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.

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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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