Mobile Game Art 1 – Buildings and Props by Isaak Lien

This course is a straight shot into the nuts and bolts of making art for mobile games. You’ll learn how to design and build tileable isometric buildings and props, working from rough thumbnails all the way to a final, polished render. The focus is on practical, production-ready skills, not just theory.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Design buildings and props with mobile phone limitations in mind.
• Research style, theme, and target demographics for a game.
• Create effective color schemes and modular isometric tiles.
• Present your game assets in a professional, attractive layout.

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Equivalent knowledge of Dynamic Sketching 1, Perspective, and Digital Painting.
• Tools: Adobe Photoshop, digital pen display tablet or regular pen tablet.
• Hardware: A computer capable of running Adobe Photoshop smoothly.

📝 Description

This isn’t about making art for a big-budget console title. It’s about the specific, tight constraints of the mobile game industry. You’ll learn how to design isometric buildings and props that are not only visually appealing but also modular and tileable, meaning they can be reused and rearranged to build entire game worlds efficiently.

The course walks you through a complete production pipeline. You’ll start by researching a theme and audience, then move into rapid thumbnail sketching to explore ideas. From there, you’ll refine your best designs, experiment with color, and finally render a polished, production-ready asset. The instructor, Isaak Lien, brings over nine years of experience working on top-grossing mobile titles like “Cookie Jam” and “SpongeBob Moves In,” so the advice is grounded in real-world studio workflows. You’ll learn exactly how to make your art read clearly on a small screen and how to design for the specific gameplay mechanics of mobile games.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Intermediate to advanced artists looking to break into the mobile game industry.
• Concept artists who want to specialize in 2D game asset creation.
• Hobbyists who want to learn a professional pipeline for creating game-ready art.

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Isaak Lien is an Art Director and Concept Artist currently working at Jam City. With over nine years in the mobile game industry, he has contributed to major titles like “Cookie Jam,” “A Bike Race of Ninja Temple,” and “SpongeBob Moves In.” His experience spans 2D concept and production art, visual development, UI design, and art leading at studios such as Kiwi, Ogmento, and Kung Fu Factory. He is also a founder and creative director of his own plush toy brand, Panda Yeah.

🏁 Final Result

• A portfolio-ready set of tileable isometric building and prop concepts.
• A mock game screenshot showcasing your assets in a game-like environment.
• A professional presentation layout of your final designs.

📢 Guys, this is a Group Buy campaign, check the GBC forum thread to get access

You can find the course preview in the download section below.