How do you go from a reference photo to a stylized character ready for their debut? Learn how to design appealing and engaging characters with pro illustrator Jake Parker.
Your favorite characters are your favorites because their creators used the perfect blend of "figurative," "symbolic," and "abstract" elements to stylize them. In this course, artist and teacher Jake Parker introduces the "style wheel" to students and uses it to deconstruct some popular characters.
The shapes and proportions used to create characters are evaluated and Jake explains how these aspects have a huge visual and psychological impact on the personality of a stylized character.
In addition to deconstructing dozens of different characters, you'll also watch Jake create a stylized illustration of his son Calvin bringing everything together in the final video.
NOTE: This class is in our fundamentals series and therefore covers beginning level concepts and ideas.
For the last 25 years Jake has worked on everything from animated films to comics to picture books. For several years he worked for Reel FX and Blue Sky Studios on such projects as Horton Hears a Who, Rio, and Epic. He is the creator of the popular Inktober drawing challenge. Jake currently works as an illustrator and cartoonist on children's books and comics. He works out of his home studio in Arizona.
Get the guidance you need on the path to becoming a better illustrator.
