Introduction to Concept Art For Expressive Character Design
A course by Sammy Khalid (Chigg)Concept Designer, Illustrator, and NFT Artist
A course by Sammy Khalid (Chigg), Concept Designer, Illustrator, and NFT Artist
Learn to create a lively original character from start to finish by exploring the fundamentals of color, light, and design
“When you learn to see the world in terms of light, color, and design, it’s hard not to be inspired” says concept designer, illustrator, and NFT artist Sammy Khalid - better known as ‘Chigg’. He believes that drawing, painting, and design are visual representations of how much you observe in the world around you, and views his creative process as an evolution. Most of Chigg’s work involves designing for film, TV, and animation, in both 2D and 3D, for clients including Warner Bros, Disney, Riot Games, and Netflix.
In this course, he teaches you the industry-tested processes and techniques that he has used as part of his creative and professional practice for years. Learn the fundamentals of research, painting, and design for character creation using image editing software. Develop the skills and confidence to design your own unique character.
What will you learn in this online course?
37 lessons & 21 downloads
Fundamentals of Light 1
16 minutes, 49 seconds
Fundamentals of Light 2
19 minutes, 55 seconds
Fundamentals of Design 1
18 minutes, 59 seconds
Fundamentals of Design 2
19 minutes, 19 seconds
Gesture Drawing
9 minutes, 41 seconds
Referencing
19 minutes, 18 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet concept designer, illustrator, and NFT artist, Sammy Khalid - aka Chigg. Hear about his career and background, how he became a professional artist, and the lessons he’s learned along the way. He also shares the key artists that have influenced him and shaped his understanding of his artwork
Familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of painting and design. Chigg starts by teaching you about the principles of light and basic color theory by studying a famous painting. Then learn some valuable design principles such as composition and shape design. Discover how Chigg achieves dynamic figures through gesture drawing, before exploring the cornerstone of successful design: research.
Begin the production of your character as Chigg breaks down the design process step by step. First, capture the pose and proportions, then sketch the volumes that make up the character to give your character a 3D feel. Move onto refining the look of your character including the face, clothes, props, and finer details. Solidify your design with clean lineart that acts as the foundation for the painting process.
Use the fundamentals learned earlier in the course as a strategy for the painting process. Chigg guides you through different approaches and tools for creating masks, then see how to use them to add flat colors. Create realism in your character through lighting, shadow, highlights, and material texture.
Chigg shares techniques for unifying the painting and working on the finishing details. End the course by seeing how to finalize your design ready for presentation, covering processes such as color grading and sharpening.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Design your own original character exploring principles of color, light, and design.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in character design and digital painting.
Requirements and materials
To take this course you need some basic knowledge of image editing software such as Photoshop.
In terms of materials, you will need access to a device with image software installed. It is also recommended that you have access to a graphics tablet or screen tablet, and PureRef. However these are not essential.
Reviews
- 3 months ago
buen curso, muy claro.
- 4 months ago
excelente! me gusta mucho la forma que tiene de enseñar y me da confianza gracias a los conocimientos que tiene
- 10 months ago
Helped me to get the grasp of digital drawing and to use Photoshop better!
- 1 year ago
Es un curso muy bueno!
- 2 years ago
This was one of the most helpful concept art courses I have done to date. The fundamentals of light sections were a penny drop moment in that it finally made sense how form and realism can be achieved with anything you may draw - THANK YOU! The course project is super detailed, which makes it almost a real-time experience! Thank you Sammy for the genuine care and intention in parting your knowledge.
With a broad range of interests and a fervor for learning new skills, Chigg views his creative process as an evolution. He sees drawing, painting, and design as a visual representation of the work that you invest, what you’ve learned, and how well you understand the world around you. Chigg has worked for clients around the world including Warner Bros, Disney, Riot Games, and Netflix, and across titles such as Black Mirror, War of the Worlds series, and Artemis Fowl.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Foundations
- Fundamentals of Light 1
- Fundamentals of Light 2
- Fundamentals of Design 1
- Fundamentals of Design 2
- Fundamentals of Design 3
- Gesture Drawing
- Referencing
- U3
Character Design
- Sketching: Gesture
- Sketching: Volume
- Design Sketch 1
- Design Sketch 2
- Final Line Art 1
- Final Line Art 2
- Final Line Art 3
- U4
Rendering
- Masks 1
- Masks 2
- Masks 3
- Masks 4
- Flat Colours 1
- Flat Colours 2
- Lighting 1
- Lighting 2
- Lighting 3
- Lighting 4
- Lighting 5
- Lighting 6
- Lighting 7
- Lighting 8
- Lighting 9
- U5
Details and Post-Processing
- Fine Details 1
- Fine Details 2
- Fine Details 3
- Fine Details 4
- Fine Details 5
- Final Presentation
- FP
Final project
- Introduction to Concept Art For Expressive Character Design
What to expect from a Domestika course
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FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate artists who want to advance their digital painting, concept art, and illustration skills with industry-relevant techniques and workflows.
You should have basic knowledge of drawing and some experience with digital art software like Photoshop to get the most out of this course.
The course covers storyboarding, matte painting, character and environment design pipelines, digital painting fundamentals, lighting, color grading, portfolio building, and freelance workflows.
You’ll learn industry-tested pipelines for character and environment design, advanced digital painting techniques, visual storytelling, lighting, color theory, and how to prepare a professional portfolio for games and animation.
You’ll need a computer or tablet with a drawing tablet and digital painting software, such as Adobe Photoshop, to follow the lessons and complete the assignments.
The course guides you through creating polished concept art pieces, applying industry standards, and preparing your portfolio to showcase your skills to potential employers or clients.
Yes, the course teaches advanced lighting concepts, color grading, hue shifting, shadow types, and how to use these techniques to create depth and mood in your artwork.