Course:
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Art and Design Practice
Duration:
2 years full-time
Entry requirements:
- 5 GCSEs grade 9-4 (A*-C)* including English and maths
- An appreciation of and a passion for games with a level of practical experience and/ or a Level 2 qualification in the subject area
Fees & funding:
Visit our fees & funding page for more information
How to apply:
When you're ready to apply, there's a few ways to start the process.
- Apply online - Start your application now!
- Call us on 0115 952 2075 and start your application over the phone or we can post you a paper application form
- Come and visit us at an open day and fill in your application on the day
Introduction to the course
On this practical based college course you’ll explore how the visual elements of a game are created. You’ll work with industry-standard software to create assets and artwork for digital and tabletop games. You'll develop your drawing, illustration and animation skills throughout the course alongside learning how 2D and 3D digital software is used to create exciting game environments, objects and characters. You'll also discover how art has developed over hundreds of years and how the traditional art world has inspired the amazing art seen in games like Bioshock and Fallout today. Our Game Art course is 100% coursework based with no exams.
97% of students on this course feel they are developing skills that will help them get work (QDP Student Survey Results 2022)
You’ll learn:
- How to create and develop a strong, versatile art portfolio
- How to create concept art using traditional and digital methods
- How to create 2D and 3D animations
- How to 3D model game characters and environments
- The processes of games design from initial ideas to final release
- Project management skills
What you'll study:
Term Three is your creative project task, which allows you to show us all of the awesome new skills and techniques you have learnt since joining us here at Confetti. These techniques and methods will be put to the test, as you embark on a journey to create a re-skin for the open-ended role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons; this will see your imaginary character come to life.
Term one starts out with a focus on traditional card games, focusing on the techniques and methods involved with creating fun and creative artistic designs for players to enjoy. You will learn core art skills giving you a solid grounding in fundamental skills and practices of art and design, including drawing skills, idea generation and digital image manipulation.
Term Two – You will learn about the process of animation, from traditional to digital; creating stunning visual assets that will allow you to learn about the process of animation. As well as continuing to develop your fundamental art skills, animation also helps you with composition and storytelling, a vital area within the Games Art industry.
Alongside these fun tasks, you will also learn about traditional and digital drawing and design; as well as 3D modelling and Sculpting; helping to develop and increase your skill and knowledge with industry techniques.
Term four we look into the future and what it may have in store for ourselves, this allows you to start to consider what your next steps may be; whether it be higher education, apprenticeships, employment or freelance, this is a time for your to really consider what it is you would like to do and start preparing for your future.
Alongside trying to discover what the future holds, you will also start to focus on creating promotional materials to get your artwork out into the world for others to start to experience.
Term five and six we focus on your final major project, titled Creative Industry Response; which allows you to use your skills and knowledge of Games Art techniques and methods to interpret your own vision of an industry guided brief. During this task, you will be given the freedom to create art in whichever platform you wish, and the only restriction is your own creativity.
Maths & English
Depending on your prior English and Maths attainment, you may need to improve your grade as part of your course.
On this course you’ll have access to:
- PC Computer Suites
- XP Pen Graphics Tablets
- Traditional Art Studio
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Autodesk Software Applications
- Blender 3D Computer Graphic Software
- Epic Games ‘Unreal Engine’
Celebrate
Every year we welcome family, friends and industry professionals to watch, listen, test and play the fantastic work of our college students.
Industry Week
Like no other, we go off timetable and invite some of the biggest names in the games industry (and creative industries) to deliver talks, workshops and seminars for our students. It’s a great opportunity for our students to gain invaluable insights and industry connections.
Past Industry Week guests have included:
- John Romero - the creator of Doom
- Twitch
- Esports Insider
- The Oliver Twins
- Games Workshop
- Splash Damage
- Ubisoft
Check our OnDemand service here.
Continue your studies
Your time at Confetti doesn’t have to stop once you finish your college course. Choose to continue your studies on our range of foundation and full honours degrees that can help you further develop your skills and obtain the experience you need to get a head start in your career:
Future careers:
- Games artist
- Art director
- 3D modeller
- Concept artist
- Storyboard artist
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