Character Design for Video Games

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Character Design for Video Games

This course is part of Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization

Instructor: Fran Krause

55,892 already enrolled

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,003 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

9 hours to complete

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,003 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

9 hours to complete

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
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There are 4 modules in this course

In this course you will explore concepts and approaches involved in creating successful character designs that can be applied to video games. Following a first week delving into some foundational concepts for successful character design, each of the remaining three weeks are structured as a master class where you will observe three professional character designers at work in the studio: Andy Ristaino (Adventure Time), Jacky Ke Jiang (Journey), and Robertryan Cory (SpongeBob SquarePants). Each designer will take on two different design challenges on the fly and address the various issues in designing characters for games, such as movement, expression, and technical limitations. At the end of each week you will have an opportunity to try out some of the concepts from that week's lesson on characters of your own design.

In this first week of the course, we will explore some of the major concepts involved in creating compelling, unique, and purposeful characters. These ideas will provide the basis for your assignment this week and lay the groundwork for our visits with professional designers in the coming weeks.

What's included

5 videos6 readings1 peer review1 discussion prompt

5 videos Total 13 minutes

Welcome 2 minutes
Density 3 minutes
Mood & Story 3 minutes
Proportion 3 minutes
Week 1 Homework 1 minute

6 readings Total 17 minutes

About this Course 3 minutes
An Important Question 1 minute
Instructor Presence and Staff Support 1 minute
Academic Integrity 2 minutes
Forum Guidelines 5 minutes
Requesting Peer Reviews 5 minutes

1 peer review Total 90 minutes

One Character, Three Ways 90 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 1 minute

Choose Your Own Character 1 minute

This week, we visit Andy Ristaino, a character designer who has created many of the ingenious characters for the animated series Adventure Time.

What's included

5 videos2 readings1 peer review

This week, we visit Jacky Ke Jiang, an animator who has worked as a character designer for both Disney Feature Animation and in video games. Jacky will discuss working in both 2D and 3D modes as he completes his challenges.

What's included

4 videos2 readings1 peer review

This week, we see Robertryan Cory in action. Cory is an a character designer known for his work on shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, Ren & Stimpy, and Gravity Falls.

What's included

8 videos4 readings1 peer review

8 videos Total 98 minutes

Drawing the Pig 19 minutes
Refining the Pig 15 minutes
Drawing the Sheep 16 minutes
Refining the Sheep, Part 1 15 minutes
Refining the Sheep, Part 2 15 minutes
Working in Animation 9 minutes
Robertryan Studio Follow-Up 7 minutes
Week 4 Homework 2 minutes

4 readings Total 15 minutes

Introducing Robertryan Cory 8 minutes
Resource: Robertryan's drawings 5 minutes
Introducing Robertryan Cory (again) 1 minute
Course Credits 1 minute

1 peer review Total 60 minutes

Outside Inspiration 60 minutes

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Instructor

Instructor ratings

(133 ratings)

Fran Krause

2 Courses 157,986 learners

Offered by

California Institute of the Arts

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Reviewed on Jun 19, 2017

This class was really fun and the assignments were engaging. I think it is a great way to get your mind centered around the idea of character design, not just for games but for anything.

Reviewed on Oct 9, 2022

In this wonderful course, I learned the basics of character design in the best way and understood how to better look at my surroundings to inspire my character designs.

Reviewed on Nov 5, 2017

Fun and challenging to me. Is not easy to me to create new characters, but with this practice and professional examples, I feel more confident to just do and see what happens. Thank you, very much.

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Frequently asked questions

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.