Animal Character Design Masterclass
Whether you're passionate about picture book illustration, concept art, cartooning, or animation, this course is perfect for you. Enhance your skills and bring your animal characters to life with expert guidance and creative techniques!
Self-Paced Learning
This program is designed with flexibility in mind, allowing you to fit your learning into your own schedule. You can integrate the video lessons, tasks, and projects around your other commitments. If youâre eager to accelerate your progress, you can fast-track your learning and quickly build your skills. Alternatively, if you prefer a more relaxed pace, you can take your time to absorb the material thoroughly. With lifetime access to the course content, you can revisit the lessons whenever you need.
The goal of this course is to buildâŚ
- Knowledge: In this course, I will share my extensive insights into successful animal character design through a series of easy-to-follow video lessons, demonstrations, and an accompanying workbook.
- Competence: Each skill builds progressively through manageable tasks and projects, allowing you to strengthen your abilities and boost your confidence.
- Confidence: Each module is designed to help you cultivate your own creative practice, ensuring that you can continue to grow even after the program ends.
- Your Portfolio: The lessons are practical and time-efficient, designed to weave seamlessly into your busy lifestyle. After completing four tasks, youâll undertake a final âPush Projectâ for that module, to reinforce what youâve learned and gives you the chance to develop a portfolio-worthy piece.
About Nina
Nina loves bringing stories to life through her illustrations, especially with charming animal characters that kids and adults adore.Â
Some of her popular titles include Boom Bah! (Phil Cummings), No More Kisses (Margaret Wild), Good Dog Hank, and Dinosaurs Love Cheese (Jackie French).
Ninaâs been teaching online since 2016 and runs a successful membership programme to support aspiring childrenâs picture book illustrators.
Click for more information about NinaÂ
Click to view Ninaâs portfolio.
"The passion that Nina has for animal character designs definitely showed is this course. Each week Nina gives you enough tools to improve your skills making you want to practice more and more. It covers a lot in just one month, and it's worth every penny!"
Carol Arantes
Animal Character Design Course, 2022
"Nina was an excellent teacher â professional, brilliant, fantastic artist, and easily understood⌠By the end of the course, I had created several animal characters that I've used for some of the books I'm currently working on."
Karla Hull
Animal Character Design Course, 2022
"I loved the step-by-step illustration techniques. It was a very logical course that kept building. Love the teaching styles with so many examples and practical instruction."
Rachel Fia
Animal Character Design Course, 2022
What to expect
In this comprehensive program, youâll learn to draw and design expressive animal characters, starting with the fundamentals covered in Week One. This isnât a strict course on perspective or photo-realism; instead, youâll receive tools and techniques to express your unique style through your designs, adding wit and spontaneity.
With my background in picture book illustration, the course incorporates tasks inspired by the rich cultural history of animal characters in childrenâs literature. References to fables and storytelling will enhance the meaning and purpose of your animal character journey.
For Beginners: The curriculum is tailored to take absolute beginners to an intermediate level. With lifetime access, you can revisit areas that need more practice.
For Seasoned Artists: Youâll gain new skills and techniques while establishing an art practice aligned with your goals. Lifetime access allows you to further develop your artistic style and illustration portfolio.
The Support You Need: Access video lessons, a comprehensive workbook, drawing demos, and recorded expert interviews.
Tasks & Projects
You will have access to 20 Tasks and Projects. 4 smaller tasks are designed to build your skills, preparing you for the larger Push Projects.
Workbook
Access demos, expert interviews, and a comprehensive workbook designed to complement the video lessons.
Portfolio
Bring your portfolio to life by capturing the heart and imagination of the animal characters you design.
From Observation to Imagination
This course focuses on drawing expressive animal characters rather than strictly teaching perspective, light, shadow, or photo-realism. You'll receive tools to express your unique style through the animal characters you create.
Animal Character Design Masterclass Overview
This self-paced program features a different theme for each of the four modules. Each module includes four tasks and one push project, along with video lessons, a workbook, demos, expert interviews, and access to an online community. Click the arrows below to expand.
In this module, we will explore the key ingredients for designing successful animal characters and how to balance observation with imagination.
- 1.0 Welcome to Module One
- 1.1 Introduction to Animal Character Design
- 1.2 The Importance of Observation
- 1.3 Sketching from Reference vs. Sketching from Life
- 1.4 Transitioning from Observation to Imagination
- 1.5 Establishing a Successful Sketchbook Practice
In this module, we dive into anthropomorphism techniques that help us create charming and memorable animal characters.
2.0 Welcome to Week Two
2.1 What is anthropomorphism?
2.2 Moving parts
2.3 The importance of telling a story
2.4 Construction and volume
2.5 Strike a pose
In this module, we explore caricature techniques, focusing on exaggerating features, pushing shapes, and discovering various ways to represent your animal characterâs personality and style.
3.0 Welcome to Week Three
3.1 What is caricature design?
3.2 Animal archetypes
3.3 Sketch. Design. Repeat.
3.4 Breakdown drawings
3.5 Design a caricature
Learn what makes the perfect cast of characters and how they work together. Learn how to define and combine them skillfully and in-depth.
4.0 Welcome to Week Four
4.1 Fables
4.2 Villains
4.3 Five-step process
4.4 Group – silhouettes and more
4.5 Design and illustrate your 'dream team'
Tasks and Projects
Each module consists of four tasks, specifically designed to enhance your skills and prepare you for the larger push project.
"First time trying animal caricature but absolutely loved everything. It's a whole new world for me and the ideas are flowing continuously. Thanks so much, Nina for putting this out into the world â I can't wait to see where this journey leads me!"
Sue Lippiatt
Animal Character Design Course, 2022
"I now find myself creating animal characters with much more ease, and without being enslaved to the initial references. The course is very well organized and self-paced."
Alan Rolle
Animal Character Design Course, 2022
"I really loved it and I learned so much that I can keep practicing. I loved how it was organized and I resonated with Nina's teaching style."
Randi Winters
Animal Character Design, 2022
Learn the Fundamentals
Master the basics of animal character design and how to apply these principles to any character design.
