Rick Lacy

Rick Lacy is an Art Director with a passion for storytelling, visual development, and crafting experiences that resonate with audiences. With a career spanning games, animation, and publishing, Rick currently serves as Chair of Game Design & Development at the University of Silicon Valley.

He has collaborated with leading studios such as EA, Zynga, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, DreamWorks, and Disney. Rick brings a deep enthusiasm for mentoring the next generation of artists, guiding them through the creative process, from early concept and style exploration to final polish and delivery.

His credits include The Venture Bros., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spirit, Dragons: Race to the Edge, FarmVille 2, Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells, and a variety of new development.

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Class Summary

In this 6-week Character Design course, Rick will guide students through the process of creating an original character — from learning the fundamentals of design to producing a finished digital render. Students will explore core character design principles and gain a solid understanding of Photoshop fundamentals, as well as how to apply their design skills within both 2D and 3D production pipelines.  Everyone is encouraged to develop a fun, imaginative characters for their final project!

  • Week 1: Intro to Photoshop & Digital Art

  • Week 2: Fundamental Design Principles

  • Week 3: Concept Art & Iteration

  • Week 4: Pose & Expression Model Sheets

  • Week 5: Render Techniques

  • Week 6: Final presentation and critique

 

Class Schedule

Length of course: 6 weeks

Days: Saturdays starting Nov 1, 2025; skip class on Nov 29, last class on Dec 13, 2025

Time: 10:30am - 12:30pm Pacific Time

Tuition: US$600

Class Size: 10 students

Format:

  • Class meets once a week on Google Meet. Each class is recorded.

  • Assignments to be uploaded to Google Drive folder.

  • Students have access to class recordings and other class materials for 12 months after class ends.

  • Portfolios are not required to take this course, but they are encouraged. If you don’t have one, that’s completely fine! The optional portfolio review simply helps the instructor understand each student’s skill level so he can tailor his guidance and feedback accordingly.

 

Expected Results

Upon completing the course, students will have developed a foundational understanding of character design principles, gesture drawing, and animation acting. They will be able to apply these skills to create expressive, well-constructed characters suitable for animation or game production. By the end of the course, students will produce 2–3 finalized character designs, including turnaround and pose sheets that demonstrate design consistency, personality, and visual appeal.

 

Prerequisites

This is an intermediate level character design class. In order to have a productive learning experience for all, students need to have the following:

  • Must have a computer with microphone and a stable internet connection.

  • A quiet place to work without interruption.

  • Must have access to Photoshop or other applicable drawing software set up on the first day. (We can send product suggestions)

  • Tablet, Cintiq or digital drawing hardware like iPad Pro.

  • Basic understanding of digital art application processes. For example: Opening/saving files, tool sets, workflows, etc.

  • Must be able to access Google Drive to upload assignments.

  • Please know this is an interactive, critique focused workshop. It’s important to finish all of your assignments on time in order to receive feedback.

 

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