Character Design for Film and Games

An 8-week course structured like a studio and freelance workflow focusing on character design.

Develop what makes a quality character
Character concept art for video games and movies is a complex subject that will be covered in this course. Students will learn how to develop character concepts that are both believable and compelling by developing their attitudes and generating ideas based on their personality. Students will be given the tools to build their own character concept art pipelines by experimenting with various software and technologies. At the end of this course, students will learn how to turn a character concept from beginning to end, paying special attention to lighting, communication, and clarity. Students will learn the standard character creation process used in the entertainment industry, as well as how to create a convincing character. They will also be able to show a completed character concept for their portfolios at the end of the course.

NOTE: Students should already have a strong foundation in anatomy, drawing, and digital painting. (Course outline for each instructor may be different; for specific outline information, please select the instructor and click on “Request Syllabus” below. Mathias Osland will be teaching this course in the Winter Term 2022.)

The more you know, the better
Week 1 | Creating a Narrative and Gathering Reference
Class introduction | Students will be given a story prompt and develop a character bio | Discuss the differences between creating characters for games and film | Best practices for gathering reference | Create a reference/mood board

Week 2 | Sketches – Rough Ideation
Explore rough ideas based on character bio from week 1 | Focus on exploring form, value and pose to sell the idea | Using character archetypes to tell a story | Importance of creating distinct ideas vs noise

Week 3 | Narrowing Ideas
Narrowing focus and choosing 2-3 ideas to refine | Importance of moving forward | Identifying technical challenges

Week 4 | Detail Pass Part 1
Choosing a single direction to refine | Explore different rendering techniques based on project

Week 5 | Detail Pass Part 2
Further refinement of design | Using photos, 3D assets, and 2D textures to support the concept

Week 6 | Support Studies
Parts of a concept often require more detailed information to hand off to a modeler or animator | The instructor will identify these items and students will provide support drawings or studies | Some examples of these can include detail drawings of weapons or gadgets, construction of gear, or range of motion studies.

Week 7 | Branding, Decal Pass
Branding is a huge part of creating an identity for your character | This can include decals, insignia, tattoos, color palettes and even materials | Students will provide detail drawings or callouts to support these items based on instructor feedback.

Week 8 | Building A Presentation
Students will put together there final presentation package for the client in form of callouts, notes and reference materials.