The Ultimate Character Design Course

Master the Art of Character Design: Unforgettable Characters, Dynamic Poses, and Unique Styles

What you'll learn

Master anatomy, proportion and silhouette to construct believable characters.

Create dynamic poses using gesture drawing principles to convey emotion and movement.

Apply color theory and lighting to enhance depth, mood and realism in your designs.

Execute end‑to‑end digital workflows in Procreate and Photoshop to produce professional‑quality assets.

Develop versatile character styles suitable for games, comics and animation‑ready projects.

Character design for animation and comics, game endustry

Leverage industry‑proven techniques from Yaşar Vurdem’s award‑winning career.

Build a polished character portfolio and apply a structured critique process for continuous improvement.

Requirements

This course is beginner-friendly, with step-by-step guidance for all levels.

A growth mindset, openness to feedback, and a passion for character creation—this is the most important “tool” of all!

Description

The Ultimate Character Design Course is your comprehensive, step‑by‑step guide to creating unforgettable, animation‑ready characters that captivate and engage. Taught by internationally acclaimed illustrator Yaşar Vurdem, this course blends industry‑proven techniques with deep dives into digital tools like Procreate and Photoshop.What You’ll Learn:Character Design Fundamentals: Master anatomy for character design, body proportions and silhouette creation.Dynamic & Expressive Poses: Techniques to bring your characters to life with fluid, expressive poses tutorial insights.Digital Tools Mastery: Hands‑on training in Procreate character design and Photoshop character illustration workflows.Color Theory & Rendering: Apply color psychology and lighting to enhance realism and mood.Concept Art for Beginners & Pros: Build diverse game character design and concept art for beginners portfolios.Animation‑Ready Workflow: Step‑by‑step animation-ready character workflow for comics, games, and motion graphics.Portfolio Diversification: Expand your style range with a portfolio diversity illustration guide.Why This Course?Industry Expertise: Yaşar Vurdem, Adobe Ambassador & art director for Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Wheel of Time, Citadel and more.Exclusive Techniques: Learn insider shortcuts and advanced tips you won’t find anywhere else.Practical Projects: Complete real‑world assignments, from digital character design tutorial to fully rendered concept art.You’ll learn unique techniques, tips, and tricks for mastering character design.Who Is This Course For?Aspiring Character Designers looking for a master character design curriculum.Illustrators & Concept Artists wanting to diversify their portfolio.Game Developers & Animators seeking an animation-ready workflow.Hobbyists & Art Students eager to master digital character design tutorial techniques.What You’ll Need:Basic Drawing Skills (helpful but not required)Digital Drawing Software: Procreate, Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, etc.Drawing Tablet or iPad (or paper & pencil; same principles apply)Passion for Character Creation!

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Welcome!

Lecture 2 The Tools You'll Need

Section 2: Advanced Brush Set for Photoshop and Procreate

Lecture 3 Advanced Brush Set

Lecture 4 Scale Brush Set

Lecture 5 Character Portrait Stamps for Practice

Section 3: Foundations of Great Character Design

Lecture 6 The Soul Behind the Silhouette: What Makes a Character Truly Great?

Lecture 7 Character Design Is Visual Storytelling

Lecture 8 The Language of Shapes

Lecture 9 The Silhouette Test

Lecture 10 Details That Reveal the Story

Section 4: Learn The Fundamentals of Character Design

Lecture 11 Learn Anatomy In Character Design

Lecture 12 Easy Way to Draw Head Anatomy In Character Design

Lecture 13 Line Fundamentals In Characters

Lecture 14 Shape Fundamentals In Characters

Lecture 15 How to create unique Forms and Importance of the Form

Lecture 16 Higlights, Shadows In Character Design

Lecture 17 Value Fundamentals In Character Design

Lecture 18 Importance of Details In Character Design

Lecture 19 Believability Over Realism

Lecture 20 Cultural Context & Symbolism

Lecture 21 Design With Purpose

Lecture 22 Quick Character Design Checklist

Section 5: Photoshop Tips & Tricks for Efficient Character Design

Lecture 23 Set Up a Character Design-Friendly Canvas

Lecture 24 Use Layer Groups for Clean Workflow

Lecture 25 Use Flip Canvas Frequenty

Lecture 26 Essential Brush Settings for Character Design

Lecture 27 Color Hacks for Stronger Character Design

Lecture 28 Keep a Visual Reference Board in Photoshop

Lecture 29 Quick Design Shortcuts That Save Hours

Section 6: Hands‑On Character Sketch Workshop

Lecture 30 Drawing Character Rough Sketches

Lecture 31 How to Draw A Character Sheet

Section 7: How to Paint 3D Forms In Characters

Lecture 32 Importance of Shadow and Light for 3D Look, Turn your colors !

Lecture 33 Basic Rendering for 3D Look In Character Design

Section 8: Character Gesture and Pose

Lecture 34 Action Pose

Lecture 35 Differences In The Male and Female Forms

Lecture 36 Drawing Character Silhouettes

Section 9: Character Expression And Emotion

Lecture 37 Drawing Character Expressions 1

Section 10: Hair Design

Lecture 38 Hair Design

Section 11: Let's Practice Stylized Character: Princess Zelda Painting

Lecture 39 Part One

Lecture 40 Part Two

Lecture 41 Part Three

Lecture 42 Part Four

Lecture 43 Part Five

Lecture 44 Part Six

Lecture 45 Part Seven

Lecture 46 Part Eight

Section 12: Let's Paint; Realistic Character Practice

Lecture 47 Realistic Character Practice

Section 13: Step by Step Cartoon Character Practice

Lecture 48 Step by Step Cartoon Character Practice

Section 14: Let's Practice: Swamp Monster

Lecture 49 Part One

Lecture 50 Part Two

Section 15: Creature Design PSD File

Lecture 51 Creature Design PSD File

Section 16: Let's Practice: Cyberpunk Girl Character

Lecture 52 Let's Practice: Cyberpunk Girl Character

Section 17: Let's Practice: Dragon

Lecture 53 Let's Practice: Dragon

Section 18: Let's Practice: Fashion Character

Lecture 54 Let's Practice: Fashion Character

Section 19: Creature Painting PSD File

Lecture 55 Creature Painting PSD File

Section 20: Let's Practice: Curly Hair Character

Lecture 56 Let's Practice: Curly Hair Character

Lecture 57 Let's Practice: Curly Hair Character Part II

Section 21: Let's Practice: Portrait

Lecture 58 Portrait Video

Section 22: Let's Practice: Portrait 2

Lecture 59 Let's Practice: Portrait 2

Section 23: Practice: Blonde Woman Character

Lecture 60 Practice: Blonde Woman Character

Beginners eager to master character design fundamentals, anatomy, and silhouette.,Illustrators wanting to elevate their portfolios with dynamic, expressive characters,Digital artists seeking professional Procreate & Photoshop workflows.,Game developers and animators in need of animation‑ready character assets.,Regardless of skill level, this course is for anyone who wants to bring their creative ideas to life.,Hobbyists and art students passionate about creating unforgettable characters.