Guided Course: Character Creation for Illustrated Stories
A course by Valentina ToroIllustrator and Writer
A course by Valentina Toro, Illustrator and Writer
Create characters with unique souls for enlightened stories.
Discover the art of creating characters that move and connect with your audience. Learn to bring them to life through unique universes, imbuing them with authentic and complex personalities. Character design isn't just about appearances. It's about building beings that reflect internal contradictions and conflicts, allowing them to evolve and surprise. Immerse yourself in the creative process and explore how emotions, environment, and visual narrative intertwine to form memorable characters.
Develop skills to observe, practice, and perfect your illustration technique while discovering the magic of visual storytelling. Learn to play with proportions, colors, and gestures to communicate subtle and powerful messages. Through guided projects, you'll understand how design decisions can influence the perception and impact of your characters. With each stroke, you'll be one step closer to mastering the art of creating soulful figures that will resonate in the minds and hearts of those who see them.
What will you learn in this online course?
6 lessons & 10 downloads
Podcast: Designing Contradictions: The Art of Imperfect Characters
2 minutes, 59 seconds
Characteristics of a character
16 minutes, 29 seconds
The character in relation to the world
8 minutes, 58 seconds
First sketches
5 minutes, 28 seconds
What world does our character inhabit?
17 minutes, 48 seconds
Final illustration
15 minutes, 0 seconds
What's included in this course?
You'll learn to bring soulful characters to life, exploring how to imbue them with purpose and unique personalities. You'll discover the art of creating contradictions that make characters truly memorable. By immersing yourself in visual storytelling, you'll understand how characters' emotions and universe contribute to their depth and authenticity. You'll observe how even imperfect characters can reflect humanity through their inner complexities and dilemmas.
Through guided projects, you'll practice designing characters that not only entertain, but also move and challenge. You'll explore how characters can struggle between opposing forces, revealing a mask while revealing their true essence. You'll learn to use visual tools to create characters that surprise, contradict each other, and resist resolution, generating stories full of movement and meaning. With each step, you'll develop the skill to create characters who, in their chaos and complexity, feel real and relatable.
What is this course's project?
The project allows for the creation of illustrated characters with soul, imbuing them with purpose, a universe, and a unique personality. Emotions and visual narrative are explored, surprising contradictions that enrich the story and reflect humanity in every line.
Who is this online course for?
It is aimed at illustrators, writers, and creatives who wish to delve deeper into creating characters with unique personalities. Ideal for those looking to enrich their stories by developing complex and authentic characters that resonate emotionally with their audience.
Requirements and materials
No extensive prior knowledge is required; a basic understanding of drawing and storytelling is all you need. Paper, pencils, optional digital tools, and a willingness to experiment are all you need. Simple materials allow you to explore the art of character creation with depth and creativity.
Reviews
- 4 months ago
Too short in comparison to her other courses plus a repeat of a few videos from the previous course, and audio is not working in a video, but she is very talented and inspirational and i learnt a lot from her and highly recommend her courses
- 5 months ago
Explicación clara y amena. Motiva a continuar aprendiendo. Muchisimas gracias por el curso
- 6 months ago
lei molto brava, un corso carino!
- 1 year ago
Hoy empecé a ver este curso y desde ya les puedo decir que es grandioso, me esta encantando!!!
- 1 year ago
Muy bello. Se me hizo corto
Over the course of her career, she has published seven books, five of which are children’s books. Her style can be described as a blend of textual narration with images that create universes inhabited by both forms of expression. She has also written three novels and done illustrations for other authors. She was a runner up in the Little Hakka Picture Book Competition in China and is currently represented internationally by Advocate-Art Inc.
Content
Guided Course: Character Creation for Illustrated Stories
- Podcast: Designing Contradictions: The Art of Imperfect Characters
- Characteristics of a character
- The character in relation to the world
- First sketches
- What world does our character inhabit?
- Final illustration
- Final project
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
This course is aimed at an intermediate level, perfect for those with basic illustration knowledge who want to dive deeper into creating narrative and magical characters.
You’ll need a digital tablet and access to Procreate. A digital stylus (like the Apple Pencil) and basic familiarity with the software are also recommended to get the most out of the techniques taught.
You’ll learn how to design original characters, build their visual personality, develop narrative scenes, create magical accessories and environments, and apply digital techniques for color, textures, and professional export.
Yes, the course guides you step-by-step through designing a child witch, her animal companion, custom accessories, and composing magical narrative scenes for illustrated stories.
Yes, it teaches how to use guide lines, explore poses, adjust proportions, and draw characters in various positions to create coherent and expressive illustrations.
The course shows how to translate personality traits into visual details, explore contrasting emotions and contradictions, and create complex, memorable characters using narrative and visual tools.
Yes, you’ll learn to create secondary characters like magical cats, design custom brooms, props, and charms that enhance the visual story and the main character’s personality.