Illustrating Fantastical Animals with Procreate
A course by Julia KörnerIllustrator
A course by Julia Körner, Illustrator
Imagine fantastical characters and turn them into captivating illustrations by exploring poses, props, color, and lighting in Procreate
Through character illustration, you can journey into fantasy worlds that only exist in your imagination. Illustrator Julia Körner has created everything from ninja cats to adventurous foxes for games, children’s books, and more using digital tools and techniques.
In this online course, she teaches you how to illustrate eye-catching characters using Procreate. Develop a charming animal character from start to finish, exploring everything from clothing to poses. Let your creativity flow and draw amazing creatures full of magic.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 22 downloads
Getting Started with Procreate
18 minutes, 27 seconds
The Meaning of Shapes
7 minutes, 25 seconds
Ideation, Mind Mapping, and Mood Board
8 minutes, 39 seconds
Sketching
11 minutes, 9 seconds
Defining the Character and the Pose
8 minutes, 13 seconds
Creating a Simple Background
14 minutes, 54 seconds
What's included in this course?
Begin the course by getting to know illustrator Julia Körner. Discover how she turned her childhood love for art into a full-time career, along with the influences that inspire her and the work she creates.
Get an insight into Julia’s character design process before exploring Procreate and its tools. Explore the meaning of shapes in illustration and develop ideas for your character by asking important questions, including where they are from and what their motivation is. Use your answers to create a mood board filled with inspiration.
Time to create your character! Start by drawing sketches based on your mood board. Then choose your favorite one and define your character’s pose. Add clothing and props to your illustration before deciding on a color scheme. Next, experiment with light and shadow to make it more realistic.
Create a simple background that enhances your design. To finish the course, Julia shows you how to put the finishing touches to your illustration and export it, ready to share with the world.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Turn an animal from your imagination into a fantastical illustration using Procreate.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in improving their digital drawing skills by learning to create unique animal characters.
Requirements and materials
Basic digital drawing knowledge is recommended, but not essential.
You will need access to a device with Procreate installed and an Apple Pencil.
Reviews
- 2 months ago
Extremely well thought-out and helpful course. Julia is an amazing artist! Also, I really like her teaching style. I learned a lot and can't wait to put all of that into practice!
- 4 months ago
Thank you for the detailed explanations of your process! I particularly liked the "line of action" concept and the use of 'selection' tool for shadowing and highlighting. I found your process linear and straight-forward and enjoyed the course.
- 4 months ago
this course is soo good. im sure this is gonna be helpful for my transition from traditional to digital artworks.
- 5 months ago
First course with Domestika and I'm really happy! The teacher explains things really well, share a lot of useful informations and guide us easily. Sometimes it can be a bit too fast but thankfully you can pause and follow at own pace. I just wished there was more tips about how to draw the character.
- 6 months ago
Lovely course with amazing explanations. Great teacher and loved every step.
Since then, she has worked with clients including ArtStation, 3dtotal, Humble Games, Storytime Magazine, Starman Films, and more. She also continues to share her work with over 85K followers on Instagram.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Finding Ideas and References
- My Approach to Character Design
- Getting Started with Procreate
- The Meaning of Shapes
- Ideation, Mind Mapping, and Mood Board
- U3
Creating the Character
- Sketching
- Defining the Character and the Pose
- Clothes and Props Design
- Creating Different Color Schemes 1
- Creating Different Color Schemes 2
- Light, Shadows, and Details
- U4
Refining the Piece
- Creating a Simple Background
- Final Touches and Exporting the File
- FP
Final project
- Illustrating Fantastical Animals with Procreate
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 beginners and covers foundational illustration and character design concepts, including digital workflows and Procreate basics.
You’ll need basic sketching supplies like a mechanical pencil and sketchbook, plus a tablet with Procreate or a similar digital art app. No advanced materials are required.
You’ll learn to develop original animal characters, create engaging illustrations, use Procreate tools, build mood boards, apply color and light techniques, and prepare a professional portfolio.
Yes, the course guides you through building a professional illustration portfolio, including best practices for online publishing and portfolio website setup.
The course teaches essential Procreate workflows, such as custom canvas setup, layer management, blending modes, masking, and exporting timelapse videos for character design.
Yes, you’ll discover how to participate in art challenges such as Inktober to improve your skills, boost creativity, and gain visibility in the art community.
Absolutely. The course covers visual development principles for games, including character ideation, silhouette design, and incorporating video game aesthetics into your artwork.