10 Free Online Character Design Classes for Beginners

Draw expressive and dynamic characters for illustration, comics, and animation, with these free beginner-friendly character design lessons

A strong character design is vivid, visually fun, and sets up camp in a reader or viewer’s heart! But how do you craft compelling characters using traditional and digital drawing skills?

These ten free online classes will take you from character concepts and pencil sketches, to digital cartoon worlds full of life. With expert tips, you’ll learn to understand the context of cartoon drawing, the psychology of shapes, anatomy, and background design, to create memorable and meaningful characters.

Click the red links to access the classes. These classes will be free until June 4, 2022. If you want to access them after this date, you can sign up for each teacher’s full course and dive into their topics in detail.

Classes to learn comic theory and get inspired

1. Free Class: The Cartoon World

Cartoon artist Butch Hartman (@butchhartman4) is an expert in comedic character design. He has worked with studios like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon on iconic shows like The Fairly OddParents.

In this class, he explains the altered rules of a cartoon world. In cartoons, animals can talk, physics is distorted, and the consequences of actions can be very different from reality. With examples from Warner Bros, Butch shows how exaggerated features and gestures communicate something about the character.

2. Free Class: Manga Character Archetypes

Every artist builds on what has come before. Manga artist and storyteller Natalia Batista (@nataliasmanga) illustrates characters inspired by her passion for female empowerment. Her works vary from fantasy and action to romance and comedy.

Here, she explains the history of manga and key artists from the boom of the '50s-'80s, such as Osamu Tezuka. Contextualize your own work and learn to recognize and use archetypes from manga history to make your own engaging and likable characters.

3. Free Class: Selecting Shapes for Characters

Once you understand the style you might work within, you can plan key shapes for your character design. Did you know simple shapes can affect our overall impression of a character?

Illustrator and storyboard artist Laura Ewing (@le_lauraewing) worked on Goya award-winning Madrid 2120. Here, she considers the psychological meaning of shapes in character design. Explore examples, and reflect on why designers construct characters from squares or circles.

Classes for anatomy, proportions, and dynamic character poses

4. Free Class: Kawaii Faces and Body Proportions

One illustrative style that’s great for practicing exaggerated proportions and shapes is kawaii. Illustrator Ilaria Ranauro (@ilariapops) is the perfect guide, having created adorable children’s illustrations for clients including Penguin Random House Mexico.

In this class, Ilaria demonstrates how to design kawaii characters using a square which you divide in half. She also shares how facial features can be drawn along a single line, to produce a cute and childlike look.

5. Free Class: Human Anatomy

Drawing from observation is a great way to get used to depicting more realistic anatomy. Sarah van Dongen (@sarahvandongenillustration) is a Dutch illustrator who is passionate about crafting stories from real-world situations. She has illustrated several children’s books and worked with clients like Adobe.

Learn to draw relatable humans with a friendly and playful illustrative style. This class covers how to draw human anatomy—from proportions and the skeleton, to the face and how body parts move.

6. Free Class: Drawing the Body Digitally

Working on a tablet easily allows for flexibility and adjustments as we design. Character designer Magdalina Dianova (@magdalina_dianova) works digitally to transform lines and colors into charismatic protagonists. She has worked for clients like DreamWorks TV and 3dtotal.

Here, she shares her process for digitally sketching a character using tools to tweak shapes and get the silhouette just right. A useful dual screen display shows both her drawing gestures and the result in Procreate.

7. Free Class: Dynamic Characters and Movement

Even static characters should have a sense of rhythm and life. Thomas Rohlfs’ (@thomasrohlfs) work consists of confident lines, minimal color palettes, and dynamic characters. The Amsterdam-based creator has collaborated with brands including AKQA, Wired, and New Scientist.

In this class, he shares four steps to drawing dynamic-looking characters. These are: the line of action, the rhythm of shapes in the body, where the character places weight, and finally silhouette.

Classes on preparing and finishing digital character art

8. Free Class: Creating a Moodboard and Importing a Character Sketch

If you’ve created a traditional sketch and are now ready to import and color your character, this class is for you. Joel Santana (@officialartofsantana) is a character designer and illustrator who has freelanced for Champs Sports, Walt Disney World Orlando, and others. He's also worked in-house for agencies creating advertising, packaging, and toys.

Here, you’ll learn the whole process for editing a sketch in Photoshop. Learn how to import a scan or mobile photo, and clean up the lineart. Then, make a moodboard of color and texture to incorporate into your finished digital art.

9. Free Class: Setting up Basic Composition

Illustrator and visual artist Georgi Georgiev (@goshun) designs characters and environments inspired by emotions and stories. He has worked in both the gaming and movie industries and used his signature style to design book covers.

This class features a Photoshop demonstration of sketching composition and layout for a background that communicates your character’s personality. Georgi explores where to place your horizon, how to locate your character in the composition, lighting, and more.

10. Free Class: Light and Shadow

Finally, you’ll want to breathe life into your character using contrast and shading. Nathan Jurevicius (@nathanjurevicius) is an illustrator, director, toy designer, author, and concept artist with projects including an animated short film and book JUNCTION, and a glass sculpture collaboration with IKEA.

In this lesson, he shows how to use the dodge and burn tools in Photoshop to add lighting and shadow. Working in grayscale before moving onto color to optimize the contrast and mood, Nathan shows how just two tools add tons of depth and atmosphere to a character’s world.

Remember, you have until June 4 to benefit from these free classes! After that date, you can sign up to the teacher's full course to learn more.

Craft characters your audience will love with these resources

1. Find more inspiration with these five top classic cartooning books.

2. Practice creating expressive poses with these gesture drawing exercises.

3. Boost your Procreate skills with these twelve free tutorials.

4. Explore all of Domestika's online character design courses for lessons, tips, and advice to illustrate your own characters.