Character Design for Beginners Online Short Course
Course description
Course overview
This online short course will show you how illustrators and animators create static or animated characters with distinctive and memorable personalities and looks, for use in comics, books, video games and animations.
During the course, you will gain a fascinating insight into the process, covering drawing and design techniques as well as the commercial considerations involved in designing a winning character.
Each week you will develop your skills with practical assignments covering the main techniques of character design. You will learn by researching and analysing existing characters and developing your own. You will approach drawing and creating your own character with fresh eyes, learning how to express the traits, personality and emotions of your new creation.
Who this course is for
The course is suitable for anyone who is interested in creating and developing characters for books, comics, games or the screen.
Students should have some basic drawing skills as the assignments are practical. The course can be useful for portfolio preparation.
Key information
Topics covered
- Brief history of character design
- Case studies: traditional and contemporary character design
- Main principles
- Anatomy and construction
- Breaking down the shapes
- Character appeal and personality
- Draw for your audience
- Character turnaround
- Posture and lines of action
- Facial expressions
- Harmony, balance and dynamism
Learning outcomes
- A broad understanding of character design principles
- Experimented with a range of techniques and drawing exercises
- Improved your skills by drawing a range of character sketches
- Created your own character and worked on character's personality and description
- Explored and designed characters from different angles
- Receive a digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
Required materials:
- Pencils (HB, B, 2B or the graphite pencil scale of your choice)
- Drawing paper or sketchbook of your choice, A4 or A3
- Sharpener and eraser
Recommended materials:
- Markers (optional)
- Colour pencils, crayons (optional)
- iPad/tablet or digital drawing device with a drawing app of your choice (optional)
Please see our Guide to taking online short courses
Tutor
Francesco de Manincor
Francesco de Manincor is a character designer, animator, motion designer and videographer with over 20 years of experience in the creative industries in London.
As a freelance audiovisual artist with a passion for education, Francesco has been teaching for UAL and UAL Short Courses since 2016, and has a broad experience in visual storytelling, from storyboarding to animation, video production to post-production.
You can view Francesco's projects on https://demanincor.tv/ and https://spoonfyysh.tv/
Book a course
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