Concepting for Film & Games with Raphael Phillips

Workshop Description:
In this exclusive workshop of professional character concepting with this in-depth, hands-on course designed for artists aiming to break into film, games, and high-end entertainment design. Taught by industry expert, Raphael Phillips with decades of real production experience, this 8-week journey takes you from initial idea to polished 3D concept, blending the creative freedom of personal work with the structure of professional pipelines.

Through weekly projects and insights from the instructor’s own career, you'll learn how to develop characters with both artistic flair and production-ready efficiency. Whether you're building a portfolio piece or just leveling up your skills, this course will show you how to work faster, iterate smarter, and create concept art that speaks for itself.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to choose and personalize a concept that resonates with your creative voice
• ZBrush techniques for rapid blocking, kitbashing, and early material exploration
• Best practices for dynamic posing, paintovers, and iteration
• Layering methods for refining key features while saving time
• UV mapping and texturing workflows in Substance Painter
• How to prep your model for rendering, 2D illustrations, and final presentation
• Tips to make your final work visually powerful and industry-ready

Whether you're coming from a 2D background or already dabbling in 3D, this course bridges the gap between imagination and execution—with an emphasis on speed, storytelling, and personal expression.

Meet The Instructor:

From his early days, Raphael always knew that art would be a part of his life story, the
‘how’, would be an interesting road, however. Drawing was the genesis of it all. The pencil
carried him from Montessori, thru multiple public-school system art classes in Baltimore
and Virginia, to SCAD in Savannah, Georgia. While drawing was the root, 3d, by way of
video games and movie visual fx, began to open his mind to what was possible with the arts and technology.

Soon after graduating from SCAD with a Bachelor’s degree in 3d animation, he relocated to San Diego, CA to start working as a character artist at Rockstar

Over 20 years, Raphael’s roots in fine arts have come to expand and intertwine with virtual production. He specializes in 3d character and concept Illustration, with deep experience spanning costume design, video games, VFX, film/TV, merch and collectibles, and live performances.

Some of his clients include J. Balvin, Meg Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Ciara, Katy Perry, United Talent Agency, UFC, and Sideshow Collectibles. And His work is featured in: Creed III, Marvel’s Black Panther, Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok, Red Dead Redemption, Disney’s Descendants: The Rise of Red, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Walking Dead, Destiny 2, and Christopher Nolan’s: The Odyssey.

In addition, Raphael is a mentor for students and early-career artists through the Los
Angeles-based non-profit, Concept Art Association.