Smart School

TL;DR version: If you're looking to seriously level up your art skills, work hard, and meet incredible people through an online mentorship program taught by industry veterans, give Smart School a try: www.smarterartschool.com

Full version: Smart School is an online art and illustration mentorship program founded by Rebecca Guay and taught by several masters in the illustration industry. As a bonus, the end of each semester gives students the valuable opportunity to have their work seen and critiqued by seasoned art directors in fields ranging from book publishing to video games, fine art galleries to blockbuster film production. I enrolled in Smart School's very first Illustration 101 "Bootcamp" course in Fall 2014. I had heard amazing things about this online mentorship program for at least a year before I decided to take the plunge. Better yet, I had seen the work that came from previous and current students. I had hit a pretty rough dry spell in my own art making, and I was finally ready to re-invest in myself. Problem was, I was also very rusty.

That first semester was a much-needed kick in the butt for my foundational skills and an exercise in discipline. My figure drawing improved dramatically, as did my overall sensibilities for line quality, movement, technique, and value. Marc Scheff mentored Bootcamp, and I just can't say enough good things about him. I also had the golden opportunity to audit Iain McCaig's class in visual storytelling.

That first semester was so successful that I signed up for yet another inaugural Smart School class in Spring of this year, again with Marc. Illustration 102 focused more on composition, process, storytelling, but still kept some focus on improving technical execution. This class was a bridge between foundations and actual illustration. The piece posted here, a digitally-painted hypothetical wrap-around book cover, was what I had accomplished by the final class. My inspiration for the assignment was a short story titled Tear Tracks by Malka Older. I was allowed to take my time and struggle. I didn't get to a color stage, but the lessons I learned over the 12 weeks were invaluable and fuel for my future works. It was also incredibly inspiring to watch how my classmates improved as the course progressed. Smart School attracts the best and I expect to see many "alumni" take their chosen art fields by storm in the coming years!

Seriously, give Smart School a look. It's a financial investment, but if you put in the work, it's completely worth it!

Copyright Katherine Campbell Spitler, 2015
(Do not copy, alter, or use in any capacity without explicit permission)

Bioware Fanart

Sketches and works-in-progress from mid-2014 through February 2015. 

I often gain inspiration from playing video games, especially those made by Bioware. I discovered this studio back when they released the first Knights of the Old Republic RPG, fell head over heels in love with the Mass Effect trilogy, and having just finished the latest in their Dragon Age series, I am a certified Bioware fangirl for life. Their stories are rich and gripping, the characters draw you in and make you love (or hate) them, and the world-building is just incredible. I hope to complete a finished piece from my many sketches this year, as my way of thanking Bioware for their excellent work.

Mage design inspired from playing the Dragon Age games

Fenris - A companion character from Dragon Age 2

Digital Sketch of my first Inquisitor from DA:I

WIP for a DA:I-style tarot illustration of my second Inquisitor

Rough digital sketch inspired by religious imagery seen within DA:I

Concept for an alternate Orlesian ball outfit for a female elven Inquisitor

World Building with S.A.M. – Fall 2013

In Fall 2013 I took an online seminar with the very talented illustrator Sean Andrew Murray. The class was focused on "world building." We were to take a world we invented and visualize its geography, flora, fauna, inhabitants, means of transportation, scenes from daily life, etc. At the time I was very rusty with digital painting, so my execution of the artwork isn't my best, but I really enjoyed the exercises of giving visual life to my ideas.

My invented world is for a futuristic story I've had bouncing around my head for several months, and for this seminar I chose to flesh out the "opening scenes" world called Vigil.

I might show some of the finished work at a later point, but for now here are some of the process stages I enjoy the most.

Thumbnails for landmarks and geography for the settled verdant areas of the planet Vigil.

Flying and Swimming Fauna concepts. The bird creature on the right did not make the final cut.

Mammal fauna concepts - a rabbit-sized rodent and a giant flying "wolf" bat.

A small crop of the "final" scene featuring my flora/fauna concepts. This bit features a predatory creature and the rodent.

Concepts for Vigil's female elite / leaders

Concepts for Vigil's male elite / leaders

Concepts for Vigil's middle class / merchants

Concepts for Vigil's security forces

 If you'd like to check out the other students' work from this seminar, check out http://murray-worldbuilding-fall2013.blogspot.com/.

"Guardian" Creature Concept

I took a sketch from this summer that I enjoyed and scanned it into Photoshop where I digitally inked and colored it. This one was for fun and practice; mostly an exercise to get used to my tablet again. I imagine this guy being the size of a house and living deep in an old-growth forest. Friendly if you play nice.

2013 - 2014 Sketches and Paintings

Assorted sketches, personal work, and figure studies from late 2013 up to summer 2014.

Bernini angel from Ponte Sant'Angelo, Rome, Italy (16" x 20" oil on canvas)

Pencil or charcoal in Moleskin sketchook or on newsprint

Charcoal on newsprint

Series of four 3"x3" paintings, Oil on canvas

Character Concept Art: From Initial Sketch to Final Design - Skillshare assignment #1

Thumbnail assignment for Charlie Bowater's Skillshare class.

I am developing the main character for a personal project, who is a young woman with incredible powers of memory. The setting is a future where humans have advanced in science and technology, other planets have been colonized, and new cultures have emerged as a result. This protagonist makes her way by traveling around and between worlds, learning and collecting information for personal and business reasons. She has learned to adapt to the eclectic situations she encounters, and so usually keeps a neutral appearance with flexibility to "accessorize" as necessary. She walks a fine line between the adventurous nature of her way of making a living, and her cautious personality.

My first thumbnails were an attempt to get her basic form down; her "neutral" state. A few show variations on mission-specific appearance. So while I love #7, the more accurate designs include 5, 12, 13, 14, and 17. Next assignment is to pick a few of the best, clean them up a bit, and add more detail.

Hello Internet!

This blog will act as a place for me to upload personal artwork, sketches, and creativity-related musings. A website dedicated to my portfolio is in the works for later this year.

For anyone who happens to stumble upon this humble little art blog, welcome!

For anyone curious, I came up with the name "Odyssium" to describe "a place where adventures / journeys happen." Think the word "odyssey" adapted into a word like "auditorium" or "gymnasium," that describe locations where certain activities occur. It's pronounced oh-dis-ee-um.