What It’s Like to Be a Student at Syn Studio – the Concept Art Diploma Student Experience
Syn Studio Concept Art School was recently ranked the Top Concept Art and Illustration School Worldwide for 2020. Ever since its inception, Syn Studio has been helping art students from around the world level up their skills and achieve their concept art dreams through its affordable and top quality full-time art programs. The school is currently inviting applications for the 2021 intake of its 18-month Concept Art Diploma Program. The intensive program is designed to help aspiring concept artists master the fundamentals and learn advanced digital techniques and design principles so they can comfortably face the challenges and succeed in the fast-paced concept art industry.
The General Application Review Process is underway and the application deadline is February 3, 2021.
You can get more information about the program and kickstart your application process here.
Teachers and the Curriculum
The Syn Studio Concept Art Diploma Program teaching faculty comprises of senior concept artists and art directors working on some of the most exciting AAA games and blockbuster movie projects currently under production. The presence of such top professionals and this affordable opportunity to interact and learn from them was a critical factor for many students who chose Syn Studio to pursue their concept art education.
“When I signed up to join Syn Studio, I did so because of its strategic location in Canada’s entertainment capital and the amazing roster of teachers they flexed on their website.” – Daniel Fernandez, alumnus, Concept Artist at Kabam
“Syn Studio seemed like an ideal place for me to transition into concept art. The curriculum was well thought-out and the teachers were real industry professionals, which means the lessons and techniques that they’re teaching are actually relevant.” – Issree Pittayayon, alumna, Concept Artist at Virtuos
“The Sketching for Production class with Véronique Meignaud will remain one of my favorites. She really made me feel like I was talking to an Art Director, talking about the projects, exchanging ideas, understanding what was working and finding solutions to make everything work as best as possible.” – Angeline Martin, Current student from France
“Instructors like Sean Bigham or Pierre Raveneau were insightful, encouraging, and able to prepare us for a professional environment.” – Carson Jones, an alumnus currently working as a concept artist at Virtuos
“I found Syn Studio to be the ideal school for me and my dream to become a concept artist in the video game industry. Because of how specialized their program is, I was able to dedicate all of my time and efforts to concept art. Thanks to that, I was able to achieve what I set out for.” – Jenny Brown, an alumna currently working at Kabam
“From the research I had conducted on the diploma program offered at Syn Studio, I saw that fundamentals were covered extensively. Furthermore, before choosing Syn Studio, I had looked into a variety of schools throughout Canada, and found their gallery to be the most impressive and the most related to concept art (the field I wished to work in.) It was clear to me that Syn Studio produced artists with professional-level portfolios and a strong knowledge of what concept artists actually do.” – Kenzie Dyck, a current student from the US
Improving your Skills
The Syn Studio Concept Art Diploma Program will improve your design skills and technical proficiency while speeding up your workflow so you can achieve a high level of artistic competence and become industry-ready upon graduation.
On the topic of skill improvement, Angeline mentioned: “There’s been an improvement on many different scales. First in the way of organizing my workflow; the class projects allowed me to experiment and find what’s best for me in terms of organizing the way I work on concepts or illustrations. There have been changes in the way I paint as well as I make more conscious decisions thanks to the knowledge we received on how to render and design things. In terms of design, I am becoming better at iterating and finding different and broader ideas for a given subject. I am also way faster at doing those than I was before starting the program”.
Pavel Pustovoit, an alumnus working as a concept artist at Digital Dimension, added: “During our studies, we were exposed to different techniques and approaches, while being allowed the freedom to specialize and explore the things that interested us the most. This balance helped me understand what I would really like to focus on as a concept artist and completely changed the vision I have for my career path.”
Julian Rush, an alumnus currently working as a concept artist at Virtuos, says: “One of the best things about going to Syn is the accumulated and passive knowledge I would get day to day from a conversation with my classmates and teachers. In particular, I am grateful for instructors such as Pierre Raveneau and Sean Bigham who went out of their way and beyond to guide me in my work and pushed me to try something different. The end result of your final portfolio is a testament to the improvement you gain in a short time. In addition to the artistic payoff, the connections I’ve made played a big role in my employment after graduation”
A Truly Diverse and Multicultural Community
A typical Syn Studio Concept Art Diploma program classroom is made up of students from all over the world, exposing them to a variety of cultures, ideas, and perspectives.
“The opportunity to learn with international classmates is what makes Syn Studio a really special place. I’ve had the opportunity to make friends with people from countries around the world such as the USA, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, Slovakia, Thailand, and many more. This opened my mind to new perspectives and ways of life that I had never experienced before, and now I’ll have a place to crash in multiple different countries” – Mounash Pathak, current student from India
Syn Studio provides ample opportunities for its students to network with world-famous concept artists and industry decision-makers through their extracurricular events and activities such as art jams, portfolio reviews, masterclasses, guest lectures and figure drawing workshops, among others. This helps foster a sense of community among the diverse student body and helps them build the important relationships they require to succeed in the future.
Jenny mentioned how being a part of such a close-knit community helped her: “In my 18 months there, I found some of my closest friends I have today. We helped each other with assignments and encouraged each other to keep pushing through the harder times. Together, we were able to join a community of fellow artists in Montreal filled with diversity and knowledge from all around the world.”
The same view was shared by Pavel, who added: “Over the course of the program we learned from some of the best artists in the industry, and many of them became friends and to some of us even colleagues. These connections couldn’t have been made otherwise and I’m truly grateful for that.”
Cara Stratton, a current student from the US, reiterated the importance of being a part of such a diverse and motivated group of students. “When I was preparing to move to Montreal, I expected that I would likely have no friends for the next 18 months and that I would have to power through the program alone, far away from my family. However, right from the first day, I was proven wrong. I gained 19 new friends from my classmates, and we’ve helped support each other and helped each other to improve. Being able to work with classmates from around the world has been incredible and it’s really opened my eyes to hear their unique situations and stories from their own countries. Everyone has a unique story and it’s cool to see how that translates into each student’s artwork. As we’re currently creating our personal portfolio projects, I can see how each person’s culture and personality shows in the art they create. As a whole, the school has given me everything I needed to reach my goals.”
Montreal – Attractive, Affordable, and an Artist’s Dream!
Syn Studio Concept Art School is located in the heart of downtown Montreal, an affordable city that is consistently ranked amongst the top liveable and student cities in the world. Montreal also provides aspiring concept artists with a multitude of opportunities by continuously attracting new studios and generating new concept art jobs.
“I decided to attend Syn Studio mainly due to its location and how affordable the concept art diploma was in comparison to other places.” – Jair Medina, alumnus and concept artist at Volta
“Syn Studio organized an amazing gala at the end of the 18 month course and invited top industry recruited, concept artist and art directors to showcase your art to, and they also sent all our portfolios to the biggest companies in Montreal. My artwork was noticed by the team at Eidos Montreal, all due to the efforts of Syn Studio, where I currently work as a Concept Artist.” – Mohit Panjikar, alumnus.
After graduation, international students are eligible for a post-graduate work permit so they can work as concept artists in Canada.
Issree from Thailand received her post-graduate work permit after graduation and is now working in the industry: “I’m currently working for Virtuos Games, thanks to the portfolio that I crafted with the help of the teachers and the connections I made while being in school. I would recommend Syn Studio to anyone who wants to work in this industry. I had a wonderful experience and was really glad I ended up going with this program rather than any other programs I had in mind when I was searching for an education in concept art. The difference between my entrance portfolio and graduating portfolio was very satisfying to see.”
How to Register?
Over 50% of the Syn Studio Concept Art Diploma program is made up of international students. This is your chance to get a world-class concept art education at an affordable price!
Syn Studio’s recent diploma graduates are working as concept artists at top companies such as Ubisoft, Beenox, Moment Factory, Ludia, Square Enix, Digital Dimension, Oasis Animation, Virtuous, Kabam, Volta, Behaviour Interactive and WB Games, amongst others.
*Due to the success and popularity of the program, Syn Studio is expecting more applications than ever this year. Please reserve your spot for your portfolio review now before it’s too late!
**The General Application Review Deadline for the 2021 Syn Studio Concept Art Diploma Program is February 3rd, 2021.
Join this artistic community and start the journey of a lifetime!
Reserve your place for the General Portfolio Review here >
