Creation of an Illustrated Personal Identity
A course by Alejandro GiraldoIllustrator
A course by Alejandro Giraldo, Illustrator
Design a universe that represents you and apply it to different objects
Throughout history we have seen great artists who developed a highly recognized personal identity, such as the alter egos of artists like Marcel Duchamp and David Bowie, and urban artists like Banksy and Invader; all of them developed a unique visual world that speaks for itself. Alejandro Giraldo is an illustrator who has worked for major brands and advertising agencies. His passion for the sea led him to create the clothing brand Velmost, where he reflects part of his identity and personality.
In this course, learn to develop an illustrated personal identity and get to know yourself by identifying your inspirations and influences to find an alter ego that represents you and create a universe around it, embodying it in a pack of graphic pieces such as t-shirts, stickers, and plates.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 19 downloads
What will we do in the course
54 seconds
What is a personal identity?
10 minutes, 12 seconds
Personal references and moodboard creation
7 minutes, 36 seconds
Giving identity to our character
4 minutes, 9 seconds
Sketching the character and his universe
14 minutes, 56 seconds
Scanning and plotting in Photoshop
16 minutes, 46 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start by meeting Alejandro Giraldo, who tells you how he has been grabbing a pencil to draw everything around him for as long as he can remember. Learn about his career path, from starting university to study graphic design to then working in a fashion company, completing a master's degree abroad, and returning to Colombia to work as a freelance illustrator and start his own clothing brand.
Learn what a personal identity is and how it can become a brand. Make a personal mood board based on your references and influences, and from this look for a name and an alter ego you identify with.
Start to explore your alter ego graphically. Make the first sketches of your character with pencil and paper, and then choose one and create a world around it, using elements that represent it.
Learn how to digitize the chosen character and the elements, creating textures in Adobe Photoshop. Then, vectorize and create patterns in Adobe Illustrator.
Prepare the final art for the different forms of production, such as screen printing for t-shirts, stickers, badges, and tote bags, and learn how to do large-format wheatpasting with your character.
At the end of the course, you will have a unique personal identity with which you can express all of your artistic power in any format you want.
What is this course's project?
Create an illustrated personal identity that will materialize in a t-shirt design, stickers, badges, and wheatpasting.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for designers, illustrators, and people who are interested in creating an illustrated personal identity.
Requirements and materials
You need basic knowledge of graphic design, illustration, and Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Regarding the materials, you need a computer with the abovementioned programs. A graphic tablet is also recommended.
Reviews
- bereescanesPLUS2 years ago
me encanto!
- a_xolotlPLUS2 years ago
El curso es muy bueno y cumple con lo que promete. Las lecciones son muy amenas y tienen buenos tips que puede que no todos conozcan de los programas.
- 2 years ago
O Curso é bom e objetivo. Não era exatamente o que eu estava procurando, mas foi útil. O artista é simpático e me deu bons insights. Já a legenda em português está cheia de erros bobos, que aos poucos vão incomodando.
- 2 years ago
très bon cours
- 2 years ago
Excelente curso! me ayudo a aclarar muchas dudas sobre identidad personal y a mejorar mi proceso creativo.
Content
- U1
Presentation
- Presentation
- Influences
- What will we do in the course
- U2
Personal exploration
- What is a personal identity?
- Personal references and moodboard creation
- Giving identity to our character
- U3
The alter ego
- Sketching the character and his universe
- Scanning and plotting in Photoshop
- Color choice (letters)
- Textures
- Pattern creation in Illustrator
- U4
Applications (Personal Identity Kit)
- T-shirts, donut and tag
- Complementary elements
- On the street!
- FP
Final project
- Creation of an Illustrated Personal Identity
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
You’ll learn how to create a personal graphic identity—from conceptualizing and sketching characters to digitizing, coloring, and applying your designs to products like t-shirts, stickers, and buttons—while incorporating references and techniques from both digital and traditional illustration.
Yes, this course is designed for students with intermediate skills in illustration or design who want to deepen their knowledge in character creation, visual identity, and digitization techniques for personal projects.
Basic knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator is recommended, as the course includes hands-on exercises in digitizing, coloring, and vectorizing illustrations using both programs.
You’ll need access to a computer with Photoshop and Illustrator, drawing materials (pencil, paper), internet access, and optionally a printer for creating physical prototypes like t-shirts or stickers.
By the end, you’ll be able to develop a complete personal graphic identity, design an illustrated alter ego, create moodboards, logos, patterns, and apply your designs to physical products like t-shirts, stickers, buttons, and posters.
The course offers strategies to overcome creative blocks, such as actively seeking diverse references, analyzing inspiring case studies, and doing self-exploration exercises to spark new ideas.
You’ll learn layering color techniques, palette management, recoloring in Illustrator, using the paint bucket tool, and applying color swatches in Photoshop for digital illustrations.