Cutaway Designs by Charles Lin

This course is a focused, demo-driven session on cutaway designs—the art of slicing through objects to reveal their inner workings. Charles Lin walks you through his process from start to finish, showing how to structure, render, and present a cutaway illustration that actually reads clearly. No fluff, just a straight 2-hour 53-minute lecture and demo you can follow along with.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• How to plan and compose a cutaway illustration
• Techniques for rendering interior and exterior elements cohesively
• How to use cross-sections to guide the viewer’s eye
• Workflow tips for clean, readable linework and shading

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic understanding of digital painting and composition
• Tools: Photoshop or equivalent digital painting software
• Hardware: Drawing tablet recommended

📝 Description

Charles Lin doesn’t waste time with theory dumps. This session is about seeing how a cutaway illustration gets built from the ground up. He covers the decision-making behind what to slice, how to expose the interior without losing the exterior context, and how to keep the whole piece visually balanced.

The demo is the core of this course. You’ll watch Lin work through a full piece, explaining his choices as he goes. That includes how he handles line weight, shading, and color to make the cut sections feel intentional rather than messy. If you’ve ever tried a cutaway and ended up with something confusing or cluttered, this will help you tighten up your approach.

It’s a practical, no-nonsense look at a specialized illustration style. Whether you’re into concept art, technical illustration, or just want to add another tool to your visual storytelling kit, this session gives you a clear workflow to adapt.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Illustrators and concept artists curious about cutaway techniques
• Designers who want to add technical clarity to their work
• Anyone who prefers learning through direct demo rather than lengthy theory

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Charles Lin is an artist and educator known for his work in design and illustration. He runs the Foundation Patreon group, where he shares his process and critiques with a community of artists. His teaching style is direct and practical, focused on real workflow rather than abstract concepts.

🏁 Final Result

By the end of this session, you’ll have followed along with a complete cutaway illustration demo, giving you a reference piece and a repeatable process for your own projects.