Character Design: Simple Rules For Any Style - Part 1
$25.00
One time

Learn the core foundations of character design. This lecture focuses on building characters that are clear, appealing, and well structured. By the end of the lecture, you'll have simple design tools you can apply to any style.

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CHARACTER DESIGN: SIMPLE RULES FOR ANY STYLE - PART 1

If you’ve studied character design fundamentals before, Character Design: Simple Rules for Any Style - Part 1 focuses on how to actually apply them. Instead of looking at individual aspects of character design, the lecture breaks down complete character designs and analyzes how the different pieces work together.

You’ll see what makes a design appealing and learn what works, what doesn’t, and why. You’ll also see how small adjustments can dramatically improve a character.

Worksheets are included so you can follow along and apply the same ideas to your own designs.

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LECTURE FORMAT

  • Pre-Recorded learn at your own pace instruction

    • 3 Hours of Video Instruction (1080p)

  • Practice Sheets (Printable or Digital) to complete after each lesson

  • Compatible with PC, Tablet, and Mobile Devices

  • Language: English

DAVID PEREZ

Sketch of a man wearing a baseball cap backwards, glasses, and sporting a beard and mustache, with a smile. The image has a label with the name David Perez.
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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

A collection of cartoon and sketched characters, including a large man with curly hair, a girl with a star on her forehead, a witch holding a broom, an old woman holding a book titled 'Little Women,' and various other whimsical figures and creatures.
Black and white illustration of multiple cartoon female characters with various facial expressions, some happy, sad, angry, or surprised. The characters have long, curly hair and are arranged in a pattern. There is a colorful logo in the middle that
Black and white cartoon characters of a fish with human features, dressed in casual clothes, with various facial expressions and poses, from the animated movie Teenage Kraken.
A black-and-white illustration of multiple cartoon crabs with expressive faces, showing a variety of emotions and poses, scattered across the image.
Black and white illustration of various monstrous creatures, including a large fish with sharp teeth, a flying snake-like creature, and a giant sea monster with numerous legs and a horn on its head. The image features a logo for Ruby Gillman's Teenag
A split image with Wonder Woman on the left side and a white dog on the right side. Wonder Woman is in her superhero costume with a red top, blue bottoms, and a gold tiara, with long dark hair and a stern expression. The dog is standing on a gray sur
Color illustration of a female superhero with short, asymmetrical hair, wearing a purple and green costume with a green lantern symbol on her chest. The image includes character design sketches and expressions.
Concept sketches of various cartoon fish and aquatic characters in a fantasy setting, some wearing armor or accessories with a title 'Dragon Palace' written in green at the top.
Group of animated female superheroes on the left and female and male characters fighting on the right, from DC Super Hero Girls series.
Black and white sketch of characters from DC Super Hero Girls, including Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and others in dynamic poses.
Coloring page of characters from Disney's 'The Gummy Bears' and other animated characters, with various expressions and actions, some outlined in purple and pink lines, and partially colored or with coloring details.
Sketches of characters from Disney's 'The Proud Family Louder and Prouder' including humans, animals, and a spider with purple eyes, along with the show's logo.
Colorful cartoon characters inspired by animals and food items, with some characters resembling cats and others appearing as a type of fried food, alongside black-and-white sketches of similar characters in various poses and expressions.
A collage of various animation sheets from the cartoon 'Animaniacs' including character sketches, expressions, and pose studies.
A collection of black and white sketches of characters from the Tinkletoon universe, including various anthropomorphic animals, human characters in military outfits, and a colorful logo for Tinkletoons Looniversity.
Character model sheets from Disney's 'Primos' animated film, including front, side, and back views of various characters like elderly men, women with pigtails, children, unicorns, and dogs, used for animation and design reference.
Sketches of characters and creatures from 'Merry Little Batman,' including various witches, detectives, and animals, with a logo of the title in the bottom left corner.

Helpful Resources

  • The Art Club Discord is a supportive space for students to connect, share their work, and grow together as artists. Along with accessing course materials, you can post your lecture exercises and get helpful feedback from both instructors and fellow students.

    It’s a great place to see how others approach the same assignments, pick up new ideas, and learn from different perspectives. Ask questions, share progress, or join in discussions. The Art Club Discord is there to support you throughout your character design journey.

    DISCORD LINK

  • For this course, feel free to use whatever drawing tools you're most comfortable with, traditional or digital. Pencils, pens, markers, and sketchbooks are all great options. If you prefer working digitally, a drawing tablet and software like Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, or Procreate can offer extra flexibility with layers and make it easy to revise your drawings.

    You don’t need every tool to succeed, just something that lets you draw and explore ideas. Feel free to experiment with both traditional and digital approaches to discover what works best for your style and workflow.

Keep Learning With David!

PART 2

BOOK BOOK
BOOK
$40.00

100-PAGE CHARACTER DESIGN GUIDE

Every Book Includes an Original Hand-Drawn Sketch

  • Learn the WHY behind character design

  • Beginner-friendly for all ages

  • More art. Less text.

  • Easy-to-understand examples

  • Works with any style

PDF
PDF
$25.00

100-PAGE CHARACTER DESIGN GUIDE

INCLUDES 2 PDF VERSIONS
Hi-Res • Desktop
Lo-Res • Mobile

  • Learn the WHY behind character design

  • Beginner-friendly for all ages

  • More art. Less text.

  • Easy-to-understand examples

  • Works with any style