OpenCourser brand icon
Sign in
We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.

Complete Character Design Course

Draw Your Dream Character

Patricia Caldeira and Miguel Silva

Design Your Dream Character.

Welcome to the Complete Character Design Course, where you'll be designing your dream character from nothing.

Do you want to know all the techniques and skills you need to create your own amazing characters?

Do you want to turn your character ideas into fully fleshed out characters with emotion and backstories?

Are you intimidated by everything there is to know about character design, like proportions, silhouette, and outfits?

Then this is the Course for you.

We'll be going through all the necessary steps to make your dream character come true.

Read more

Design Your Dream Character.

Welcome to the Complete Character Design Course, where you'll be designing your dream character from nothing.

Do you want to know all the techniques and skills you need to create your own amazing characters?

Do you want to turn your character ideas into fully fleshed out characters with emotion and backstories?

Are you intimidated by everything there is to know about character design, like proportions, silhouette, and outfits?

Then this is the Course for you.

We'll be going through all the necessary steps to make your dream character come true.

We'll be:

  • writing and brainstorming your character traits and personality

  • using gesture drawing to create dynamic poses

  • mastering color theory for character design

  • creating a full 4 view turnaround for your character

  • and much more.

You'll understand the fundamentals of character design to create interesting characters that people will fall in love with. All of this done step by step, in an easy to follow process.

If you're tired of courses that tell you what to do but don't actually SHOW you the process, I'm here to tell you that this is NOT one of those courses.

Hours Of Practical Course Content

In this course, we'll be going through both theory and practical activities.

In fact, if you follow this course from the beginning to the very end, you'll have your own amazing character completely drawn in several poses.

With over 10 different sections and hours of content, you will learn:

  • How To Write A Compelling Character Story And Traits

  • Finding And Using Reference Images To Design Better Characters

  • Drawing Dynamic Characters With Gesture Drawing

  • Making Strong Silhouettes For Your Characters

  • Drawing Amazing Character Outfits And Pieces Of Clothing

  • Choosing Color Palettes And Coloring Your Characters

  • Drawing Full 4-View Turnarounds Of Your Characters (Including 3/4 View. )

  • Master Character Design Fundamentals And Beyond

  • And Much More.

There are several hours of content here to help you design amazing characters. And every single video covers important fundamentals that will stick with you for life.

Every section includes both the character design theory, where you'll be learning everything you need to know about designing interesting and relatable characters in bite-sized videos, AND the practical application, where we'll be going through using what we just learned, step by step.

It doesn't matter if you're a traditional artist that wants to brush up on Character Design or a Digital Artist that has just started getting into the medium, this course will make you a better character designer.

Downloadable Resources And Templates.

Not only that, but this course comes with several resources to help you with your character artist journey.

  • Personal Contact and Feedback from me, your Instructor

  • Useful Templates and Character Design Sheets

  • Character Design Inspiration And References

  • Lifetime Access To The Course And Updates

  • Access To The Q&A Section

  • Behind The Scenes Look at My Character Design Process

Including downloadable reference sheets to help you with anatomy and proportions, to amazing websites that help you find the perfect color palette and reference images for your character.

And If you aren't fully satisfied, I offer you a full money-back guarantee within the first 30 days of purchasing the course.

There really is no reason to hesitate.

So, are you ready to start creating your own amazing characters?

Then I'll see you in the course.

- Patricia

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • How to draw amazing characters
  • Designing dynamic characters using gesture drawing
  • Mastering and refining silhouettes
  • Drawing different art styles of characters
  • How to design characters for manga, anime, animation, gaming and more!
  • Choosing color palettes for characters
  • Drawing different outfits for your characters

Syllabus

Introduction
Practice: Write Your Character!

Welcome to the course! Here's what we'll be talking about and what you'll be learning in this character design course.

Read more

Here's how you can get a guaranteed win out of this course and be a better character designer!

Let's start bringing your character to life! Time to write down what exactly makes your character special.

Let's bring your character to life! Write everything that makes your character who it is. Traits, personality and more.

Let's write our own adventurer character for this character design course! We'll be writing about Jonah, our teenager with an adventurer spirit!

You'll have many new found resources that you can use to create better and more amazing characters!

Let's see what are some of the best websites you can use to get character design reference images and inspiration!

Here's how I go about finding reference images and inspiration for our character, Jonah!

Practice: Let's Get Reference Images For Your Character!
You'll be able to create more dynamic characters using this new skill of gesture drawing!

Here's how you can create more dynamic characters using gesture drawing! Including a website perfect for warming up your wrist.

How I warm up my wrist with gesture drawing, so we can start drawing our character, Jonah!

Let's creature different gesture drawings of our adventurer Jonah, so that we can decide on a pose!

Practice: Time To Do Some Gesture Drawing!
You'll learn how to create and refine silhouettes to design better characters!

Silhouettes are super important, so let's dive into what makes a good silhouette and what makes a bad silhouette. With examples!

Time to refine the silhouette of our adventurer character, let's make it as dynamic as we can!

Practice: Let's Turn Your Gesture Drawing Into A Strong Silhouette!
Learn how to use different styles of proportions to fix and draw the anatomy of your character!

Proportions and anatomy are different things, so it's important that we nail down proportions first! Here's how we can go about it.

Let's fix the proportions for our adventurer character, Jonah!

Practice: Choosing And Applying Proportions And Anatomy
Learn where to find reference images for your outfits and how to draw then on your character!

Outfits can sometimes be a headache in character design. So let's go the easiest and best ways to create outfits for your characters. Including several websites that you can use to find outfit references!

Let's design the outfit for our character, Jonah! Here's how I go about finding reference images for outfits and drawing them in the character.

Practice: Time To Dress Up Our Character!
You'll learn how to use colors to your advantage, to create relatable and emotional characters!

Color theory is something that people don't like to talk about, but it's super important! It can give mood and emotion and much more. So let's go about how we can choose color palettes for our characters and useful websites to help us make a good decision.

Time to color our character, Jonah! We go through the coolors website to get a color palette that we like. And paint it all up in clip studio paint.

Practice: Choosing Colors For Your Character!
Understand how to draw Turnarounds of characters in 4 different views, also known as character design sheets!

Turnarounds or Character Design Sheets can be very handy when drawing a character. So let's go about what's needed to draw in a turnaround, with examples!

Time to draw the front view of our character for the turnaround.

Now let's draw the Back view of our character, this one is one of the easiest views for the turnaround!

Let's draw the side view of our character, Jonah!

Now's the hard part! This view of the turnaround is a bit tricky, but I'm sure you can do it! Just follow me and let's break down the shapes one by one.

Practice: Last One! Let's Draw A Turnaround Of Your Character
Learn how to add accessories and props to your character with this free update
Don't Skip This! Assignment Time
DEMO: Brainstorming Accessories And Props
Finding References For Our Props
How To Sketch Props And Accessories
DEMO: Sketching Our Props And Accessories
Choosing The Right Accessories
DEMO: Testing Props And Accessories
Adding Finishing Touches And Coloring Our Props
DEMO: Finishing Touches And Coloring!
Adding The Props To The Character Sheet
DEMO: Adding The Props To The Character Sheet
Final Assignment Time!
You'll be able to design a COMPLETE character, including turnaround, outfits and much more! Well done! Hope you've enjoyed the course!

You did it! You finished the course, well done! Here's a small message and thank you from Jonah as well! Added the speedpainting so you can see the progress of the illustration step by step.

Questions And Answers by The Commmunity
"What Are You Using To Draw?"
5 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Draw More
The Best Ways To Get Ideas, Right Now!
Create Faster And Better With A Moodboard!
BONUS LECTURE: Our Other Courses

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Breaks down character design into manageable steps, which is helpful for those intimidated by the complexity of the field
Bridges the gap between traditional art techniques and digital character design, making it accessible to artists of all backgrounds
Includes downloadable templates and character design sheets, which can accelerate the learning process and provide practical tools
Covers character design for various media, including manga, anime, animation, and gaming, which broadens the scope of potential applications
Requires learners to have access to drawing software, which may require a purchase or subscription
Teaches color theory, which is a fundamental skill applicable to many other art forms and design disciplines

Save this course

Save Complete Character Design Course: Draw Your Dream Character to your list so you can find it easily later:
Save

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Complete Character Design Course: Draw Your Dream Character with these activities:
Practice Gesture Drawing Fundamentals
Reinforce your understanding of gesture drawing to create more dynamic and expressive character poses.
Show steps
  • Find online resources for gesture drawing exercises.
  • Practice quick sketches of figures in motion.
  • Focus on capturing the essence of the pose.
Review 'Figure Drawing: For All It's Worth' by Andrew Loomis
Solidify your understanding of anatomy and proportions, which are crucial for character design.
View Melania on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the sections on proportions and anatomy.
  • Practice drawing figures using Loomis's methods.
  • Apply these principles to your character designs.
Create a Mood Board for Character Inspiration
Gather visual references to inspire your character's design, including clothing, colors, and overall aesthetic.
Show steps
  • Gather images that resonate with your character's personality.
  • Organize the images into a cohesive mood board.
  • Use the mood board as a reference while designing your character.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Silhouette Refinement Exercises
Practice refining character silhouettes to create visually appealing and recognizable designs.
Show steps
  • Sketch various silhouettes for different character types.
  • Experiment with different shapes and proportions.
  • Evaluate the readability and impact of each silhouette.
Read 'Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter' by James Gurney
Deepen your understanding of color theory and lighting to enhance the visual appeal of your character designs.
View Dinotopia: Journey To Chandara (Calla Editions) on Amazon
Show steps
  • Study the principles of color harmony and contrast.
  • Learn about different lighting scenarios and their effects.
  • Apply these concepts to your character's color palette and rendering.
Design a Character in Multiple Art Styles
Explore different art styles (e.g., manga, anime, cartoon) and adapt your character design to fit each style.
Show steps
  • Research the key characteristics of each art style.
  • Adapt your character's proportions, features, and clothing to match the style.
  • Create a final illustration of your character in each style.
Create a Character Design Portfolio
Showcase your character designs in a professional portfolio to demonstrate your skills and attract potential clients or employers.
Show steps
  • Select your best character designs from the course and other projects.
  • Present your designs in a visually appealing and organized manner.
  • Write brief descriptions of each character and your design process.

Career center

Learners who complete Complete Character Design Course: Draw Your Dream Character will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Character Artist
A character artist brings fictional characters to life. This involves creating detailed designs that consider personality, backstory, and visual appeal. This course helps develop the skills necessary for a character artist by focusing on writing character traits, using gesture drawing for dynamic poses, mastering color theory, and creating full turnarounds. The comprehensive approach given by the course, covering not just drawing but also character development, is especially useful for aspiring character artists.
See salaries and explore the career path for Character Artist
Game Artist
Game artists create the visual assets for video games, including characters. This course directly helps prospective game artists by providing knowledge of character design fundamentals and more. The course teaches how to create strong silhouettes, design outfits, and choose color palettes, as well as how to develop a character's story, all of which are vital skills for a game artist. The course's focus on creating full 4-view turnarounds is especially useful, as game assets often need to be modeled in 3D.
See salaries and explore the career path for Game Artist
Concept Artist
Concept artists develop visual representations of ideas, often for characters and environments in games, film, and animation. The skills taught in this course directly correlate to the work of a concept artist, such as brainstorming character traits, employing gesture drawing, and creating full character turnarounds. Specifically, the emphasis on designing unique outfits, color palettes, and multiple views of a character makes this course a great fit for someone interested in concept design.
See salaries and explore the career path for Concept Artist
Animator
Animators breathe life into characters, and a deep understanding of character design is essential to this process. This course is very helpful for an animator because it teaches gesture drawing, how to create dynamic poses, and how to create character turnarounds. Since animators need to work with characters from multiple angles, the course's focus on the four-view turnaround is especially useful. The course emphasis on character development, not just appearance, will also help animators create more compelling characters.
See salaries and explore the career path for Animator
Visual Development Artist
Visual development artists create the look and feel of a project and this course helps build a foundation for that. The course emphasizes fundamental skills, such as developing character traits, composing dynamic poses with gesture drawing, and selecting appropriate color palettes. Furthermore, visual development artists often need to present their ideas in the form of character turnarounds, which are covered within the course, making the course especially relevant.
See salaries and explore the career path for Visual Development Artist
Illustrator
Illustrators create images for various media, and character design is a big part of many illustration projects. This course emphasizes the design of compelling characters by exploring personality, dynamic poses, and color theory. The practical activities and downloadable templates offered in this course may be particularly useful for an illustrator. This is because understanding how to develop characters from the ground up is a valuable skill for illustrators.
See salaries and explore the career path for Illustrator
Comic Book Artist
Comic book artists create illustrations and visual narratives for comic books, and character design is central to their work. This course is a strong match for a comic book artist because it covers writing character traits and personalities, designing dynamic poses through gesture drawing, and mastering color theory. The focus on creating character turnarounds is also valuable since comic book artists often need to draw characters from multiple angles. This class helps a comic book artist build skills in design and visual storytelling.
See salaries and explore the career path for Comic Book Artist
Digital Painter
A digital painter creates paintings and illustrations using digital tools. While not all digital painters focus on characters, the character design principles learned in this course are directly applicable to the creation of character-based digital paintings, particularly through emphasis on character design techniques. In particular, this course delves into gesture drawing, color palette creation, and rendering of character outfits. This course will be especially useful for digital painters who wish to focus on character design.
See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Painter
Modeler
A modeler creates three dimensional models, often based on two-dimensional designs. While the course does not focus on 3D modeling itself, it will be of great help for a modeler, as they gain a deeper understanding of character design principles. This course emphasis on the creation of character turnarounds, including four views, will be especially valuable. A modeler can use this information to create more faithful and accurate 3D models.
See salaries and explore the career path for Modeler
Storyboard Artist
Storyboard artists create visual representations of scenes for film, television, and animation, often including a variety of characters. This course may be useful for a storyboard artist because it helps build a foundation in character design, emphasizing dynamic poses, color palettes, and the importance of silhouette. The course’s focus on gesture drawing and creating character turnarounds could be particularly relevant since storyboard artists often need to depict character motion and different viewpoints.
See salaries and explore the career path for Storyboard Artist
Freelance Artist
A freelance artist works on a variety of design projects for different clients. The skills taught in this course, including character design, dynamic poses, color theory, and character turnarounds, can help them take on different character-driven projects. Since a freelance artist may not have a steady income, they may find the downloadable resources and templates useful. More importantly, the course helps a freelance artist add character design to their repertoire.
See salaries and explore the career path for Freelance Artist
Motion Graphics Designer
Motion graphics designers create animated graphics, often including characters. This course may be useful for a motion graphics designer because it helps develop character design fundamentals. The course covers writing character traits, creating dynamic poses through gesture drawing, and even choosing color palettes. Although a motion graphics designer may at times focus more on shapes and transitions, this course helps them build a foundation in character design.
See salaries and explore the career path for Motion Graphics Designer
Graphic designer
Graphic designers create visual content for various purposes, and while they may not specialize in character design, the skills learned in this course can be beneficial. A graphic designer may find the course helpful when they need to incorporate characters or create simple character based logos or branding. This course covers color theory, character silhouettes, and character outfits, which allows a graphic designer to expand their repertoire.
See salaries and explore the career path for Graphic designer
Art Director
Art directors oversee the visual style and images for a project. While an art director may not directly create designs, they would benefit from a foundational understanding of character design. This course may help an art director see how to develop character traits, use gesture drawing, and master color theory. The course provides a strong understanding of the character design process, allowing the art director to make more informed decisions.
See salaries and explore the career path for Art Director
User Interface Designer
User interface designers focus on the visual aspects of a user interface and user experience. While character design is not central to this role, the course's focus on color palettes and visual appeal may be helpful to a user interface designer. This course may help a user interface designer who wishes to incorporate characters into a user interface or a video game. In particular, understanding visual design principals may be of use.
See salaries and explore the career path for User Interface Designer

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Complete Character Design Course: Draw Your Dream Character.
Cover image
Think and Grow Rich - English : For Personal Growth...
Save
Classic guide to figure drawing, providing a solid foundation in anatomy and construction. It's particularly useful for understanding proportions and creating believable character poses. While not specifically about character design, it provides essential underlying knowledge. Many artists consider this book a must-have reference for improving their figure drawing skills.
Melania
Hardcover
$$
From Here to the Great Unknown: Oprah's Book Club:...
Hardcover
$$
War
Hardcover
$$
The Message
Hardcover
$$
Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between...
Hardcover
$$
Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir
Hardcover
$$
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of...
Hardcover
$$
Onyx Storm (Deluxe Limited Edition) (The Empyrean,...
Hardcover
$$
Spooky Cutie: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens...
Paperback
$
The Leaf Thief: (The Perfect Fall Book for Children...
Paperback
$$
Cover image
Dinotopia: Journey To Chandara
Save
Provides a comprehensive understanding of color theory and lighting principles. It's highly valuable for choosing effective color palettes and rendering realistic lighting on your characters. While geared towards painters, the concepts are applicable to digital art as well. This book adds depth to the course by providing a more detailed explanation of color theory.
Dinotopia: Journey To Chandara (Calla Editions)
Hardcover
$$

Share

Help others find this course page by sharing it with your friends and followers:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Reddit
X
Link
Email

Similar courses

Similar courses are unavailable at this time. Please try again later.
Effort
5 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructors
Patricia Caldeira
Miguel Silva
Language
English
Good to know
Breaks down character design into manageable steps, which is helpful for those intimidated by the complexity of the field
Bridges the gap between traditional art techniques and digital character design, making it accessible to artists of all backgrounds
Includes downloadable templates and character design sheets, which can accelerate the learning process and provide practical tools
Covers character design for various media, including manga, anime, animation, and gaming, which broadens the scope of potential applications
Requires learners to have access to drawing software, which may require a purchase or subscription
Teaches color theory, which is a fundamental skill applicable to many other art forms and design disciplines
Share and help others discover this course.
Facebook LinkedIn X Reddit Link Email
Don't miss out
Enroll today to gain access to this course
Enroll in this course
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2025 OpenCourser