OFFICIAL WORKBOOK

CHARACTER
DESIGN

A Complete Guide to
Drawing 2D Characters

© KEVIN GARDIN, 2021.

W W W . D R A W C A D E M Y . C O M
DRAWCADEMY'S

CHARACTER
DESIGN
A COMPLETE GUIDE TO DRAWING
2D CHARACTERS

1st edition
Copyright Drawcademy, Kevin Gardin 2021.
WELCOME TO THE COURSE!
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR
ENROLLMENT!

In this course you will learn about:

-Drawing Dynamic Figures in Proportion
-Drawing Human Faces
- Designing an Original Character From Scratch
-Creating New Designs Efficiently
-How to Draw Clothing
-How to Choose Colors
+ BONUS MATERIAL!

Want the Character Design Video Lessons

to go with this book? Visit:

https://www.drawcademy.com/p/character-design-school-complete-guide

LEVEL UP!
KEVIN GARDIN
B.A ILLUSTRATION WITH HONOURS
*BEST-SELLING* INSTRUCTOR*

Hello Drawcademy student! I am your instructor

Kevin Gardin. I was born in Windsor, Ontario,
Canada. I currently reside there after
completing my Bachelor of Illustration at
Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario.

I have worked in a game studio as a concept

artist and I also provide freelance
services locally and online for original art.

I began drawing at the age of 3 and have

never stopped, always trying to make the next
one better than the last. My greatest hope is
that I can help you onto the right track!

Visit my website at The courses found on Drawcademy are my

www.drawcademy.com to find lessons on the most sought-after techniques
more art courses. an artist can come across. They are all designed
to improve anyone at a quicker rate and at a
fraction of the cost when compared to most
Email me at
post-secondary educations. And the best part is
[email protected] to it's all in the comfort of your own home!
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© DRAWCADEMY, 2021.
MITCHELL BOUCHARD
B.S, FILM & MEDIA ARTS
HOST @REDCAPELEARNING

Mitch is a Canadian filmmaker from Harrow Ontario,

Canada. In 2016 he graduated from Dakota State University
with a B.S, in Computer Graphics specializing in Film and
Cinematic Arts.

Mitch operates as the Chairman of Red Cape

Studios, Inc. where he continues his passion for filmmaking.
He is also the Host of Red Cape Learning and Produces /
Directs content for Red Cape Films. He has reached
over 50,000+ Students on Udemy and Produced more than
3X Best-Selling Courses.

Mitch is currently working as a Graduate Assistant and is

an MFA Candidate at the University of Windsor. Winning
several awards at Dakota State University such as "1st Place
BeadleMania", "Winner College 10th Anniversary Dordt Film
Festival" as well as "Outstanding Artist Award College of Arts
and Sciences". Mitch has been Featured on CBC's "Windsors
Shorts" Tv Show and was also the Producer/Director
for TEDX Windsor, featuring speakers from across the
Country.
EXCLUSIVE
PARTNERSHIP
Red Cape Films produces our content.

WWW.REDCAPEFILMS.CA
INDEX
JOIN THE CREATORS FORUM . . . . . . . . . . 10

SELF EDUCATION TIPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

MASTER CHALLENGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

CH1: IT.. IS.. ALIVE! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

CH2: COLOUR & LIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

CH3: THE HUMAN BODY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

CH4: THE HUMAN FACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

CH5: SILHOUETTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

CH6: CLOTHING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

CH7: YOUR CHARACTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

CH8: BONUS! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

ANSWER KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Your Next Steps:
The following action steps are needed to get started:

WORKSHEETS
1 Follow along in your book or
print your worksheets if you
have the digital PDF of this
book!

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SELF EDUCATION

Tips for learning

from home

CREATE A NOTEBOOK

A notebook will help you immensely

with organizing your thoughts and
keeping track of your art progress. You SET A SCHEDULE

can use it to write down things you need

to improve on or to scribble down small Set a time that you start practicing each
ideas for later use. Ultimately it is to day, even if it's for 20 minutes. It will
improve the speed at which you learn. help you stay organized and calm in
days where things might be hectic.

Your time is precious and limited so use

it wisely!

SET UP A WORK ZONE

Set up a comfortable, well-lit

area and designate it for work.
ASK QUESTIONS

Avoid working from the couch

or bed - it's bad posture and Make sure to join the Creators
might make you sleepy and Forum Facebook group. It is a
distracted! positive space where other
students like yourself can post
their work and ask for critiques!
Getting other people's
perspectives is invaluable.

ASSEMBLE A PORTFOLIO

A simple way to make a portfolio is by

taping two bristol boards together along PRACTICE AND BE PATIENT

the bottom and 2 sides with an opening

at the top. You can use your portfolio to Be kind towards yourself and realize that
easily store all of the artwork you create this is a tough skill to learn for anyone. It
in order to keep it together in one place. is often a lifelong pursuit to reach the
level of mastery, so don't get
discouraged if your first attempts are
unsatisfactory!
MASTER
CHALLENGES
This page is for those artists who want to be the best.
I have compiled this list of various tasks for you to
accomplish while you practice at home. Seek to cross
off each box and finish the list!
CHARACTER DESIGN SCHOOL 2020
Draw 100 pyramids, 100 cubes, and 100 cylinders. Have at
least 3 views shown for each shape,

Draw each COOL POSE 5 times. Lines full of life.

Draw each muscle diagram 2 times.

Finish all worksheets 2 times.

Post 10 original characters in the Creators Forum.

Complete all Homework Qs

IT... IS... ALIVE!
CHAPTER 1

Shape and dimension are some core elements that any artist
needs to understand when drawing.

When you are putting pencil to paper, even if you are able to
make something "look" 3D, it is still a 2D image regardless.
The reason for this is because it lies on a flat page. In this chapter you will
learn the skills needed to push the believability of your images and create
character details that convey a story.

-12-
5
Visual Elements of Art
Every drawing you could every create is composed of 5 elements. It is important to know
these so you can decipher what part of your images you are creating and what needs to
be improved upon in the future.

1. Line- Either straight or curved, this is a mark that spans the distance
between two points (start and end). Essentially it is a dot in motion, the width
determined by the mark-making tool being used. A line has width, direction.
length, and curve. An outline is a type of line, as is cross-hatching, but an
outline creates a 2-dimensional shape when it is completed, A shape can be
organic or geometric in nature.
2. Form- The form in an image is the illusion of perceived volume and depth
created by employing techniques such as shading and perspective. The tonal
scale (also known as the value scale) is the amount of lightness or darkness
present in any given colour. The difference in tones next to each other is
called contrast and this can be used in the process of giving a shape its form.
3. Texture- The texture is the description of how something looks or feels in an
image. There are two types of textures: visual and tactile. A visual texture is
one that is completely flat but gives the illusion of it being raised off of the
page and a tactile texture is one that actually rises off the page and can be
felt with touch. A painting will typically have more tactile textures than a
drawing because of how some types of paint dry. Some examples of textures
are bumpy, smooth, fuzzy, wet, and rough.
4. Colour- There are 3 properties to the element of colour: hue, saturation, and
value. Hue refers to the wavelength of the light photon when it reaches our
eye. It is the name we give colours such as red or blue. Saturation, also known
as intensity, is the purity of the colour. The more saturated the colour is the
more vibrant it is and the less saturated it is the closer to a dull grey it
becomes. Value (see #2) is the amount of black or white present in a colour.
5. Pattern- An underlying structure of form and space that is organized in
consistent and regular way to promote rhythm. It can be either man-made or
natural.
Good vs. Evil Shape Design
What do you notice about the designs of these 2 chairs?
Which one looks more friendly?
Which one looks more mean?
Homework: Copy Tommy Toon with your own drawing
underneath. What do you notice about the lines?
COLOR & LIGHT
CHAPTER 2

Color is important in describing your character's personality.

It can be chosen as an act of loyalty such as a knight or an athlete.
It can be a sign of the temperature of the environment among many other
factors. A large purpose of the color choices of your
character will come down to what story you are trying to tell.

-22-
COLORS CHEAT SHEET

OVERVIEW SATURATION
Colors play an important role in filmmaking. The term hue refers to the color of the
Take time to understand how they can be image itself, while saturation describes
used in set design, lighting and color the intensity (purity) of that hue.
grading.

COLOR WHEEL
LOW HIGH
SATURATION SATURATION

RGB, Red, Yelow and Blue are Primary colors

that are important to understand. Mixing
these colors produces Complementary colors
such as Green, Orange and Purple. FILMS
PRIMARY

The two most promenent colors you will see

YELLOW
in films are BLUE and ORANGE. Because the
CO
Y
AR

MP

sun is orange and the night is blue, these

NT

LEM
ME

EN
LE

colors feel natural.

TAR
MP

GREEN ORANGE
Y
CO

RED
BLUE
PR
Y

IM
AR

AR
IM

Y
PR

PURPLE

COMPLEMENTARY
What's So Important
About Colour?
Color can drastically affect the first impression that the
viewer gets when seeing your character.
Think in terms of complementary colours, such as green and
red. You can also use a monochromatic colour scheme such
as dark blue and light blue together. Using a favourable color
combination on your character can boost its attraction level
by orders of magnitude!
Think about the demeanor and personality of your character.
Are they flashy? Stealthy? Rich? Reserved?
The colors that match their type can be great choices.
You don't always have to use bright, saturated colors either.
Think in terms of desaturation and darkening.
On the next page you will see some color variations that I
demonstrated on video in the course of my character
Froster. Which one do you like best?
How Lighting
Tells Story
The direction and intensity of your chosen light source
can change the perception of your character a great deal.
Take the two images below for instance. The one on the left
uses a harsh light which creates dark gritty shadows in the
eye sockets, under the nose, and on the side of the face, The
one on the right uses a soft light which more evenly blankets
the character, creating much less dramatic shadows all
around.
In these two images, the harshness of the light was changed
to portray a more intense and moody sense of despair.
Notice also how the figure has a withdrawn pose and the
camera angle points downwards to create a "Giant's Eye
View" which makes the character appear weaker and more
vulnerable.
In these two images, the
harsh and soft light is again
used to show different
moods. Notice how the top
figure looks much more
heroic and impressive even
though they have the exact
same pose. This is achieved
by using harsh lighting and by
using a bottom-up camera
angle called a "Worm's Eye
View". By looking up at your
character, they immediately
will look stronger and more
powerful.
THE HUMAN BODY
CHAPTER 3

Strangely, it's not quite enough just to be a human yourself and go

by your memory on what a human looks like! I guarantee you will fail
every time! Not only are there mathematical relationships
between the sizes and placements of each bone, but there are
dynamic relationships in how we move that can drastically throw
off your drawing if you do it incorrectly. Just like anything else,
to draw the human form in a way that looks natural,
you need to fully understand what is involved in the process.

-29-
The first thing that you need to know when learning how to draw the
human body is its proportions. When I talk about proportions I am
referring to the relationships of each anatomical structure to another
in a way that reflects the average appearance of most people. Our
genetics are hardwired to produce certain results as we develop and
these are very consistent and mathematical.

HEIGHT: The average human is between 7 and 8 heads tall.

HEAD: 1/2= Eyes 1/4=Nose 1/8=Mouth
ARMS: Forearm is same length as upper arm. Elbow is at bottom of rib cage/naval
HANDS: Same height as head. Middle finger and palm are the same length.
LEGS: Lower leg and upper leg are the same length.
NAVAL: The naval is placed 3 heads down from the top.
SHOULDERS: The ball joint where the arm connects with the torso is placed 1
head-width from the center line on each side.
The Arm (Outer View)
Learn the muscles visible on the outside of the arm!
The Arm (Inner View)
Learn the muscles visible on the inside of the arm!
The Leg
Learn the muscles visible on the leg!
Gesture Drawing
Gesture drawing is about learning how to draw the human figure
quickly and capturing the essence without too much detail. I have
included some pictures of dynamic poses so you can practice these
exercises. Remember, you are studying when doing gesture drawing
exercises and not trying to make pretty pictures yet. Your figures
won’t look like normal people (and that’s the point!), but you will start
to understand more fully how something like an arm extends towards
your eye or how to block in a rib cage and pelvis in less than 5 seconds.
Think about how big of a role overlapping shapes will have in your pose
and how they will stretch and skew into perspective.

METHOD 1: CUBE FIGURES

I am going to help break you out of your stick-man drawing with these.
Here I will start getting you to think of your stick-man broken up into
pieces. Don't worry about hands or feet for a while (since a stick-man
doesn't have them). To use this exercise, you want to first get
comfortable drawing cubes and rectangular prisms from any angle. If
you feel like you already have that down pat then this one is for you!
Steps:
-Imagine your horizon like through the center of your character.
-Use cubes for the head, and rib cage.
-Use rectangular prisms for the arms and legs.

1
-Draw a trapezoid shape for the pelvis.
-Lastly, don’t draw any connecting joints.
When you are drawing the figure’s pose, try to be extremely
conscious of the way these body parts are angled above, below, or to
the left or right of you and draw your shapes accordingly. If you can
get satisfactory poses out of these 3 exercises, then it’s a good
gauge to tell you if you are ready to move on to stickmen and
add anatomical features like muscles and faces to your figures
going forwards. Remember, anatomy is detail, it is not foundational
to your drawing… it’s like the icing on the cake. If your figure is not
flowing properly to begin with, all the most perfect muscles and
details in the world won’t be able to make it a stronger drawing.
METHOD 2: ELLIPSE/CIRCLE FIGURES
To use this exercise, get comfortable drawing quick circles and
ellipses. This is a more simple technique than doing cube figures
because you can draw the circles through each other and not make
them 3D. Steps: Use circles for the rib cage, pelvis and shoulder. Use
ellipses for the head, upper arm, forearm, hand, upper leg, lower leg,
foot and stomach. This is a great way to learn how the human body
flows with organic rounded shapes. You will notice how your figure
comes to life and looks natural very quickly and stands apart from the
cube figure. Note that the strength of the cube gesture exercise is to
help you place your anatomy in 3D space when legs and arms start
reaching out from the body. Try thinking about overlap more with the
cube gestures.

Steps:
Use circles for the rib cage,
pelvis and shoulder.
Use ellipses for the head,
upper arm, forearm, hand,
upper leg, lower leg, foot
and stomach.

2
Here are two diagrams showing the differences between how you will
create your cube figures and your ellipse figures:
METHOD 3: BLIND CONTOUR

To use this exercise, you will first need to stop caring about what your
final product looks like, ESPECIALLY if you are always going for realism.
To do this you need to start at one point of the figure (try starting with
the face) and without lifting your pencil or looking at your page, draw
the entire body as detailed as you can. The purpose of the blind
contour is to loosen up your pencil strokes and to feel more rather
than to be in a technical mindset. It will get you to pay more attention
to your subject matter than getting caught up on your page.

Homework: Draw a figure in each method

METHOD 4: STICKMEN
4
Stickmen are how your ideal gesture drawings of figures should
look. They are perfect rigs to begin adding muscles and clothes to
because they mimic the skeleton and are quick to draw. The previous
3 exercises are to get you ready to make these dynamic and lifelike!
Use these dynamic poses to
practice your gesture
drawing!
Homework: Draw all of the poses in this
chapter using the 3 gesture drawing
techniques and then as stickmen.
Cartoon Stickmen

Homework: How many heads tall is Tommy

Toon in comparison to a human being?
THE HUMAN FACE
CHAPTER 4

In this chapter, you will learn more about the human face and
its intricacies. You will learn how to place the eyes, ears, mouth,
and nose on guidelines to quickly begin building your character's portrait.

Whenever you study anything to do with the human body,

it is called anatomy. In anatomy the proportions of things answers
questions such as: "how low below the eyes does the mouth go?"
Once you learn the measurements, everything will fall into place!

-49-
Homework: Memorize this diagram of the
proportions of the human head. Draw 10x

I created this proportion grid in

order to make a fool-proof
tool for drawing the human head.
Do you see how it works?
The Eyes
Learn the angles of the human eye!
The Nose
Learn the angles of the nose!
The Mouth
Learn how to draw the lips, teeth, and jaw!
SILHOUETTES
CHAPTER 5

In this chapter, you will learn more about the benefit of using
the process of drawing silhouettes to create fast and easy
character and architecture concepts.

-61-
What Are Silhouettes?
Silhouettes in general are blacked out images of objects caused by a
dim light source from one side that shines around the object but does
not provide any color information of the other side of it.
In character drawing, it is essentially a blacked out stick-figure with
extra shapes added on to show the bare outline of clothing, armor, and
weapons. They are used by professional character concept artists in
order to produce many ideas quickly and efficiently. The strength of
your character design really hinges on the readability of your
silhouette. To do them all you need is a black marker and a piece of
paper. If you want to add an extra layer of detail, you may want to use
a white gel pen over top of the marker. If you are not comfortable in
your abilities yet to draw the silhouette right off the bat, it is perfectly
acceptable to draw your stickman and then layer a silhouette on top.
Alternatively, as shown with my architectural thumbnails, you can use
watercolor to create a quick sketch and add details with a black
marker over top. Of course, all of this can be done digitally as well if
that is your drawing preference.
One rule of thumb is to keep each silhouette to less than 2 minutes. It
is a very focused effort of direct intent, quickly trying new
combinations and variations. Remember that the point of doing your
initial design sketches this way is to improve your output speed. In the
following pages I have provided you some examples of characters and
architectural ideas using two different methods of thumbnail
sketching. Both methods are explored on video in the course.
We explored this
orc in the course!
We explored this
elf in the course!
CLOTHING
CHAPTER 6

In this chapter, you will learn more about how to clothe your character.
In order to do it effectively and believably, you will need to
become familiar with the different types of folds that
exist in nature and how to use them in the right situations.

-70-
YOUR CHARACTER
CHAPTER 7

In this chapter, you will learn to construction of

a character from the ground up!

-74-
Remember when I drew this guy?
The description words were STEALTH, REPTILLIAN, and FLYING
Do you think I achieved a good result?
Remember with your character to really focus on the descriptive
words and to choose design features that match.
The Steps of
Character Creation
Identify the descriptive words that your
1 character is to be based on.

Create a folder/ mood board with

reference images that will help you
2 develop the look of your character. Find
pictures that inspire you.

Draw at least 10 silhouettes of your

potential character design and choose 1
3 that you are most happy with. All
silhouettes should be of a FRONT VIEW.
Using the silhouette as reference, create
a quick sketchy gesture drawing. This
4 step combines all of your knowledge of
anatomy, clothing, and extra features to
create.

Finalize your lines with crisp pencil lines or

5 inks over top, and removing the sketchy
lines.

6 Color and create color variations.

Repeat steps 4-6 for the PROFILE, BACK,

7 and 3/4 VIEWS
Female Elf Warrior
Here's the progression of the
female elf warrior from
silhouette to finished lines!

Silhouette

Front Preliminary Sketch Front View

Back View Side View

In your front view,
make sure you have the
arms away from the
core of the body to
show more detail on the
clothing and features.
In your back view,
use it to clarify features
that can not be seen on
the front view.
In your side (profile)
view, you can use a
circle with an X through
it to show where the
arm connects to the
body. Having no arm
shown allows the ability
to draw in the detail of
the body under the arm.
Start with the silhouette

Create a quick sketch to

lay out your idea with an
erasable medium. Make
this step look more
refined than the
silhouette by adding
interior details.

Draw over your

guidelines with dark
pencil lines or inks. In
this final step you want
to make confident
linework and add as
much detail as possible.
What is a 3/4 View?
In the demos we have covered the main views needed to create a
character that can be effectively 3D modelled and animated: Font,
Side, and Back. Are there any more that are popular to draw? Yes!
The 3/4 view is also an important pose to learn because it dynamically
shows off your character and doesn't look so technical and static. The
3/4 view has your character standing on a 45 degree angle to the
viewer and shows off the front and side at the same time. The leading
foot of your character is placed on a different level from the back foot
and the back shoulder should be overlapped by the chest. Generally,
you will want to draw this view last, only after you have created the
other views because you want to establish your details first.
On the next few pages you will see 3/4 views of my characters
Battledon, Kreiger, and Salazinj with full progressions from initial
sketch to full colour. Can you tell which step I am on in each picture?
STEP 1: Stickman/ Gesture
STEP 2: Lineart
STEP 3: Flat Colors
STEP 4: Cel Shading
BONUS!
Printable character standys!

Free Draw worksheet!

-88-
Having trouble?

?
Find all of the solutions on the next pages!

ANSWER
KEY
Homework
Questions
PG 21
QUESTION
"Copy each line of this character. What do you notice about the lines?"
ANSWER
The artist that drew Popeye used expressive and dynamic black linework. The
lines have a variety of "line weights" which give dimension to the drawing.

PG 36
QUESTION
"How many heads tall is Tommy Toon in comparison to a human being?"
ANSWER
Tommy Toon is 3 heads tall where as a human is between 7 and 8 heads tall on
average.

If you are having trouble with your drawings,

the community is there to help!
Join the Creators Forum group on Facebook and input the password
ACADEMY to join.