World Building & Prop Design

When: 10 sessions - Thursday 2:30 pm - 6: 30 pm EST 
Dates: 6/21, 6/28, 7/5, 7/12, 7/19, 7/26, 8/2, 8/9, 8/16, 8/23

Who: Rising 10th–12th Graders

Where: Online

What You Will Learn
This course is designed for high school students interested in building fictional worlds while developing foundational and advanced skills in visual storytelling and design. It is highly recommended for students planning to pursue majors in Animation, Illustration, Concept Art, Product Design, or Game Design.

Students will engage in project-based learning through real-world case studies, creative exercises, and guided problem-solving. By the end of the course, students will have produced a character, a prop, and a short animation suitable for inclusion in a college portfolio.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the role and impact of world building across creative industries.

2. Gain exposure to professional tools, pipelines, and workflows used in the animation and game design industries.

3. Develop original characters and props based on research and creative direction.

4. Learn and apply frame-by-frame animation principles.

5. Strengthen creative confidence and design problem-solving abilities.

Course Schedule Overview
Week 1 - Introduction to Design Thinking
. Overview of the creative process
. Research methods for fictional world development

Week 2 – Composition & Digital Media Foundations
. Principles of visual composition
. Digital drawing tools and techniques
. Design philosophy: "There are no rules, only consequences"

Week 3 - Character Design Fundamentals
. Anatomy, silhouette, and personality in design

Week 4 – Advanced Character Development
. Style variation, expression, and refinement techniques

Week 5 – Introduction on frame by frame animation
. Functional and aesthetic considerations in prop creation

Week 6: Advanced Prop Design
. Integration with character and world narratives

Week 7: Introduction to Frame-by-Frame Animation
. Timing, spacing, and keyframe theory