Header Image Credit:
Luis R. Perez
Bachelor of Art (B.A), Game Art

At Full Sail, studying game art brings together an education in fine art with the skills and techniques you need to create in the game industry. Program Director Chad Kendall explains how the curriculum sets students up with a foundation in 3D art before diving into the complexities of game art workflows and processes.

Introduction to Game Art

In the first part of the game art curriculum, students learn the basics of 3D art. These fundamentals include traditional art, 3D modeling, and animation with an emphasis on peer critiques, mentoring, and exploration of tools and techniques. Students take these traditional fine-arts principles and apply them in courses like Model Creation, where they build 3D models for developing computer graphics.


Students will also begin to build their online digital portfolio, with project-based courses throughout their studies.

“Just like a video game, the [curriculum] is built around the concept of levelling up,” says Chad. “Each course is designed to build upon one another towards a single discipline, while learning about multiple aspects of 3D animation techniques.


“As a game art student, the professional quality of your portfolio not only showcases your extensive cumulative abilities, but will also open the way for job opportunities after graduation,” he says.

Senior-Level Courses

With a focus on advanced 3D art skills, the second half of the game art curriculum explores the intricate process of creating production-ready assets. In these classes, students will be going beyond traditional art to learn the specific processes needed to work in the gaming and real-time industry.

Those advanced topics include production workflows, material and texture creation, character animation, environment assembly, props, and lighting. Students learn how to fit their art within the specific requirements of game engines as well as visual and technical industry standards. 

But it's not just about games.

“By the end of [your courses], you will have a comprehensive body of work that demonstrates your technical prowess and qualifications to work in 3D development industries spanning gaming, architectural visualization, simulation, advertising, film, and more,” Chad says.

The Resources to Succeed

Using industry-standard software for modeling, animation, lighting, and assembly, students stay current with what's used by the pros. Full Sail's tech package, Project LaunchBox, includes the software students need, and a wide range of digital resources can be found in the Full Sail Library.

Chad stresses the importance of taking advantage of these resources to be successful in the world of game art. “In this ever-changing industry, there's a lot of competition. You will need to devote your time in and out of class to constantly improving your skillset and developing your personal brand as an artist," he says.

Computer Animation vs. Game Art

Similar to game art, the computer animation curriculum at Full Sail focuses on 3D art for industries like film, TV, games, architecture visualization, and simulation. However, these two areas of study are not the same. 

In the computer animation curriculum, courses will cover areas like rigging, rendering, compositing, and animation sequencing. In game art, you'll learn skills specific to games like physically based material creation, real-time rendering, and game engine integration.

Want to learn more? Explore our Art & Design areas of study.