Illustration for Motion

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Illustration Training for Motion Designers

Learn Illustration Techniques from a True Master

To create great work, you need more than just good animation. You need design... and today's Motion Design aesthetic is filled with illustration. Developing your own drawing ability and style is a huge advantage in this field, and this course is made to help you do just that. Over twelve weeks, you'll be empowered to create your own illustrated works, gaining valuable knowledge and insights from one of the top talents in the industry, Sarah Beth Morgan.

Create Stunning, Animation-Ready Work

In this course, Sarah Beth will teach you her tried-and-true process of creating illustrated works. With each new lesson you’ll unlock new skills, building on each concept you learn along the way. You’ll have the opportunity to put that new knowledge to the test with exercises based on jobs that you will encounter in the real world working in the Motion Design industry. By the end of this course you'll have the knowledge you need to create animation-ready design boards from start to finish.

You’ll also be connected to a motivated group of artists from all around the world. You’ll make new friends, build professional connections, share virtual high-fives, and help each other hone your skills.

What will you learn in Illustration for Motion?

Create Strong Concepts

Come up with brilliant illustration ideas that work.

Define Your Style

Work in a variety of styles and explore your own creative personality.

Illustration Techniques

Master the most important techniques to build your illustration skills.

Be Animation-Ready

Create illustrations that any animator can use right away.

Photoshop Workflows

Learn tips and tricks in Photoshop that every Illustrator should know.

Polished Presentations

Get a handle on how to present your work to clients and nail the pitch.

Sarah Beth Morgan

Course Instructor

Sarah Beth Morgan is an art director, illustrator, and designer based in Portland, Oregon. Prior to her career in motion design, she spent her childhood years in Saudi Arabia where she developed a unique take on the world. This experience expanded her artistic horizons, pushing her to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Sarah Beth spent her early career at Gentleman Scholar and Oddfellows. It was working for these top-notch motion studios that gave her the confidence to branch out on her own. Now, as a full-time freelancer, she enjoys diving headfirst into passion projects, collaborating with new friends, and advocating for other women in the industry.

When she’s not hunched over her Cintiq or sketching plants, you can find her teaching her puppy new tricks or listening to bad music.

Clients Sarah has Worked With:

Course Format

Briefs that Feel Real

Finding a course on traditional illustration is easy, but one with a Motion Design focus? That's almost been impossible... until now. We've created the ultimate experience for the aspiring Illustrator who wants to work in Motion Design. Every project in this course is crafted so that you'll gain another skill that you can add to your daily motion design workflow. By the end of the course you'll be concepting and creating full artboards that are ready to be animated by anyone you choose, including you!

Share, Help, and Grow Together

Going through a School of Motion course is a one-of-a-kind experience. You’ll be hanging out (virtually, of course) with a circle of aspiring Motion Designers in a private Facebook Group. You’ll be inspired, encouraged, and even critiqued by your fellow students and TAs.

You’ll have support and a large group of new friends to geek out with, but you’ll also benefit from reviewing tons of work. You’ll see how your fellow artists approached their projects with downloadable files, plus beautiful concepts and designs to keep the inspiration flowing.

Technical and Creative Help from Professional Artists

Honing your Illustration craft takes time, patience, and sometimes another set of eyes. We've brought on professional Illustrators in the Motion Design field to help you with any creative or technical questions you encounter during the course.

You’ll regularly upload your work to our Homework Locker and get precise comments and draw-overs on your work. You’ll get suggestions and notes that will push your work to the next level and give you a taste of what the revision process is like.

Technical and Creative Help from Professional Artists

The Looking Glass

Each Wednesday we’ll release a new episode of “The Looking Glass”, a video series that checks in on your session’s work and highlights some of the best work that’s been produced so far. Your instructor, Sarah Beth, will also dive a bit deeper into each topic, opening up project files, fixing common issues, and giving pro-tips that you can start using right away.

Get Valuable Insights from Industry Pros

Illustration for Motion features a podcast series that will fill in the gaps in your knowledge and keep you inspired throughout course. This star-studded podcast series features interviews with talented illustrators and designers like Tuna Bora, Bee Grandinetti, and Rafael Mayani to name a few.

Access Hundreds of Project Files

Every student will add their own creative spin on each project and assignment. If you see something you like (or don’t know how to pull off) you can download any students’ project files via the Homework Locker.

This is an opportunity that you won’t get in any other setting, take full advantage of it!

Bootcamp Schedule

Orientation

Meet your classmates, get comfy with the Student Portal, learn about the tools you'll need to complete this course, and dive right in with your first project designed to get you illustrating right away.

Contemplating Concepts

Learn how to create a strong concept that you can turn into boards. You'll start by getting your ideas down on paper, and learn how to present those ideas clearly to a client. You'll finish the week by completing the illustration you created the concept for.

Form Play

This week you'll learn how to break things down into their essential forms. These forms are the building blocks that you can use to create abstract compositions that look good and stand out. You'll also learn how to make and apply textures to your illustrations.

Focus Week: Growing Pains

This week we won't give you any new lessons. Instead, you'll have a full week to put your head down and focus on your work. We'll give you some bonus content filled with insights on what it's like to become a professional illustrator, and how to get over the fear, frustration, and other feelings you may encounter early in your journey.

Gaining Perspective

Every Illustrator needs to know how to work in different perspectives, even the ones creating pieces for Motion Design. During this week we'll lay the foundations for you to tackle different perspectives, and even how to abstract them in cool new ways.

Developing Character

It's time to add in characters! You'll learn the basics of creating charming characters that have strong poses and forms. You'll start the week with the basics, then play around with stylizing your characters in fun ways.

Focus Week: Ready To Move

It's time for another Focus Week where you can spend some time really digging into those projects we've given you. You'll have some more bonus content that focuses on what it's like working as an animator with boards from another person, and what you can do as an Illustrator to make it easier for your animator friends.

Feeling Stylish

There are a lot of different styles of Illustration out there. This week you'll be exploring what it's like to change a style that's already been set by another artist. You'll also work on creating artwork that has a very specific mood and feel to it.

Put Your Finesse to the Test

It's time to bring it all together into your final project. This time you'll be able to take all of your skills and play with your own style from start to finish on a client brief. This one will really make your portfolio shine when it's done.

Extended Critique

You’ve got an additional 3 weeks to finish your final project and get targeted feedback from your Teaching Assistant. This should give you plenty of time to give that project some polish so you can start building up your Illustration portfolio.

And once you’ve reached the end?

At the end of the course, you are inducted into the Alumni Facebook Group where you can post your final projects, meet students from previous sessions, and continue to keep in touch with your new compadres. The networking that takes place in this group is priceless, and many students have gotten freelance work from the connections they’ve made in this course.

Have more Questions?

What's included with the course?

Illustration for Motion is jam-packed with lessons, project files, and content delivered to you in measured doses.