About this Event In this workshop, Chris Solarski will guide students through a crash course in art and design fundamentals before diving into various techniques for creating dynamic 2D character concepts for video games using analog and digital tools. Topics that will be explored include the research process, mix-and-matching references, style blueprints and gesture. Workshop participants do not require any prior drawing experience, although having some prior Photoshop knowledge is an advantage. The workshop will be conducted in English. About Chris Solarski Chris Solarski started work in video games at Sony Computer Entertainment’s London Studio as a character and environment artist before making a career-defining detour into figurative oil painting. The unusual mix of game art and classical art eventually resulted in Chris authoring Interactive Empathy and Embodiment (IEE)—a sensory design methodology that adapts traditional craft to interactive media with the aim of heightening kinaesthetic empathy and embodiment. Chris has authored two other books on game art and storytelling in games that are endorsed by the likes of Assassin’s Creed founding member Stéphane Assadourian, and Cyberpunk 2077 level designer Max Pears. Chris’ work has been described as gaming’s equivalent to Robert McKee’s screenwriting classic, Story, and compared to Joseph Campbell’s universal storytelling structure. Chris has had the pleasure of presenting at the Smithsonian Museum’s landmark The Art of Video Games exhibition, Disney Research, SXSW, Google and FMX, to name a few. Chris also lectures and serves as industry liaison at SAE Institute in Zurich; Chairs the International Game Developers Association's Switzerland Chapter (IGDA Switzerland); and co-founded the IGDA Game Art Special Interest Group (SIG)."