Art Department Crash Course | Fall 2024

Our flagship course! This is a 6-week intensive class that introduces students to all the essential knowledge and skills for working in an entertainment industry art department. Whether you are an aspiring designer, prop fabricator, set decorator, art director, or just interested in learning more about the art department- this is the perfect course for you! Taught by industry experts, this online course sets the stage for your art department career journey and gives insight to current industry trends.

  • Course Fee: $415 reg. price (+applicable taxes & fees)

  • Course Runs: October 17th - November 26th (6 sessions)

  • Live Sessions: Held via Zoom on Thursday nights 6:30pm PT - 8:30pm PT *except for the final class, which will be held on Tuesday November 26th instead. (Please Note: there is no class the week of 10/31. Scroll to class description for details.)

  • This course will require an additional 3-6 hours a week for homework, research, and reading assignments outside of the live Zoom class session.

  • No prior knowledge or prerequisites are required! This is an introductory class for anyone/everyone interested in learning about the art department!

  • Instructors: Brandi Creason & Jamie Bartkowicz

  • Upon completion, you receive your Essential Art Department Certificate

Art Department Crash Course - Fall '24

Class capacity is limited! Register early to secure your spot!

CLASS CLOSED!
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Pricing options

Choose the payment plan that works best for you! Pay in full or split your course fee into two (2) equal monthly payments.

Art Department Crash Course

Want to know what to do next with your career or just want to brush up on knowledge and skillsets?

We can help guide you through one of the most industry demanding departments, the Art Department. Entertainment creation, inspiration and resources at your fingertips, taught by industry professionals passionate about their work. Now, let's get your coursework started!

Join us for an Art Department Crash Course session. We want you to keep your skillsets ready to go for any art department project! Only $415 for an intensive (6) weeks of instruction and interaction.  

This is your intensive (6) week Crash Course into the beginning nuances of the Art Department. This course will help familiarize you with the Art Department and how it works with others in the creation of visuals for projects. You will have access to downloadable handouts, live webinars, online classroom activities, access to network building skills and many more resources to help you navigate a rewarding career within an Art Department.

This course is NOT A DRAWING course!! It is built more upon the theory and working, hands-on skills of how to navigate an Art Department, so drawing ability is not necessary for this course. There will be a fair amount of research required and delving into your psyche about concepts and you will be producing physical homework folders based on your research, but there is no drawing ability needed for this course! Just be prepared to research concepts, cut and paste and note up folders! These types of assignments are geared to get you prepared to learn how to research and then submit your visual ideas about subjects, that you will be able to use throughout your career in any Art Department! 

Complete this course and receive your Art Department Crash Course certificate!  

Live Zoom Session Schedule:

Week 1: Thursday, 10/17
Week 2: Thursday, 10/24
*NO CLASS 10/31 (break week)*
Week 3: Thursday, 11/7
Week 4: Thursday, 11/14
Week 5: Thursday, 11/21
Week 6: Tuesday, 11/26

Each course will have a (6) week schedule that will be available to you week by week. At the beginning of each week, you will have access to the entire course content for that week, and you will be able to navigate it at your own pace. Yes! That's right, we said at your own pace. 

We know life gets in the way sometimes, and by allowing students to access the resources and course content ahead of time and without time pressures, it is our thinking that it should allow for more volume of quality questions to brought up at the end. 

We want Any and All questions! Don't be shy, we are here for YOU!

The content from the week stays accessible to you the student, for the entire session of the course, so you will always have the opportunity to go back to prior weeks to review information or download handouts as needed. 

It is our hope that the course content will inspire you to dive into this crazy department, and become an Essential part of any art department. We expect you to have fun while taking the course, because even though it is packed with information and resources, you should still be enjoying every moment of it! 

Taught by industry professionals you will be given rare insight into the inner workings of some of the most famous Entertainment projects around town. And you will get to hear some amazing, funny, sad and true stories from behind the scenes as well!

Our resident Art Department Crash Course hero, "Crash" himself will pop in from time to time to say hi and see how you are doing, tell art department antidotes and just remind you to HAVE FUN with this course! 

All students will have until one week before course start to cancel their registration and receive a full refund (Minus applicable fees & taxes). Cancellations requested within one week of class started will not be refunded. Please see our Terms & Conditions for any questions. 

Check out a preview of the course curriculum below.

Art Department Crash Course Sample Curriculum

    1. How to Navigate Your Student Course Site

    1. Welcome to ADCC - Please introduce yourself!

    1. Media Lecture: Introduction to the course and overview of the Art Department

    2. Crash Course Series / Full Course Syllabus

    3. Overview / Q&A Section

    1. Media Lecture: Introduction Week 1 / The Basics 101 Overview

    2. Live Session: ADCC101 / Weekly Let's Talk! Series

    3. Week 1: The Basics 101 / Q&A Section

    4. The Job of the Art Department / The Essential Department

    5. Emotions and Psychology of the Art Department

    6. Unions vs. Non-Unions

    7. Audio Lecture: Script Breakdown, Character Analysis and Building Character Environments

    8. What is a Script Breakdown & Character Analysis? / Building Character Environments

    9. Sample Script Breakdown Forms (9)

    10. Character Environments / It's In The Details

    11. The Presentation and Idea Folder: An Art Director's Recommendation

    12. Lab Overview: In-Depth Character Analysis Assignment

    13. Lab: In-Depth Character Analysis Folder Assignment Upload

    14. Lab: In-Depth Character Analysis Grid/Form Assignment Upload

    15. Audio Lecture: Shooting, Continuity, Set Etiquette & Terminology

    16. Shooting, Continuity, Set Etiquette & Terminology

    17. Maintaining Continuity Handout & HOT SET! Tag

    18. Shooting / On-Set Terminology Quiz

    19. Downloadable Handouts for Week 1 All In One Place

    20. Peer Homework for Review!

    21. Recorded Lecture: The Basics 101 / Let's Talk! Series / Wrap Up Week 1

    1. Media Lecture: Introduction Week 2 / Art Collaboration 101 Overview

    2. Live Session: ADCC101 / Weekly Let's Talk! Series

    3. Week 2: Art Collaboration 101 / Q&A Section

    4. Research & Design

    5. Research & Design Resources

    6. Audio Lecture: Collaboration: The People or Departments You Work With

    7. What is Collaboration: The People or Departments You Work With / Descriptions

    8. What_Is_Collaboration_Handout_CC101

    9. Entertainment Industry Job Descriptions Quiz

    10. Lab Overview: Research a Production Design Team Assignment

    11. Lab: Research a Production Design Team Assignment Upload

    12. Set Decorating / Set Dressing Tips / What is a Set Decorator?

    13. Essential Chat! Set Decoration - Guest Speaker

    14. Prop Makers and Fabrication

    15. Prop Makers & Fabrication Handout

    16. Essential Chat! Prop Fabrication

    17. Costume and Wardrobe Basics

    18. Costume and Wardrobe Basics Handout

    19. Downloadable Handouts for Week 2 All In One Place

    20. Peer Homework for Review!

    21. Recorded Lecture: Art Collaboration 101 / Let's Talk! Series / Wrap Up Week 2

    1. Media Lecture: Introduction into Week 3 / Artistic Environments 101 Overview

    2. Live Session: ADCC101 / Weekly Let's Talk! Series

    3. Week 3: Artistic Environments 101 / Q&A Section

    4. Eras and How They Are Represented in Set Design and Set Decoration

    5. Lab Overview: Eras and How they are represented in Set Design and Set Decoration

    6. Lab: Eras and How they are represented in Set Design and Set Decoration Assignment Upload

    7. Eras of Interior Decoration Quiz

    8. The HOW-TO of Prop Houses

    9. Graphics, Greeking and Art Usage Basics

    10. Lecture: Vendor Resources

    11. Essential Chat! Working with Vendors/Vendor Relationships

    12. Creative Exercise Overview: 10 Set-Type Environments That Affect You Everyday Assignment

    13. Creative Exercise: 10 Set-Type Environments That Affect You Everyday Assignment Upload

    14. Downloadable Handouts for Week 3 All In One Place

    15. Peer Homework for Review!

About this course

  • $415.00
  • 117 lessons
  • 7 hours of video content

Meet Your Instructors

Brandi Creason

Senior Instructor

For over 30 years, Brandi has solidified herself as a valued member of the art department team by striving to go above and beyond on a daily basis. Her passion for this industry drives her to continue to delve deeper on every project, and keep her skillsets current, and it is this passion, that she wishes to instill in the creative, young people coming up today. The Essential Art Department is her brainchild and passion project. A project meant to inspire and guide through experiential learning of one of the most demanding departments on any project. Brandi knew at a young age that she was destined to be an artist. With a musical father and an artist mother, she didn't fall far from the tree! Brandi grew up in Colorado, where she attended Metropolitan State University and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Realizing at that time that there were just way too many graphic artists getting ready to saturate the market, Brandi was persuaded by her mentor to attend graduate school for Theatre Set Design. She had just newly discovered this design capacity but was fully drawn to it. She applied and was accepted to The California Institute of the Arts, where she plunged into design in every facet and received her Master's of Fine Arts in Theatre Scene Design. Still not satisfied with being held to design amongst the theatre profession, she continued to shadow and work with her mentors in the Film and TV industry. She was smitten from the get go, and couldn't get enough of Hollywood. She found her skillsets as a formidable draftsperson would play a big part in some of the most rewarding jobs that she would have throughout the industry. Her drafting skills landed her a freelance job with Universal Studios Hollywood, where she met and become friends with the head Artistic Director, Chris Williams, with whom she would continue to work with for the next 20 years. 16 years into her work with Universal Studios Hollywood, they offered her a permanent position as a Production Designer in the Entertainment Department, with her lead focus working on the very popular, Halloween Horror Nights with Chris Williams as the Lead Production Designer. Brandi has spent every day in some sort of design capacity, and not a day goes by when she drives into work, without her smiling and saying out loud, wow, I work in this crazy industry, I'm part of the magic.

Jamie Bartkowicz

Lead Instructor

Jamie originally hails from the Detroit area of Michigan, but moved out to Los Angeles in 2015 after getting her Bachelor of Science in Film & TV Production. Many of her first gigs out of college were working as an Art PA and Set Dresser. Just a few months after settling in L.A., Jamie found herself in a new area of Entertainment: Theme Parks. She worked at Universal Studios Hollywood as part of the Entertainment Production Department from 2015-2021. During her time there, she had worked on the Art & Design team for various projects, from seasonal events to park decor. However, Halloween was an everyday affair since her primary role was working on creating Halloween Horror Nights year round. Currently Jamie works back in the Film industry at Walt Disney Studios as part of the Physical Assets team, managing the props, set dec, costumes, & more of Disney Live Action & 20th Century Fox, and Searchlight Pictures films. In her free time, Jamie loves getting involved with different outreach programs and entertainment organizations. She enjoys mentoring students and expanding her network through all mediums on the Entertainment industry!

Art Department Crash Course / Fall '24

$415 / (6) Weeks. Limited capacity.

CLASS CLOSED!

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