Character Design: Illustrate an Expressive Creature

Start the course by meeting Sam and hearing about his journey to becoming an art director and visual development artist. Discover the artists and artwork that awakens his creativity before getting a brief overview of the course.

Get introduced to Sam’s favorite drawing tools and shortcuts in Photoshop. Analyze some character designs and learn important drawing principles commonly used in the industry. See how to make a design appealing through the use of shape language, facial expressions, and other elements by seeing some of Sam’s work.

Begin your creative process by analyzing photos of animals, before doing some exploratory sketches to work out basic shapes and lines of your character. Create the story behind your creature and define its personality traits, facial expressions, and more.

Refine your linework and create your color foundation. Experiment with ways to best represent your character, starting with flat colors and textures. Explore lighting and shadows, then see how to use layer blending modes and adjustment layers. Add details to the eyes, facial expressions, and accessories. Then, create a simple background for your scene.

Explore some original effects to give professional quality to your illustration. See how to modify elements in your artwork such as proportions to make it look more stylized. Finish the course by hearing Sam’s final tips on exporting and sharing your work.