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School Leavers > Games and Esports

Games Art and Animation – Level 2

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  • Is this course for you?

    If you’re passionate about art, animation, and the gaming industry, this Level 2 Game Art course is the perfect starting point. Designed to provide a strong in game art, the course focuses on key creative disciplines such as concept art, worldbuilding, and an introduction to low-poly modelling techniques for environments, props, and characters.

    Through a combination of digital and traditional art methods, you will explore essential workflows in low-poly character and environment design, learning how to bring your ideas to life visually. Emphasis is placed on developing your skills in conceptualising and creating imaginative worlds and stories through your artwork. This hands-on experience is supported by a deeper understanding of artistic principles and how they align with the game development process.

    You may also have the chance to participate in gaming competitions and esports events, giving you insight into the collaborative and competitive aspects of the industry.
    Perfect for aspiring game artists, whether you’re interested in creating fantastical worlds or designing characters, this course equips you with the tools to turn your passion into a professional pathway.

    On successful completion of this course, you will have achieved the UAL Level 2 Diploma in Creative Media Production and Technology.

  • Required qualifications

    For the Level 2 Diploma you will need 4 GCSE’s at a Grade 3 or above, and you will be ideally working at above grade 2 in both English and maths.

  • What skills will I develop?

    • Concept art
    • Low-Poly Character design
    • Low-Poly Environment Design
    • Blender
    • Photoshop
    • UE5
    • Art fundamentals
    • World building
    • Storytelling
    • Illustration
    • Animation fundamentals

  • Careers

    Progression onto the Level 3 Games Art & Animation course.

    Learn the skills needed to become a concept artist, environment artist, character artist, animator, rigger, animator with the creative sector.

    There are 120 active games companies in the West Midlands with 1995 active games companies in the UK. Computer games contribute £2.1bn to the UK economy with the creative and digital sectors contributing over £269bn.

    In the UK the video games industry employs 27,000 people, 16,000 (59%) of whom are aged 16-39, with the remaining 11,000 people (41%) aged 40 and over. With over 3.6 million people employed in the wider creative and digital sectors.

    Global average salary for an artist: £39,000 Source: skillsearch.com

  • Work experience

    As part of the Level 2 Game Art course, you’ll have access to exciting work experience opportunities that allow you to apply your creative skills in real-world projects. One such opportunity involves collaborating with the Performing Arts department and Level 3 Games Art learners to design and create animated projection backdrops for their end-of-year performance. This hands-on project combines creativity and technical skills, giving you experience in working within a team to enhance live productions with visually engaging animations.

    Additionally, the course has strong links with New Urban Era. Previous students have contributed to creating 3D models for augmented reality (AR) trails and immersive projection pieces, blending digital art with interactive storytelling. These opportunities provide invaluable experience in developing assets for real clients and exploring cutting-edge technologies, giving you insight into the collaborative nature of the creative industries.

  • English and maths

    If you have not achieved your intended grade for maths and English, you will have the opportunity to continue studying these at the college.

    You will also be developing these skills within your study programme. Some examples of extending your English and maths skills include:

    Maths

    • Learning how to use measurements in the construction of art
    • Using timelines to animate
    • Working in a 3D space
    • Working with audio production using BPM measurements and various time signatures
    • Using the Unreal Game engine and logical processing

    English

    • Research skills and essay writing are key attributes that will be used extensively throughout the course.
    • Presentation skills will also be sued throughout certain course projects. Therefore, your communication and listening skills will be utilised and enhanced as you progress.

  • Other important information

    When joining the college, you will be given free access to the Adobe Creative Cloud with access to software such as Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Photoshop and After Effects.

    You will be using industry software, Unreal Engine/Blender, and will learn how to develop your own art and animations.

    The minimum PC specs to run Unreal Engine are:

    • Processor: Intel i5 or AMD equivalent minimum
    • Graphics Card: Nvidia RTX 3060 or equivalent minimum
    • RAM: 16GB minimum
    • Storage: 1TB minimum

    We are aware of the expense that comes with gaming laptops/PCs and we always recommend that the practical work is completed in college in order to make use of the PCs and software we have, and the written work to be completed at home.

    We allocate dedicated ‘workshop’ sessions where students independently work on their projects and prioritise the practical without the worry of not being able to work on practical at home.

    You will be required to bring the following equipment to college with you:

    • Pens and pencils
    • Sketchbooks as you will be designing and sketching out ideas
    • Headphones (with a 35mm audio jack connection)
    • A USB stick or portable hard drive are not essential but may prove useful

    Note: Level 2 is a 1 Year Study Programme.

  • Is this course for you?

    If you’re passionate about art, animation, and the gaming industry, this Level 2 Game Art course is the perfect starting point. Designed to provide a strong in game art, the course focuses on key creative disciplines such as concept art, worldbuilding, and an introduction to low-poly modelling techniques for environments, props, and characters.

    Through a combination of digital and traditional art methods, you will explore essential workflows in low-poly character and environment design, learning how to bring your ideas to life visually. Emphasis is placed on developing your skills in conceptualising and creating imaginative worlds and stories through your artwork. This hands-on experience is supported by a deeper understanding of artistic principles and how they align with the game development process.

    You may also have the chance to participate in gaming competitions and esports events, giving you insight into the collaborative and competitive aspects of the industry.
    Perfect for aspiring game artists, whether you’re interested in creating fantastical worlds or designing characters, this course equips you with the tools to turn your passion into a professional pathway.

    On successful completion of this course, you will have achieved the UAL Level 2 Diploma in Creative Media Production and Technology.

  • Required qualifications

    For the Level 2 Diploma you will need 4 GCSE’s at a Grade 3 or above, and you will be ideally working at above grade 2 in both English and maths.

  • What skills will I develop?

    • Concept art
    • Low-Poly Character design
    • Low-Poly Environment Design
    • Blender
    • Photoshop
    • UE5
    • Art fundamentals
    • World building
    • Storytelling
    • Illustration
    • Animation fundamentals

  • Careers

    Progression onto the Level 3 Games Art & Animation course.

    Learn the skills needed to become a concept artist, environment artist, character artist, animator, rigger, animator with the creative sector.

    There are 120 active games companies in the West Midlands with 1995 active games companies in the UK. Computer games contribute £2.1bn to the UK economy with the creative and digital sectors contributing over £269bn.

    In the UK the video games industry employs 27,000 people, 16,000 (59%) of whom are aged 16-39, with the remaining 11,000 people (41%) aged 40 and over. With over 3.6 million people employed in the wider creative and digital sectors.

    Global average salary for an artist: £39,000 Source: skillsearch.com

  • Work experience

    As part of the Level 2 Game Art course, you’ll have access to exciting work experience opportunities that allow you to apply your creative skills in real-world projects. One such opportunity involves collaborating with the Performing Arts department and Level 3 Games Art learners to design and create animated projection backdrops for their end-of-year performance. This hands-on project combines creativity and technical skills, giving you experience in working within a team to enhance live productions with visually engaging animations.

    Additionally, the course has strong links with New Urban Era. Previous students have contributed to creating 3D models for augmented reality (AR) trails and immersive projection pieces, blending digital art with interactive storytelling. These opportunities provide invaluable experience in developing assets for real clients and exploring cutting-edge technologies, giving you insight into the collaborative nature of the creative industries.

  • English and maths

    If you have not achieved your intended grade for maths and English, you will have the opportunity to continue studying these at the college.

    You will also be developing these skills within your study programme. Some examples of extending your English and maths skills include:

    Maths

    • Learning how to use measurements in the construction of art
    • Using timelines to animate
    • Working in a 3D space
    • Working with audio production using BPM measurements and various time signatures
    • Using the Unreal Game engine and logical processing

    English

    • Research skills and essay writing are key attributes that will be used extensively throughout the course.
    • Presentation skills will also be sued throughout certain course projects. Therefore, your communication and listening skills will be utilised and enhanced as you progress.

  • Other important information

    When joining the college, you will be given free access to the Adobe Creative Cloud with access to software such as Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Photoshop and After Effects.

    You will be using industry software, Unreal Engine/Blender, and will learn how to develop your own art and animations.

    The minimum PC specs to run Unreal Engine are:

    • Processor: Intel i5 or AMD equivalent minimum
    • Graphics Card: Nvidia RTX 3060 or equivalent minimum
    • RAM: 16GB minimum
    • Storage: 1TB minimum

    We are aware of the expense that comes with gaming laptops/PCs and we always recommend that the practical work is completed in college in order to make use of the PCs and software we have, and the written work to be completed at home.

    We allocate dedicated ‘workshop’ sessions where students independently work on their projects and prioritise the practical without the worry of not being able to work on practical at home.

    You will be required to bring the following equipment to college with you:

    • Pens and pencils
    • Sketchbooks as you will be designing and sketching out ideas
    • Headphones (with a 35mm audio jack connection)
    • A USB stick or portable hard drive are not essential but may prove useful

    Note: Level 2 is a 1 Year Study Programme.

Testimonials

A photo of Gregg Mason

“As a games concept art tutor, I specialise in concept and sequential art, character design, and 3D modelling/sculpting, helping you develop the skills to bring captivating worlds and characters to life.”

Gregg Mason

Lecturer

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