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Fundamentals of Character Design

with Randy Bishop
4.8 (331)
Follow along with Randy and get the wisdom to better understand the thought and effort that should accompany character design, as well as the most important things to keep in mind during the process.
English, Spanish, 1 more French English, French, 2 more Spanish, German
2+
hours
6
lessons
Intermediate to Advanced
level
Randy Bishop

Your Instructor

Randy is a character designer and illustrator whose work has been featured in numerous books, graphic novels, video games, television shows, and feature films.

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2+
hours
6
lessons
Intermediate to Advanced
level
English, Spanish , 1 more
Languages
  • French
English, French , 2 more
Subtitles
  • Spanish
  • German

What you’ll learn

  • Learn to think like a designer and understand the character design process
  • Understand the most important aspects of the storytelling process
  • Learn to identify and differentiate between the common character archetypes
  • Learn why costuming is a vitally important part of character design
  • Learn how to create character model sheets to aid the production team to take your design into production
  • Learn how to effectively design a character lineup that works
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Description

Character design is about more than technical skill. This course will help you to think like a designer and understand the most important aspects of the process, including: 

  • Story
  • Stylization
  • Theme/Focus
  • Character Relationships
  • A Designer’s Responsibilities
  • And many more.

Follow along with Randy Bishop and get a better understanding of the thought and effort that should accompany character design as well as the most important things to keep in mind during the process.

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Who is this course for

  • For artists who are looking for a way to enhance their character design prowess.
  • For you who want to design characters for animation.
  • For Intermediate / Advanced levels.
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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

  • No drawing experience needed
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Lesson Plan

with Randy Bishop
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01

Intro & Stylization

17:26

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Get to know Randy, your teacher! 

In this intro, Randy sets the expectations for the upcoming videos on character design as well goes into the concept of storytelling and stylization.

02

Character Archetypes

16:08

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Watch as Randy presents and explains the 13 common character archetypes as well as how to use archetypes properly. Common archetypes are like: The Hero or The Warrior, The Rebel or Outlaw Character, The Explorer, The Creator and many more.

03

It’s all about the process

40:38

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Learn the importance of the thought behind a design. This video includes a time-lapse.

04

Costume Design

16:48

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The main thing to think about when designing the costume for a character is to think about the character story and the whole story from beginning to end. And think about the costume being designed differently in different points.

05

Model Sheets

19:20

Here Randy will describe what model sheets, how to effectively create them and the examination of the nuances of expression.

06

Designing a Character Lineup

14:42

In the last and final lesson Randy will speak about the character interactions and how a lineup should affect your design decisions.

Student Feedback

331 customer reviews & ratings

4.8

Course rating

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5 star
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Best Suited for
All levels
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 331 reviews)

Most Liked
Helpful Examples 260
Inspiring 254
Clarity of Instruction 250
Showing 10 reviews of
331
reviews & ratings
N
Natalia

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
Even though Randy says he is not good at talking, I enjoyed the classes so much. Full of very useful information and good examples. I loved to have theory so I could take lots of notes. Thank you Randy!
I recommend it for All levels
10 people found this helpful
JP
Johnny P.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
Despite Randy selling himself short in the intro, he was perfect as a teacher. The course is good for probably anyone, but most helpful for people who are going from just doing random characters to actually designing characters that can exist in a story. But it's also perfect for advanced people who
+ Show more
need to understand the concepts. It's not at all about how to draw, but rather the ideas and concepts behind character design, and very good advice on the workflow and what's important in design.
I recommend it for Intermediate
6 people found this helpful
PM
Peter M.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
I'm a college student doing animation, this is my first year and I really love the details, thinking process behind this course. I have learned so much about character design fundamentals in the few hours of this course than I ever have. I feel for anyone getting into the animation field, this cou
+ Show more
rse is a must-have. Take notes too! Really helpful!
I recommend it for All levels
3 people found this helpful
SH
Summer H.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
Randy was very down to earth and easy to relate to. I liked his way of communicating ideas and I got a lot out of this course. I think he covered a great deal of material and I would definitely watch more from him and will be looking to learn more from his work.
I recommend it for All levels
3 people found this helpful
M
Michelle

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
I expected more drawing related video, that being said the information talked about was extremely informative and useful. Know about how to think about designing your character is just as important and knowing how to draw them. I felt this class have me a lot to think about when bringing a charac
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ter to life. Everything from research, to personality, costume, expression, who they are and how I wish to present them. I learned a lot and have so much more to consider when developing my character.
I recommend it for All levels
K
Kimanh

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
I had to play this at x2 speed. Occassionally I would go to speed x1 to enjoy how slow he talked. Content wise, this was full of extremely helpful insight. This isn't a how-to tutorial as such, but principles to keep in mind as you go through the character design "process". I learned for
+ Show more
the first time what a character archetype is... which I'm guessing nailing this is as equally important to the skill of drawing. I'm glad I took this class. Thank you!
I recommend it for Beginner
GL
Grace L.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Great information, especially about storytelling and costuming, and thinking through what the character's inflection points in a story will require of their expressions and poses (and costuming). Helpful to see the examples from his work in progress, too.
I recommend it for Intermediate
BD
Ben D.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
What Randy lacks in voice-acting, he more than makes up for in artistic skill and teaching ability! If you're designing characters, Randy Bishop is the guy to look to!
I recommend it for Intermediate
MM
Margie M.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
I Loved it!!
I recommend it for All levels
JH
Jason H.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
So far I really love his teaching style.
I recommend it for All levels
See more reviews

About the Instructor

Randy Bishop
Character Designer & Content Creator 1 course

Randy has been working as a character designer and illustrator for several years from his home in Eastern Idaho, where he lives with his beautiful wife and four children. His work has been featured in numerous books, magazine covers, graphic novels, video game cinematics and trailers, television shows, and feature films.


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