About ArtUP WORKSHOP

ArtUP WORKSHOP is an education and professional development project by veteran concept artist and educator, Andrew Johnson. We are dedicated to providing personalized career-oriented training and guidance to an audience of game art students and professionals.

We want to help everyone interested find a path to sustained success in an art career they will enjoy- whether that's in games, tech, illustration, or other media.
We provide live, in-depth, personalized guidance for digital art careers for a wide range of skill levels, from middle school students to seasoned professionals!
Our services are affordable and pay-as-you-go. We don't lock anyone into expensive long-term contracts and we won't share or sell your privacy.

Why not just take college courses or buy a good video tutorial?

While college courses can be great, they also require a steady commitment of time, energy, and money. Additionally, they generally aren't available to younger students who might be interested in getting into games.

In-person or remote college courses also often teach students that possess a wide range of skill within a single class. For more technical skills, such as drawing, this isn't ideal since some students will require more help with certain art concepts and techniques than others.

Our classes and tutoring aren't "one-size-fits-all." We want to be as responsive as possible to student questions and needs, helping to provide training best suited to building the skills required to succeed beyond formal schooling and into the industry.
Online video tutorials can be great too, but they are often highly technical. These courses can also be expensive and may not include any personal guidance from the instructor.

While we suggest that students should use video tutorials for a variety of reasons, having a live mentor for guidance, accountability, and encouragement may be extremely helpful!

How can we help you with your portfolio development?

Over the past decade, we've done hundreds of 2D and 3D art portfolios for games from 15+ countries for game studios. Now, we can be in your corner!
We look at multiple dimensions of your portfolio to give you feedback: presentation, fundamentals, and appeal- plus your own preferences for job placement in your career track.
PRESENTATION- We'll review your site for usability. Do you have too much work? Too little? Is the work appropriate for the position you're seeking? We'll also take a look at your resume and do a re-write proposal, if necessary.
FUNDAMENTALS- Do your art fundamentals consistently demonstrate technical proficiency? Is your portfolio content appropriate for the position you are seeking? Are there pieces you should add or change to improve your portfolio?
APPEAL- How "sell-able" is your work? Is the content overly common or too outlandish to pass the muster of an HR rep or a recruiter?

What sorts of general art consulting do we offer?

We are happy to offer consulting on:
- Art direction for your game, prototype, or game demo
- General game industry/ development questions
- General information or consulting on creating or continuing a career track into games
- Suggestions regarding preparation for formal art schooling
- Reviews/ suggestions on formal art schooling assignments or portfolio preparation.
- Reviews/ suggestions on other art or design projects or products
- And more!
If you're curious about whether our consulting would be a good fit for your issue, give us a quick call first!

How do we conduct our classes and meetings? What sort of equipment is required?

In order to serve the greatest number of clients, classes and coaching are conducted remotely over Zoom.
All classes and tutorials are best when the student can practice work with the instructor. Game art classes build an understanding of digital art techniques, and will require digital art hardware and software on a computing device.

We recommend learning using either:
-(preferred) A Wacom tablet (or equivalent) for PC or Mac with a stylus and an Adobe Photoshop subscription
or
- An iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil and a copy of the art app Procreate

CONTACT US