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Self-paced · Beginner+

Character Design Foundations

Move from copying references to designing your own characters — best taken after Procreate from Zero.

32 lessonsBeginner+Captions + transcripts

What you'll learn

Shape language
Circles, squares and triangles — and what each one says about a character.
Silhouettes that read
Fill it black: if you can still tell who it is, the design works.
Expressions
Eight core expressions with eyebrows, eyes and mouth only.
Turnarounds
Front, three-quarter and side views using horizontal construction guides.
Your character sheet
Turnaround, expressions and a limited palette assembled into one finished page.

Turnaround demo

FrontThree-quarterSide

Before you start

  • Comfortable with layers and brushes (Procreate from Zero or similar)
  • About 2–3 hours a week for 10–12 weeks

Learner story · anonymized

Career-adjacent hobbyist (designer)

A UX designer drawing original characters for a personal zine, not for work. Completed the course, then joined Character Lab for weekly critique.

  • 1character sheet, 3-view turnaround
  • 6/6live sessions attended
  • 12-page zine drafted

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