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Character Design Made Easy

with Isaac Jadraque
4.8 (217)
Learn super simple tips to create original, exciting characters from scratch!
Spanish (original audio), English, 1 more Italian English, Spanish, 4 more Italian, French, German [Auto], Portuguese [Auto]
1+
hours
20
lessons
Beginner to Intermediate
level
Isaac Jadraque

Your Instructor

Isaac is a character designer who works in animation and children’s illustration and teaches 2D Character Design at U-TAD. His clients include Disney+ and Nexus Studios.

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1+
hours
20
lessons
Beginner to Intermediate
level
Spanish (original audio), English , 1 more
Languages
  • Italian
English, Spanish , 4 more
Subtitles
  • Italian
  • French
  • German [Auto]
  • Portuguese [Auto]

What you’ll learn

  • Fundamentals concepts of character design
  • How to give your character a strong first impression
  • Learn about shape language and how to use it
  • Fun exercises to fuel your creativity and stimulate the right side of your brain
  • Use geometric, organic and abstract shapes to draw cool, unique characters
  • Mastering symmetry as a design asset
  • Tried-and-proven tools to develop interesting characters
  • Pro tips to improve your characters’ aesthetic
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Description

Do you ever marvel at the ability of some artists to design awesome characters? You can’t help but wonder where they get their inspiration from? Do they possess some mysterious superpower that separates them from us, mere mortals?

Believe it or not, even professional designers with years of experience encounter creative block. The difference between them and the average Joe is they know the secrets, the methods, and the tricks to get their creative juices flowing again when they’ve run into a brick wall.

Wanna hear the good news? Those skills are all learnable… and it’s not nearly as hard as you think! In this beginner-level course, Isaac shows you the exercises he and other character designers use repeatedly to expand their imaginations, tossing aside the thought patterns and rules that cage their creativity.

You will learn how to use tried-and-proven tools to develop interesting characters, working through fun, easy assignments that you can do anywhere with just paper and pencil. Isaac will teach you the importance of shape language and how to use it effectively in your artwork. You’ll also understand the key role a strong silhouette plays in storytelling, ensuring your characters give a great first impression not a mediocre one.

Once you’ve grasped these simple concepts, you’ll be designing cool, original characters from your imagination in no time—the kind others can only hope to create. The world is your oyster!

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Who is this course for

  • Beginners who want to learn how to design characters easily
  • Artists who feel blocked in their creative process
  • Those looking for practical ways to come up with original characters
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This course includes

  • 1+ Hours of on-demand videos
  • 4 Assignments
  • 10 Reference images
  • Bonus material
  • PSD source files
  • Certificate of Completion
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What you'll need

  • No drawing experience needed
  • Just a paper/sketchbook and a pencil
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Lesson Plan

with Isaac Jadraque
Expand all sections
00

Introduction

11:37

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Welcome to the course!

In this introduction, you’ll get to know a bit about Isaac, your teacher, and his journey to becoming a professional character designer. You’ll also learn about this course’s focus and what you can expect to learn.

Isaac will also give you a mini-tutorial of the software he will be using, Autodesk Sketchbook and its essential tools (however, you can follow along with the software of your choice, or even just pencil and paper!)


0.1
About Isaac
02:08
0.2
About the course
01:33
0.3
About the Sketchbook
07:56
01

Introduction to character design

08:55

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The viewer’s first impression plays a big role in how they perceive your character, before they even act or speak! Therefore, character design is extremely important to tell a good story.

There are four major aspects of character design that Isaac will go into here: Physique, Psychology, Dialogue and Actions/Gestures. You’ll also discover the essential concepts of good design, so you know what to focus on and why.


1.1
What does it take to be a character designer?
03:29
1.2
What defines a character?
02:32
1.3
Fundamental concepts of character design
02:54
02

Working with shapes

22:38

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Jump into the fascinating world of shape language and how to use it to create unique and fun characters. Isaac will teach the significance of shapes in design and our everyday life and discuss the major shape categories and characteristics.

Not only will you learn the basic theory in this lesson, but you can follow along with Isaac in two fun assignments using geometric and abstract shapes to fuel your creativity and exercise the left side of your brain.

You’ll be happy to know that these assignments have no set rules to follow, such as anatomy, proportions, etc. All you have to do is draw freely, unhindered, and have fun doing so! YAY!


2.1
Shape psychology
01:22
2.2
Geometrical shapes
02:22
2.3
Task 1
00:51
2.4
Organic shapes
01:12
2.5
Abstract shapes
01:28
2.6
Shape Puzzle
14:03
2.7
Task 2
01:20
03

Using symmetry

13:18

More fun exercises are coming your way! You’ll learn two very easy and handy techniques to ensure that your characters don’t look lopsided or disproportionate. Hurray!

Isaac gives a couple of clear demonstrations that you can follow along with PLUS he provides exercise files so you can continue practicing on your own after the lesson. You’re really gonna love it!


3.1
Symmetric characters
01:22
3.2
Designing characters based on symmetry
10:30
3.3
Task 3
01:26
04

What is pareidolia?

22:08

Characters are hidden all around us and we just have to hone our observation skills to find them. Pareidolia is the ability to see shapes or meaningful images out of random or ambiguous patterns and objects.

Isaac shows examples of finding characters in everyday objects and gives you practical tasks to stretch your imagination and expand your creativity.


4.1
What is pareidolia?
04:01
4.2
Designing characters based on pareidolia
17:07
4.3
Task 4
01:00
05

Conclusion

00:41

Bid farewell to Isaac in this final video.

He’s really looking forward to seeing the artwork you come up with from the course assignments. So, be sure to tag him on social media, when you post them!


5.1
Conclusion
00:41

Student Feedback

217 customer reviews & ratings

4.8

Course rating

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5 star
86 %
4 star
12 %
3 star
2 %
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 217 reviews)

Most Liked
Helpful Examples 169
Inspiring 164
Clarity of Instruction 157
Showing 10 reviews of
217
reviews & ratings
JM
JACOB M.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
this is a great course, I love Autodesk sketchbook. But I didn't really understand on how to make great looking art in the pc/app program . And this course really helped a lot, thank you
I recommend it for All levels
3 people found this helpful
MA
Masum A.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
I have never seen anywhere to learn cartoon design so easily. Awesome!
I recommend it for All levels
2 people found this helpful
Sharon S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
I love the simplicity yet effectiveness of the ideas that he portrays. He is a very good instructor and I would have more lessons from him.
I recommend it for All levels
1 person found this helpful
AA
Amy A.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
This is a great course to get your imagination fired up. I've been feeling a bit bored and uninspired lately, but this course really got me thinking and wanting to get my iPad out. I'm going to use the shape puzzles with my middle school students. I can't wait to see what they come up with! ¡Muchas
+ Show more
Gracias!
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
RD
Rick D.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Issac's approach to character design was UNIQUE! Loved the course. While the examples seemed easy to grasp the principles and insights from Issac gave the course great depth. And the fact that he could cover so much useful info in just over an hour was impressive.
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
MR
MARCOS R.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
This course is worth every penny. Isaac is a great instructor. I am very happy to have completed this course.
I recommend it for All levels
1 person found this helpful
Melvyn E.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Simple, concise and straight to the point. Looking forward to a more intermediate course (hopefully soon, lol).
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
A
Arthur

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Great for beginners
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
Larissa V.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Good course to unblock and improve creativity
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
MM
Meg M.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
enjoyed the handful of fun ways to find new characters. Keep the drawing practice light and fun. Thanks
I recommend it for All levels
1 person found this helpful
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About the Instructor

Isaac Jadraque
Character Designer & Visual Developer 1 course

Isaac is a character designer and visual developer who works on animation, children’s illustration, and advertising projects. He also teaches 2D Character Design and Development at U-TAD, a university specializing in animation and video games. His clients include Disney+, Nexus Studios, Thinklab, and Premise Entertainment.


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