Female Character Design for Comics
A course by Marcio TakaraComic Book Artist
A course by Marcio Takara, Comic Book Artist
Learn the traditional techniques to draw a female figure with volume, movement, balance, and expression from scratch
Gone are the days when women in comics were portrayed only as sidekicks or love interests. Nowadays, a new breed of female characters and superheroes are taking the comic book world by storm with powerful storytelling and stunning visuals.
In this course, Marcio Takara—comic book artist with experience drawing comics for Marvel and DC—will teach you how to draw female characters from scratch. Starting from action lines and composition, this course will show you how to add volume, movement, balance, and expression to your creations.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 11 downloads
What We Will Do in this Course
54 seconds
Materials
7 minutes, 31 seconds
Picking Reference
9 minutes, 6 seconds
Preparation - Composition
10 minutes, 1 second
Refining the Figure Pt.1
16 minutes, 26 seconds
Refining the Figure Pt.2
6 minutes, 57 seconds
What's included in this course?
Marcio Takara introduces himself and talks about the projects he has worked on over the years for Marvel, DC Comics, and others. Before showing you how he creates his drawings, he talks about his favorite materials.
The idea is to show how you can mix the figure's movement, with volume and anatomy. Marcio shows you how he comes up with the composition while placing the figure on the page, the use of negative space, as well as black and white areas.
Start using pencils for the basic shapes and layout, and then introduce ink and brushes. Marcio explains the idea behind his style of using brushes for different line weights and texture, while also talking about light and shadow.
Then it's time to talk about how to pick and use different clothes and costumes, as well as face and hand expressions. And how Marcio draws thinking ahead about different hairstyles.
Finally, learn how to introduce some grey tones using ink wash.
What is this course's project?
You will create a finished piece with a female character from scratch, starting with layouts, showing the pencil stage, and finishing it with inks.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Illustrators, comic book artists, and people who wish to expand their skills in character creation.
Requirements and materials
You'll need basic drawing skills and, as for materials, you'll only need a pencil, eraser, ink, brush, and paper.
Reviews
- 5 months ago
Good but not totally. It's very generic about anatomy, posing and other topics. I reccomend if you are already at a good level but not quite for beginners and absolutely not for totally beginners
- 9 months ago
Me ha gustado mucho el curso es muy fácil de entender y sus explicaciones son sencillas , me gustaría más cursos de este tipo
- 11 months ago
I'm a digital artist now, but to follow along I'm using a simple setup of a Pentel brush pen and two Tombow Fudenosuke pens and Ohuhu markers. I was lucky enough to be able to keep the price of these traditional tools low. The process is fun and freeing, going back to the basics and how I first started drawing.
- 1 year ago
buen curso para iniciar en el comic tradicional
- 1 year ago
Ótimo curso ! As aulas são uma ótima porta de entrada para o desenho.
He has done work for videogames, ad agencies, and toy companies but spends most of his time working with comics for Marvel and DC, doing the covers and interior art for the books. Some of his most recent works include Detective Comics, Nightwing, Birds of Prey, and Hellblazer for DC Comics; and Captain Marvel, All-New Wolverine, Jessica Jones, and Wolverine for Marvel Comics.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Introduction
- Influences
- What We Will Do in this Course
- U2
Preparation, Research and Pencil Lines
- Materials
- Picking Reference
- Preparation - Composition
- Refining the Figure Pt.1
- Refining the Figure Pt.2
- U3
Hair, Faces and Hands
- Hair
- Hands - body expression
- Face - Details and Expression
- Costumes
- U4
Ink!
- Lines
- Ink Texture Pt.1
- Ink Texture Pt.2
- Grey Tones - Ink Wash
- FP
Final project
- Female Character Design for Comics
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate artists looking to advance their comic illustration, inking, and portfolio development skills. Beginners may find some concepts challenging, but it's ideal for those with foundational art experience.
You'll need pencils, kneaded erasers, various inking tools (like brushes, pens, and Copic markers), Bristol paper, and access to Photoshop for digital coloring. A computer for gathering references and organizing artwork is also recommended.
You’ll learn advanced comic art techniques including anatomy, inking, composition, texture creation, portfolio building, reference gathering, and strategies for networking and sharing your work professionally online.
Yes, the course teaches you how to create and showcase your comic book portfolio online using platforms like DeviantArt and Instagram, helping you reach a wider audience and potential publishers.
The course guides you on gathering, organizing, and applying reference images to improve accuracy in anatomy, hair, hands, and clothing, as well as enhancing overall realism and creativity in your illustrations.
Yes, the course includes strategies for building your online presence, networking at conventions, and contacting comic publishers to find freelance opportunities in the comics industry.
Yes, you’ll learn traditional inking, ink wash methods, brush maintenance, and how to use different tools and papers to achieve professional results in comic illustration.