In the hands of Shane Hunt, vehicles are so much more than just a part of the background, they are a part of the story!

His vehicle designs are so full of personality and charm, we knew he was just the guy to create our new class on how to draw vehicles. Check it out in the video subscription!

This is the first art tutorial he's done for us here at SVSLearn. We thought we'd ask him a few questions so you can get acquainted 😊

How did you decide to become an artist?

I never really considered any other option. I’ve known I would be an artist since as long as I can remember.

What kind of art education did you get?

I took some preliminary art classes in middle school but quit art classes in high school since they wanted me to do a lot of fine art oil painting and gallery stuff which I had zero interest in at the time. I just wanted to draw weird monsters and zombies! I took some excellent foundational art classes at BYU-Idaho, including head drawing, figure drawing, and a lot of extremely helpful graphic design classes which gave me a solid foundation in the basic principles of design. Then one day I saw a magazine advertising the animation program at BYU and I saw a ton of the kind of art I liked; fun sketches, exciting world building, and visual storytelling. I knew that’s what I wanted to do somehow. So I got a degree in animation from BYU. These days I continue to take art courses online occasionally to keep my skills sharp.

How did you get your first art gig?

In my last year at BYU, I created a little 3D scene of a house in a forest as a fun personal project. One of my professors who worked for Avalanche Studios in Salt Lake City (Disney Interactive) saw it and helped me get hired as an intern there for a little over a year working as an artist on the game Disney Infinity. My first illustration gig came when I was hired as an artist at Big Fish games illustrating backgrounds for hidden object games.

What is your favorite thing to draw?

Vehicles of course! Also kids exploring mysterious places, little contained islands, grizzled old men, trees, food, quaint Japanese buildings, and RPG (Role-Playing Game) props/weapons.

What is your favorite piece in your portfolio?

Right now it’s probably this fisherman I drew recently. It got me excited to do some kind of short story/comic or something. I like my pieces that feel expansive in some way, like they fit into something bigger.

How did you decide to create the Effective Vehicle Design class?

I was asked specifically to create this course by the SVS team. I had guest-lectured at a local university on the subject, so I already had kind of a preliminary outline for the course. I got a lot of excellent feedback and help from the guys at SVSlearn as far as the assignments and class structure. I’m proud of how it turned out.

What do you hope our students will learn from your class?

I hope students will learn how to design vehicles that compliment and enhance their stories. I want them to feel comfortable incorporating any vehicle into any project. But more than that, I hope they learn to love drawing things they don’t usually draw.

What do you wish you knew before becoming a professional illustrator?

I wish I knew how to live more frugally so I could say no to freelance work that doesn’t take me closer to where I want to be in my career.

Check out his new class in the video subscription!

If you aren’t already a member, now is a great time to join! You’ll be able to stream Shane’s video, and get instant access to more than 80 other classes. Try it free for 7 days!