Computer Art Diploma
Animation, storyboarding, visual development and effects, ending in a finished short film.
- Credential
- Diploma
- Length
- Five terms
- Study mode
- Full-time, on campus
- Courses
- 21
- Next intake
- September 2027
- Apply by
- March 1, 2027 (early)
July 1, 2027 (regular) - Tuition
- $24,923 domestic, $32,400 international (per year)
- Campus
- Richmond, British Columbia
3D model of a science-fiction corridor rendered in grey. Student work, NPC College.
About the program
The Computer Art Diploma at NPC College of Arts & Design is a full-time, five-term program in Richmond, British Columbia covering digital painting, 3D modelling, traditional and computer animation, storyboarding, visual development and visual effects. Students take 21 courses and finish with a thesis: a fully animated and rendered short film for their portfolio.
The Computer Art program develops skills in digital painting, 3D modeling, animation, and visual storytelling for film, games, and animation. Students learn industry-standard software, composition, lighting, and rendering techniques. With hands-on projects and expert guidance, they build a strong portfolio for careers in the entertainment industry.
Learning objectives
- Drawing foundationsPerspective, design sketching, figure and anatomy drawing, and clay modelling.
- AnimationTiming, weight and the principles of animation, first by hand and then in 3D with rigging and body mechanics.
- StoryboardingCamera work, lighting, composition and continuity, developed into animatics.
- Visual developmentCharacters, environments, vehicles and props designed from a brief and then from your own script.
- Visual effectsCompositing, re-lighting and effects in Nuke and Adobe After Effects, finished with sound.
- Thesis filmA fully animated and rendered short film that shows everything you learned in the program.
Work from our studios
Curriculum, term by term
21 courses over 5 terms. Every course is listed below with its description.
Term 1
5 courses
Intro to Perspective
It is as easy as 1, 2, and 3 point perspectives. Deep and strong understanding of perspective is a fundamental component in all concept design. In this course you will gain confidence and familiarity using perspective techniques to draw vehicles, objects, and architectural environments. By the end of this course, you will be prepared to select and utilize appropriate perspective techniques in future coursework.
Design Sketching
Employers in the field of media arts and design need to hire artists who can draw efficient and compelling designs. Whether you have lots of experience drawing or very little, this course will help you build confidence sketching from visual references and develop your visual library. From military gear to simple objects, you will practice drawing efficiently from life and images in your sketchbook. We will also introduce the importance of ethical considerations in design and to incorporate ethical principles into the design sketching process. By the end of this course, you will be able to utilize your visual library for future projects.
Figure Drawing & Anatomy Drawing 1
A fundamental understanding of anatomy is essential for human and creature design in production. From stick figures to complex characters, in this course you will be introduced to the basics of human and animal anatomical structures. By the end of this course, you will be able to block out basic character shapes, forms, structures and identify and describe basic anatomical features.
Clay Modeling
Have you ever wanted to model an action figure from your favorite movie or game, but were not sure where to start? Explore the techniques, principles and acquire the skills needed to create your own original sculptures. Working from your own concept designs you will build armatures, learn additive and subtractive sculpting approaches, create details, textures, and improve the form of your sculpture in the round. By the end of this course, you will have a fully finished professional maquette that you can add to your design portfolio.
Intro to Digital Painting 1
Photoshop is one of the concept designer’s most essential tools for professional work in animation, games, and film. From learning hot keys to making your first digital designs, this course provides a strong foundation for future course work and industry practice.
Term 2
5 courses
Perspective 2
Dive deeper into linear perspective systems and further explore basic and more complex laws that are vital to express the illusion of dimensional forms on a two-dimensional surface or screen. In this course you will design spaces and grow your repertoire of approaches for representing accurate and different views. Assignments will emphasize points of view and narrative elements that you will convey in your designs. By the end of this course, you will be able to position cameras/viewpoints on paper and in Photoshop, render a number of perspective views for various spaces, and prepare for advanced study/portfolio development.
Intro to 3D Modeling
Maya is one of the concept designer’s most essential tools for professional work in animation, games, and film. From learning hotkeys to rendering your first 3D designs, this course provides a strong foundation for future course work and industry practice.
Figure & Anatomy Drawing 2
Building on Figure & Anatomy Drawing 1, you will further develop your understanding and skill representing human and animal forms and their anatomical features. You will explore more complex action-poses and character development from model poses. By the end of this course you will be able to further enhance your skills/approaches for blocking out animal and human characters. You will produce studies focusing on quality of line work, weight, proportion, and use of colour.
Visual Development
Students in this course will further enhance their skill and practice with the fundamentals of composition, lighting, and design. Working from an intermediate-level design brief you will design characters, environments, vehicles, and/or props. You will aim to create industry-level designs that communicate a story to the viewer. Through the proper use of composition, lighting, and mood you will direct the viewer’s attention to story elements. This course and project will provide you with an opportunity to enhance your storytelling skills for future and major projects.
Traditional Animation
With a focus on traditional animation methods, students will study timing and weight through a series of projects designed to demonstrate the principles of animation. Techniques such as squash, stretch, anticipation, settle, key framing, inbetweening, and cycling will be learned.
Term 3
5 courses
Computer Animation
Students will apply the animation principles learned from Traditional Animation into their 3D animation assignments. The course will introduce basic rigging, body mechanics and how to animate simple objects and characters in a believable and appealing manner.
Storyboarding
In this course, students will learn the basics of creating storyboarding/animatics for their story/production. That includes how to execute the right camera work, lighting, composition, and continuity by drawing out keys, and breakdowns.
Advanced Figure & Anatomy Drawing
Building on Figure & Anatomy Drawing 1, you will further develop your understanding and skill representing human and animal forms and their anatomical features. You will explore more complex action-poses and character development from model poses. By the end of this course you will be able to further enhance your skills/approaches for blocking out animal and human characters on paper and in Photoshop. You will produce studies focusing on quality of line work, weight, proportion, and use of colour.
Intro to Effects
Students will learn the fundamentals of Visual Effects starting from basic compositing and re-lighting in Nuke and Adobe After Effects. The purpose of this course is to train students through editing, compositing and VFX, creating special effects elements into their rendered shots.
Visual Development 2
Students in this course will further enhance their skill and practice with the fundamentals of composition, lighting, and design. Working from an intermediate-level design brief you will design characters, environments, vehicles, and/or props. You will aim to create industry-level designs that communicate a story to the viewer. Through the proper use of composition, lighting, and mood you will direct the viewer’s attention to story elements. This course and project will provide you with an opportunity to enhance your storytelling skills for future and major projects.
Term 4
4 courses
Effects 2
Continuing from Intro to Effects, this course will focus on creating more complex special effects for student’s animation/ shots. Once the effects are created students will also learn how to composite everything together using Nuke in the most efficient way possible. Lastly, students will complete their comps with sound effects.
Visual Development 3
Produce a fully finished, professional quality design package from a script that you will author. Working from your own script design you will design characters, environments, vehicles, and/or props. You will aim to zero in on specific details in your narrative and create compelling designs that focus the audience's attention on key story elements. Your final output will be polished and fully rendered using a range of techniques such as Maya, ZBrush, KeyShot, and V-Ray rendering software. This course and project will provide you with an opportunity to prepare for future coursework and the development of finished portfolio work.
Storyboarding 2
In this course, students will be creating two short animatics that will be used for their thesis for term 5. Students will use every technique they learned so far including writing, planning, Cinematography, composition, continuity, storytelling.
Computer Animation 2
Continuing from Computer Animation 1. Students will be modelling, rigging and animating complete characters from their Visual development class. Animation includes walk/run cycles, push/pull, expressions, and short acting sequences based on references.
Term 5
2 courses
Thesis
In this Thesis course, students will take their refined animatics from term 4 and produce a fully animated and rendered short film to demonstrate everything they have learned in this program. Plus, any visual developments of the characters, environments, props, vehicles. It should be a complete package to display in their portfolio.
Studio Practice
Studio Practice is a vital course for students to work on and to complete their Senior Project and portfolio. It represents the synthesis of the previous studios/course work in the Computer Art program curriculum. This is the stage at which students are expected to work on their Senior Projects independently as well as support their peers. Success in this course will require students to apply the knowledge, skills, and abilities that they have acquired in previous course work.
Software you will use
- Adobe Photoshop
- Autodesk Maya
- ZBrush
- KeyShot
- V-Ray
- Nuke
- Adobe After Effects
Named in the course descriptions for this program.
Admission requirements
Age
- Applicants must be at least 16 years of age.
- International applicants must be at least 19 years of age and hold a high school diploma.
- Students seeking BC Student Aid must be high school graduates or at least 19 years of age (mature status). To show high school completion, submit a high school diploma, including transcripts from any secondary or post-secondary institutions attended in the last five years, or a piece of government-issued identification that shows your birth date.
Academic
- A copy of your high school transcript with a minimum of 70% in English class
- A transcript from a post-secondary institution, if applicable
Assessment
Prospective students must pass the general assessment test in the online application. The test assesses computer knowledge, internet knowledge, English reading, and writing skills.
Portfolio
Applicants submit a portfolio of original artworks to demonstrate their current creative interests and skill levels. The same portfolio requirement applies to all three programs.
- Two personal creative pieces Any medium.
- One observational piece Painting, acrylic or sketch.
- One perspective drawing A simple line drawing without shading is fine.
- One digital artwork Made in any digital painting or drawing tool.
That makes at least five original artworks across a range of practices and media. A sketchbook is also accepted.
English language
IELTS Academic 5.5, TOEFL iBT 60, or Duolingo 85 to 90. Details for international students
Tuition and fees
| Fee | Domestic students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $24,923 | $32,400 |
| Application fee | $100 | $100 |
| Assessment fee | $150 | $150 |
| Administrative fee | $100 | $100 |
| Material fee | $1,660 | $1,660 |
| Total of listed fees | $26,933 | $34,410 |
| Fee | Domestic students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $24,923 | $32,400 |
| Administrative fee | $100 | $160 |
| Graduation fee | $140 | $140 |
| Material fee | $1,660 | $1,660 |
| Total of listed fees | $26,823 | $34,360 |
All fees are in Canadian dollars, as published in October 2026. Confirm current fees with Admissions before you apply. Financial aid and scholarships
Careers
Upon graduation, students are capable of working as entry-level concept artists in the animation, film, TV and game industries. Jobs include:
- Character Designer
- Environment Designer
- Prop and Vehicle Designer
- Creature Designer
- Concept Art Generalist
- Art Director
- Color Key Artist
- Costume and Set Designer
- Matte Painter
- Illustrator
- Storyboard Artist
Who teaches
Andrew AnArt Director on WondLa at Skydance Animation and designer on The Addams Family 2.
Sabrina HemeonLead and Senior Designer at Atomic Cartoons; designer on The Addams Family 2 at Cinesite.
Zach McLeanConcept artist, illustrator and art director; founder of Poiesis Studios.
Jianjun AnArtist and designer with over twenty years of experience; founder of NPC.
Dorothy WangCharacter designer at Bardel Entertainment on The Dragon Prince and The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild.
Keeny NgArt director in animation; graduate of Sheridan College classical animation.
Questions about this program
What is the Computer Art Diploma?
How is Computer Art different from Concept Design?
What is the thesis?
How much does the Computer Art Diploma cost?
Start your application
Applications for the September 2027 intake are open. The early admission deadline is March 1, 2027 and the regular deadline is July 1, 2027.