Capturing an Entire Story within an Illustration [Coloso, Yaoyao Ma Van As, Group Buy]

Greetings! I’m Yaoyao Ma Van As, an art director, painter, and illustrator currently immersed in the world of animation at Disney.

My passion lies in crafting scenes that narrate tales, utilizing images that authentically convey emotions. You’ll often spot my dog, Parker, in my illustrations—another significant muse alongside my feelings, thoughts, and daily encounters.

In this class, I aim to inspire thoughtful choices in your artistic endeavors, infusing realism and sentiment through lighting, employing props and environments to bolster narratives subtly yet powerfully. The goal is to amalgamate these elements into a cohesive, finished piece.

I’ll walk you through each step, providing exercises for reinforcement. Along the way, I’ll share insights and tips, offering a glimpse into the workings of larger studios and aiding your growth as an artist.

Teaming up with Coloso to create this class has been an enriching experience. I sincerely hope this class becomes a beacon, guiding you to extract the utmost essence from a single image. Thank you all for being a part of this journey!

Embark on a journey to capture moods, stories, and purpose within every stroke on your canvas.

This class is your gateway to crafting illustrations that captivate with narrative-rich worlds.

Follow a detailed roadmap covering references, line art, coloring, lighting techniques, and more to create compelling story-driven scenes.

Module 1: Ideas & References​

Embark on establishing the core idea and narrative for your scene—a crucial step in portraying a mood or feeling. I’ll share my personal ideation process and guide you in selecting references from the vast resources available online. We’ll delve into the art of discerning specific elements within these references, a skill vital in crafting your illustration.

Module 2: Line Art​

Once the foundation of your idea is set, we’ll dive into rough sketching, outlining both the background and character to shape our composition. While I often transition directly to painting the background, this class will focus on the meticulous process of creating clean, detailed line art. Though time-consuming, this step ensures a polished and refined illustration.

Module 3: Coloring & Lighting​

With the line art established, we’ll explore adding local color and incorporating lighting techniques to unify the scene. This phase is the heart of our journey, where we infuse mood and convey emotions. Furthermore, a special section will unravel how variations in lighting alter the overall mood of your illustration, a pivotal aspect of this class.

You can find more details by following this link.