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How to Bring Your Characters to Life

with Rodgon
4.9 (819)
Learn Rodgon's techniques to create lively characters and improve your art skills dramatically.
English, Spanish, 4 more French, Italian, German, Portuguese English, French, 4 more Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese
2+
hours
27
lessons
Beginner
level
Rodgon

Your Instructor

Rodgon is a San Diego-based cartoonist, who worked in comics and animation. He loves sharing tips and lessons to inspire up-and-coming artists.

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Explore the course
2+
hours
27
lessons
Beginner
level
English, Spanish , 4 more
Languages
  • French
  • Italian
  • German
  • Portuguese
English, French , 4 more
Subtitles
  • Italian
  • Spanish
  • German
  • Portuguese

What you’ll learn

  • Understand Basic Anatomy of the Face
  • Master the Art of Engaging Facial Expressions
  • Learn about Body Composition to Create Proportionate Characters
  • Become Adept at Constructing the Body from Shapes
  • Create a Vision Board from Reference Photos
  • Develop your Skills in Drawing a Character from References
  • Understand the Key Essentials and Tools Needed for Growth as an Artist
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Description

How did professional artists get to the level they are at? What are the secrets that they use to churn out awesome art over and over again?

Anyone can pick up a pencil and start doodling away based on memory alone. However, to actually progress as an artist and create images that will WOW people, it goes far beyond that. In these video lessons, Rodgon teaches you the essential art principles, which will give you the solid foundation needed in your art journey. He passes on valuable insight gleaned from years of experience in the comic/animation world.

Learn the fundamentals and discover the main tools and habits of the art pros! With this understanding, your skills will develop faster than ever and you will be more confident in the illustration process and artwork you create.

Jump in this course and enjoy the ride! 🙂

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This course includes

  • 2+ Hours of on-demand videos
  • Certificate of Completion
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Used in course

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What you'll need

  • Just a paper/sketchbook and a pencil
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Lesson Plan

with Rodgon the Artist
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00

Introduction

00:56

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Meet Rodgon the Artist! In this intro video, he gives a quick overview of the course structure and what you can expect to learn with him. You can look forward to receiving all kinds of valuable advice and tips which he learned in his career as an artist. Let’s dive in!

01

How to Draw Eyes

36:25

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Eyes are so important in bringing a character to life. Find out how to quickly draw simple yet appealing eyes and save time by implementing Rodgon’s approach. You will learn the parts of the eye, portrait, 3-quarter and profile angles, and different kinds of eyes, eg: oriental, baby, pinup, and more!

Learn why eyes are so important when it comes down to the character creation process and bringing our characters to life. Also, get little tips & tricks to getting very appealing-looking eyes, in a simple and quick way.


1.1
Introduction to Drawing Eyes
01:53
1.2
Anatomy of the eye
04:10
1.3
Creating different kinds of eyes
12:15
1.4
Rodgon's favorite types of eyes
02:24
1.5
How to draw the eye in perspective
08:03
1.6
Highlights
04:49
1.7
Drawing exercises
02:51
02

Facial Expressions

34:09

Moving forward: Master the art of drawing expressions which tell a story! What are the key factors that determine if someone is angry, miserable or joyful? Learn the position of the eyebrows, eyes and mouth so you can create amazing possibilities in your character’s faces.


2.1
Introduction to Facial Expressions
02:48
2.2
Eyebrows
03:03
2.3
Mouth
03:40
2.4
Basic Facial Expressions
04:19
2.5
Nose
00:57
2.6
Creating emotion in your artwork
19:22
03

Poses

38:11

Guess what? You are more than able to draw cool, dynamic poses fast and simply, without having to know every aspect of anatomy! Want to know how? Rodgon will instruct you how break down a body into simple elements, create easy markers to act as guides and the importance of overlapping shapes.


3.1
Introduction to Posing
02:02
3.2
Breaking Down the Body into Shapes
12:29
3.3
Creating dynamic poses
07:52
3.4
Supehero poses
10:29
3.5
Cartoon characters
05:19
04

Drawing a Character Based on References

26:18

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Contrary to what some think: Referencing is not cheating or tracing; it’s a way to enhance your artwork using all the awesome resources at your disposal! Discover Rodgon’s process for creating a character based on reference, as he guides you step-by-step.


4.1
Introduction to referencing
01:23
4.2
Vision Board
03:36
4.3
Pose
03:57
4.4
Clothing
04:29
4.5
Weapon
02:10
4.6
Defining the Character
08:46
4.7
Review
01:57
05

Self-Growth

12:37

Maybe the most important lesson than all the previous ones combined! Knowing art guidelines and anatomy is one thing, but how do you set yourself up for success in the long-term? What are the tools and habits necessary to move past the beginner stage? Here Rodgon discuss all these aspects and reveals the absolute BEST thing you can do to grow as an artist.

Student Feedback

819 customer reviews & ratings

4.9

Course rating

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5 star
94 %
4 star
6 %
3 star
1 %
2 star
1 %
1 star
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Best Suited for
Beginner
The level is determined by a majority opinion of students who have reviewed this class. The teacher's recommendation is shown until at least 5 student responses are collected.

(Based on 819 reviews)

Most Liked
Clarity of Instruction 690
Engaging Teacher 669
Helpful Examples 634
Showing 10 reviews of
819
reviews & ratings
CV
Cesar V.

4 years ago

Verified Purchase
The way and time he takes to explain every stroke is just amazing, great teacher.
I recommend it for All levels
12 people found this helpful
WV
Wim V.

4 years ago

Verified Purchase
Very interesting , even for someone who is not a character designer but just wants to learn the basics . I recommand the course !
I recommend it for All levels
7 people found this helpful
GA
Gary A.

4 years ago

Verified Purchase
This course was great. It got me to thinking of character expressions.
I recommend it for All levels
5 people found this helpful
AL
Arvie L.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
This was great! I’m an actor/voice over artist venturing into Creating my own animation stuff, this course taught me ALOT! Especially about HUMILITY and continuing to LEARN!!
I recommend it for Beginner
5 people found this helpful
C
Carolina

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
Rodgon is a lot of fun. He explains things in such a clear way that it cuts through my "I don't understand how to draw" mindset, and suddenly I have a bright opening. I recommend doing Fundamentals of Drawing along with this one if you're a brand-new beginner.
I recommend it for Beginner
4 people found this helpful
Elie K.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
The ending tips and heartfelt honest talk is what upgraded my review from 4 to 5
I recommend it for Beginner
4 people found this helpful
SI
Stefana I.

4 years ago

Verified Purchase
I like Rodgon's involvement, patience and way of explaining the basics. His tips and tricks are useful too!
2 people found this helpful
Y
Yovan

4 years ago

Verified Purchase
Great course. Bite sized lessons with great depth. Rodrigo give very helpfull tips and made me want to draw more.
I recommend it for Intermediate
2 people found this helpful
A
Avneet

4 years ago

Verified Purchase
Just to say its excellent
I recommend it for Intermediate
2 people found this helpful
M
MB.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
I love this course so much! Rodgon really helped to break down elements of the human figure to a much simpler state. I also love how he gives several examples to make sure you understand the material. Thank you for this inspiring course, and I’m excited to participate in future courses. 😁
I recommend it for All levels
2 people found this helpful
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About the Instructor

Rodgon
Cartoonist, Illustrator, Teacher 2 courses

Rodgon (aka Rodrigo Gonzalez) is a San Diego-based cartoonist and illustrator. A late bloomer into art, he began his journey at 18 and has not looked back since.


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21 Draw is an online learning community where students of all skill levels can learn how to be a better artist. Our contributing artists and instructors are the best in the world.

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Each class includes 10-20 video lessons that are 7 minutes long on average. Most classes include exercise sheets, assignments, and layered PSD or PNG files.

Some classes include the ability to chat with the instructor in a public forum, e.g. if you want feedback on your artwork.

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We have classes for all levels, even for those with zero drawing experience. In general, artists at all levels can benefit from these courses—whether beginner, intermediate or advanced.

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Many lessons in our courses apply to both digital and traditional art. In a few tutorials, digital drawing software, e.g. Photoshop or Procreate for iPad is required. However, for the majority of lessons it is more about the underlying concepts and all that is needed is a pen and paper.

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If you purchase the annual membership at a discounted price, it will remain at that price for each consecutive year, so long as your membership is not cancelled.

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If for any reason at all you are unhappy with our courses or feel it isn’t what you are looking for—then just fill out this form or email us at [email protected]. We’ll be more than happy to give you a full refund within 30 days of your first purchase. No questions asked. Just a guarantee you can trust.

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