Undergraduate Foundations

A fantasy marketplace scene with various characters, carved animal masks, and creatures, illuminated by warm, golden light.

Master the Fundamentals. Thrive in the Future.

Human creativity and strong foundations in an increasingly AI-driven world matter more than ever. At the Academy, we don’t just prepare you to start, we prepare you to lead.

Our Foundations courses are your creative launchpad. Whether you’re pursuing animation, game design, illustration, fine art, or concept art, you’ll build essential skills in drawing, painting, color, and design, while learning to see, think, and create like an artist. We teach everything from the ground up—no experience required.

These aren’t just basic classes; they blend timeless techniques with modern tools to future-proof your creativity. Your eye, vision, and voice are what set you apart in an AI-saturated landscape.

Build your skills. Own your voice. Stay future-proof.

What You’ll Learn

Foundations courses jumpstart your skills and unlock your potential, giving you the tools to thrive in your creative passion.

Start here. Go anywhere.

A collection of drawings and photographs showing still life, figure studies, objects, and a surreal portrait of a woman with liquid dripping down her face.

Analysis of Form

Create lifelike drawings with traditional methods that give depth and tactile realism.

Various sketches and 3D models of objects, vehicles, buildings, and vehicles in different stages of design.

Digital Drawing

Use digital tools to master the building blocks of drawing—line, shape, form, perspective, and light.

Series of figure sketches, portrait studies, and practice drawings of human anatomy and faces.

Figure Drawing

Bring your figures to life with expressive gestures, solid structure, and natural proportions.

Various scenes from a comic or graphic novel with characters, cityscapes, and a mysterious atmosphere.

Perspective

Bring environments to life with striking perspective and dramatic lighting.

Various sketches of household objects, architecture designs, and rooms, along with some black-and-white thumbnails of scenes.

Sketching

Sketch the world around you—objects, spaces, and ideas—with clarity and imagination.

A collage of various artwork, including digital illustrations, paintings, and landscape images.

Color

Use color and design to bring your visuals to life with depth, harmony, and compelling stories—whether working traditionally or digitally.

Student Work

A hooded figure with glowing eyes stirring a bubbling green potion in a spooky, cluttered witch's lair. — **Pimdee Avihingsanon**

Girl lying on floor surrounded by glowing sketches of cats and animals in a dimly lit room. — **Jessie Xiyuan Yang**

A girl riding an elephant in a marketplace, playing a trumpet with people shopping nearby. — **Robin Burney**

A dimly lit stage with two performers, one suspended mid-air and the other seated, under red neon lights. — **Annika Jenkins**

Various futuristic vehicle models and interior designs, including a purple spaceship with glowing engines. — **Ding Ding**

A young person with glasses, headphones, and casual clothing plays on a handheld console amid cluttered screens and snack boxes. — **Joy Zhou**

Haunted, dilapidated houses on a cracked street with twisted trees and eerie dark backgrounds. — **Aaron Hight**

Vase of peonies, vintage clock, cups with playing cards, and a book on a table in black and white. — **Carmynn Zhang**

Black and white portrait of a young woman with her hand resting near her face, wearing a sleeveless top. — **Ziming Xiao**

A black and white portrait of an older man with a beard and styled hair, wearing a dark shirt or jacket. — **Hyewon Jeong**

A man with a shaved head, an eyepatch over his right eye, staring intensely. — **Yushi Kobuchi**

Featured Alumni

“I’ve often said that one of the best assets of the Academy is the emphasis on the foundations and understanding art in a broader sense before focusing on something specific. Comics is constantly throwing me into situations where I have to feel comfortable drawing anything. And attending the Academy was a great primer for that.”

Justin Greenwood
BFA Illustration / Freelance Artist, Executive Producer of Stumptown (ABC)