Character Illustration with Acrylic
A course by Ariel Olivetti
, Illustrator and Comic Artist
Learn step by step how to give volume, color, and realism to a superhero using acrylic paint
- Spanish with subtitles in English
- 100% Positive reviews (15)
- 532 students

Learn step by step how to give volume, color, and realism to a superhero using acrylic paint
- 100% Positive reviews (15)
- 532 students
- Online and at your own pace
- Audio: Spanish
- Level: Beginner
- 13 Lessons (2h 0m)
- Available from the app
- Spanish, English, Portuguese, German, French, Italian
- Unlimited access forever
A superhero’s strength and details make them truly unique. With Ariel Olivetti, you can learn how to give power, realism, volume, and color to your characters using dynamic acrylic painting techniques.
Ariel Olivetti has worked with the titans of the comic industry: Marvel and DC. Now, he teaches his process for creating dynamic superheroes with acrylic paints. If you want to delve deeper into the world of comic characters with Ariel, see his course: Illustration for Comics: Anatomy of a Superhero.

About this course
Course table of contents
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U1U1. Introduction
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U2U2. Materials, light and shadow
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U3U3. Acrylic painting techniques
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U4U4. Conservation and presentation of the original
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FPFP Final Project
Start by getting to know Ariel Olivetti. He tells you about his professional journey as an illustrator and shares some of his artistic and graphic influences that have guided him throughout the course of his career.
Continue by taking a look at the materials you need to create an acrylic illustration. Ariel explains how to use light and shadows to give your drawings added realism and detail.
Step into shadows and see how to color your characters. Apply colors using layers before moving onto lighting and volume.
To finish the course, discover how to preserve your original artwork and digitize it so it can be professionally presented. See how to adjust technical specifications like the format and the definitions you’ll need to understand in editorial publishing. By the end, your superhero will be ready to face any kind of adventure and save the world.
What is this course's project?
Create an illustration based on Captain America using acrylic paint. Learn the techniques for painting with acrylics step by step, from a linear drawing to a finished illustration that’s ready to digitize and print.

Who is it for?
For anyone who loves illustration, painting, graphic composition, or superheroes. Fans and followers of Ariel Olivetti will also enjoy the course.
What you need
To take this course, you need intermediate-level drawing skills.
As for materials, you’ll need paper, paper for acrylic paint, an eraser, a black (non-water based) pencil, acrylic paints, acrylic dilutor (either matt or semi-matt), and a range of paint brushes.

Reviews

A course by Ariel Olivetti
Ariel Olivetti was born in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and studied graphic design at the University of Buenos Aires. His passion for drawing the human figure and creating characters led him to creating cover illustrations for the comic magazine FIERRO in the ‘90s. He is also a co-creator of the comic El Cazador. He has been working in the comic industry for over twenty five years as an artist and illustrator, collaborating on publications for Dark Horse, Valiant, Sideshow, MARVEL, DC Comics, and Upper Deck.
His first artwork for the US market was The Last Avengers story for Marvel Comics, and was followed by Daredevil and X-Men. He has collaborated on a limited edition series for DC called Space Ghost and a host of other titles, including Mystique and Sabretooth (1996), Alpha Flight (1997), and What if? (1997) for Marvel, as well as JLA: Paradise Lost (1998), Haven: The Broken City (2002), Green Lantern (2003), and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight.
Contents
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U1
Introduction
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Presentation
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Influences
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What will we do in the course?
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U2
Materials, light and shadow
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Materials
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Light and shadow 1
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Light and shadow 2
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U3
Acrylic painting techniques
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Drawing and shading
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Color
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Watering technique and transparent glazes
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Lighting and volume
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Final details
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U4
Conservation and presentation of the original
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Conservation digitization and format
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Editorial review
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FP
Final Project
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Character Illustration with Acrylic
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julepe
De los cursos más útiles y atractivos, Olivetti es pura didáctica.
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s_rd
Excelente curso, disfrute como loco cada segundo
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blasterhqs
Muito bom!! foi melhor do que espeva... podem confiar..
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anton.lioc
Excellent course!
Ariel covers everything - from fundamentals to insightful details.
It goes without saying that Ariel’s masterful work is very very impressive and inspiring.
Thank you very much !
theben
Great course. Learnt a lot, now starting to apply