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Character Design: Folklore & Cryptids

from $100.00

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CHARACTER DESIGN: FOLKLORE & CRYPTIDS

The Character Design: Folklore & Cryptids 5-week course at The Art Club is all levels workshop and built around play, creativity, and exploration. We will be designing characters inspired by folklore, cryptids, paranormal ideas, and the unknown. The goal is to stop overthinking and start designing freely. Students will push ideas, experiment with shapes, and tap into their imagination to create unexpected character designs. This class is collaborative, fun, and focused on helping artists think like designers while enjoying the process.

Over the 5 weeks, you will learn to:

Designing strange, unexpected creatures (not the obvious ones)
Coming up with multiple ideas instead of getting stuck on one
Sharing your work and pitching your ideas each week
Exploring different directions without overthinking it
Taking your best ideas and pushing them into something solid

What You’ll Make: A lively lineup of creatures, paranormal, and cryptid designs packed with exploratory sketches, wild ideas of the unknown, and a final cast of imaginative designs.

Participants may join as Active students with feedback and drawovers, or as Viewers with access to live sessions and chat.

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Dates
Tuesdays - Apr 28 - May 26

Time
7:00pm - 10:00pm PST

Location
The Art Club - Discord: <https://discord.gg/TZb8wK292j> Green Classroom

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FORMAT

Class meets once a week on Discord.
Recorded Access: Class recordings are provided after the course, viewable for one year for Active & Viewer Pass students.
Active student’s must upload homework to Google Drive folder before the next class begins.
Active student spots are limited to 15 participants, and Viewer access is limited to 50 seats.

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THE FACULTY

David Perez is a husband, father, and artist with over a decade of experience in the animation industry. He has had the privilege of working at some of the most renowned studios, including Disney, DreamWorks, Warner Bros, Nickelodeon, Sony, and Netflix.

Teaching and giving back has been one of the most rewarding aspects of his career. David occasionally offers online workshops, and he also shares free insights on his YouTube channel (@dzine555) to help aspiring artists on their creative journey.

Character design isn’t about being “advanced.” It’s about mastering the basics at a deeper level. Over the years, He has learned that great design always comes back to simplicity and that’s the foundation of my teaching philosophy.

You’ll not only learn how things work but also why they work. More importantly, you’ll gain the tools to deconstruct and rebuild characters in your own unique way. His goal is to make learning accessible, easy to understand at any age, and use his courses as a resource you can return to no matter where you are in your artistic journey.

David has a 100-page how-to book designed to teach anyone the fundamentals of character design. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your skills.

If you would like to see more of his work you can check out. www.davidperezdzine.com

David’s Credits

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Prerequisites

This is an all levels class. To participate as an Active student and get the most out of the class, Active students need to fulfill the following requirements:

Drawing/Painting software (Adobe Photoshop, Procreate, etc.)
Computer with microphone (camera optional)
Access to Google Drive
Access to Discord

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We cover the core ideas behind strong character design. Students learn how to push shapes, explore different directions, and move away from safe and predictable choices. This week sets the tone for experimentation and creativity.
Assignment: Active students pick one prompt and create 3 to 5 different concepts.
Students present their concepts. We review the work together, do live drawovers, and push ideas further as a group. The focus is on exploration, collaboration, and having fun with the process.
Assignment: Active students get a ew prompt. Create 3 to 5 new concepts.
Students continue building speed and confidence. Ideas become stronger, decisions become faster, and designs become more unique. We continue pushing creativity and exploring new directions.
Assignment: Active students get a ew prompt. Create 3 to 5 new concepts.
Students select their strongest designs and begin refining them. This is where skills are applied to push the work further. Cleaning up, enhancing shapes, and optionally adding color.

Assignment: Active students clean up and refine their character designs.
Students present their final lineup. We review the work, give feedback, and discuss possible improvements. The goal is to leave with work that feels strong, clear, and ready to show off.

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Who is this Workshop for?

The Character Design: Folklore & Cryptids 5-week course at The Art Club is designed for artists who want to break out of overthinking and rediscover creativity through play, exploration, and imagination. Centered around folklore, cryptids, and the paranormal, this workshop encourages students to experiment freely, push ideas, and develop unique character designs.

Beginners – looking to explore character design in a fun, low-pressure environment while building confidence, creativity, and foundational design skills.

Intermediate Artists – aiming to improve idea generation, push beyond safe choices, and develop more original and dynamic character designs.

Advanced Artists & Professionals – in animation, illustration, or games who want to loosen up their process, explore new creative directions, and strengthen their ability to generate compelling concepts quickly.

Hobbyists – who want a playful, collaborative space to experiment with cryptids, folklore, and imaginative character design while developing their personal style.

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Outcomes

By the end of this workshop, students will be able to:

Generate multiple character ideas quickly and confidently through exploration and iteration
Push beyond safe and predictable choices to create more original and unexpected designs
Refine rough concepts into stronger, more polished designs with improved clarity and appeal
Active Students will receive feedback and drawovers to help push ideas further, improve design clarity, and strengthen creative decision-making throughout the process.
What You’ll Make: Active students will leave with a portfolio including multiple rounds of character ideation, exploratory sketches based on prompts, iterative concept development, and a selection of refined character designs inspired by folklore, cryptids, and the unknown.