Character Art School: The Complete Character Drawing Course

This is the introduction to the course on learning to draw, and learning to draw characters well.

In this video, you will be given insights into the importance of art theory as you learn how to draw and move through the course.

In this video, you will learn why being loose, rough and allowing yourself the freedom to create unhindered is critical as you learn how to draw characters.

In this video you will learn the fundamental structure of art, helping you to grasp the essential art workflow and viewers perspective as you learn how to draw.

In this video we go deeper into the core structure of art, understanding each elements of shape, form and detail as you learn how to draw.

In this video, we take a look at how to see like an artist, and experience the visual aesthetic of the world in a way that enables you to create and draw better.

In this video, we talk about why technical skill in learning to draw is not the only important consideration, and discuss how emotional implementation in art is just as, if not more important.

In this video we talk about how the story of a drawing is essential to exciting and engaging the viewer with our character drawings and art.

In this video, the comparison is made between believability and realism, and emphasizes how crucial believability is over realism as you learn to draw characters.

In this video, we discuss how critical growing in artistic maturity is on your journey in learning to draw.

In this video, we learn the distinct differences between drawing studies and drawing artwork, and how making this differentiation will help you to grow in your drawing skill rapidly.

In this video, we discuss the two main types of art, and why this differentiation will help you to correctly judge your work as you learn to draw characters.

In this video we summarize everything learned in Module 1, setting you up for a holistic understanding of key fundamentals as you continue to learn to draw.

Learn to warm up before starting to draw, and learn about how to have good lines and line flow in your drawing.

In this video lesson, learn about how to draw in 3 dimensions, defining form and structure as you learn to draw characters.

Drawing living characters requires us to have a dynamic nuance to how we present shapes and forms. In this lesson we learn how looseness and dynamism add life and movement to our artwork.

In this drawing lesson, we learn the importance of drawing overlaps and avoiding tangents in order to represent our work clearly in 3D.

When drawing, a key principle is building in visual interest via asymmetry, and avoiding parallels that make our work dull and predictable to look at. In this video lesson, we learn how to implement asymmetry and avoid drawing parallels.

Line weights, or managing the thickness and thinness of your lines, are critical to dynamic and appealing character drawings. In this lesson, we learn how to implement line weights clearly and effectively in our drawings.

Learn the foundational proportions of the human body and how to achieve accurate balance and structure in your figure drawings. This lecture will cover the relationship between different body parts and how to scale them correctly in any pose.

Master the essential proportions of the human head, focusing on front-facing views. You'll explore key techniques to ensure accurate placement of facial features and understand the general structure that guides head drawing.

Expand your understanding of head proportions by learning to draw the head in profile. This lecture will guide you through the differences in structure and proportions from the side view, focusing on the relationship between the skull, jawline, and facial features.

Hands can be one of the most challenging parts of the body to draw. This lecture will break down the proportions of the hand, teaching you how to simplify complex shapes and capture the hand's structure in a realistic and manageable way.

Bring your characters to life by injecting energy and movement into your drawings. This lecture focuses on dynamic posing, gesture, and how to create a sense of flow and motion within the human form.

Explore the connection between the head and neck, learning how to correctly draw the forms that create a natural transition between these two key areas. Emphasis will be placed on anatomical structure and movement.

Delve into the core of the body with a focus on drawing the chest, abdomen, and pelvis. This lecture will help you understand the forms that create the human torso and how to represent them accurately in different positions.

Learn the anatomy and forms of the arms and legs, breaking them down into simple shapes that can be manipulated into any pose. This lecture will focus on maintaining proportion and fluidity while drawing limbs in motion or at rest.

A deeper exploration of hand drawing, this lecture will focus on capturing the forms of the hands in various positions and gestures. You'll practice simplifying complex hand movements and maintaining proportion in your work.

Understand the structure and proportions of the feet, one of the most complex parts of the body to represent. This lecture will guide you through breaking down the foot into simpler forms while capturing detail and accuracy.

Learn how to draw the breasts with attention to natural form, proportion, and movement. This lecture will focus on understanding the anatomy of the chest area and how the breasts interact with the torso, gravity, and various poses.

Watch a live demonstration on how to combine various anatomical forms—from the head to the feet—into a cohesive, well-proportioned figure. This lecture will focus on integrating different body parts while maintaining balance and realism.

The eyes are often the most expressive part of a character. This lecture will guide you through the structure, proportions, and details of drawing realistic eyes, with an emphasis on capturing emotion and life.

Learn how to accurately draw ears from multiple angles, focusing on their unique structure. This lecture will break down the complex shapes of the ear and simplify them into forms that are easy to understand and replicate.

Explore the structure of the nose and its key role in giving character to the face. This lecture will cover how to draw the nose from different perspectives, maintaining proportionality and capturing subtle details.

The mouth and lips are crucial to portraying emotion. This lecture will teach you how to draw these features in a variety of expressions, focusing on structure, volume, and the relationship between the lips and the surrounding facial features.

Watch as the facial features—eyes, ears, nose, mouth—are drawn in real time. This demonstration will tie together all the previous lessons, showing how to combine these individual features into a cohesive and balanced face.

Understand the process of layering anatomy onto basic shapes. In this lecture, you'll learn how to use simple geometric forms as the foundation for creating complex, realistic anatomical details, ensuring accuracy and flow in your drawings.

Explore the essence of gesture drawing by learning what gesture is and why it's a crucial foundation for dynamic and fluid figure drawing. This lecture introduces the fundamental concepts of capturing movement, action, and energy in a sketch.

Dive deeper into the core principles of gesture drawing. You'll focus on understanding how to convey the essence of a pose or movement quickly and effectively, capturing the spirit of the figure without getting bogged down in details.

Learn how to infuse your drawings with energy and movement by focusing on action in the form. This lecture covers how to depict motion and dynamics through simple lines and shapes, emphasizing the flow of the body.

Explore the key lines that form the backbone of strong gesture drawings. This lecture will highlight the importance of certain lines—such as the line of action and contour lines—that are vital for conveying movement and structure in a simplified manner.

Understand the importance of the body’s axis and how asymmetry plays a role in creating dynamic and natural gestures. This lecture will help you break down poses into their basic axes and illustrate how slight shifts in symmetry can add realism and life to your drawings.

Begin your journey into gesture drawing with foundational techniques. In this lecture, you’ll practice capturing the basic form of the human body in motion, focusing on simplicity, fluidity, and the overall shape of poses.

Build upon your basic skills by learning more refined techniques in gesture drawing. This lecture focuses on enhancing your understanding of anatomy and how to apply it to more complex and expressive gestures, improving accuracy while maintaining fluidity.

Take your gesture drawing to the next level by mastering complex poses, dynamic compositions, and subtle movements. This advanced lecture will push your ability to capture nuanced and intricate gestures with both speed and precision.

Learn how to apply your gesture drawing skills to capture real-life poses and movement. This lecture will focus on drawing gestures from life—whether through live models or observation in everyday situations—to improve your ability to depict natural, spontaneous movements.

Discover practical exercises designed to enhance your gesture drawing skills. This lecture will guide you through timed drawing drills, flow studies, and other methods to help you build confidence and proficiency in capturing the essence of the human figure quickly.

Learn about the all-important concept of squash and stretch in character drawing, a principal that is not only important in animation, but essential for drawing convincingly as well.

Explore the underlying structure and movements of the face that bring expressions to life. This lecture covers how the muscles and forms of the face change with various emotions, providing insight into how to capture dynamic and realistic facial expressions in your drawings.

The eyes are often called the "windows to the soul." This lecture will teach you how to draw expressive eyes that convey a range of emotions. You'll learn key techniques to enhance the mood and intensity of your character’s expression through detailed focus on the eyes.

Eyebrows play a crucial role in enhancing facial expressions. In this short yet powerful lecture, you’ll discover how small changes in eyebrow shape and positioning can dramatically alter the emotion of your drawing, adding depth to your characters.

The mouth is one of the most versatile features in facial expressions. This in-depth lecture will guide you through the nuances of drawing the mouth, demonstrating how to capture a variety of emotions, from joy to anger, and everything in between, with a focus on lip positioning and movement.

Watch a live demonstration of drawing various facial expressions, from subtle emotions to more exaggerated feelings. This lecture will show how all facial features work together to communicate emotions effectively, allowing you to create characters that feel alive and expressive.