Introduction to pixel shaders
This course is designed for beginners eager to dive into the world of computational thinking and creative coding with pixel shaders, referred to as fragment shaders in GLSL. While shaders may initially seem complex, this course will help you see them in a new light. Whether you're completely new to shaders or have hesitated to get started, I'm here to guide you through every step.
Come learn fragment shaders in a new way that helps you truly understand the fundamentals, giving you the confidence and inspiration to write your own shaders.
By ilithya
Learn with me
Soft launch early bird offer $65 USD ($90 regular).
📺 24 video lessons
📚 5 content modules
📝 Quiz in each module
䷉ Subtitles in English
🧮 Beginner friendly
💬 Private community
💰 One time payment
🧾 Invoice availability
🎉 Certificate of completion
🕊️ Access forever
Subtitles in more languages coming soon!
Get started
You'll learn
Pixel (fragment) shader decoding
Basic setup of a fragment shader template in GLSL
Explorations of the RGB color model and gradients to understand how fragment shaders work
Creating abstract artwork inspired by patterns and geometric art through the use of code and mathematics
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Visual understanding of how the usage of trigonometry equations and other math functions aid in drawing and adding motion to our sketches
Shaders don’t have to be intimidating — it’s all about how you approach and interpret them. I’ll turn those initial frustrations into Aha! moments, shining a light on what might have seemed like a dark tunnel. Let’s get started on this exciting journey together, and by the end, you’ll be creating shader visual designs with confidence. :)
Overview
Course content
Video lessons and a final quiz in each module.
Welcome
Meet me and get started with an introduction to the course modules.
Module 01: Basics
Learn the fundamental theory of shaders, OpenGL, and pixel shaders, commonly known as fragment shaders in GLSL.
Module 02: Color
Employ color theory to understand how color works in fragment shaders, and start coding your first shaders by following the first examples.
Module 03: Geometry
Understand how the coordinate space in fragment shaders works to start developing an intuition for drawing geometry with math and algorithms without the complexity of abstract mathematics, while you continue coding as you follow the examples.
Module 04: Patterns
Use the coordinate space in fragment shaders with a few GLSL Built-in Functions to create and mix geometrical patterns, as you code by following the examples.
Module 05: Motion
Animate your fragment shader sketches with the use of various GLSL Built-in Functions to perform basic mathematics, while you follow the last coding examples.
Goodbye
See you next time, and start creating your own fragment shaders.
Instructor
Meet me
I'm ilithya, a multidisciplinary artist, technologist, and educator with a background in creative development and design from México, based in Hamburg, Germany.
I collaborate with other artists, musicians, curators, brands, studios, and independent designers around the world to create mesmerizing visual experiences for fine arts, festivals, the web, and musical performances.
Testimonials
People's saying
"ilithya’s course starts from the beginning, providing a newcomer to shaders (🙋🏻♂️) an opportunity to build a solid foundation for the future. She provides very easy-to-understand explanations that have been difficult for me to grasp in the past. Highly recommend this course!"
Richard Gil
"ilithya explains what would otherwise be intimidating math concepts and graphs in an incredibly accessible and intuitive way. She uses analogies that really make the magic of shaders click!."
Eliza Struthers-Jobin
"Shout out to ilithya for making such a dope online class for learning GLSL pixel (fragment) shaders! This course was everything I needed to jumpstart writing code for creating my own shaders to throw into the Erogenous Tones structure module. It is the cherry on top for my set up and I couldn't be more excited for what's to come with my art in the near future!"
Trenton Carlton
"ilithya rocks! And explains many head-scratching shader concepts! Her course gave me a clear picture of a pixel (fragment) shader, and the tools to make some of my own. If you want full control over scaleable life-like shaders, her course is well worth it"
Solomon Zelenko
"I've been using shaders to create generative art for a few years, and I can say this course is a great resource to learn fragment shaders if you want to get started."
Camille Roux
"I have dipped in and out of shader coding over the years and doing this course was a fantastic way to reacquaint myself with the possibilities. It is a comprehensive baseline and I have confidence now to explore more of this fascinating art form. ilithya’s explanations and ongoing support are so valuable, thank you!"
Linda Loh
"I’ve been working with shaders for the web, and this course was super helpful. It gave me a much better understanding of how shaders work. The explanations are super clear and easy to follow, making complex concepts much more accessible. I highly recommend it!"
Neftali Morales
"Not just a great introduction to pixel shaders, but also to getting started with generative art - something that I think is unique in this space. ilithya presents some of the more tricky concepts in a really approachable and accessible way that solidified my own understanding - highly recommended!"
Ben McCormick
"I already had some experience with pixel shaders and GLSL, but struggled to fully understand the playground and feel confident to keep practicing. ilithya does such a very thoughtful walk through core foundational concepts of shapes, patterns and color, helping a lot with shader understanding and also unlocking way more creative possibilities I hadn’t explored before."
Elías
"This course is great for getting into the mindset of making procedural art with GLSL. ilithya guides you through using basic math functions to draw geometric primitives. It was useful for me to think about "bending and folding space" by manipulating UVs, which is not something I would normally do. I'm looking forward to building on this to expand my vocabulary as a technical artist!"