Imaginative Character Illustration with Watercolor

A course by Emma Thrussell , Illustrator

Illustrator. London, United Kingdom.
Joined December 2021

Learn how to create fun illustrated characters from your imagination using watercolors and drawing techniques

100% positive reviews (22)
1,353 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Learn how to create fun illustrated characters from your imagination using watercolors and drawing techniques

“Illustrating a character idea from beginning to end using your imagination is a daunting task, but it is such a rewarding experience.”

Emma Thrussell is a professional illustrator and watercolor specialist who has brought her characters to life for clients including The National Trust, Museum of the Home and Orlean’s House Gallery.

In this online course, Emma guides you through the creative process of bringing your characters to life with watercolor. Join Emma on a fun, experimental journey of creative discovery before embarking on your final project—a quirky and contemporary watercolor illustration of a character of your creation!

Read more ↓

What will you learn in this online course?

17 lessons & 21 downloads

Tools and Materials
5 minutes, 17 seconds
Drawing with Basic Shapes
7 minutes, 40 seconds
Basic Shapes in Everyday Life
10 minutes, 13 seconds
Values and Layering
20 minutes, 6 seconds
Gradients and Lighting
14 minutes, 9 seconds
Colour Palettes
8 minutes, 35 seconds
  • 100% positive reviews (22)
  • 1,353 students
  • 17 lessons (3h 24m)
  • 21 additional resources (5 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Create a watercolor illustration of a character you have created from scratch.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

This course is for anyone who wants to experiment with new drawing techniques, create character ideas, and learn the basics of watercolor painting.

Requirements and materials

You will need drawing tools including a sketchbook, colored pencils, watercolor paints, access to editing software like Photoshop and a scanner.


Reviews

1,353 Students
22 Reviews
100% Positive ratings

Emma Thrussell

A course by Emma Thrussell

Teacher Plus
Illustrator

Emma Thrussell is a freelance illustrator based in South-East London. After spending her childhood drawing monsters, Emma realized her passion was for character creation and illustration. Emma attained a degree in Animation from Ravensbourne University before discovering her biggest passion of all—watercolors.

Emma’s watercolor artwork has been featured in magazines including Reader's Digest, Pianist, Your Dog and Your Cat. Emma sells greetings cards and prints her work through her online shop. She has also created a wide range of children’s activity trails with clients including Museum of the Home and Orleans House Gallery.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Drawing and Idea Generation

    • Tools and Materials
    • Drawing with Basic Shapes
    • Basic Shapes in Everyday Life
  • U3

    Watercolour Techniques and Colour Palette

    • Values and Layering
    • Gradients and Lighting
    • Colour Palettes
  • U4

    Creating the Character!

    • Generating and Sketching a Character
    • Refining and Transferring the Sketch
    • Painting in Watercolours 1
    • Painting in Watercolours 2
    • Painting in Watercolours 3
    • Adding the Last Details
  • U5

    Digitising the Illustration

    • Editing in Photoshop 1
    • Editing in Photoshop 2
    • Sharing the Artwork Online
  • FP

    Final project

    • Imaginative Character Illustration with Watercolor

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.
Imaginative Character Illustration with Watercolor. Illustration course by Emma Thrussell

Imaginative Character Illustration with Watercolor

A course by Emma Thrussell
Illustrator. London, United Kingdom.
Joined December 2021
  • 100% positive reviews (22)
  • 1,353 students