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| Steve Sole |
Character Design is an eight week evening class
taught by industry veteran and Escape Studios' Head of Character Design Steve Sole, who will guide students through the principles of character design, building up to an industry brief.
Students will learn the basic principles of shape design; how to achieve contrasting characters, how work towards a client brief, and how to put together a "bible" of design information. You can find the official course page here.
The Art of Character Design
Learning character design isn't just about drawing cool characters; it is also about learning what the industry actually needs from a character designer - turnarounds, model packs and an animation "bible". To find the official course page, follow this link.
Our tutor for the Character Design Evening Class is veteran character designer Steve Sole who has worked for many years for London Studios such as Blue Zoo and Tiger Aspect, working on shows such as Mr Bean.
Job Opportunities for Character Designers
Character design is one of the most competitive but also one of the most rewarding parts of the pre-production process. Studios are always on the look-out for fresh talent, scouring Tumbler sites for a fresh vision and a new look.
Successful character designers are much in demand and can also often work from anywhere in the world. Entry level positions in the industry tend to focus on more junior roles, such as designing props and sets, and making model packs for the CG modeling department.
How it Works
Character design involves 8 classes of 3 hours duration. The first hour and a half of the class is typically about the theory of character design. After that, students have a break, then they get about one hour for a practical exercise. There is also time in the first half to review the homework together.
Homework
There is usually one homework exercise, focused on that evening's class.
Course Content
Week 1- Moodboards and the importance of research.
Week 2 - Characters from the inside, Psychology, logic and their universe.
Week 3- Characters from the outside, Silhouette, line of action
Week 4 - Body language and expressions.
Week 5 - Costume design and costume language.
Week 6 - Creature design. Fear and tenderness.
Week 7- Colour and BG. Beat boards. Light and shadow.
Week 8- Modelsheets. How to prepare a character design bible for animation, outsourcing and videogames, and a pitch for comic publishing.
Final Pitch
Once the month is over, students pitch their final projects.
Skills
We are looking for students with a passion to draw, design and create characters. Character design necessarily includes a certain level of competence as a draughtsman, so we look for drawing skills as a good starting point.
Photoshop
Some basic knowledge of Photoshop is useful, but any digital art software will do. For students who like to work on paper, it helps to have access to a digital scanner, but many students use their phones to take pictures of their work and upload these to the online Classroom.
Career focus
The course culminates in the creation a portfolio of work for submission to studios, including the nuts and bolts of model packs, turnarounds, and a complete client-facing approach to character design.
Video taster
To get an idea of what's involved, watch the free video below, a brief introduction to the art and craft of character design. The webinar is about the general principles of character design, and also shines a light on the creation of the characters in Queen's Counsel, the cartoon strip that I have been writing and drawing in The Times newspaper since 1993.
To see more about the character design course, read this post.
Recommended Reading
We recommend these books for learning character design:
1. How to Draw and Paint Crazy Cartoon Characters: Create Original Characters with Lots of Personality Paperback – March 1, 2007 - by Vincent Woodcock
2. Creating Characters with Personality: For Film, TV, Animation, Video Games, and Graphic Novels by Tom Bancroft.
Official Course Page
The Art of Character Design
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| "Mr Bean" artwork by Steve Sole |
Character Design
Character design is one of the most demanding, interesting and competitive parts of the pre-production process. Character designers work closely with the producer and director to determine the look and feel of a project. Design a character for a blockbuster project and your work can have enduring global appeal.
Where and when
Character Design Starts on Monday 8 November 2021 and runs for eight weeks. It takes place online.
Character design is one of the most demanding, interesting and competitive parts of the pre-production process. Character designers work closely with the producer and director to determine the look and feel of a project. Design a character for a blockbuster project and your work can have enduring global appeal.
Where and when
Character Design Starts on Monday 8 November 2021 and runs for eight weeks. It takes place online.
Tutor - Steve Sole
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| Spirit Fox by Seta Kendir |
Job Opportunities for Character Designers
Character design is one of the most competitive but also one of the most rewarding parts of the pre-production process. Studios are always on the look-out for fresh talent, scouring Tumbler sites for a fresh vision and a new look.
Successful character designers are much in demand and can also often work from anywhere in the world. Entry level positions in the industry tend to focus on more junior roles, such as designing props and sets, and making model packs for the CG modeling department.
How it Works
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| Designs by Stephanie Jayne-Jackson |
Homework
There is usually one homework exercise, focused on that evening's class.
Course Content
Week 1- Moodboards and the importance of research.
Week 2 - Characters from the inside, Psychology, logic and their universe.
Week 3- Characters from the outside, Silhouette, line of action
Week 4 - Body language and expressions.
Week 5 - Costume design and costume language.
Week 6 - Creature design. Fear and tenderness.
Week 7- Colour and BG. Beat boards. Light and shadow.
Week 8- Modelsheets. How to prepare a character design bible for animation, outsourcing and videogames, and a pitch for comic publishing.
Final Pitch
Once the month is over, students pitch their final projects.
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| Cat Design by Escapee Aimee Schiele |
Skills
We are looking for students with a passion to draw, design and create characters. Character design necessarily includes a certain level of competence as a draughtsman, so we look for drawing skills as a good starting point.
Photoshop
Some basic knowledge of Photoshop is useful, but any digital art software will do. For students who like to work on paper, it helps to have access to a digital scanner, but many students use their phones to take pictures of their work and upload these to the online Classroom.
The course culminates in the creation a portfolio of work for submission to studios, including the nuts and bolts of model packs, turnarounds, and a complete client-facing approach to character design.
Video taster
To get an idea of what's involved, watch the free video below, a brief introduction to the art and craft of character design. The webinar is about the general principles of character design, and also shines a light on the creation of the characters in Queen's Counsel, the cartoon strip that I have been writing and drawing in The Times newspaper since 1993.
To see more about the character design course, read this post.
Recommended Reading
We recommend these books for learning character design:
1. How to Draw and Paint Crazy Cartoon Characters: Create Original Characters with Lots of Personality Paperback – March 1, 2007 - by Vincent Woodcock
2. Creating Characters with Personality: For Film, TV, Animation, Video Games, and Graphic Novels by Tom Bancroft.
Official Course Page
To see the official course page, follow this link.
Character Design at Escape Studios
To find out more about character design at Escape Studios, follow the links below:
The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt in 3D Animation, follow this link. To apply for our storyboarding evening class, visit this page here. For the next 12 week animation course, click here.
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| "Coffee Guy" by Natalya Ropova |
To find out more about character design at Escape Studios, follow the links below:
- Four week Intensive Character Design Course with Sam Nassour
- The Art of Considered Character Design with Steve Sole
- Character Design Student Showcase
- "Animation Bibles" Student Showcase
- Character Creation Student Showcase
The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt in 3D Animation, follow this link. To apply for our storyboarding evening class, visit this page here. For the next 12 week animation course, click here.
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