Environment Design in Clip Studio Paint with Roberto Gatto
Roberto Gatto has recently released an ArtStation Learning course about Environment Design in Clip Studio Paint. For this interview, we chatted with Roberto to discover how his professional learning experiences have shaped the course’s design, and we also heard what viewers can expect to learn themselves.
Roberto is a professional concept artist and illustrator working in the entertainment industry since 2014, specializing mainly in environment art and props. He has done work for Paizo, Sasquatch Game Studio, Spiderling Games, Passion Pictures, Axis studios, and currently Suncreature studios.
Behind the course
I’ve always been passionate about environments and landscapes. This is why I made them the focus of my learning throughout years of self-teaching and online classes. There is something about being immersed and creating a world to explore that I just find fascinating!
This course teaches a structured thinking process for approaching environment design. It teaches a way to think and solve each step separately until you reach the desired final result. The goal is not so much, “This is a good workflow, you should do as I do”; but more to learn a way of thinking.
I see many students struggling when creating environments because they feel there is a lot to take on. Hopefully, these lectures will shed some light on how to dissect the task into more manageable problems. Each artist should be able to adapt the course’s thinking to their particular process and needs.
Most memorable learning experience of your career?
Tied for first place are two separate mentorships that I did with artists Kalen Chock and Tyler Edlin. They each hold a special place in my memories because in both I felt I was really pushed past my limits and got to understand the perspectives and thinking processes of more experienced artists.
I’m happy to be calling them both my friends to this day and I would love for the artistic community to have more of those mentorship opportunities! It’s not only a way to learn but also to connect with others.
Favorite Clip Studio Paint feature?
What I really like about Clip Studio is how the paint feels natural in the way it layers and blends. Once you get comfortable with the brush settings and find some brushes you like it’s very satisfying to paint with. I also really like how drawing with lines feels more smooth, and the tools the software provides to edit on a vector level. This is really big for anyone working with lines a lot.
1 sentence of advice?
Stop comparing your art and growth to other people’s.
Each individual is unique. The time it takes to learn things varies and so will the results; this doesn’t make the progress or the art less valuable. Be proud of how far you have come since you started, have fun with what you make, and don’t let it become just another rat race.
See more of Roberto’s ArtStation portfolio here.
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