PREMIUM MENTORSHIP!

You can now access premium online and in-person mentorship, and live drawing workshops with Chris Solarski via Patreon and Meetup. Click on the links to learn more.

UP-COMING WORKSHOPS

abloom regularly runs art and design courses in Zurich, Switzerland on topics including character design, life drawing, digital painting, game design, and portfolio development, to name a few. Tuition can be given in English, German and Polish.

How to participate:
• Select an up-coming event from the calendar to see more info
• Send an email to csolarski@gmail.com to register for the event
• Pay with cash or TWINT on arrival
• Previous participants earn a 50% discount for each workshop to which they bring a new attendee

Please contact us if you’d like to host an event, request specific topics, or inquire about personalised mentoring.

ART & DESIGN ACADEMY

abloom is the vision of renowned teacher and author Chris Solarski. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, we offer boutique workshops and seminars celebrating the craft of game design, game art, illustration and comics, with deep roots in traditional art and design practises (gestaltung).

EMPATHY

Our approach at abloom is guided by the philosophy: what if empathy was the organising principle of teaching, and art and design production? We encourage a platform for self-exploration and sharing, where individual personalities feel safe to blossom and express themselves.

HANDCRAFTED

Traditional craft forms the bedrock of education at abloom, where we favour a broad artisanal approach to art and design literacy. We consequently prioritise screen-free teaching methods and analog media to heighten understanding of the physical and emotional value of artistic expression.

Testimonials

Chris’ work and writings brought me a deep insight and perspective about game design and art. His thorough research on storytelling in games, and how that translates to shape languages in game art that evokes certain emotions to the players, makes me look at visual art very differently today.
KSHIRAJ TELANG, Art Director at Moon Active, formerly Studio Art Director at Rovio and Principal Visual Development Artist at King
Chris’ work and teachings are truly inspiring, opening up creative possibilities that we may have overlooked or not considered. I feel privileged to have been part of the masterclass, and I eagerly anticipate applying Chris’ insights to our work and beyond.
WALID KILONZI, Extended Reality Producer at Fallohide
Chris has been invaluable in helping to kickstart my son's game art education. He is exceptionally patient, considerate, and has vast knowledge concerning art and design fundamentals.
KARIN JOST
I've been drawing my whole life and have had plenty of teachers and lecturers but I never learned so much about drawing and art as I did from Chris Solarski. His feedback was always fair, detailed and very helpful. All-in-all, the best art lecturer I have ever had.
WAYNE HINTERMANN, former Game Art student
Chris is a very talented illustrator who skilfully shares his knowledge with his calm demeanour. He takes a lot of time to respond to each individual course participant in order to pass on his creative knowledge. His courses have inspired me and helped me develop creatively.
SARA HOFSTETTER, Artist and Video Editor
Chris is a remarkably playful facilitator who encourages the shifting of perspectives and viewing everyday objects through a unique and playful lens—resulting in amusing and innovative game design concepts.
ADRIJA MUKHERJEE, Visual Designer, Illustrator and Researcher
Chris is a fantastic teacher. With his know-how and analytical skills, he breaks down difficult tasks and explains what needs to be done in simple steps. Whether it was about composition, proportions, weighting or lighting, his advice was always on point.
MANUEL KISSNER, former Game Art student
Not only does Chris have wide ranging knowledge, he can also convey it in an easy and inspiring way. Despite my many years of experience as a graphic designer, I was able to learn a lot from Chris and improve my work and workflow. I'm very grateful to him for that.
EVELYN ACKER, Graphic Designer
Chris is honestly one of the most interesting tutors I ever had and he taught me some really valuable lessons.
JAMIE SUPERSAXO, former Game Design student

Past speaking venues…

Want to organise a workshop?

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