Game Art Program syllabus
Over 9 months, you'll master the 3D game art pipeline, then specialize in Environment Art or Character Art, graduating with portfolio-ready work and real-time 3D skills studios hire for.
Real-time 3D skills are in high demand
Our mission is to help creatives get jobs. 3D graphics and real-time 3D skills are in high demand across the globe, and the use of real-time rendering software is growing exponentially, with demand for these skills increasing 601% faster than the job market overall.
Games keep expanding their reach into society, from live concerts inside Fortnite to virtual worlds, and every one of them needs game art. Every year games capture more of our attention and prove themselves to be the dominant creative power we've always known them to be.
Common job titles
Beginner-friendly, built for motivated learners
This program is specifically designed to teach the real-time 3D skills required to secure a career in Game Art. We pair students with mentors who are industry professionals at places like CD Projekt Red, Blizzard and more.
Who is this program for?
Certification
When you complete the 9-month program, you'll receive an official Vertex School certificate showing you completed a program from an Unreal Authorized Training Center.
We're a higher quality, more affordable and up-to-date alternative to associate and bachelor's degree programs, which are often outdated by the time you finish them.
Game Art Foundations
Game Art Foundations introduces the 3D skills that define the core of most game art disciplines. You'll learn the fundamentals of the 3D game art pipeline for real-time rendering: modeling high-resolution and game-resolution geometry, creating authentic textures for Physically Based Rendering, testing them under different lighting scenarios, and setting up lights and virtual cameras for high-quality real-time renders.
Alongside technical skills, you'll develop your artistic eye. These skills apply to many industries that use real-time rendering, including video games, virtual production, vehicle automation, simulation and XR.
Learning outcomes
By the end of Term I, you should be able to:
Intro to Game Art (skill building)
Learn technical skills and workflows that align with industry standards, developing your modeling and texturing skills while adapting to pipelines tailored to real-time rendering.
The Prop Capstone
Create a game-ready prop and take it through the entire process, from concept to final render in your portfolio, with mentorship and feedback focused on reaching the quality threshold.
How your prop is evaluated (the hiring triggers studios look for)
Prerequisites: a general knowledge of your 3D modeling software and how to create a basic 3D model, either through our provided pre-course or prior experience.
Choose your track
After Term I, you'll specialize in Environment Art or Character Art for the rest of the program.
Environment Art Track
Train for the Game Environment Artist discipline, with the potential of crossing into the Technical Environment Artist role. You'll learn to create real-time environments that look great and perform well on today's hardware, using techniques used by successful AAA studios. You'll also get comfortable in Unreal Engine, a powerful, free real-time engine used across games, film, VR and beyond. Once you know Unreal, it's easy to translate your skills to other engines.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the Environment Art track, you should be able to:
Intro to Game Environment Art (skill building)
Start thinking like an Environment Artist, seeing both the big picture and the details. Each sprint covers topics and theories essential to real-time environment artists.
Environment Capstone 1
Build a small, contained environment using the skills you've learned, while following along with an instructor's demo project to see real-world uses, problems and solutions. Your project is critiqued and judged on milestones.
Project phases and milestones
Environment Capstone 2
Go bigger. With more experience and more project time, you'll create a professional-looking real-time environment. The milestones follow the same industry-standard workflow as Capstone 1, and ideally you'll explore more advanced features that help your portfolio stand out.
Prerequisites: completion of Term I (Game Art Foundations), or in special cases a portfolio review and art test proving mastery of the foundational skill set, plus the ability to navigate Unreal Engine (intro course provided).
Character Art Track
Learn the industry-standard processes and workflows used to create characters for games. You'll digitally sculpt believable characters, match a likeness, sculpt a proportional body and clothe it with Marvelous Designer. Then you'll retopologize for game resolution, texture skin, eyes and clothes, create hair with game industry techniques, and produce portfolio-ready renders in Marmoset Toolbag and Unreal Engine.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the Character Art track, you should be able to:
Character Art Foundations
The core skills needed for digitally sculpting a high-resolution character.
Intermediate to Advanced Character Art for Games
Translate your high-resolution characters into game resolution with proper topology for animation deformations, venture into hair, and take your character to final renders in Marmoset and Unreal.
Character Capstone Project
Take everything you've learned and create a portfolio-ready character.
Project phases
Prerequisites: completion of Term I (Game Art Foundations), or in special cases a portfolio review and art test proving mastery of the foundational skill set, plus the basic ability to use ZBrush for digital sculpting.
Live, mentored and hands-on
4 hours of live, online sessions every week, split between two sessions for lectures and demonstrations.
Informal time with an instructor for one-on-one or small group feedback, questions and help with your projects.
Available on weekdays. Drop in any time to meet with an instructor or fellow student for feedback and help understanding the material.
If you get stuck, you'll have access to one-on-one support sessions to help build your projects and answer your questions.
After graduation, work with our team to leverage your portfolio, build your brand and master the art of job interviews.
Program delivery
Time commitment
Learn from artists at top studios
What you'll need
Environment Art track
Character Art track
Term I also uses Marmoset Toolbag for lighting and rendering props.
Minimum system requirements
Recommended system requirements
Instructor machine specs, for reference
Attendance and participation platforms
Two types of assignments
Skill-building assignments
Small, deadline-based projects that show you understand each topic. Meeting the deadline is 75% of each assignment's grade, and the remaining 25% is based on mastery of the skill. Turning work in on time usually means 100% for that assignment.
Project milestones
Checkpoints during capstone projects. They're more about honing your artistic eye and reaching the quality threshold, and tend to be more flexible. Capstone projects receive a completion grade at the end of the project.
Community, respect and doing the work
Being a game artist is just like being any other artist. It's about community and respect.
General participation
Doing the work
Every topic comes with assignments, and you'll get feedback from mentors and peers while giving feedback too. Our mantra:
Post early. Post ugly. Post often.Always post your work updates before you meet with your mentor or class. A mentor should never have to ask for your work. When in doubt: early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.
Community participation
You'll post work updates to your cohort channels, where peers can give feedback, and you'll give feedback on their work too. As artists, we grow stronger through both mentor and peer critique.
Flexible ways to pay
Save 10% when you pay in full.
Pay over 6 months.
Pay over 9 months.
Pay over 12 months.
Pay in full before you start: Vertex School accepts wire transfers, credit card payments and PayPal. If none of these options work for you, you can discuss other options during your Admissions call.
Three steps to start on January 18, 2027
Submit your application
A 5-minute application covering your background, goals and experience.
Schedule your interview
Meet with an Admissions Representative to discuss your application, walk through the program structure and find the best fit.
Enroll
Complete online enrollment with your Admissions Representative and pay tuition.
January 18, 2027
Liked what you saw? Apply and schedule your call as soon as possible to secure your spot.
Apply to the Game Art Program
Takes about two minutes. No commitment.
Next, you'll complete page 2, then book a call with Admissions.
