Best seller

Character Creation from Observational Drawings

A course by Sarah van Dongen , Illustrator

Illustrator. Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Joined March 2020

Draw and paint unique characters inspired by the world around you using a variety of artistic materials

Best seller
100% positive reviews (671)
20,491 students
Audio: English, Turkish
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

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.

Read more ↓

What will you learn in this online course?

13 lessons & 16 downloads

My Materials
7 minutes, 42 seconds
Use of Materials
17 minutes, 9 seconds
Materials and Colour
13 minutes, 35 seconds
Human Anatomy
17 minutes, 11 seconds
Drawing People from Pictures 1
17 minutes, 39 seconds
Drawing People from Pictures 2
12 minutes, 30 seconds
  • 100% positive reviews (671)
  • 20,491 students
  • 13 lessons (2h 45m)
  • 16 additional resources (4 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English, Turkish
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • 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

20,491 Students
671 Reviews
100% Positive ratings

Sarah van Dongen

A course by Sarah van Dongen

Teacher Plus
Illustrator

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

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Materials and How to Use Them

    • My Materials
    • Use of Materials
    • Materials and Colour
  • U3

    Theory and Observation

    • Human Anatomy
    • Drawing People from Pictures 1
    • Drawing People from Pictures 2
    • Drawing People from Observation
  • U4

    Creating Unique Characters

    • Creating a Character
    • Choosing Colours and Materials and Composition
    • Creating Your Character Spread 1
    • Creating Your Character Spread 2
  • FP

    Final project

    • Character Creation from Observational Drawings

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • 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.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

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.

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.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Character Creation from Observational Drawings. Illustration course by Sarah van Dongen Best seller

Character Creation from Observational Drawings

A course by Sarah van Dongen
Illustrator. Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Joined March 2020
  • 100% positive reviews (671)
  • 20,491 students