Expressive Character Design with Watercolor & Dip Pen

Expressive Character Design with Watercolor & Dip Pen

“You've reached the end of this course. Now you know how to achieve a unique character artwork from A to Z! I hope this course helps you get more passionate about illustration. Before saying goodbye, let me show you an example of what I want to see of your project: The Mood Board Start by gathering ideas. It can consist of creating a file on your computer and storing all your references here- that is what I usually do, but if you have time, it is really nice to print these references and paste them into a sketchbook, this way you’ll be able to make little sketches and take notes next to these images, and keep it all in the same place - it is a very interesting and rewarding artistic process. The Sketches Draw a whole sketch sheet of characters. A fun thing to do to add even more personality to your character is to take time to draw accessories for her or him. It completes the whole story process and can give you great ideas for later composition.

The Character Chose the character sketch you liked best and copied it in a bigger size on your watercolour sheet thanks to the grid system. A good thing to remember is to use a very soft pencil, such as a 2H, which will easily come off with an eraser later on. The Adventure Begins Stretch the watercolour paper on a hardboard panel, a crucial step to preventing the buckling of your paper in the painting process. The key point is to remove any air bubbles that could appear between your brown paper tape and your watercolour paper. Also, it’s good to remember to leave at least 1 cm on each side of your illustration to paste your paper tape on. If it is pasted too close to the edge of the sheet, it might come off later when getting wet. Adding the Outlines Add the outlines of the character using the dip pen and black ink, and erase the checks of your grid system. If anything goes a bit messy or if you accidentally make a little stain on your drawing, remember the fiberglass eraser pen is your best friend! The Illustration Add the watercolour to finish the illustration. Before starting to paint, make sure to choose some colours that would go well together. Then start by creating the light and the shadows, and next keep painting the next layers. After your work it's completely dry, carefully cut the watercolour sheet off the hardboard panel. Finally, you can clean the Illustration using Photoshop. One thing I love about illustration it's that when you become passionate about it, you never stop these experiences and constantly seek ways to communicate emotions throughout character drawing. While making your project, keep in mind that stylising human characters offers endless possibilities to tell stories through the expression on a face and the shape of a body. Once the project it's ready, make the most of your artwork and share it with the world by clicking on 'Create your project'. Remember to share both, the result and the steps that have led you to it. It would be great if you showed a picture of each step and added a brief explanation about what you have done in each one. It's been great being on this journey with you. I can't wait to see what you come up with. Thank you so much and good luck with your illustrations!”

Partial transcription of the video

“ Final Project Congratulations to you all for reaching the end of this whimsical character illustration course. You've all been superb at it and I'm elated with all you've achieved and learned. It's so special that you decided to take this journey with me and learned about this type of illustration that I love. We began the course by looking at all the tools and material you need to complete the final project. before I got you comfortable with the use of paint to get great texture effects and an understanding of colours. If you want an easy way to find harmonious colour combinations, you c...”

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Course summary for: Expressive Character Design with Watercolor & Dip Pen

• Level: Beginner
• 97% positive reviews (165)
• 6680 students
• 4 units
• 13 lessons (2h 34m)
• 7 downloads

• Category

  Illustration

• Areas

  Artistic Drawing, Character Design, Children's Illustration, Drawing, Narrative, Painting, Sketching, Storytelling, Traditional illustration, Watercolor Painting