CHARACTER DESIGN AND COMPOSITION WORKSHOP

Hey everyone,

I’m excited to share that I’ll be teaching a 3-day workshop this summer in beautiful Morro Bay, California. I've been working as a concept artist in the entertainment industry for almost 40 years. Whether the project was in film, tv, gaming, publishing or toy design, my goal was always to create story-driven pieces that instantly connect with the viewer. In this workshop, I'm going to teach you the illustrative, industry-level techniques I've used over the years to design engaging characters and compositions. Whether you are an art student or a working professional, we all share the same goal: to establish connection and capture the audience's curiosity. I look forward to sharing what I've learned over the years and I hope to see you there.

Cheers,

Mike

Some of the topics that will be covered are:

Conceptualizing
Story-telling through facial expressions and body langauge
How to make your character stand out
Importance of line quality
Using positive and negative space to create appealing compositions
Composition do's and don'ts
Using mixed-media to create interesting textures

This course will be a combination of lecture and demonstration. A live model will be there for part of the time to provide reference and inspiration. Students are welcome to draw along or simply observe.

Located in downtown Morro Bay, the Art Center is surrounded by restaurants, cafes and thrift shops.

A few of the hotels that are within walking distance:

- La Serena Inn - Inn at Rose's Landing

- Ascot Suites - The Landing at Morro Bay

- Sea Air Inn & Suites - Bay View Inn

Workshop Info

Where: Art Center Morro Bay

835 Main St.

Morro Bay, Ca. 93442

Date: 8/28/2026 - 8/30/2026

Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm (1hr lunch break included)

Price: $595

Please visit artcentermorrobay.org to register.

Materials: I will be using a range of materials which can include pens, colored pencils, markers, acrylic paint, gesso and goauche. Feel free to bring your preferred material. If you decide to bring an easel, please make sure it is small as space is limited.

Spots available: 24

Below are past class demonstrations that I completed over 10-week illustration courses I taught at the Associates in Art.

Morgan Freeman A demonstration on a gouache pick-out technique I learned from the amazing artist Thomas Blackshear	Fairchild This piece comes from my fantasy illustration class I taught 30 years ago. The character was referenced from a photo in a french magazine one of my students brought in. Unfortunately, I don't know who the photographer is but I loved the photo so much, it became the inspiration for my Fairchild character.	Robbie Coltrane Demonstration on mood and lighting.	Demonstration from a character design class.	Ed O'Neill and Nathan Lane Demonstration from a movie poster design class.

Workshop Info

Below are past class demonstrations that I completed over 10-week illustration courses I taught at the Associates in Art.

Morgan Freeman

A demonstration on a gouache pick-out technique I learned from the amazing artist Thomas Blackshear

Fairchild

Robbie Coltrane

Demonstration on mood and lighting.

Demonstration from a character design class.

Ed O'Neill and Nathan Lane

Demonstration from a movie poster design class.