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Leveling Up Your Portfolio: Introduction to Spatial Design and Worldbuilding for VisDev Artists
Details
Leveling Up Your Portfolio: Introduction to Spatial Design and Worldbuilding for VisDev Artists
APPLICATION GROUP 3
Applications Open:
February 5, 2026
THIS CIRCLE IS PERFECT FOR
- “- Students in their Junior or Senior Year of Graduation
– Recent Grads
Early Career (0-5) - People looking to make a change
- BG Designers, BG Painters, Location Designer, Environment + Prop Artists, Colorscript Artist, Visual Development Artist
- People interested in transferring their VisDev Portfolio for adjacent fields: Animation, Games, AR, VR, Themed Entertainment, Parks + Museum Designs, and Immersive Experiences
- Anyone interested in Spatial Design; an introduction to Spatial Design, Worldbuilding, and Storytelling
- And wants to level up their portfolio
WHAT TO EXPECT
- 1-3 hours of homework required
- Professional conduct and treatment (You will be treated as a Professional in a Studio setting)
- 1.5 Hours of Meeting Weekly required
- Group Portfolio Crits
- Tailored exercises, demos, and homework to level up YOUR specific portfolio
- Brave Artist Culture – Generosity, Curiosity, Resilience, and Grit
- Cover how VisDev is used in AR, VR, Tech, will demo some technical workflow, but not expecting students to have a VR Headset or AR Glasses/ Phone
WHAT NOT TO EXPECT
- Advanced 3d Skills
- Specific Modeling, Texturing, Rigging or Animation skills
- Basic Design Skills
- Will cover some Character Design, but not in depth, my specialty is in Environment Design and Colorscripts, the design of Spaces and the how it serves the character.
Qualification Criteria
Aspiring Professional (0 yrs of experience)
Entry Level (1-2 yrs of experience)
Student (final year)
Day / Time
Times Per Month: Weekly
Day / Time: Monday 7 – 8:30PM
Timezone: PST
* You must meet the qualification criteria AND be able to attend the posted day/time of the circle (please note the timezone posted)
CIRCLE DESCRIPTION
Our industry is changing. More and more, spatial design, worldbuilding, and storytelling – (the design of spaces and the characters that use it) – and the ability to concept and work in 3-dimensional spaces – is now not only expected, but a requirement for visual development artists across all fields in entertainment.
This circle will introduce you to the professional industry pipeline of real-time concepting using Blender, Unreal, and Photoshop. Mentees will level up their portfolios by developing the hard technical skills of spatial design to get noticed and hired, alongside with the essential soft skills of worldbuilding, storytelling, pitching, and the resilience and adaptability needed to pivot, survive, and thrive in a competitive industry.
Ideal for early-career background designers, painters, environment and prop artists, location designers, color script artists, or visual development artists in film, animation, games, AR/VR, Tech, or themed entertainment design, this program is designed to advance your career.
We will cover:
- The Visual Development pipeline and various career paths, across Animation, Games, AR, VR, Tech, themed entertainment, and immersive experiences.
- An introduction to spatial design, storytelling, and worldbuilding with Blender, Unreal, and Photoshop.
- Practice spatial design, worldbuilding, color, and lighting to enhance mood and storytelling through weekly demos and homework crits.
- Develop a compelling career narrative to stand out to recruiters.
- Develop the professional and personal tools for building resilience to survive and thrive in the industry.
- Weekly average of 5–10 hours of portfolio homework is required.
- All levels and backgrounds are welcome, with priority given to those most in need of these resources.
- A strict “No AI” policy will be enforced; you will learn to excel through using your own hands, mind, and heart, through thoughtful designs.
ADDITIONAL Application Requirements
Please submit the following as part of your Application Profile:
*(AFTER you click to apply, you must go into your member profile and complete the member-specific portion; these requirements should be submitted through that profile):
- Please submit portfolio
- One sentence to a paragraph to describe overall career goal and answer “why is being a visual development artist meaningful to me?” and “what do I want to achieve?”
Circle Leader
isabelle alles
Hello! I am an artist and storyteller working across animated features, TV series, live-action films, games, AR, VR, Wearables, theme parks, and immersive experiences.
As a first-generation working-class immigrant who overcame many obstacles, I found freedom in self-expression and a resilient, meaningful art career across multiple industries: Animation, Games, AR/VR, and Tech.
I am the right mentor for mentees seeking not only the hard technical skills that become transferable and pivot-able across roles, but also the crucial soft-skills: professional communication, presenting your personal ideas, the resilience to face everyday rejections, and the grit to show up bravely in the arena for your art.
My credits and roles include:
- Production Designer (Carlos Baena’s ” La Noria” and “Tranvia”)
- Art Director on Disney’s “Tree of Life Show”
- Art Director on Netflix’s “Cocomelon”
- Art Director on META’s Reality Lab (AR, VR, Games)
- Principal Designer for RIOT Games’ “Valorant Cinematics”
- Colorscript Artist, Art Style Development, and Visual Development Artist on Zack Snyder’s “Twilight of the Gods” for Netflix Animation
- DreamWorks Animation’s “Original IP” pitch to Netflix
- Paramount Pictures’ “Director’s Development Program”
- SEGA | Marza Animation Planet’s Animated Feature “Space Pirate Captain Harlock.”
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Current Title: Production Designer | Art Director
Studio / Employer: Independent
LinkedIn Profile: LINK
