Expressive Character Creation for Animation

A course by Felipe Rodriguez , Character Designer and Illustrator

Character Designer and Illustrator. Bogota, Colombia.
Joined July 2016

Illustrate unforgettable characters based on a narrative idea and bring them to life through their expressions and poses

100% positive reviews (58)
1,203 students
Audio: Spanish
Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Illustrate unforgettable characters based on a narrative idea and bring them to life through their expressions and poses

Want to create relatable characters that stick with your audience? Animation has the power to leave lasting impressions and create strong bonds with generations of viewers. This is what drove character designer and illustrator Felipe Rodriguez, who has collaborated on two Netflix series with Ánima Estudios and on projects for Cartoon Network, to pursue his passion for this art form. The aim of his designs is to make every line, color, and shape tell a story and together provide a human perspective of the world.

In this course, Felipe teaches you how to create characters for animations based on a narrative idea. Play with proportions and texture and explore the depths of your hero's psyche to craft their expressions, actions, and poses. By the end, you'll know how to design characters from start to finish for any real project.

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What will you learn in this online course?

20 lessons & 38 downloads

Structure 1
14 minutes, 0 seconds
Structure 2
14 minutes, 47 seconds
Devise the character 1
16 minutes, 14 seconds
Devise the character 2
10 minutes, 56 seconds
Design 1
19 minutes, 33 seconds
Design 2
17 minutes, 38 seconds
  • 100% positive reviews (58)
  • 1,203 students
  • 20 lessons (5h 11m)
  • 38 additional resources (25 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: Spanish
  • Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Design a protagonist, complete with model sheets of expressions and poses, as well as a line-up of potential secondary characters.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

Illustrators, cartoonists, and designers who want to learn how to create well-rounded characters and bring them to life for an animation project.

Requirements and materials

Although this course covers the basics of character creation, you need experience in drawing and working with Adobe Photoshop.

You can also use Procreate or any other illustration software to complete the exercises and the final project.


Reviews

1,203 Students
58 Reviews
100% Positive ratings

Felipe Rodriguez

A course by Felipe Rodriguez

Teacher Plus
Character Designer and Illustrator

Felipe Rodriguez is a freelance illustrator and character designer who uses his expertise to help create animated TV series and films.

He has collaborated on a range of projects for the British Council, Storytime Magazine, and the Mexican animation studio Ánima Estudios, including two projects for Netflix: season 2 of Legend Quest and El camino de Xico. He has also had the opportunity to work with several Colombian studios like TunjaYork, Diptongo, and Mompozt.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Toolbox

    • Structure 1
    • Structure 2
    • Devise the character 1
    • Devise the character 2
    • Design 1
    • Design 2
    • Where is your style? 1
    • Where is your style? 2
  • U3

    Character concept

    • Your own story
    • Concept
    • The rules of your universe
  • U4

    Character development

    • Story Moments
    • How does your character express himself? 1
    • How does your character express himself? 2
    • How does your character move?
  • U5

    Universe

    • Design the antagonist
    • Line up and color
    • Design the main prop
  • FP

    Final project

    • Expressive Character Creation for Animation

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.
Expressive Character Creation for Animation . Illustration, 3D, and Animation course by Felipe Rodriguez

Expressive Character Creation for Animation

A course by Felipe Rodriguez
Character Designer and Illustrator. Bogota, Colombia.
Joined July 2016
  • 100% positive reviews (58)
  • 1,203 students