Character Design – Illustrate an Expressive Creature by Sam Nassour

Learn how to design an animal-based character full of emotion and personality in Photoshop
Anything is possible in the world of character design—all it takes is some creative ideas paired with the right tools to bring them to life. Art director and visual development artist Sam Nassour finds an endless source of inspiration in the shapes, colors, and designs of the animal world. He has worked with major international animation studios including Netflix Animation and Dreamworks TV.

In this course, Sam shows you his entire drawing and character creation process to develop unique and expressive creatures in Photoshop. Explore professional techniques to give shape to your most imaginative creature from start to finish.

What will you learn in this online course?
Start the course by meeting Sam and hearing about his journey to becoming an art director and visual development artist. Discover the artists and artwork that awakens his creativity before getting a brief overview of the course.

Get introduced to Sam’s favorite drawing tools and shortcuts in Photoshop. Analyze some character designs and learn important drawing principles commonly used in the industry. See how to make a design appealing through the use of shape language, facial expressions, and other elements by seeing some of Sam’s work.

Begin your creative process by analyzing photos of animals, before doing some exploratory sketches to work out basic shapes and lines of your character. Create the story behind your creature and define its personality traits, facial expressions, and more.

Refine your linework and create your color foundation. Experiment with ways to best represent your character, starting with flat colors and textures. Explore lighting and shadows, then see how to use layer blending modes and adjustment layers. Add details to the eyes, facial expressions, and accessories. Then, create a simple background for your scene.

Explore some original effects to give professional quality to your illustration. See how to modify elements in your artwork such as proportions to make it look more stylized. Finish the course by hearing Sam’s final tips on exporting and sharing your work.

What is this course’s project?
Create an appealing character design based on an animal reference. Sam uses a Basilisk lizard.

Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in digital illustration who wants to create an original character and improve their Photoshop skills.

Requirements and materials
Basic digital drawing and painting skills in Adobe Photoshop are recommended..
To take this course, all you need is access to a computer with Adobe Photoshop, or similar software.