Expressive Illustration of Urban Characters
A course by Raúl Allén , Illustrator and Comic Artist
Discover how to draw urban characters using reference materials while exploring and developing your own personal style
Ever wanted to learn how to draw urban characters? In this online course, illustrator and comic artist Raúl Allen shows you how to create them by focusing on their characteristics and expressions. With lots of experience in the sector, Raúl has worked for clients like Marvel, DC, The New York Times, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and adidas.
Alongside Raúl, learn to give shape to your characters using quick and precise strokes. Start by illustrating on paper then move on to color your drawings digitally, adding backgrounds that unify them. By the end of the course, you'll have created incredible characters bursting with personality ready to share with the world.
What will you learn in this online course?
18 lessons & 30 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (45)
- 930 students
- 18 lessons (3h 56m)
- 30 additional resources (11 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
ProcreateWhat is this course's project?
Create three illustrations of contemporary urban characters with a special focus on gesture and expression in your stroke.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone interested in illustration, fashion design, character design, and urban sketching. Whether a beginner or a more experienced illustrator, this course is designed to help you refine your stroke and develop your style.
Requirements and materials
To do this course you don't need to know anything about drawing, you just need to be willing to explore different tools, get your hands dirty, and let go of the fear of making mistakes.
As for materials, you need various types of paper, inks, and materials for stamping and drawing such as brushes, pens, and markers. Also, an iPad with Procreate or a similar program of your choice (although this is not essential, as you have the option of only using only analog materials).
Reviews
Raúl Allén
A course by Raúl Allén
Raúl Allen is an illustrator and comic artist from Valladolid, Spain, with a long-standing career in the industry. He studied fine art in Salamanca and later moved to Boston where he specialized in illustration and design. Raúl has worked on comics starring iconic characters such as Wonder Woman, Secret Avengers, Hawkeye, Immortal Iron Fist, and with writers including Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Warren Ellis, Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Vita Ayala, and Robert Venditti.
He has also collaborated with big names like Marvel, DC, Valiant, and Boom; on publications like The New York Times, Playboy, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, and Billboard Magazine; as well as adidas, Tiempo BBDO, CHINA, Vitruvio Leo Burnett, and many more in the advertising sector.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Materials and Warm-up Exercises
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Presentation of Materials
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Preparation of the Work Space
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Quick Pose Exercise
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Blind Contours
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Live Drawing
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U3
Simplification and Analysis Exercises
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Straight Lines and Curved Lines
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The Silhouette and Negative Spaces
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Combine Spot and Line
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U4
Drawing of the Characters
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Mood Board
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Drawing of the First Figure 1
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Drawing of the First Figure 2
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Drawing of the Second Figure
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U5
Illustration in Procreate
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Color 1
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Color 2
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Background
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Printing and Social Networks
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FP
Final project
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Expressive Illustration of Urban Characters
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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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.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You’ll learn sequencing techniques, visual journaling, comic storytelling, experimenting with materials, and interdisciplinary collaboration to develop your own style and boost your creative process.
This is an intermediate-level course, perfect for those with basic drawing skills who want to dive deeper into urban techniques, comics, and artistic experimentation.
You’ll need a sketchbook, drawing paper, a parallel pen, refillable brush, watercolor, permanent ink, markers, sponges, wood, string, and access to basic digital image editing tools.
Yes, the course includes warm-up exercises, quick poses, and gesture drawing to improve hand-eye coordination and confidence in your strokes.
Yes, you’ll learn the creative process of adapting novels into comics, including sequencing and working with scriptwriters.
You’ll learn to capture ideas in a sketchbook, record urban scenes, draw figures in motion, and use photo references to enrich your compositions.
You’ll explore combining ink, watercolor, sponges, parallel pen, and stamping techniques to create textures and personal effects in your drawings.
Procreate
Muy buen curso
Este curso me pareció genial, realmente es lo que promete, se nota que es un curso pensado y eso realmente se nota y se agradece. Aprendi mucho, el profesor es muy claro y preocupado en sus explicaciones, realmente me encantó el curso, haría otro con el mismo artista. Muchas gracias!! lo disfrute muchísimo.
Tiene ejercicios muy interesantes que te ayudan a comprender y agilizar la relación ojo mano al dibujar. Me está gustando mucho!
Me está gustando mucho, muy buen profesor, y muy divertido a parte de aprender cosas muy interesantes
Excelente curso. Lo necesitaba como complemento