Illustrating Imaginary Cartoon Characters

A course by Samantha Martínez , Digital Animator and Illustrator

Digital Animator and Illustrator. Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.
Joined November 2018

Learn to design imaginary characters that convey messages through gestures, poses, and unique scenes

100% positive reviews (26)
1,041 students
Audio: Spanish
Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Learn to design imaginary characters that convey messages through gestures, poses, and unique scenes

Designer and digital animator Samantha Martínez guides you through this online course full of industry secrets for illustrating imaginary, cartoon-style characters from scratch.

Behind every great story, there's always expert character design. To illustrate your characters, learn to focus on gestures and small details, as if they were a caricature, as well as poses, clothing, and colors.

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What will you learn in this online course?

15 lessons & 19 downloads

The Language of Forms
5 minutes, 31 seconds
The Line of Action
6 minutes, 47 seconds
Writing Ideas for the Character
5 minutes, 17 seconds
Searching for Inspiration
3 minutes, 32 seconds
  • 100% positive reviews (26)
  • 1,041 students
  • 15 lessons (1h 55m)
  • 19 additional resources (10 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?

Do an illustration of a fantastical character, depicting their personality through body language and the background scene.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

Anyone interested in learning the foundations of character design.

Requirements and materials

For this course, all you need is a computer with Photoshop installed.


Reviews

1,041 Students
26 Reviews
100% Positive ratings

Samantha Martínez

A course by Samantha Martínez

Teacher Plus
Digital Animator and Illustrator

Samantha Martínez, better known as Sam, is a digital animator and illustrator from Mexico, specialized in bringing fantastical figures to life through her designs. After studying 3D digital animation for video games, she discovered her true passion, and decided to dedicate herself to illustration and character design full time.

Her work is characterized by themes relating to fantasy and comedy, reminiscent of the caricature genre. Drawing characters straight from her imagination has allowed her to create an array of audiovisual content for different agencies, as well as illustrate the book El Club de las Niñas Fantasma, published by Alfaguara.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Preparation and Theory

    • The Language of Forms
    • The Line of Action
    • Exaggeration and Simplification
    • Color Theory and Application in Characters
  • U3

    Ideas and References

    • Writing Ideas for the Character
    • Searching for Inspiration
    • Sketching and Loosing up Your Hand
  • U4

    The Illustration Process

    • The Final Sketch
    • The Layout
    • Base Color Using Masks
    • Test and Choice of Colors
    • Volume with Shadows and Lights
    • Final Details
  • FP

    Final project

    • Illustrating Imaginary Cartoon Characters

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.
Illustrating Imaginary Cartoon Characters. Illustration course by Samantha Martínez

Illustrating Imaginary Cartoon Characters

A course by Samantha Martínez
Digital Animator and Illustrator. Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.
Joined November 2018
  • 100% positive reviews (26)
  • 1,041 students