Charactor Design

Course Mission

The program strives to provide a comprehensive artistic and technical education, preparing students in the art of animation and encouraging critical reflection, collaboration and professionalism. Through innovative teaching, local and international partnerships and the highest standards of artistic and academic excellence, the program seeks to ensure student success in creative careers within the animation industry.

Course Summary

Students will be introduced to the importance of design in character animation. Line, shape, negative space, volume, and colour will be studied. The relationships of these elements—including proximity, balance, rhythm, repetition, proportion, variety, and size—will be emphasized. Three-dimensional models will be created to understand structure. Through drawn exercises, students will learn to create strong character poses that communicate effectively with the audience. Students will study various artistic styles in animation and work individually and as part of a team to create effective, original character models.

Classes Info

Term(s): Ongoing
Course Name: Character Design
Instructor(s):Assigned according to class schedule and availability
Studio Classroom: Classroom 2 Rmd
Weekly Hour(s): 4 + studio hours*
*Access to portfolio students only
Course Format: In person with all-access Discord online support

Student Learning Outcomes

Identify the characteristics of a strong pose.
Identify and file appealing character designs created by industry professionals.
Create original characters with appeal and personality.
Design character poses that communicate effectively and remain on model.
Design and execute character design model packs to industry standards.
Work as a contributing member of a design group.
Build representative e-portfolio pieces that showcase design work.

Required Materials

Hardware 15-inch or larger laptops
RTX GPUs recommended
Graphic displays or professional tablets
Studio workstations*

*Access to portfolio students only

Software Required software icons

Course Structure

Course Content with Time Allocation

Follow the complete character design process, from initial studies and brainstorming to a finished presentation sheet.

Final Presentation Samples

01

1 Week

Character Studies

Study the provided character to understand the shapes, structure, proportions, and forms used in character design.

02

2 Weeks

Brainstorming & Thumbnails

Gather references, explore the character’s story, and develop 9–12 thumbnail ideas with different shapes and directions.

03

2 Weeks

Character Rough Out

Review the thumbnails with the instructor, select the strongest three, and develop their shapes, proportions, and rough details.

04

3 Weeks

Character Turnaround

Select one final design and develop front, three-quarter, and profile views before completing a clean character turnaround.

05

2 Weeks

Expression Sheet

Create 12 expression thumbnails, then select six of the strongest expressions to develop into a clean presentation sheet.

06

3 Weeks

Action Poses

Develop three action-pose thumbnails, select one direction, and complete the final character presentation sheet.

Education Consultant

Ivan Wang

Director & Education Consultant

Get personalized guidance on courses, portfolio preparation, university pathways, and long-term creative development.

Book a Free Consultation

Student Support

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