Linework & Character Art by Hugo Richard
Duration:4 weeks (23 hours 40 minutes)
Actual Duration:22h 19m
Release date:2026
Publisher:Underpaint Academy
Skill level:Beginner
Language:English
Exercise files:Yes
Software:Any digital or traditional drawing tools, Digital painting software for paintovers
Course URL:https://underpaintacademy.com/product/linework-character-art-with-hugo-richard/
In this 4-week class, character designer Hugo Richard walks through his complete process of creating characters with clean, confident line work — from gathering references to the final presentation. Each week is a live 5-hour session combining lectures, drawing demos, and direct feedback. The course strips character art down to its essentials: simplified anatomy built from primitives, strong shapes and design, rhythm and exaggeration, and finishing with pose, attitude, and expression that make a character compelling.
Recordings of all four classes are included, along with the class materials. Hugo shares his professional workflow from a decade of industry work on games and films, reviewing student portfolios and homework throughout the term.
🎯 What you’ll learn
- How to use references effectively and find inspiration for character design
- Constructive drawing: breaking anatomy down into simple primitives
- Gesture drawing and keeping the design simple and readable
- Shape design and the power of rhythm when creating a character
- Exaggerating shapes to make characters more compelling
- Line work process — clean, confident line art for characters
- Presentation, pose, attitude, and expression for character art
- Portfolio reviews and professional feedback on your work
✅ Requirements
- Skills: All skill levels welcome — the class is structured to help beginners and working artists alike
- Tools: Any digital or traditional tools; paintovers are done digitally
- Hardware: Drawing tablet or traditional media of your choice
📝 Description
The course is built around Hugo Richard’s own working method, refined over ten years in the industry. Rather than overwhelming you with technical detail, he emphasizes keeping things simple: characters are constructed from clear primitives, anatomy is simplified into readable volumes, and every design choice serves a stronger silhouette and a more confident line.
Each week is a live class with a combination of lectures, demos, and feedback. Hugo shows his process in real time — how he collects and filters references, constructs a figure, develops shapes, and pushes a design with rhythm and exaggeration. The final weeks focus on what makes characters memorable: pose, attitude, and expression, plus how to present the work professionally.
Students can join with full homework feedback (where Hugo reviews your work each week) or as spectators. The recordings cover the entire term, and the included PDF materials accompany each class.
🧑🎓 Who this course is for
- Artists who want to improve their line work and create cleaner, more confident drawings
- Character designers and illustrators looking for a professional pipeline from reference to final presentation
- Beginners who want to learn constructive drawing and simplified anatomy from a working industry artist
- Concept artists preparing a portfolio of character work
🧑🏫 About the Author
Hugo Richard is a Brazilian character designer and concept artist based in Montreal, working in the industry for over ten years. His clients include CD Projekt Red, Games Workshop, DreamWorks, and Gearbox. He currently works as assistant character art director on the horror franchise Outlast, overseeing key aspects of the universe and its characters.
🏁 Final Result
- A finished character design presented with clean line work and strong posing
- A professional approach to references, construction, and presentation you can apply to any project
- Personal feedback on your homework and portfolio from a working art director
📢 Guys, this is a Group Buy campaign, check the GBC forum thread to get access
You can find the course preview in the download section below.

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