9 Best Character Design Courses & Certifications
Character design art defines itself as “designing or drafting from zero to adding enticing visual elements to your character drawing.” It can be anything, from video games to comic books to movies and so on.
A character design encompasses everything about developing design: the specifications, the theory, and the execution that takes things to another level, which is not as easy as people make it out to be. Character design courses are mandatory to give you a basic concept and guide you to start from scratch till the end.
Have you checked thousands of online character design courses but are still unsure which one is best for you? I discovered the best introductory character design course. Explore them all and select your preferred course from the list.
Moreover, I have sorted the 2 best courses from the list below: courses 1 and 2. It provides you with a clear understanding to develop a unique idea, create your character design, and make your work professional enough to convert it into something valuable.
Top 9 Character Design Courses List to Learn From Scratch to Pro
The following are the 9 online character design courses that are highly recommended:
- Best Character Design Course for Beginners – Udemy – Editor’s Pick
- The Ultimate 2D Game Character Design & Animation Course – Udemy – All Level
- Ultimate Character Drawing Course – Udemy – All Levels
- Character Design for Video Games – Coursera – Beginner Level
- Character Design Crash Course: Dynamic Design in Four Steps – Skillshare – Beginner Level
- Best Character Design Crash Course: Designing Animal Characters – Skillshare – Intermediate Level
- Online Character Design Course: Developing Your Own Style – Domestika – Beginner Level
- Illustrated Character Design and World Creation – Domestika – Beginner Level
- Adobe Illustrator Essentials for Character Design – Eduonix – Beginner Level
1. Best Character Design Course for Beginners – Udemy
The character design course for beginners helps you develop ideas for characters. It teaches you different methods to fine-tune your designs. You will learn to make sci-fi armor and draw out wrinkles and folds in clothing.
The character design online course provides a guide to having a consistent workflow that will improve results in character design.
The course is divided into 17 sections which include 105 lectures in total. You can buy it for just $84.99.
Student reviews for this course suggest that it provides techniques to speed up the design of your characters using thumbnails and turnaround sheets.
Student reviews for this online character design class:
“I’m trying to design characters for my comic. I’m learning so much, I love the section on color theory.”
I score 8.5/9.0.
Click here to enroll in this course.
2. The Ultimate 2D Game Character Design & Animation Course – Udemy
The ultimate 2D game character design and animation course provides you with a guide to designing and animating a character in Photoshop that can help you in professional work. You will learn to create high-quality stylized characters and animations.
You will learn techniques that will improve your skills in digital art creation. By the end of this course, you can convert the techniques taught in the course into asset creation for games.
The character design course is divided into 5 sections, including 58 lectures in total. You can purchase it for just $84.99.
Student reviews suggest that this course was created specifically for newbies and provides in-depth learning about the basics of Photoshop. 43,145 students are already enrolled in this course. Check out our related posts for 2D animation and concept art courses.
What students say about this course:
“Creating and designing a new game board console with its own games…it’s a MUST!!!”
I score it 9.0/9.0.
Click here to sign up for this character design online class.
3. Ultimate Character Drawing Course – Udemy
The ultimate character drawing course teaches you to create an innovative design. You will learn easy and effective design-making tips and tricks.
Throughout this course, you will learn to draw fundamentals, pencil control, dynamic storytelling poses, foreshortening, drawing hands, drawing body forms, gestures, poses, comics, Pixar style, body proportions, style development, hair, and character design demo.
The course is divided into 14 sections which include 100 lectures in total. You can get it for just $84.99.
Student reviews for this course suggest that
“The content is well-explained and teaches different character design styles. Also, a full demonstration at the end of the course did an excellent job of learning character design from scratch”.
35.48K students are already enrolled in this course.
I will score 8.5/9.0.
4. Character Design for Video Games – Coursera
The character design for video games courses provides you with concepts and approaches to building a successful character design that will be ideal for video games. You will learn about various issues in character design and the technical aspects to consider when designing a character.
By the end of this course, you will be able to apply all the concepts to your character designs.
This course consists of 22 video lectures. You can complete it in approximately 9 hours. You can buy it for $49/per a month.
Student reviews suggest that this course made them more confident about their designs, and it is highly recommended. 39.59K students are already enrolled in this course.
Student review for this character design course:
“The class was enjoyable, and the assignments were engaging. I think it is a great way to get your mind centered around the idea of character design, not just for games but for anything.”
I score this class 8.0/9.0.
Click here to jump into the course.
5. Character Design Crash Course: Dynamic Design in Four Steps – Skillshare
The character design crash course helps you design a dynamic character in 4 steps. You will learn to create concepts and stories, create rough thumbnail sketches, improve your design and finalize the details. Lastly, you will learn to clean up and color your design.
This character design online class consists of 9 lessons in total. You can buy it for just $15/month.
The student reviews suggest that this course is perfect for beginners; it motivates practice and helps them to achieve their goals. 12.8K students have already registered for this course.
I will score it 8.0/9.0.
6. Best Character Design Crash Course: Designing Animal Characters – Skillshare
The character design crash course provides you with the basics of designing animal characters. The course will help you find inspiration and references to design. It helps you to develop your sketch and take it to Adobe Photoshop. You can also have a look at our best Adobe Photoshop course blog.
Furthermore, you will learn about the fundamentals of character design and the importance of using references and taking inspiration from artists.
The course has a total of 9 lessons. You can get it for just $15/per month.
The student reviews for this course suggest that it is a very clear course and provides easily applicable tips that are useful at any drawing level. 7.3K students are already enrolled in this course character design course.
I will score it /9.0.
7. Online Character Design Course – Domestika
The character design course teaches you the basics of character design, including different styles, shapes, silhouettes, gestures, and proportions. You will learn to analyze a reference photo and practice it.
Character design classes help you learn color and its ability to portray a personality and mood before structuring your file for flexibility.
The course consists of 31 lessons in total. You can purchase it for just $59.99.
Student reviews suggest it provides lots of good information with a simple approach and is a well-organized course. 2.17K students have enrolled in this course.
I will score it 8.0 /9.0.
8. Illustrated Character Design and World Creation – Domestika
Illustrated character design and world creation course initially discuss Nathan Jurevicius’s background and experience in shaping his work. The instructor discusses his ideas on creativity and best practices.
This course covers ideas and ways to generate them. The instructor discusses his personal approach to enhancing your skills in character and building character using theoretical and practical methods.
You will learn the steps to make your character better according to the environment envision. The course instructor’s concepts would take your character to the next level.
This course consists of 25 lessons in total. You can get it for just $59.99.
The student reviews suggest that this course is great value for money and the instructor is highly skilled; his way of teaching is impeccable based on the reviews. 2.7K students are already enrolled in this course.
I will score 7.5/9.0.
9. Adobe Illustrator Essentials for Character Design – Eduonix
Adobe illustrator essentials for the character design course help you learn the basic interface and navigation of character designs. You will also learn about essential panels and drawing tools.
Furthermore, you will learn to create a color palette, paint your character design using live paint features, and smoothly add shadows and highlights.
This course consists of 5 sections which include 39 lectures in total. You can get it for just $12.
The student reviews suggest that this course is excellent. Also, check out our blog online digital painting courses.
I will score it 7.0/9.0.
Check Out Other Courses
- Landscape Design Courses
- Pixel Art Courses
- Graphics Designing Courses
- UX Design Courses
- Visual Design Courses
Best Character Design Courses - FAQs
What to study to become a character designer?
Character designers commonly have a degree in graphic art, fine art, illustration, or a related field, but this is not required. The most important thing is that you can demonstrate exceptional drawing abilities. You must have a portfolio that demonstrates your talent, creativity, and broad knowledge of animation.
What is a character design course?
Character design courses provide a basic understanding of creating characters and drawing digitally. It provides different types of drawing and rendering techniques that are used for compelling character designs.
Can character design be a job?
Yes, character design can be a job. There are many different ways to become a character designer. Some people become character designers by studying art and animation in school. Others become character designers by working as animators or illustrators and then moving into character design. Some people even become character designers by starting their own independent animation studios.
What are the 6 steps to great character design?
Here are the 6 steps to creating a great character design:
Know your audience
Practice world-building
Concept of shapes languages
Research the character’s personality
Use color tools
Keep it simple but enticing
How much money does a character designer make?
The salaries of character designers in the US differ according to their experience. However, it ranges from $10K to $107.6K, with an average median salary of $21.1K.
Conclusion
Character design courses are a must when you are considering starting a career as a character designer. These online courses will teach you all the basic strategies involved in character design creation. Moreover, you will learn to avoid common mistakes when creating a character model or design.
I would recommend courses 1 and 2 as they provide you with different ways to create and refine your design and help you create a high-quality stylized design that you can convert into an asset.
