VFX Academy of Design

Understand anatomy, form, and function

The objective of this class is to understand anatomy in terms of shape, form, and function. Each week we will study a different portion of the upper human body, find ways to simplify the muscle and bone structures, and see how these impact or are impacted by the movements of the body. Through a series of sculpts, we will attempt to find ways of simplifying the human figure in ways that are easily understood and easy to recreate. Focus will include shoulders, head, neck, back, torso regions and arms. Full body sculpture focus and lower body will be addressed and studied in the 2nd portion of your anatomy training. During the second half of your anatomy training, you will be learning key fundamentals of tying in the upper body to the lower extremities and how it will affect your full form. You will learn about the key fundamentals of recreating believable and fully functioning anatomy.

Registration Now Open

Registration Period

Jan 30, 2025 - Apr 24, 2025

Course Start

Apr 13, 2025

Course Format

Standard

Skills Level

Intermediate

Duration

10 weeks

Q&A

Once a week

Feedback

Individual recordings

Lecture Type

Pre-recorded

Assignment

Deadlines each week

PREREQUISITES

Knowledge of ZBrush and digital sculpting strongly recommended; course pre-reqs include Intro to Production Modeling

MATERIALS

Zbrush recommended, or Mudbox or equivalent sculpting software

The more you know, the better.

Week #1

Introduction and Establishing Course Themes

Each week we will be studying a different part of the human anatomy, but there will be a thematic thread the runs through the entire course. It is more important that students learn these principles than it is to remember every anatomical nuance

Week #2

Skeletal Masses, Proportions

Before we get into the nitty gritty of anatomy, we’re going to address it in its broadest possible terms | What is the rough shape of the human figure? Since this shape is dictated by bones, we’ll study bones and proportions at the same time. | Boney structures – Hands and feet in relation to the head | We’ll round this off with some fleshy measurements | A brief look at the basic proportions of the head, and how to block it in

Week #3

The Torso

For the torso, we’ll look at the big movements from the front and profile views, and how these are dictate by the rib cage and hips. What are the big shapes? The big movements? What rhythms are of interest to us? Once we’re familiar with these concepts, then we’ll look at the details of what creates these shapes.

Week #4

The Torso, Continued: the Neck and Shoulder Girdle

Continue from torso, students will have roughed in a very basic clavicle and scapula to help us place the muscles that we’ve already studied. We will be recapping the shoulder girdle, the scapula, and the clavicle.

Week #5

The Arms

We will be sculpting the arm and looking at how rhythms are created by opposing angles. Angles of the biceps, between the heads of the triceps, between high points from the deltoid down to the inside high point of the triceps, and the high point of the ridge muscles down to the high point of the flexors

Week #6

Sculpting the Hand

The hand is one of the hardest areas to sculpt and draw, because when it is posed we have to handle so many points of articulation, which can only be simplified so much.

Week #7

Sculpting the Leg

We’ll refine these very loose cylinder blocks in concepts, looking at the plane changes that are unique to each large muscle group of the leg. As with the arm, the leg will give us a great opportunity to study rhythm and angles. We’ll focus on these and how they allow us to create an organic feel to the sculpt.

Week #8

The Foot

As with the fingers, we want to avoid having a copy/paste feel to the toes. Like the fingers, they form an arc. We will be looking at the three separate fat pads that, along the bone, define the shape of the bottom of the foot. Under the heel, the toes, and the big toe (which has its own).

Week #9

Tying in The Full Figure

In this week, we’ll continue our figure study by blocking the whole sculpt in. At this point we’re trying to consolidate everything that we’ve gone over thus far, so there won’t be a lot of time dedicated to new concepts. However, we will take this opportunity to introduce and study fat, muscle tension, and extension/compression. At this point, you will also revisit the torso, the arms & hands, and the legs & feet.

Week #10

Finalizing the Full Figure

This week will be a continuation of the block in from last week, and the focus should still be primarily on the main shapes and forms that they have learnt throughout the course. Whilst we are not expecting a fully polished, perfectly finished final product, we will look at a couple of aspects of finishing a sculpt this week.

Taking your skills to the next level

Chunlin Yang

Mid-Senior Modeler

LECTURES BY Christian Bull

Course Start: Apr 13, 2025

Chunlin is a mid-senior modeler and shot sculptor working in the VFX industry. Specializing in DigiDoube creation and Creature modeling, She has worked as a CG artist at Companies such as Sony Picture ImageWorks, DNEG, Method studios and Framestore, Delivering high-quality assets to shows like ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters”,” Lord of the Rings: Rings of power”,” Thor: Love and Thunder,” “Wonka” etc. She also created Face Shapes for creatures like IceTitan, WarthogTitan, and other characters. Her education from Syracuse University's illustration major gave her strong art fundamentals in human anatomy and forms. Furthermore, she has also continued her education at Sheridan College, where she obtained solid skill sets in Computer Graphics.

Instructor's Gallery

GET ONE YEAR ACCESS AND TRANSFORM YOUR ARTISTIC JOURNEY

Take your CGMA learning further with CGMA+, a companion add-on featuring over 70 new, stand-alone workshops—more than 250 hours of content you won’t find in your core CGMA program. You’ll learn from multiple instructors, each with a unique style, so you can see how different artists approach the same subject in various ways. This additional material builds on what you’re already studying, broadening your perspective and helping you look at topics from fresh angles. It’s a straightforward way to strengthen your studies and boost your skills.

View all CGMA+ Workshops

PRICING SCHEDULE

Even though our courses are the most affordable for the quality of education, these finance options allow you to focus on your goals instead of the barriers that keep you from reaching them.

3x Payments

$332.67

2x Payments

$499

Full payment

$998

One-year Access

$69

View all CGMA+ Workshops

Spring TERM REGISTRATION Now Open

Jan 30, 2025 - Apr 21, 2025

COURSE BEGINS on Apr 13, 2025

What makes this learning experience unique?

PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK

Receive personalized feedback on all assignments from the industry’s top professionals.

LIFETIME ACCESS

Enjoy lifetime access to the spectrum of course content, including lectures, live Q&As, and feedback sessions.

CERTIFICATION

Show off your Certification of Completion when you turn in 80% of course assignments.

FLEXIBLE LEARNING

Learn anywhere, anytime, and at your own pace with flexible, online course scheduling.

Helped me learn a ton about anatomy, I feel like my sculpts are improving significantly. One of the best decisions I’ve made to take this course!

Shania

The content is incredibly complex and well-explained… I took my sculpting skills significantly further each week.

Laura

Christian was outstanding. My knowledge gained during this class has multiplied tenfold without a doubt. Christian helped me to understand the human form rather than memorizing shapes and hoping that it turns into a human model.

Joshua

Christian is awesome—he really knows his stuff. I thought he was going to be a bit academic at first, but he has a hysterical sense of humor that occasionally comes through!

Christian was a great instructor, who cared about his students, and wanted them to do well. His level of explanation and the depth he could go into was fantastic and really gave me a deeper understanding of human anatomy. I’m very grateful for having the opportunity to partake in a course like it and be taught by someone as talented as Christian.

Bethnay

Very informative and helpful. Always encouraged us to use the forums and such as well and be a class rather than just being individual students.

Ivan

Anatomy for Production

Character Design

Electives

Environment Design

Drawing Foundation

Compositing/Lighting

Houdini/FX

Rigging