’ll find him scrambling on some rocks or staring at birds. He strongly believes in the connection between your personal lifestyle and the strength of your art.
Class Schedule
Length of Course: 8 weeks
Days: Saturdays starting May 24, 2025; skip July 5, last class on July 19, 2025
Time: 6pm – 9pm Pacific Time
Tuition: US$750
Class Size: 10 students
Format:
- Class meets once a week on Zoom; Zoom class is recorded
- Homework to be uploaded to Google Drive folder
- Students have access to pre-recorded demos, class recordings, and lecture notes for 12 months after class ends
- Bonus Discord activities: 1) Mid-week Office Hours to receive feedback on WIP – optional, not recorded. Schedule TBD (depends on instructor availability); 2) Work Sessions to hang out and work on homework together with classmates
Class Summary
This 8-wk course aims to teach students both the fundamentals of form manipulation and basic perspective shorthands, and apply these concepts into hard surface or environmental design from imagination as well as from observation. There will be a strong focus on creating a naturalistic workflow versus traditional technical draftsmanship, as well as building general design skills for objects:
- Week 1. Fundamentals of Form, Perspective, and Draftsmanship
- Week 2. Ellipses, Organic Form, and the Foundations of Texture and Detail
- Week 3. Organic Construction – Deconstructing and Design
- Week 4. Observational Sketching – Understanding Hard Surface Forms
- Week 5. Linear Construction – Designing Hard Surface Forms
- Week 6. Observational Vehicle Sketching
- Week 7. Designing from Imagination – Silhouette and Line
- Week 8. Designing from Imagination – Mechanical Problem Solving
Expected Results
By the end of the course, students are expected to become strongly comfortable with draftsmanship fundamentals, and will learn how to manipulate form without reliance on linear, mathematical perspective
Prospective Students
Those who wish to improve the feeling of volume and depth in their drawings will find this course valuable. Further, those who are seeking more dynamic drawings and designs in both their sketches and completed works
Prerequisites
This is a beginner-to-intermediate-level design class. In order to have a productive learning experience for all, prospective students need to fulfill the following requirements:
- You can choose to work on assignments either digitally or traditionally. If choose digital, you must have experience and access to a digital program such as Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, Procreate, etc.; If choose traditional, make sure you can upload good quality photos of your homework every week
- It’s highly recommended that students keep a sketchbook for this class and prepare some basic ink pens (Andrew recommends felt tip 0.5-1.0 pens)
- Must have a computer with microphone (camera optional)
- Must be able to access Google Drive to upload homework
- Should be comfortable using Discord to view/upload files and participate in text and/or voice discussions
- Must be dedicated and do homework as required (approximately 8-15 hours per week)
- Please know that this is a critique-heavy course. It’s very important to finish all of your homework on time in order to receive in-class critiques
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