Character Creation from Observational Drawings
A course by Sarah van Dongen , Illustrator
Joined March 2020
Draw and paint unique characters inspired by the world around you using a variety of artistic materials
Portraying people through illustration is a powerful tool for capturing them in their best light and their natural habitat. Illustrator Sarah van Dongen has illustrated a number of children’s books and worked with clients including Adobe, Lannoo, and Querido.
In this course, she teaches you how to design characters based on drawings of human anatomy. Create a spread in your sketchbook of your own, unique character and bring them to life with different poses. Ready to give a real human touch to your illustrations?
This is Sarah’s second course with Domestika. In her first Exploratory Sketchbook: Find Your Drawing Style, she explores using your sketchbook as a way to develop both your ideas and artistic style.
What will you learn in this online course?
13 lessons & 16 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (706)
- 22,283 students
- 13 lessons (2h 45m)
- 16 additional resources (4 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish (Latam), French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Fill a sketchbook with your own unique characters in a variety of poses.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with an interest in using observational drawing to illustrate unique characters inspired by the real world.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is needed to take this course.
In terms of materials, you will need gouache, colored pencils, brush pens, markers, and other materials specified by the teacher in this course.
Reviews
Sarah van Dongen
A course by Sarah van Dongen
Sarah van Dongen is a Dutch illustrator based in Amsterdam who is passionate about telling stories. She began her studies in comparative literature but enrolled in the MA in Children’s Books Illustration in Cambridge, UK after realizing she wanted to pursue a more creative career.
Sarah’s illustration work can be found in children’s books, stationery, newspapers, and magazines across the globe. Her clients include Flow Magazine, Adobe, Tiny Owl Publishing, and Ragged Bears Publishing, among others. Sarah enjoys exploring themes like gardens, food, social interactions, mental health, and her childhood. She doesn’t shy away from subjects like insecurity, loneliness, and loss, she expresses them in her sketches to help make these feelings more comprehensible.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Materials and How to Use Them
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My Materials
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Use of Materials
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Materials and Colour
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U3
Theory and Observation
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Human Anatomy
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Drawing People from Pictures 1
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Drawing People from Pictures 2
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Drawing People from Observation
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U4
Creating Unique Characters
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Creating a Character
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Choosing Colours and Materials and Composition
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Creating Your Character Spread 1
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Creating Your Character Spread 2
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FP
Final project
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Character Creation from Observational Drawings
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
What are Domestika's online courses?
Domestika courses are online classes that allow you to learn new skills and create incredible projects. All our courses include the opportunity to share your work with other students and/or teachers, creating an active learning community. We offer different formats:
Original Courses: Complete classes that combine videos, texts, and educational materials to complete a specific project from start to finish.
Basics Courses: Specialized training where you master specific software tools step by step.
Specialization Courses: Learning paths with various expert teachers on the same topic, perfect for becoming a specialist by learning from different approaches.
Guided Courses: Practical experiences ideal for directly acquiring specific skills.
Intensive Courses (Deep Dives): New creative processes based on artificial intelligence tools in an accessible format for in-depth and dynamic understanding.
When do the courses start and when do they finish?
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
What do Domestika's courses include?
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
Have you been given a course?
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
Siempre resulta muy inspirador aprender con Sarah. Adoro todos sus cursos!!!
Cours trés dynamique, j'ai beaucoup aimé. Les couleurs de cette illustratrice sont trés joyeuses, j'ai aimé apprendre de nouvelles techniques d'observation. Je suis ravie.
Estupendo curso, muy completo y didáctico!!
I bought two courses of Sarah van Dongen, her courses are simple and easy to follow. I enjoy her use of colour combination, and looseness to sketch people's movement. which also inspire to. sketches some daily life pictures in my mind.
C'est génial, l'artiste est super, elle explique bien sans en faire des tonnes. Ses conseils m'ont beaucoup aidées !! MERCI !!