The heart of most narrative art lies in the characters in the story. This course will reveal the “secret sauce” that makes a character memorable, beloved, villainous, funny, or celebrated. Mary Jane Begin—illustrator, author, and Rhode Island School of Design professor—explores character design from all corners of the illustration universe, including cartoons, comics, feature animation, gaming, kid’s books, and advertising.
Mary Jane explains how the components of good character design can be broken down into concrete elements. She shows how body shape, posture, anatomy, facial expression, costume, color, movement, and abstract aspects like archetypes and environment bring a character to life. The lessons are illustrated with examples from Mary Jane’s books, as well as famous, heart-warming characters created by a group of extraordinary character designers.
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