Grounded Costume Design by Adam Middleton

Learn to design costumes that feel real, not just drawn. This course skips the fluff and gets straight into building characters with a story behind every stitch. You’ll work through a full pipeline, from initial sketches and photobashing to 3D modeling in Blender and final presentation. By the end, you’ll have a portfolio-ready group shot and the skills to tackle any costume brief.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Research and reference gathering for authentic costume design.
• 2D photobashing and painting techniques for quick iteration.
• 3D modeling and sculpting of costume elements in Blender.
• Rigging and posing characters using Mixamo and Blender.
• Creating professional deliverables like turntables and graphics sheets.

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic understanding of Photoshop and 3D space.
• Tools: Drawing tablet, 3-button mouse.
• Hardware: Minimum 16GB RAM, dedicated GPU.

📝 Description

This isn’t a theory class. Adam Middleton walks you through his actual workflow, the same one he used on films like Avatar: The Way of Water and Blade Runner 2049. You’ll start by hunting down real-world reference and sketching rough ideas. Then you’ll move into a 2D photobash phase, where you’ll learn to build a costume’s texture and weathering using photo overlays and painting.

The real kicker is the hybrid approach. You’ll jump into Blender to model complex pieces like helmets and vests, solving tricky shapes in 3D before bringing them back into 2D for final polish. For the advanced character, you’ll build everything in 3D, rig it in Mixamo, and even design a prop. The final lesson ties it all together with a group shot, turntables, and graphics sheets—exactly the kind of deliverables studios want to see.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Intermediate artists who want to level up their character and costume design skills.
• Concept artists looking to add a practical 3D workflow to their toolkit.
• Anyone tired of generic costume designs and wanting to create characters with real-world grit.

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Adam Middleton is an art director and concept designer who has worked on major film and game projects, including Avatar: The Way of Water, Blade Runner 2049, Foundation, and Ghost in the Shell. His work is known for blending cutting-edge design with strong storytelling, making him a go-to authority for grounded, believable character work.

🏁 Final Result

• A fully realized group shot featuring two distinct characters in a 3D environment.
• Individual character turnarounds and turntables.
• Graphics sheets and line art layouts for portfolio presentation.