Everything I learnt about Environment Art – Part 1- Planning & Blockout by Ben Keeling

This tutorial is your first step into the world of environment art, focusing on the crucial planning and blockout phases. Ben Keeling shares his hard-won lessons and practical advice, breaking down complex topics into digestible chapters. It’s designed to give beginners and intermediates a solid foundation for building believable game environments.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• How to effectively plan an environment art project.
• Techniques for creating detailed art bibles and documentation.
• Strategies for gathering and organizing reference materials.
• The process of creating efficient folder structures for projects.
• Understanding the purpose and execution of 3D blockouts.
• Practical examples of interior and exterior blockouts.
• How to block out individual assets.
• Experimenting with different compositions during the blockout phase.

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic understanding of 3D concepts and scene composition.
• Tools: Access to Blender, Zbrush, Substance Painter/Designer, Unreal Engine 5, and PureRef.
• Hardware: A computer capable of running the specified software.

📝 Description

This tutorial dives into the essential first steps of environment art creation: planning and blockout. Ben Keeling breaks down his personal workflow, sharing practical advice and real-world examples. Each chapter starts with theoretical explanations, covering the ‘what,’ ‘why,’ and ‘how’ of each topic, including terminology and workflow strategies. These are then followed by live demonstrations, showing you exactly how to apply the concepts.

The course uses examples primarily from Ben’s own work and professional experience, offering a grounded perspective. You’ll learn how to build comprehensive art bibles, manage projects effectively, and gather crucial references. The blockout chapters will guide you through creating both exterior and interior scenes, as well as individual assets, emphasizing composition and experimentation. You’ll also get access to PureRef files containing extra breakdowns and resource links.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Aspiring environment artists looking to build a strong foundation.
• Beginners who need guidance on project planning and initial scene setup.
• Intermediate artists seeking to refine their blockout and planning techniques.
• Anyone interested in learning a practical, industry-relevant workflow for game environments.

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Ben Keeling is an experienced environment artist who shares his accumulated knowledge in this tutorial series. Drawing from his professional background and personal projects, he aims to provide actionable advice and practical demonstrations. This course is a testament to his commitment to helping others navigate the complexities of environment art creation.

🏁 Final Result

By the end of this course, you will have a clear understanding of how to plan an environment art project from start to finish and how to create effective 3D blockouts for both scenes and assets, setting you up for further detailed work in subsequent parts of the tutorial.