Foundation Patreon – Designing Buildings- Part 2 – Concept by Charles Lin
Duration:2 Hour 33 Minute Lecture & Demo
Actual Duration:2h 33m
Release date:2024
Publisher:Gumroad
Skill level:Intermediate
Language:English
Exercise files:Yes
Software:Adobe Photoshop
Course URL:https://foundation-patreon.gumroad.com/l/xtfoxe
This course looks like the second step in a small building design sequence by Charles Lin: the public store listing shows Part 1 as Studies and this one as Concept, so the value here is the shift from observation into actual design decisions.
π― What you’ll learn
- Turning architectural studies into original concept sketches
- Building clearer shape language for structures and environment ideas
- Refining building designs with stronger perspective and readable silhouettes
β Requirements
- Skills: Basic drawing fundamentals, simple perspective construction, and some experience with sketching from reference
- Tools: Digital painting software, pen tablet or display tablet, and image reference gathering tools
- Hardware: A computer or laptop that can run digital drawing software comfortably
π Description
The storefront places this tutorial alongside Charles Linβs other environment design, perspective, and architectural lessons, and it is explicitly titled βDesigning Buildings Part 2: Concept.β That makes it a practical follow-up course rather than a standalone fundamentals class: the emphasis is less on pure study and more on building a design that feels intentional.
What makes that useful is simple. A lot of artists can copy a building, but they get stuck when they need to invent one. That gap usually comes down to design thinking, not rendering. A course like this is most valuable when you already know how to observe forms and now need a tighter process for thumbnails, variation, and cleanup.
The tone of the Foundation catalog is very process-heavy, and Charles Lin appears across lessons on vehicle design, lighting, building studies, and environment perspective, which lines up with a teacher who works from structure first and polish second. So expect a workflow that is likely sketch-driven, direct, and built around making design choices visible on the page instead of hiding them under rendering tricks.
π§βπ Who this course is for
- Artists who already do studies but want to turn them into original architecture concepts
- Environment designers who need cleaner building ideation for games, film, or visual development
- Students following Charles Linβs building-design lessons in sequence
- Intermediate sketchers who want a more practical concept workflow instead of pure rendering practice
π§βπ« About the Author
Charles Lin is one of the most frequently featured instructors on the Foundation Art Group storefront, where he is listed across courses on environment perspective, vehicle design, lighting and composition, building studies, and multiple architectural design topics. That teaching range makes him a strong fit for a course focused on building concepts, because it connects draftsmanship, spatial thinking, and design iteration instead of treating them as separate skills.
π Final Result
- A clean, portfolio-friendly building concept sketch that shows clear form hierarchy, functional design choices, and solid perspective construction

Channel